DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I don not own Inuyasha. I just like playing with them.

Relinquished Destiny

Ch. 10

By: Lara Winner

Why was it that fate seemed to want Kagome miserable?

She had been flying high as a kite as she resumed her trek to the cafeteria and the little tingly feelings in her chest made her want to laugh. The world was rose colored once again and the heartache was gone. She wasn’t going to give up this second chance with Inuya- …er… Inasho.

Inasho’s parting comment told Kagome that he really hadn’t minded her intrusion on his behalf. Hopefully this would be a way to get him to lighten up. She didn’t want Inasho to see her as a threat. Kagome’s goal was the same as before, to be his friend. Time would take care of the rest.

At least that what she wanted to believe, but her flowery little world was violently uprooted when she joined her friends at lunch table.

Kagome had pulled out her yogurt, her plastic spoon and her bottle water before she realized Yuka still hadn’t arrived. That was hardly a reason to be concerned but when Eri nudged Jori in the ribs and the red head followed suit with Kagome she knew something was up. Looking in the direction of their envious stares she nearly choked on her spoonful of yogurt as it turned to stone in her throat.

Yuka, the self-proclaimed destroyer of men, was toying with her newest victim. Her smile was flirtatious as she leaned toward the unsuspecting male, twirling a lock of sable hair around her finger and positively radiating sexual energy. Kagome’s blood ran cold as she realized Inasho was her intended prey. Under usual circumstances Kagome would roll her eyes and ignore the scene but this time Yuka’s actions were not only annoying, they were disastrous.

Completely oblivious to Kagome’s horror, Eri giggled. "I can’t believe it. She’s actually going to go through with this. I thought she was kidding when she said he was a challenge."

"Yeah right." Jori countered. "Has Yuka ever backed down from a possible conquest? She’s got half the boys in this school in love with her. There’s no one she can’t get. What I wouldn’t give to have her skill." She sighed longingly.

Kagome stiffened, resenting the situation she now found herself in. Trying not to sound angry but unable to completely take the edge out of her voice, she asked, "When did this come about?"

"This morning." Eri replied. "He’s been here two days and he hasn’t noticed her yet. She was livid. So you know what that means. He’s number one on her hit list now."

"These games are ridiculous." Kagome ground out through clenched teeth. Numbly, she pushed her food away suddenly having no appetite.

"Well, if he’s smart he’ll catch on quick. If not then he’s thinking with the wrong head and he deserves what he gets." It was obvious from Jori’s flippant attitude she didn’t care either way. As long as the outcome made for some good gossip then it wasn’t important.

It was on the tip of Kagome’s tongue to insist he wouldn’t. The boy she knew would never fall for such an obvious show of calculated carnal manipulation. But that would have been Inuyasha’s reaction. Were Inuyasha and Inasho really that similar? If personalities stayed the same then she would have nothing to worry about. But was it that simple? This wasn’t the Sengoku Jidai. Inasho was not a lonely hanyou like Inuyasha. Though he seemed to be a loner by nature, it was obvious it had a great deal to do with his unfamiliar surroundings. Transferring in the middle of the year to a new school in a new country was bound to make a guy withdraw. Yuka could be just the distraction he wanted.

Besides, Kagome admitted, it wasn’t like there was anything special about herself. Compared to Yuka she was an ugly duckling. Boys never really gave her a second look. Maybe she was too skinny? Or maybe her hips were too rounded? Or maybe she was just really boring?

She swallowed hard but couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her. Doubts impaled her with crushing force and sick dread began to form a knot in Kagome’s stomach when, as she watched intently, Inasho laughed at something Yuka said. Despite the noise in the packed lunchroom, Kagome could make out snatches of his voice as he began to talk animatedly to Yuka, believing he had her undivided attention. It wasn’t fair. Why was he hitting it off with Yuka and yet he couldn’t bring himself to say one nice thing to her? Gods, maybe this was one big cosmic joke created to torture her for all the horrible things she’d done in her life.

Murderer…

In her mind flashed an image of Onigumo’s writhing body and his scream echoed inside her head, resonating in her ears in a haunting cry of pain and fury…

Kagome did not remember standing. She didn’t remember blacking out and thankfully she didn’t remember hitting the floor. The only thing she knew was one moment the horrible scene that fill her dreams nightly and made her awaken in a cold sweat was suddenly intruding upon her waking thoughts and the next she was looking into the warmest pair of brown eyes she’d ever seen. Houjou smiled in relief.

"I’m going to sit you up okay?" When she nodded he proceeded to prop her back against his chest where he knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" She nodded again and his sweet smile grew wider.

Blinking in confusion, Kagome looked around finally seeing the crowd that had gathered around her and placed the anxious faces of her friends from the curious on-lookers. Aki was holding her hand, kneeling next to her opposite Houjou, her face pinched in an expression of worry. Weakly Kagome asked, "What happened?"

Aki shrugged and shook her head as she gave Kagome’s hand a squeeze. "We don’t know. You were perfectly fine and then all of a sudden you turned white as a ghost and you jumped up and then you just fell down. It was really scary."

"You probably shouldn’t have returned to school so soon." Houjou offered. "This may be too much for you after what happened before."

You have no idea… Kagome thought ironically. A tiny shudder ran through her body and Houjou shifted her slight form a little closer. The warmth of his body felt safe and for once she was glad he was there.

"Are you in pain? You hit your head pretty hard. I heard it." Aki said with a sympathetic wince.

As if Aki’s words magically made the pain appear, suddenly Kagome’s head exploded in a dull throbbing ache that made her close her eyes. Her stomach turned and she jerked her eyes back open swallowing hard. "I don’t feel so well." She croaked softly, clutching her stomach.

"That’s not good." Houjou warned, his words mirroring Aki’s alarmed look.

Coming from behind Kagome, Inasho materialized by her side, his violet eyes narrowed in concentration as he assessed her. "We need to get her to the bathroom. If she has a concussion she’s definitely going to be sick and its better if we get her to move, that way she can’t black out again. Come on, I’ll help you stand her up."

The pain in Kagome’s head intensified and she whimpered in protest as she was removed from the warm spot in Houjou’s arms. Hands pulled her up and her legs wobbled beneath her. The room spun crazily and she blinked to clear her fuzzy gaze before she glared at Inasho. "Don’t move me, just let me sit…"

He shook his head giving her a stern look. "I know what I’m talking about. I’ve cracked my head plenty of times skateboarding so just trust me on this. Yuka said they called an ambulance so stay conscious, okay."

Inasho’s tone left no room for argument and Kagome leaned against Houjou hoping he didn’t see the pouting look on her face when he said Yuka’s name. Despite the concentration it took to make her legs move properly and not fall over from the dizziness that came and went, a little voice inside Kagome was coherent enough to whisper tauntingly, I bet he doesn’t know your name.

Her stomach turned again and she clenched her fists, dragging in deep breaths. It was too much. Why did she have to stay conscious? Sleep sounded so good right now. But the minute they reached the girls bathroom she wanted to hug Inasho for his insight. Latching onto Aki, she barely made it to the toilet before the contents of her stomach emptied.

The constant heaving depleted Kagome’s remaining energy and the last things to cross her mind before darkness rushed up to greet her once again was the intensity of Inasho’s eyes and the warm concern in Houjou’s voice.

****

The living room was cast in the dark shadows of the setting sun. The only light that graced the small room came from the flickering illumination of the television. Huddling deeper in the thick warm blanket that surrounded her, Kagome sniffed and wiped at her tears as the girl and boy on the television embraced. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest and spread slowly, warming the rest of her body in contentment as the couple on the screen then shared a sweet kiss.

"Why can’t real life be like that?" She sighed to no one in particular.

Soft music was Kagome’s only reply as the movies credits began to scroll up the screen. She supposed there really wasn’t such a thing as "Happily Ever After" after all. The only time love ever went smooth was in the movies. The only time a person ever found their soulmate was in a good steamy novel. The only time fairytales ever came true was in a romance manga. It was a rude awakening but Kagome preferred dealing with reality rather than living in a fantasy.

Frowning, she pulled the heavy wool blanket around her shoulders more securely trying to comfort herself. Eri’s phone call from the night before was still weighing on Kagome’s mind and the information her friend had given her still made her head ache. Apparently Inasho had fallen for Yuka’s acting abilities and asked her to go the basketball game Monday night. Yuka couldn’t contain her triumph at her accomplishment. Kagome couldn’t be more heartsick.

Or sick to her stomach.

Moaning softly, she curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. Sleeping stopped her from thinking and thinking only gave her a headache. She opted for sleeping. It was all she seemed capable of doing for the past two days. Part of her was still exhausted from the five hours she’d spent in the emergency room two nights before.

Inasho had been correct in his assumptions. The doctors had diagnosed her with a mild concussion. It was nothing serious as long as she got plenty of rest and kept herself well hydrated. The later was the hard part because nothing she put in her stomach settled right. Between the head aches and nausea, sleep was a needed escape. And now with a certain hormone driven boy on her mind, sleep was heaven.

The soft droning of the television was lulling Kagome into the arms of Morpheus. The inviting oblivion was calling her and she was falling into its gentle embrace, the last vestiges of consciousness fading, when the shrill ringing of the phone jerked her out of her peaceful state.

Grumbling to herself at the intrusion, she answered. "Hello?" Her annoyance was quite apparent.

"Uh…Can I speak to Kagome?" A deep, rich, and all too familiar voice nearly stuttered into the phone.

"Speaking." Kagome squeaked. She gripped the phone tighter, the last of her grogginess disappearing as she recognized Inasho’s voice.

A mortified blush stained her cheeks at her high pitch screech. Her heart slammed against her ribs, a usual reaction when caught off guard by that slightly condescending, over-confident tone. Even when hesitant and faced with an awkward situation, his attitude alone could make you feel as if you were a child caught with your hand in the cookie jar. His composure made her seething mad.

But the overbearing wretch was blissfully unaware of the havoc he was wreaking and continued assuredly, "This is Inasho. We have first period history together."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I know who you are. You’re the new kid." … and a really freaky carbon copy of the guy who turned my life upside down!

"That’s great. Just rub it in, why don’t ya." He snapped as his polite demeanor quickly changed to hot-tempered jerk in the blink of an eye. "Look, I got your number from Yuka. I’m calling about the history project."

Vindictive jealousy gave Kagome the spite to ask coolly, "What about it?"

An exasperated sigh filled her ears. "We’re wasting time and Mr. Tuganashi says we have to have rough drafted project outline and at least five cross-reference materials that are conductive to the project by Monday. Incase you didn’t realize, we haven’t even started yet."

"Well I’m so sorry I’ve been sick!" Kagome snapped, giving the phone a dirty look as if through the airwaves Inasho could feel the heat of her glare. "Its only Thursday we have plenty of time. Chill out, alright."

Instead of the sharp retort she’d been expecting, Inasho asked dryly, "That was quite a bump you got. How are you feeling?"

Kagome paused, a frown creasing her brow. He sounded like he was actually curious and it made her weary. "Better."

"Obviously." He muttered so softly she almost didn’t catch the word but before she could set his ears ringing he asked, "Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"No. The doctor wants me off my feet till Monday." She nearly winced, expecting him to explode. Instead he surprised her again when he only seemed mildly annoyed.

"Shit! We have to work something out…" The line fell silent.

Biting her bottom lip, Kagome knew there was only one feasible solution. Since she could not leave the house he would have to come to her. She blushed as she realized that she was actually thinking about inviting Inasho over for a study session. Her heart beat sped up and she suddenly felt nervous. Her mind told her she was being ridiculous but she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. As if she could compete with Yuka when it came to catching a guy’s attention. Ha!

Ignoring the hundreds of butterflies suddenly swarming in her stomach, Kagome steeled her spine and prepared to make a first class fool of herself. If Inasho was so worried about this silly project then he shouldn’t object. Why was she freaking out? Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. Sounding deceptively calm, she offered, "You could always drop by my house and we can work on it then."

Several arguments were on the tip of Kagome’s tongue. She braced herself to launch into a full tirade to persuade Inasho into accepting her invitation. She thought she was ready for any response he could give…

"Okay."

Kagome blinked.

Huh? Did…uh…did he just say…. Okay?

She clutched the phone tighter as her nervousness blossomed into something tangible and it left her in a surprised daze. She was not even aware of her own lame and mumbled, "Okay."

Geez, of all the things she could have said! Now she sounded like a complete moron. Heat flooded her face and she knew she was blushing furiously. It was a good thing they were on the phone so he couldn’t see the depth of her embarrassment. As it was the awkward silence was strained and turning uncomfortable as she waited for him to say something, anything.

"Well?" Inasho demanded suddenly.

She was unable to think and honestly confused. "Well what?"

"Well, where do you live?" He asked laughing. "I can’t get to your house it I don’t know where it is. I’m not a damned psychic ya know."

Just when she didn’t think she could be any more embarrassed she was proven wrong. With her heart pounding in her ears, she stuttered through the directions wishing she could start the whole conversation over. Her inability to come with articulate responses was simply absurd. Since when did her vocabulary consist of one word answers and the dialect of a child in kindergarten? This was all Inasho’s fault!

Mrs. Higurashi, using the radar all mothers are given, seemed to know that her daughter was on the phone and poking her head into the living room she gave Kagome a stern smile. "What did I tell you Kagome? You can talk to your friends when you’re feeling better. Right now you need to rest."

Though Ms. Higurashi’s command was sated calm and concerned it also left no room for an argument. For the first time Kagome said a silent thank you for her mother’s intuition.

"I have to go." She told Inasho while trying to sound apologetic instead of intensely relived. "How about you come after school tomorrow?"

"Sure." He paused, "Uh, take it easy."

He sounds genuine…

She smiled, "See ya tomorrow."

Tbc…

A.N.- Oh the drama! I can’t help it. I’m having too much fun making Kagome run in circles. *bows head shamefully* I am evil. I am the offspring of Naraku that he doesn’t talk about… Anyhoo, the next chapter should be uplifting. I think its time Kagome has a little fun, ya know. After all, with everything she’s been through I think she deserves it. Don’t you?

*Hugs* Thanks for taking the time to read! Luv ya guys!!!! *_*