Disclaimer: Once more, nope, don't own 'em! A/N: Finally! The long-awaited chapter! And I do mean LONG-awaited. Hahahaha...right. Inuyasha and Hojo's challenge, what will happen? What about poor Kagome? You'll see once you read! Someone asked me about how long they actually stayed in Otami, well; the answer is a very short while at the end of summer. I'm assuming 4 days, perhaps. I don't think anyone wants to hear about the rest of their summer. Honestly, even if you did I wouldn't know what to write! ^_^ Big hugs and kisses to my wonderful reviewers, and hopefully this chapter will have less anguish, but I guess that's up to you to decide. Enjoy now! * The Red Card * You Gotta Come Up, Right? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* It hurt. So unbearably much. Kagome still could not accept the scene playing before her eyes. Sesshoumaru...kissing Kagura. He never expressed that kind of kindness towards anyone, or at least she thought he didn't... Why did everything go straight downhill for her these days? Wasn't there a saying somewhere that once you go down, you have to go up sometime? It sure didn't appear that way now. Shutting her eyes abruptly, Kagome sucked in a deep breath and stiffened her muscles. Slowly, she placed her hands on the cool surface behind her, and lifted herself quietly off the floor. She didn't want to see anymore of this...she knew she had lost. But sadly, she couldn't bring herself to accept that, so she just paced around deck solemnly, trying her absolute hardest to hold back these bothersome recurring tears. She failed. ~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~ "Feh! Thought you'd wimp out." Snorted Inuyasha as he spotted Hojo heading towards him in his swimsuit attire. He had already been lounging on a lawn chair, the glow of the transparent water shining onto his face. Hojo unzipped his pack and pulled out some goggles. "Unlike you, I take competition very seriously." He explained as he slipped them on and adjusted it to fit around his head. "Also, don't forget I still have to get revenge for Kagome now, don't I?" "Revenge for her? What revenge? You make it sound like I'm the one harassing her!" Inuyasha growled out, angry that this wimp had the nerve to accuse him of such thing. Hojo was the one who snorted this time. "So you say you don't? I'd say more than half the time you're the one who makes her cry!" "Don't make shit up! What the hell'd I do?" Clearing his throat, Hojo started counting with his fingers while he read, "First of all, you took her first kiss and made it sound like she was the one who attacked you. Well, it doesn't matter. At least I know what really happened." Ignoring Inuyasha's shout of protest, he continued. "AND, I heard you're the one who got her into this whole ordeal. Having students attack her? What right do you have to say you like Kagome? I hate to admit it, but she appears to likes Sesshoumaru! But he obviously has feelings for that other girl!" Inuyasha interrupted. "Kagura?" "Yea, that's it!" Hojo stared angrily at Inuyasha. "Anyways, I know you've done a lot worse, but Kagome doesn't exactly tell me everything you've done to her! Because unlike you, she actually has some dignity!" Dumbstruck at Hojo's comment, Inuyasha mumbled some chosen words under his breath. "Whatever. Kagome will fall for me eventually though, keep that in mind." Hojo just gave a disgusted look and paused. "In your dreams." He looked at the man before him in some pants and a jacket. "Anyways, you up for this or not? Where's your bathing suit?" "I can beat you in just my shirt and pants." He slipped the jacket off him, revealing a white tank. "What do you think I have a pool and a private swimming coach for?" Inuyasha boasted proudly, and smirked at the tiny hint of paleness seeping into Hojo's face. "Fine. Why don't we boost the competition a little, then?" Hojo offered, his voice a little less confident than before. "Loser stays further away from Kagome." "Kinda like a chivalry match, then?" Inuyasha chuckled but stopped to stare at him coldly. "You know, I've always wondered...what's up with you and her? You like her or something?" "N-no!" He quickly hopped to his defence. "I'm just really good friends with her, that's all! You know, in elementary school Kagome was an extremely popular girl! She was kind to everybody, except those who picked on her friends, including me. Then she'd immediately stand up for them!" Hojo dreamily explained. "So you were a wimp when you were young too?" "Shut up!" Hojo retorted angrily. "So do you agree to the terms or not?" "Why not? But even if we didn't have this competition I'd still want you to keep as far away from Kagome as possible!" Inuyasha explained possessively with a smirk. At the same time, both of them slowly made their way to the edge of the glimmering athletics pool. It appeared to look half a block long, with floating ropes separating it into two lanes. Hojo was already stretching by grabbing his toes and then reaching for the sky with both arms. A little disgusted at the sight, Inuyasha simply turned his head the other way. "First one to touch the other side and swim back here wins." Hojo declared after he was finished his warm-up. "You ready?" "Yea...yea." Inuyasha grumbled, and proceeded to bend his knees a little. "3...2..." Before Hojo could get a decent takeoff, Inuyasha had already shoved his opponent into the pool by casually kicking him in the back. Hojo tried desperately to balance himself by twirling his arms in circles, but failed and fell face forward into the water. A collection of bubbles began to surface after the loud splash and Hojo's shout. A while later his head popped up to the surface as he yelled at the grinning Inuyasha, "What the heck? You cheated!" "Foot slipped." Inuyasha mumbled innocently. Hojo swam towards the ladder complaining too quietly for anyone to hear. "That was not fair. I'd say I win just for that." "I wouldn't." Inuyasha replied. It wasn't that he was a bad swimmer; he was quite impressive, actually. The boast about the private swim coach was no lie either, it was just that he just didn't even take this bet to mind. Before Inuyasha could continue his pondering, Hojo had unexpectedly come behind him and rammed all his weight onto Inuyasha's back, sending him smashing into the pool on his stomach. The sound that erupted from it didn't sound pleasant either...and the sounds forming underwater seemed even worse. "You goddamn sonofabitch...you're going to pay for that!" Threatened Inuyasha daringly, before he leapt out of the water with his clothes still clinging to his body. "This was fuckin' expensive! You know that! I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll wish you were dead!" Instantly Hojo had sped off, yelling, "I slipped too!" sending Inuyasha on a further rage before he chased after the guy who wasn't about to see daylight... ~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~ Unknowingly, Kagome had found a comfortable little spot in a corner on deck to lean against. It was facing the ocean, which is always a plus. Also, the sharp wind was blowing in her face, which could quickly make her forget and dry her tears. 'School's starting soon...I don't know how I'll be able to face everybody. Sesshoumaru...Inuyasha...they're the worst! Do they take some sick liking to making me feel bad, and look worse? One of these days I'll...what's that sound?' Kagome's thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar sound. There were some fast feet stomping on the wooden deck floors, and from what she could hear, they were heading her way. 'Oh god, please don't make it Sesshoumaru or Kagura...I don't want to talk to them...oh please - huh?' Hojo had whipped around the corner, wheezing. His eyes widened in shock when he glared at her. "Ka...gome?" "Yea?" She looked up at his panicky attire. "What's wrong? Why are you wet? Please don't tell me you tried to go swimming in the ocean or something!" "I wish. No, I - " He was cut off by the angry cursing of another behind him. "Hojo! When I fucking find you I'll throw you into the goddamn ocean and feed you to the sharks!" Just then the very angry Inuyasha turned the corner, and spotted his victim cowering behind someone. "There you are, asshole! Prepare to - Kagome?" His voice immediately changed tones when he saw her. What was she even doing on this boat? "Inuyasha? Why are you scaring Hojo?" She took a quick look at him, making him blush a little. "And why are you soaked in your clothes?" He scoffed and chose to ignore her, proceeding to point a sharp finger at the boy behind Kagome. "Hojo, you wimp! Hide behind a girl, why don't you? Get out here and fight like a man!" "I'm not a wimp. I just don't like violence." Inuyasha stared at him evilly. "You know, you can't stay there forever." "Who says? Right, Kagome?" Hojo looked up at the girl desperately, waiting for the response to keep him alive. Kagome blushed hotly when she spotted Inuyasha grinning at her. Now why would she do something like that? It's just that...his darn fabric was clinging so tightly to his nice body and...AHH! She scolded herself mentally; there was no need to get into that now. Besides, Hojo was still clinging onto her sleeve for dear life, and she was budged into this awkward situation. It was as if they were challenging each other by their stares, as to whom she would choose. "Umm...umm..." She mumbled quietly, trying to think up a way to not hurt either of them. Hojo was her best friend who always stood by her side, and supported her when she was down. A point for him. But, the crab incident wasn't exactly too kind, so minus a point. Inuyasha was arrogant and hurt her feelings more than enough times. Minus one for him. But he saved her from the bitchy girls, so another point. Not to mention he DID warn her about getting close to Sesshoumaru the day he kidnapped her, so add another one. But he DID kidnap her. Minus one. But she did get a ride in a rolls, a free makeover and a new haircut. Plus one. But she was drugged...Now what was she at again? Oh, who cares? All that was on her mind in that one second was, 'Why am I trying to make excuses for the guy that humiliated me so many times?' "Kagome?" Hojo asked, worriedly. Was she going to help Inuyasha? She sighed. "You know what? I'm sick of this! If you bastards don't stop fighting right this second I will personally beat the shit out of both of you!" She shouted angrily, finally releasing some anger inside her. Now that was nice... The two men stared at the gasping girl in surprise, and after a while burst out in fits of laughter. Inuyasha barely lost it whilst he was banging on the floor in pure hysterical madness. Hojo was snickering behind her too. "Just what the hell is so funny?" She demanded, raising her fist in the air. "It's not like you haven't heard me swear before!" Inuyasha, still trying to catch his breath, sounded something like, "Mmph...uu...beet...up? Mmph!" "I can't hear you, speak up!" Kagome yelled back, getting extremely frustrated. What was funny about what she said? "I still don't get what you're laughing at!" Finally calming down, Inuyasha wheezed, "Nothing." "Tell me!" She screamed, hating this 'let's keep this secret away from Kagome game. "What? Do I have toilet paper on my shoe or something? Did I fart? What?" "None of that stuff. It's just what you said, you know, about beating us up." Inuyasha cackled once again. She fumed. "What? I was being serious! I COULD beat up both of you if I tried!" Angry, she swung a fist at the chuckling Inuyasha, only to have her wrist encircled halfway by his large hands. "Sure you could..." Inuyasha stopped to think about it, still not letting go of Kagome's wrists. "Well, I take that back. You could probably beat Hojo up." "That's better." Kagome grinned, ignoring the 'Hey!' coming from behind her. Looking down, she stared at the tight grip he had on her before blushing like cherry. Inuyasha seemed to notice too and pulled away, his face a steady competitor for Kagome's. Both were in an uncomfortable silence, staring off somewhere else. That was until a low growl came from somewhere. "What was that?" Panicked Hojo, ready to jump behind Kagome again. "That's my stomach." Kagome replied, feeling stupid. But it was true that she was absolutely starving. She hadn't had anything to eat since she came to drop off the dress, and before that, she just stayed in her bed plotting up ways to murder the rich group. "Feh! You should really get some meat on those bones! I'll wake the cook up to make us some food, I'm hungry too." She smiled at his concern and looked at Hojo. He was grinning too. Well, as long as they weren't fighting anymore. Hopefully Inuyasha wouldn't remember anytime soon... After some arrangements, the deck had a large table filled with food of all sorts, but mostly seafood. Just when Kagome was about to sit down and pig in, almost everyone piled through the doors, mainly in robes and highly confused. "Inuyasha, you asshole...what'd you wake us up for?" "Pig in! It's food!" Inuyasha exclaimed like a little kid. Everyone just stared at him blankly before making his or her way to the table. Kagome couldn't help but pretend not to notice the glares of Kikyou and friends. Miroku nudged Kouga unknowingly. "That's why I hate virgins..." Inuyasha seemed to have caught that and ran over to punch Miroku one in the face. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Miroku? I don't exactly want to do it with every girl I meet!" He coughed innocently when he acknowledged all eyes on him, and walked away. Miroku was just wheezing something that sounded like, "Why...not?" All the girls started squealing to themselves afterwards, something in the words of, "I'd love to teach Inuyasha..." Though Kagome felt kind of bad for Inuyasha getting revealed a secret like that in front of everyone, she couldn't help but respect him just a little inside. Just when she thought he was some major playboy...he goes and proves her wrong. To think about it, Inuyasha was the one who came and cheered her up when she was horribly depressed. And now she was here having some sort of party...amazing what he could achieve when he tried. All of a sudden, a long head of silver hair whizzed in front of her, and she turned only to see Sesshoumaru and Kagura, looking equally as dumbfounded. At first Kagome was about to run over to say hi, but decided against it when the events once again ran through her mind. "Hey, Kouga, give this tray of food to Sess." Inuyasha told him, holding out one of the last plates of food. Kouga nodded, but asked, "Inuyasha, why don't you two just make up already? This is getting ann - !" He didn't get to finish because Inuyasha had already escaped. Once everyone settled down, they were all having a great time eating, drinking, and chatting. Kagome finally gathered enough courage to return the dress, and acted as if she didn't see a thing. Deeper into the night, when most people were passed out from drinking too much, she saw Sesshoumaru leaning over the edge of the boat. Desperately needing an answer, she casually walked next to him. "Hey." "Hi." He replied coldly without looking at her. "Listen...I'm probably a bother to you and all..." She spoke softly, commanding her mind to stop making her legs tremble. "And...I know you probably don't like me..." Her heart almost fell out when he turned to face her, their faces were so close... "You saw?" He asked, questioning her with his serious look, just daring her to get a lie past him. She nodded sadly, and glared down at the floor. "I didn't mean to...I just happened to pass by...but I left." He didn't say anything, but just went back to looking over at the dark ocean. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't particularly angry with her. But then again, she was never great at interpreting his expressions. "But..." She continued, still staring into his eyes though he wasn't facing her. "Please..." Her eyes suddenly pooled with a hot liquid, and not wanting to look like a baby, she held it back. Lifting her head slightly, she saw that he was now watching her with interest. "Please...don't hate me." Her mouth was wobbling, and she almost wanted to run away because she didn't want to hear his reply. It was probably going to be something like, 'I don't care about your stupid problems, and I love Kagura now, you moron!' He merely threw his head back to the scenery again. Apparently, he was expecting a more intelligent request. After another moment of silence between them, he said silently, "If I hated you then why would I have picked you up that day and saved you?" And that was all. Smiling lightly and feeling a heavy load off her chest, Kagome walked away to talk to Hojo, who was going at the cake. She was completely unaware of the people watching the entire scenario behind a tiny screen... ~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N: Evil cliffie! I'm in an evil mood today, I think I was too nice in the last chapter! *snicker* Now that the Hojo and Inuyasha conflict is over, all is well! Or is it? I decided to make Kagome's day a little better, because most of you were angry with me for making her suffer too much. What can I say? I'm just that depressing! Just kidding...^_^ Oh yea, and thanks to LilFoxgirl for the help, I appreciate it! Challenge: Now this is just for fun, and please include the answer with your review! What amount of points did Kagome get up to for Inuyasha? Or in other words, help Kagome out, and do the math! When Kagome was giving Hojo and Inuyasha points for what they've done to/for her so far, how many points is Inuyasha at? Now don't go reread the whole story and count every good and bad thing...just what was mentioned. Have fun! ^_^ And please review for my strived-for faster updates! Next chapter the cast is back at school! Yippee! *~Sorena~*

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