Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha and friends...his enemies I don't want to own. ^_^ (except Kouga and Sesshoumaru) Oh yea, and the Hana Yori Dango storyline. I'm back! Wow! ^_^ the reviews are so overwhelming...never in my life would I expect so many reviews for one of my fictions! Thanks so much to all my reviewers...you make my day! Now, I apologise for my slow updates, but I'll try harder! I promise! ^_^ Oh yea, if you want to be contacted for any updates for this fic, just check it out in my bio! ^_^ Now, the new chapter, enjoy! Friend or enemy? - Chapter 8 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Slowly, Kagome made her way next to Hojo to peer into his cramped locker. There it was, swaying slightly, a red card. Kagome could still play perfectly in her mind the day she had received one herself. A dry lump forced its way down Kagome's throat. It couldn't be...why would Hojo be tagged? Countless possibilities flew into Kagome's head. He hadn't done anything yet...or had he? She placed her sweaty hands over her mouth, and shut her eyes tight, hoping this nightmare would just go away. "Does this red paper have some sort of meaning?" Hojo ripped the death threat off his locker and chuckled, completely oblivious to Kagome's panicky attire. "It must be how they welcome transfer students. I guess Wakashu students aren't so bad after all." "A...a red card!" A male student dashed down the hall for dear life. "That guy's been tagged!" Pointed a freshman girl, and joined in with what everyone else was doing. Running away. Hojo just stood there with confusion washed over his face. Once he regarded everyone's behaviour, he just muttered something in the words of, "Everyone's so shy." She just stood there, not being able to do a thing. Kagome felt a tang of guilt rush down her quivering body. This innocent boy, her friend, wasn't about to enjoy the benefits that Kagome got to enjoy. The advantages being Y4 occasionally showing some kindness towards her, and even then she still got the occasional assault. "Hojo-kun...I..." Kagome couldn't bring herself to tell him. He was standing there with eager eyes, waiting for an explanation from his childhood friend, but nothing escaped her mouth. Shaking her head in defeat, Kagome felt a headache coming on. Until she noticed someone standing down the hall, casually leaning against some lockers...someone with long, silvery white hair and a smirk. Someone who walked away before Kagome could yell anything at the retreating figure. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Uwahhh!!! Wha - what are you doing?!" Hojo was cornered into a wall, and his skinny arms were raised so they could at least filter out some of the eggs being thrown at him. Immediately after word had spread that Hojo was tagged, the torment had begun. He felt some liquid splashing onto his head, and realised it had an...odd smell to it. "Ewwww...sour milk!" Looking up, Hojo spotted a group of guys on the balcony laughing so hard they were grabbing onto their stomachs as if they were going to fall apart. "Get out of here!" Screamed another student, who started to giggle when they looked at him again, the student covered in disgusting goo and his own tears. Seeing his teacher pass by, Hojo could tell he was trying his hardest not to make eye contact. "Mr. Hayake, please...help me!" Reaching out towards the teacher in agony only caused him to speed-walk away from Hojo even faster. "Hojo-kun!" When Kagome had looked over, she immediately cringed in guilt at the position Hojo was in. It...it was all her fault, for greedily wanting to have someone to talk to, she had caused another human being to suffer the wrath of their evil school. Dashing over to the panting Hojo, who was bent down on the floor on his hands and knees, Kagome jumped to his defence. She spread her arms as far as they would go and stepped in front of Hojo. "Stop this, you punks!" "Kagome..." Ignoring her protest, the students flung a can of trash into Kagome's face. "And this is next!" The laughter that followed made her blood boil as she wiped the juice from her cheeks. Tears started pooling out of Hojo's eyes even more. "Ka...Kagome! Are you okay?" Gathering up her courage, Kagome faced him and forced out a smile, "I'm fine, I'm used to this sort of thing." That may have been what she said aloud, but deep inside she only had one emotion. Anger. 'I won't forgive that bastard!' Kagome cursed to herself and sped off in the other direction, leaving a speechless and crying Hojo sitting on the grass. Inuyasha was leaning against a door when Kagome stopped dead in front of him, covered in foul-smelling garbage. She looked no better then she smelt. Kagome stood there shaking in anger, lowering her head and mumbling something Inuyasha could barely make out. "I...I never thought of you as a human in the first place." She paused. "But now I think you're lower than a worm! Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" Huffing now, Kagome held a hand over her chest and raised her body so she was staring at him dead in the eyes. "...what are you going to my precious friend?" She demanded loudly this time, almost screaming in sheer rage when Inuyasha did not respond. "Well, why don't you say something?" "You..." He gritted out of his fanged teeth, "You don't understand anything!" Inuyasha pointed at her accusingly. "This is all YOUR fault!" An evil aura was surrounding Kagome as she forced out, "Why...why the hell is it my fault?" She stopped and glared at his towering form. "Why should I be told that by a brainless guy like you?" "Brainless?" Inuyasha repeated in anger. Nobody ever insulted him like that, and this smelly bitch had a way of pissing him off a bit too often lately. "Then...then your saying the other guy HAS brains?" "Hojo-kun?" Kagome asked with a confused look in her eyes. "Yeah! That bastard!" Inuyasha sneered, stepping closer to her as each threatening word escaped his mouth. "It's an eyesore to see you two chatting like squirrels!" Kagome didn't answer. Who was he anyways to tell her whom she could talk to or not? One day this jerk was going to send her off the edge... "And what is this 'precious friend' shit?" Inuyasha continued, folding his arms over his chest. "It gives me the fucking creeps." Deciding to fluster him, Kagome yelled determinedly. "He is precious. He's my oasis, my only flower in this desert!" Inuyasha was taken by alarm. Did Kagome like that sort of guy...wait, why the hell did he care? "What? And just what is so great about that mediocre guy? Do you like him?" "I like him a lot!" Kagome screamed out, on a full-blown rage. "I like him a hundred...no! A thousand times better than I like y - " A hand had come forwards and slapped her across the face. Not very hard, but enough to sting her scarlet cheeks a bit. It had come on as an absolute shock, her parents had never hit her before, so who was this man to come over and do so? "Ah..." Inuyasha snapped back his hand the second it felt skin under its touch. He didn't know why he slapped the girl, but for some reason he was so angry at what she was saying that he uncontrollably snapped, and without realising it, he lifted his hand and swung it. "You...you bastard..." Kagome mumbled under her breath, holding one hand over the swollen area on her face. "How dare you hit a woman's face..." "Wait!" Gulping, Inuyasha stammered back and held his hands in front of his face in defence, desperately regretting his actions. "That was an accident...le-let me explain..." Kagome kept her head lowered as her mouth trembled, her right hand slowly forcing into a tight fist. "You...you shithead!" She leaped up and dug her fist right into his jaw as hard as she possibly could, sending Inuyasha toppling into the wall. Kagome whirled around and hissed at the unconscious figure. "I'm not forgiving you for this! Jerk!" Storming down the hallway, a faint mumble caught her attention. "Gyaahhhh! Ka...Kagome, help mee..." Hojo was under attack again! Rushing as fast as her feet would carry her, Kagome headed towards the direction of the whiny voice. There he was, with a plunger shoved in his face, Hojo was lying on the floor muttering something in the words of, "I can't breathe...it stinks..." The guy atop of him had one foot on Hojo's abdomen, and before he could acknowledge Kagome's arrival she had whipped out her leg and sent the guy soaring backwards. "What the hell are you doing?" She shouted angrily towards the guy now laying on the garbage can. Turning her attention back to her friend, Kagome took grasp of the plunger handle and pulled with all her might. "Hojo, are you okay? I'll get this thing off you right away!" Once the toilet accessory was plucked off Hojo's pale face, he started to sob. "Ka...Kagome. What is this?" He pleaded with his nose running. "Look! There they are!" Came a group of angry approaching students with mops and brooms. "Over there! Get 'em!" Kagome glanced down at Hojo. "Listen, we'll talk about it later." Then she looked up at the mob. "But right now we have to run away! C'mon, get up!" He didn't move a muscle, but just sat there with his eyes wide-open. "Uhhh..." "You're a man, aren't you?" Demanded Kagome, now tugging forcefully on Hojo's sleeves and cursing under her breath. After what seemed like forever, Hojo had finally stood up and followed Kagome out of the school in a full-on sprint. She pushed them behind a bush and started wheezing. "L-looks like we lost them for now..." She looked at the panic-stricken Hojo staring down at the ground. "I'm sorry about all this, Hojo-kun. Just when you transferred here too..." He raised his head to look at Kagome. "Wh-why should you apologize, Kagome?" "I don't really understand why," She took in another cleansing breath of air. "But this is all my fault somehow." The dense look on Hojo's face made her want to giggle, but there was no time for that. She continued, "Maybe you should transfer out before it's too late. My family is too poor to transfer me, but for you it should be okay..." He took in a sharp breath of air. "But...! But Kagome, if I leave then you'll..." "I'll be fine, it's not much longer..." Hojo was far from convinced; he brought his sleeve up and wiped away his tears. "I'll put up with it...I'll stick it out with you." He paused. "I can't leave you all alone in a place like this!" Kagome felt warm tears forming, as she whispered out, "Hojo-kun..." "Well, what a beautiful friendship this is. It really suits you, Kagome." Turning around, Yura and Kikyou were hovering over them, covering their mouths with their handkerchiefs in pure disgust. "Such a lovely perfume, and it matches you so perfectly..." But...weren't they red tagged? Kagome couldn't figure out why they weren't, their parents, perhaps? Kikyou wasn't finished. "This is what you get for being arrogant, just because Inuyasha helped you out on a whim." "What do you mean by 'arrogant'?" Kagome asked, wanting desperately to beat the crap out of these girls. Kikyou continued speaking as if Kagome hadn't spoken at all. "You're really going to get it this time..." Kagome watched in horror as both girls raised their arms in the air and started waving it back and forth. "Everyone! Over here! The red-tagged couple is over here!" For a second Kagome swore her heart stopped beating...she could never have imagined that any creature on the face of this earth could be this inhumanely cruel. She just sat there in fear as the crowd started heading their way, yelling chants. "Oh my." Yura smirked. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you two be running away now?" Kikyou added with an evil grin. "We'll watch how it unfolds from over there...way there." 'One of these days I'm going to kill one of these bimbos!' Kagome convinced herself as Hojo and her were once again on the run from the insane student body. "C'mon! Can't you run any faster?" Asked a student who just flung some mud at the retreating pair. There was now a huge mob chasing the two of them, flinging unknown substances at them. 'This sucks...all we can do is run...one day these spoiled brats will get what's coming to them!' She pondered as she reached for Hojo's hand to keep him from falling behind. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Farther away, next door to Wakashu was the Eitoku section, the college area of the prestigious school. "What could be causing the commotion at the high school?" Questioned Kagura, taking a tiny bite of her cake at the cafeteria table. Miroku glared at Inuyasha. "It's because this punk red-tagged someone without even consulting us." A woman was holding an ice pack over Inuyasha's jaw while he grumbled to himself. Kouga chuckled. "Well, why not? The students have been looking bored anyway. As the planners of the game, we should treat them to some fun once in a while." The model 'tsk'ed and shook her head. "As usual, you four are up to no good." "So, Kagura. Meet any good men in Paris?" Asked Miroku, deciding to change the subject once he received one of Inuyasha's murderous looks. "As a woman like you, I doubt they would leave you alone." "I suppose so...what about you, Sesshoumaru? Do you have a girlfriend yet?" Asked Kagura with a smile. "...no." "But why? You should get one!" She insisted, wiping the corners of her dainty mouth with a napkin. "After all, it's good for a man to be polished up by a woman's presence." Sesshoumaru sat still, not bothering to respond. Miroku shifted next to the quiet Inuyasha, "Geez, Kagura's so harsh, even when she knows Sesshoumaru's feelings." "Huh?" Miroku sighed. "Never mind. I should've known better then to talk to YOU about it." Inuyasha was still dazed, staring off into space and gently resting his abused chin on his hand. "I know!" Gushed Kagura as she clapped her hands together in sheer delight at the idea that popped in her head. "Why don't I introduce you to one of my model friends, Sess? She's a very lovely girl, I'm sure you'll like her." "No thanks. Don't bother." Kagura grinned and made her way over to the silent Sesshoumaru. "I knew you'd say that!" Her grin grew broader as she placed her hand on his stiff shoulder. "Sesshoumaru, you're playing around, aren't you? But don't get too serious about other girls, after all, you're only mine - " "Ah! Kagura! It's been forever, but welcome back." "Itawaki-san! Sorry I never kept in touch!" Kagura smiled at the man behind her, who was rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Let me introduce you all." Started Kagura, motioning towards the man standing next to her. "Everyone, this is Itawaki-san, the son of the president of Itawaki Hospital. And these boys are - " "I've heard of them. They're the famous Y4 from the high school section." He interrupted, adding in a casual, "Nice to meet you." He glared over at Sesshoumaru, looking as emotionless as ever. The he turned back to Kagura, "Could he be...your boyfriend...maybe?" "Eh? You mean Sess?" Kagura replied with a shocked look on her face. "No way. We're just childhood friends, more like brother and sister, actually." Turning his head slightly to see this oh-so-clear picture, Sesshoumaru snorted when the bastard answered with a clear hint of relief in his voice, "Oh, you two just seemed so intimate." He chuckled lightly. "Hey Kouga. Say something." Miroku whispered under his breath, hoping to break off the awkward situation. "Oh yea. This year, summer school is going to be in Hawaii! Did you see the flyer!?" Kouga exclaimed excitedly. The school had a break near this time, and that was when the school went on an annual trip. Miroku yelled in protest, waving his arms in the air. "Not Hawaii again! We've been there so many times already!" 'Hawaii...the dream of Hawaii...the dream of a resort that I've decided to go to once in my life on my honeymoon.' Kagome sighed and took her eyes away from the notice on the bulletin board. No way could she afford that $2000 vacation, not on her life! "Those brats are too spoiled to be able to enjoy this at this young age!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, wanting to rip the goddamn flyer right off the board. "Um...Kagome?" Hojo said, stumbling when he walked. "This really isn't the time to be..." Whirling around, Kagome spotted the mob running towards them again, still holding their 'weapons' in their hands. Hojo was getting impatient, so he grasped her arm and dragged her off on a desperate run. "I hope you grow beautiful hearts in Hawaii, you ungrateful little -!!!" Kagome shouted at the crowd as a half-full pop can whacked Hojo on the head. "They're heading towards the college section!" Screamed one of the students attacking the pair, pointing at the large campus ahead. "Ugh! What's that? They're filthy!" "No, don't come over here! What's the matter with these kids?" Continuing to pick up her swollen feet and moving ahead, Kagome motioned towards the long set of stairs to their right. 'Oh no...there are so many college students around...' She pondered as she trudged up the tiring stairs. "They're so dirty!" 'Why do I have to be treated like this?' She thought sadly, wiping another chunk of food off her muddled face. 'I'm a good girl...' Turning to face another set of doors, Kagome called out to Hojo and together they burst through the glass doors. What they ran into made Kagome's stomach churn. "Geh! What's with those two? They stink!" "Aren't these high school students?" They stood there wide-eyed, staring at the sea of college students sitting at tables eating. When they took sight of the dirtied pair, they all started to scream and panic. 'As if we were some disease...' Kagome thought with a sigh, the day was just getting worse and worse. The doors they had just entered through banged open again. "You cowards! How dare you run in here!" He swung his mop and sent Kagome and Hojo into the hard floor. Kagome couldn't breathe. She was treated no better than dirt around here...and all she wanted to do now was run home and cry, then yell at her parents for putting her in this situation. She lowered her eyes and cringed when the voice rang in her ears, "Sorry ladies and gentlemen, we'll get these eyesores out of your way!" "What are they doing Sess? Is this some sort of play in Japan these days?" Slightly lifting her head, Kagome stared into the eyes of a beauty, the perfect woman who Sesshoumaru adored. 'Ahh...why do I have to meet her looking like this?' Inuyasha was standing in the back with a dense look on his face, hands in his pockets and trying to look like he couldn't care less. Tears started to sting in the back of her head when she noticed Kagura giggling nervously. Before she could look any further the comments of the older students sent her into a state of shame. "They're filthy! Hurry up and get them out of here!" The warm tears had found their way to Kagome's eyes, and she could barely feel a drop roll down her cheeks. 'Someone help...' With a jerk, the group of people chasing her previously were abruptly kicked back against the doors. Kagome peered out of her soaked lashes and before she could catch sight of whom her saviour was, she was lifted up bridal style by a pair of strong arms. "You bastards!" The voice sneered with anger rising in his voice. "Stop doing such childish things!!!" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Ooohh...I am evil! ^_^ Nobody hurt me, I just wanted to stop there, just because it was just perfect according to what I wanted for the next chapter! Who saves poor Kagome? Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru? Miroku? Kouga? Hojo? Kagura O_o? You'll just have to check back next time! ^_^ Oh, and regarding the Inuyasha slapping Kagome crisis, it may seem OoC for him, but in this situation, where he grows up in such a spoiled family, he kind of thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants to. He doesn't hang around girls that much, so he doesn't know how to treat them too well! ^_^ Thanks once again to all my great reviewers, hope this chapter made up for my slow updates! ^_^ And once again, review for more! *~sorena~*

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