My Best Friend's Brother by Azurena

Part I

A/N: Just a little something I’ve had swimming around in my head for a while. This is not going to be a huge story. At the most it will be three chapters. I’m hoping it won’t even turn out to be that long XP

Enjoy!

Another edited Author's Note in Chapter Four! Please read it!!!!

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My Best Friend’s Brother

Part One

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With a heavy sigh, Kagome blew air into the straw of her soda and watched disinterestedly as bubbles flowed over the rim of the glass.

“Kagome?”

Said woman looked up into the concerned eyes of her friend. “What’s up with you? You’ve been all quiet and crap since we got here.”

“Nothing’s up with me,” she replied softly. “I just had a long day. Sorry to worry you.”

“Keh,” her friend huffed. “Who said I was worried?”

Hiding a smile, Kagome went back to her soda and took a sip. “Whatever, Inuyasha.” After taking a long pull, she propped her hands underneath her chin and tried to smile brightly. “So tell me more about this new club at school.”

Inuyasha immediately perked up and the words started to come faster than Kagome could understand. Nodding in what she hoped were the right moments, she let her mind wander, her gaze unconsciously raking over Inuyasha’s features.

Why did he have to look so much like him?

“There you go again!”

Jerking, Kagome tried to play dumb. “What are you talking about now, Inuyasha?”

“You, stupid! You keep getting this sad, sappy-looking expression on your face. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Nothing!” Sliding her cell phone from the front pocket of her jeans, Kagome flipped it open and pretended to check the time. “Hey, I gotta go, Inuyasha. My mom wants me home early tonight.” She stood and grabbed her purse and book bag before stepping out of the booth, pausing only to pat her hanyou companion on the head. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the carnival, okay?”

Crossing his arms grumpily, Inuyasha turned his head away from her and growled. “Feh, whatever wench.”

Kagome chose to ignore his comment and made her way to the entrance door of the small café before walking out onto the cement sidewalk. Once she was immersed in the bustle of the city, she exhaled in relief.

She loved Inuyasha, she really did, but sometimes he was a bit much to deal with. He just didn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

As she paced along, her low heels clacking with each step, Kagome’s thoughts drifted back to earlier that afternoon and she couldn’t help the red that stained her skin. She’d seen something that no one was meant to, and the knowledge made her giddy.

Almost every day after school, Kagome stayed late to help clean her classroom and do a few errands for Tashiro-sensei. And today, when she volunteered to stay yet again, she had expected it to be the same as it always was.

She was very wrong.

To anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered. It would have been nothing. But to Kagome it was special, and she was sure she would never see anything like it ever again.

The windows of her classroom overlooked the sports field, and it wasn’t uncommon to see different teams or clubs practicing after school. On this particular afternoon, Tashiro-sensei had asked her to wipe down the aforementioned windows, so she’d had an excellent bird’s eye view of the field.

Kagome had been surprised, however, to see no students practicing except for one and, when she’d recognized them, her heart had nearly skyrocketed out of her chest.

It was him.

Slowly, Kagome’s hand had dropped from where she’d been scrubbing, her blue eyes fixated on the lithe form of her crush moving elegantly through a set of sword techniques. His elbow-length hair flipped wildly as he spun through the air, his feet completely leaving the ground, and Kagome knew that if Tashiro-sensei hadn’t walked in and asked what was wrong, she would’ve stood there and watched him until he finished, no matter how long it would’ve taken.

But, as soon as her teacher had spoken her name, the object of her affections had looked up, right in her direction and, in her embarrassment, Kagome had fallen to the cold tile floor of the classroom to make sure he didn’t see her.

She’d left then. She fled like the coward she was after telling Tashiro-sensei she wasn’t feeling well.

What was wrong with her?

Shaking her head, Kagome tried to dispel the heaviness she felt settled in her stomach. She hastened her steps, suddenly anxious to get home and close herself up in her room. The stairs of the shrine she lived on came into view and she took them two at a time until she reached the top and was greeted by her younger brother, who was playing soccer in the courtyard. “Hey, Kagome!” he called cheerily.

His sister managed a halfhearted wave and small smile before scurrying into the house. “I’m home!” she announced as she pushed open the door. Dropping her bag and purse in the corner, she rummaged through the latter and pulled out her wrinkled school uniform.

“Hi Kagome!” she heard her mom reply. “How was school?”

Striding into the kitchen, Kagome stopped momentarily to peck her mother’s cheek as she chopped garlic. “It was okay,” she answered. She urged herself not to blush. “Same old, same old.”

“Sounds exciting.” She glanced at the rumpled clothes in her daughter’s hands. “You can put your uniform in the wash if you like so it’ll be clean Monday. Oh, and Inuyasha called a little while ago and asked for you to call him back as soon as you came home.”

“He did?” Kagome asked as she headed into the laundry room. “Why? I just saw him like, fifteen minutes ago.”

“He didn’t say, but you should call him. It could be important.” Ms. Higurashi picked up the phone lying on the counter and held it out. “Hurry before dinner’s ready.”

Tossing her uniform in the washer, Kagome reached for the phone and quickly dialed Inuyasha’s number. Why he hadn’t just called her cell phone was beyond her, but to each his own she supposed.

He answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”

“Inuyasha?”

“Oh, hey Kagome.”

“Hey,” she replied. “So, what’s up? Why’d you call my house?”

“Got a new phone and lost my numbers,” he mumbled, and Kagome bit her lip to keep from laughing at how disappointed he sounded. “Anyway, I called earlier to tell ya Sango and Miroku wanna hang out tonight. You in?”

“Um . . . I don’t think I’m feeling up to it,” she said honestly. Sango and Miroku were a really lovey-dovey couple, and being around them just reminded her of things she’d rather not dwell on. “Some other time, maybe.”

Kagome braced herself when Inuyasha instantly got all whiny. “Aw, come on Kagome! They’re already at my house. Don’t leave me here alone with them!

At his house? “Well . . .” the young woman quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind. “Fine, I’ll come, but I have to eat dinner first.”

“We got food here, so hurry up and come over. And bring your swimsuit. My old man finally got the pool cleaned.”

“Okay.” Nervousness was already making her jittery. “I should be there in ten minutes.”

Once he hung up, Kagome set the phone aside, the implications of what she’d agreed to finally dawning on her. With another deep sigh, she trudged up the staircase to change into her swimsuit.

It was going to be a long night.

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Nearly twenty minutes later, Kagome was inching up the long drive of Inuyasha’s house in her mother’s sedan, questioning her intelligence.

As she rolled the car to a stop and put it in park, she whipped out her cell phone and hastily speed-dialed her friend, her anxiety getting the better of her. “Yo?”

“Hey Inuyasha,” she said softly.

“Oi, where the hell are you?” he demanded. “I thought you said you’d be here in ten!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I couldn’t find my bathing suit,” she lied easily. “Anyway, I’m almost there, but I brought some of the food my mom made. Who all is at your house?” she asked, praying his answer was the one she wanted to hear. “Just so I know I brought enough for everyone.”

“It’ll be me, you, Sango, and Miroku. Everybody else is gone. Now hurry and get your ass over here!”

“Okay, okay. Chill out. See you in a few.” She snapped her phone shut and gathered the food into her arms as she slid out of the car. Bumping the door shut with her hip, she scampered up the walk and tried awkwardly to press the doorbell without dropping everything.

And waited.

And waited.

Scrunching her brow, Kagome balanced her cargo on one arm and tested the doorknob with her free hand. Seeing it was unlocked, she allowed herself in and softly shut the door behind her. “Inuyasha?” she called a little hesitantly. “I’m here.”

There was no response.

With a shrug, Kagome made her way to the kitchen, her flip flops slapping against the hardwood. She’d find him and the others after she put everything away.

She hummed to herself as she walked, not really paying attention to where she was going, so when she ran into what she thought was a wall, it took her totally by surprise.

“Oh!” she cried. The impact jarred her, almost making her lose her hold on the food. The car keys fell from her hand and, as she automatically went for them, she noticed the bare clawed toes they landed next to. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized while she scooped them up and straightened. “I wasn’t watching where I was . . . going . . .”

Her words faltered and failed her as she saw exactly who she had run into, and her heartbeat kicked up a notch.

Golden irises framed with dark lashes looked down at her, the beautiful face they were set in impassive and unhindered by his silvery-white hair, which was pulled back in a high ponytail. He didn’t have bangs to lessen the intensity of his gaze, and Kagome shifted uncomfortably at being the center of his attention.

She scrambled desperately for something to say, but it seemed her ability to speak had deserted her. She stared at him, eyes wide, and silently cursed Inuyasha.

Because the man who stood in front of her was not him, but his brother . . . her best friend’s brother, who she was hopelessly in love with.

And who despised her.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated when her voice finally returned. “I should’ve been watching where I was going. Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-dono.” Kagome bowed politely and moved past him, making sure to give him a wide berth.

As she walked away, she could feel his cold amber eyes boring into her back, and she ignored the pain that squeezed her heart. She hurried to the kitchen and put the food in the fridge, fighting tears the whole time. Blinking to keep them in check, she made sure everything was put away and went to the back door, where she could hear loud music coming from the patio.

This was definitely going to be a long night.

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A/N: Part one of what of I hope is only two! (I’m already working on the second part, so this should be finished relatively quickly) Lol XP Please let me know if you liked it!