I do not own Inuyasha - how sad

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It'd been almost a month since Kagome had entered the academy and things had slowed down into a steady everyday pace. Nothing of much consequence had occurred besides a few meaningless squabbles between students, despite Kagome catching the occasional glare from Sesshomaru's fan club everything was sedate.

She had joined the library club as soon as the opportunity had arisen and revelled in the opportunity to divulge into the magnificent archives. It was quiet, understandably, hence why, she speculated, Sesshomaru often visited.

He had a routine; he would enter, half way through the free period, take a book at random then move – or hide as she liked to think- to the back of the library where it was most secluded. From time to time they caught each other's eyes, and eventually they began to exchange silent nods of greeting.

On a Saturday morning, Kagome was climbing a particularly ill maintained ladder to reach her newest read. Unsurprisingly the third rung gave out under Kagome's foot, she yelped as her whole body shunted forwarded her face reverberating against the frame of the ladder; subsequently pushing her glasses into the bridge of her nose.

Kagome stumbled off of the death trap kicking it for good measure and cursing herself for trusting the old thing. She took her glasses off with a growl, hissing as she pinched the bridge of her nose to alleviate the stinging.

"Why use such an obviously unsecure ladder?"

Kagome twisted sharply in fright, looking owlishly to the silver haired youkai.

"It looked fine... initially." Blushing pink as she realised how foolish she must've appeared.

Sesshomaru pinched the edge of the decaying lumber between his thumb and forefinger, it crumbled pathetically. "Hn." He looked to her for a moment then took her chin, tilting it. He stared a little longer stoic as usual, before swiftly turning away. "Fool."

Kagome puffed up and scrunched her eyebrows, feeling flustered and slightly annoyed. She didn't expect him to ask if she was ok but it would've been nice... She sighed and slipped on her glasses.

Kagome froze mid action. He'd seen her.

Her heart thumped loudly.

'Aren't you meant to be the smart one?' her beast chipped in.

'Its fine... he mustn't of realised, minded or whatever.'

She leant against the nearest bookcase, "Its fine." After all it was Sesshomaru and he wasn't one to make a scene. She still hadn't shown her powers, at least

Kagome's expression betrayed her words.

Kagome heaved, feeling as if her lungs were trying to turn themselves inside out.

Physical training was as intense as Sango had said. More so as the teacher, Instructor Kriss, had immediately targeted Kagome after she refused to remove her glasses. Out of spite he made her do three times the amount of exercise that everyone else did, and all the while he would be screaming infinite unpleasantries at her. Over the past two weeks he had unrelentingly pushed her to her extremes – to the point that she had began relying on her actual power to get through the session, albeit tactically.

One more lap. Kagome winced at the blisters forming around her waist; a harness attached her to a ball of Irraudium – a metal that weighed enough per cubic inch to be used efficiently for youkai weight training. She was dragging the equivalent of a jet plane behind her at the moment.

She all but collapsed over the white line marking the end of the circuit.

"You can still do better." Instructor Kriss knelt down to her level, unclasping the harness. Kagome wanted to glare at him, but was too busy trying to control her breathing.

The burley old man pulled Kagome to her feet with him and steadied her, Instructor Kriss shoved her in the direction of the changing rooms, none too gently at that, with a sigh.

"Thank you for the lesson, Instructor Kriss." Kagome said begrudgingly and bowed, still panting as she limped away.

The training grounds were silent and barren, not surprising considering that Kagome had been held behind a good hour or two this particular time, it made the feeling of being watched all the more obvious. Kagome had a feeling she knew who was keeping an eye on her, but could never be sure – they continued throughout the day to tactfully evade her senses.

Kagome leant her forehead against the cool metallic locker and gave herself five minutes to breathe before she packed away her uniform, choosing to remain in her soiled gym kit rather than dirty her uniform. She couldn't wait to sink her heavy body into her hot spring, sit there for hours until the aches and pains and stress of the day melted away.

Jun did not meet her as she usually did outside the changing rooms, Kagome did not expected her to be there either – it was already close to curfew and far past meal time thanks to the Spartan training. She could only take a small pleasure in the fact that Instructor Kriss had most likely missed out on dinner also.

Whilst meandering back to her den Kagome admired the detailed tapestries lining the corridors, in a few, she solemnly noted, she was sure illustrated her parents.

Being naively lost in thought, Kagome failed to notice the encroaching of two auras.

"Kagome Ono." Kagome's head whipped around in fright, Inu no Taisho and InuKimi strolled arm in arm towards her, looking every part the regal couple.

"You missed dinner my dear." InuKimi frowned, eyes turning steely when Kagome winced as the blisters, yet to heal, on her stomach strained when she bowed.

"Instructor Kriss and I decided to do some extra training, the time just slipped away." She smiled politely as ever.

Inukimi's lips tilted upwards but her eyes transmitted a separate message, "You must join me for tea later in my parlour, I shall not have one of my pack going hungry."

The Alpha Female's words could not be disobeyed.

"It would be an honour M'Lady." Kagome bowed again, hiding her shock at InuKimi's kindness well.

"Jun will guide you to our den within the hour." Inukimi rested her fan against her chin.

Inu no Taisho flashed Kagome one of his grins then continued to walk away with his wife.

Once they were sufficiently out of sight, Kagome dragged her hands down her cheeks. She just wanted to bathe and sleep. Although InuKimi's offer was in kind, Kagome just knew the female inu was up to something. She knew something.

The library incident from the morning reared its ugly head in her thought once again. Maybe she really had messed up everything this morning.

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AN; Hey, its been a while

Hope you enjoyed it! xx