Summery: This is an AU, where the cast of 'Inuyasha' are in college! Tori has a crush on Bankotsu, who doesn't notice. So Hiten tries to set her up with Sesshomaru - and Bankotsu gets jealous! SesshomaruXOC vs. BankotsuXOC. Pairings are a bit odd - I'll list them after the chapter.
Warning: Pairings and OCness. Also, AU.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I also thank BelleDayNight and her story "Online Drama", and Sorairo Ryuu and her story "On My Buddy List", and to any others that have inspired me. Feel free to go to my fav list and check 'em out!
Please review if you read, and leave an honest opinion - NO FLAMES. Ideas and suggestions welcome.
"I'm gonna be friggin' late!" Tori panicked, slamming her alarm off. As usual, she had slept right through it. Normally she wouldn't care, but today she was starting her freshman year at her new school, Tama University, and wanted to get there early to check out all the students.
Grabbing the clothes she had picked out the previous night, and made a mad dash for her bathroom, accidentally tripping over her cat Kirara, who had been a stray until the past year.
"Got time to eat?" her older brother asked her amusedly, as she skidded into the kitchen of the flat. She grabbed an ice-blue jacket, and shook her head, her rust-red hair flying in her face.
"Nope. Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, taking enough time to pause to berate her brother. He shrugged, and she rolled her gray-green eyes and shot out the door.
"Forget something?" Renkotsu asked innocently, as she rushed back in to grab her backpack.
"Shut up," she hissed, before slamming the door a second time.
"She'll never learn," he sighed, shaking his head.
"Bye!" she called to the man who was working on the elevator, which had been broken for months now.
"See ya," he waved, concentrating on his work.
"That's a new guy," she realized, as she slid down the banisters.
"Whew!" she panted, leaning against a tree, "Only five minutes to run five miles. Not bad." Taking deep breaths, she ran a hair through her mid-length hair, trying to smooth it out. Underneath her jacket, she wore a pinstriped three-quartered sleeved shirt tucked into jeans, with a silver belt and black boots. The black of the jeans contrasted nicely to the green hues of the shirt.
"Ever heard of a brush?" Ayame laughed nastily, walking with Kagura and Kikyo. The three girls made up the most popular trio in the school, much to Tori's disgust.
"Bitch," Tori muttered under her breath, "Must've been raised by wolves." Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she was doomed to spend her freshman year at college as the previous years of high school had been – in complete anonymity.
"You run again?" Jakotsu, with his cousin Hiten trailing lazily behind, asked. "You look all red, you know."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Tori said sarcastically, shooting a look at the year-youngerShininintai brother, and then at the older Thunder brother. "Where's Manten?"
"Oh, he transferred," Hiten told her, flashing an amused grin, "He wanted to take a couple of courses that Tama doesn't offer."
"Wish I could," she grumbled, walking in-between her two guy friends, and then looked at Jakotsu. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Oh, they had to postpone the first day for the high, so I figured I'd meet you guys here before I go hang out," he said lazily, grinning at her.
"I thought you were supposed to clean the house," Hiten reminded him, and he shrugged.
"Eh. Hey, there's Inuyasha!" Jakotsu grinned, waving toward his other friends. His arm around his girlfriend, Kagome, the teenager waved as Kagome's brother, Koga, followed them, sulking.
"What's your problem?" Hiten asked him good-naturedly, and then realized Tori had taken off.
"He's mad because his last girlfriend dumped him for Hojo," Kagome grinned, and then called out as more of the group showed up. "Hey, Sango! Miroku!"
"Hey," Sango greeted her calmly, shoving her perverted boyfriend's roaming hands at intervals.
"Where's Bankotsu?" Miroku asked, looking around, and then blinked when he saw Jakotsu. "What are you doing here? I thought you started next year."
"Yeah, but I feel like stalking you guys and taking embarrassing photos to post on the Internet," Jakotsu said seriously, causing Miroku to step back in surprise, while the others laughed.
"Bankotsu's gonna be late," Hiten told them, "His car broke down, and he's taking the bus."
"That crappy transport?" Inuyasha snorted, "He shoulda called us! We woulda picked him up!"
"You know him – he's stubborn," Jakotsu shrugged, and then zipped up his coat. "Well, I gotta run. Have fun, guys!"
"Yeah, whatever," Koga growled, racing inside the building. Hiten looked around in confusement for Tori, but there was no sign of his friend.
"Where'd you run off to?" he asked her at fourth period, where they shared a lunch with Naraku and his girlfriend, Kanna.
"Um…I just didn't feel like meeting them all," she said, shifting uncomfortably. Hiten sighed, wondering if his friend of six years would ever want to meet his other friends.
"I know you don't like crowds, but you've gotta meet 'em someday," he pointed out, and looked to Naraku for help. "Right?"
The twenty year-old nodded, his mouth presently full. He gestured Kanna helplessly.
"I believe so," the albino girl nodded, "Tori, you must face your fears one day, or they will begin to run – and ruin – your life."
"I know," she said miserably, and looked at her cousin, "Blame him for making me anti-social."
"I was going to say the same thing about Renkotsu," Naraku countered. "I don't see him going out anywhere. Whereas I go to – and am invited to – many parties," he preened mockingly.
"But I don't fit in," Tori told them, "I'd rather work on my writing or studies than party. Quit getting on my case!"
"Chill out," Hiten remarked, slinging his arm around her, "I'm only trying to introduce one of my oldest friends to my other oldest friends, is all."
"I appreciate it," Tori nodded, "But I don't want to. I just want to get through four more years of anonymity, and be done with it."
"That's a sad outlook on college life," Naraku observed, and suddenly grinned. "Cheer up, Tori. I'm sure – ah, damn, there's the bell. Catch you guys later," he waved, racing across the grass with Ms. Kaede, the elderly and surprisingly fit teacher of the athletic courses, yelling after him to walk and stay off the grass.
"He'll never grow up," Tori remarked, shaking her head, and grabbing her bag. "Well, my next class is in five, so I'll meet you before I leave, 'kay, Hiten?"
"Sure," he nodded, and looked at Kanna, "How come you're not moving?"
"Because I have no more classes until later this evening," she replied calmly. "I intend on extending my research of genetic mutations to the college library. Perhaps I may come across something there."
Not able to think of anything to say to that, Hiten took off running.
"So, Hiten…who was the hot chick you were talking to this morning?" Miroku asked him slyly, as they strode down the halls, "I've never seen her before." He quickly glanced around, and sighed in relief when he realized Sango had gone.
"Who? Oh, you mean Tori?" Hiten asked in surprise, "She's an old friend."
"How come we've never met her, then?" Koga demanded.
"She gets really shy," Hiten shrugged. The three looked as Inuyasha came running for dear life down the hallway, and skidded behind them.
"What'd you do now?" Koga smirked, and Inuyasha shot him a glare.
"It's Sesshomaru again! I swear, that bastard's bi-polar," he grumbled, straightening when he realized no one was coming after him. "I just mentioned he might want to get a girlfriend to chill out, and he almost strangled me!"
"I thought you would've learned by now," Bankotsu commented pityingly, striding up behind them. "Hey, Hiten, Tori's looking for you."
"Oh, crap! I forgot to meet her!" he realized, and began to run off. "Catch you guys later!"
"Hey, Bankotsu," Miroku began.
"What?"
"Does Hiten…you know, have a crush on this girl Tori?"
Bankotsu looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah, they're more like siblings. All of us are, actually."
Miroku threw Koga and Inuyasha a doubting glance. From what Hiten had told them about Tori, the young woman certainly viewed Bankotsu as more than a sibling. Unfortunately, he refused to see her as anything different, no matter what Hiten and Jakotsu tried.
"Rough day?" Renkotsu asked, as she flopped into a chair.
"Yeah – and I've still got two more night classes scheduled," she sighed, and then glanced at her watch. "I can't believe it's so early in the afternoon. The schedule's actually easier than high school, with getting to pick my times and everything."
"Oh, Naraku called," he mentioned, "He said that he saw you today."
"Yeah, Hiten and I have the same lunch period as he and Kanna," Tori told him, "When's he going to come over next, anyway? We haven't seen him for a while."
"Actually, I was going to talk to you about that," Renkotsu began, sitting down across from her. "My boss wants me to go to Washington state for a few weeks on a business deal. It's important for the company, but I told him I had a sister to take care of."
"Renkotsu! I am an adult, you know," Tori said, both touched and slightly annoyed.
"Well, I talked to Naraku about it, and he said that he'd be more than happy to stay over here for that time, just so people know there's still a man in the house," Renkotsu continued, "Would you be all right with that?"
"Sure!" Tori nodded, grinning at the prospect of living with Naraku, who had been her favorite cousin until she and her brother had moved. "You go and make some business deals. Naraku and I'll take care of everything," she assured him.
"That's good," Renkotsu stretched, "He can't make it tonight, but he'll meet you on campus tomorrow morning."
"Why? When're you going?" Tori asked in surprise, as he stood up.
"I already packed my bags. I was waiting until you got home to tell you, before I left," he said, giving her a hug. "Behave yourself. If I hear about any parties while I'm gone…"
"Don't worry," Tori said, "I'll be on my best behavior – kinda. Now, you wanna miss your plane, or what?"
"Bye, Tori," Renkotsu waved as he closed the door, "Have fun."
"Well, that was certainly unexpected," she thought to herself, as she made herself dinner. Glancing at the clock, she grimaced when she realized she only had another hour to relax before getting back to the campus.
Swinging around in the barstool, she drummed her fingers on the counter in time to a song she had caught in her head. Casting a glance at her laptop, she shook her head mournfully.
"I guess it'll have to wait until I get back," she said, pulling it closer. To her surprise, she saw someone else was on the online chat, but appeared to be doing nothing. Reading the name "LordYoukai," she tried to guess who it was, but came up clueless.
Intrigued, she added the person to her buddy list as she finished off the last of the bread. Sighing, she closed the lid and grabbed her jacket, slinging her bag on her shoulder.
"Till tonight, if you're still there, whoever-you-are," she called, waving to her laptop while laughing.
"Who knew two measly lessons would be so grueling?" Tori groaned, striding down campus at almost ten at night. Casting a glance at the shadows, she held her bag closer to her and began walking faster.
Suddenly, a figure leaped out at her, tackling her to the ground.
"Get…off!" she grunted, after her initial scream. Managing to kick her attacker in the groin, she crawled backward as he staggered uneasily.
"Little bitch…you're gonna regret that," he threatened her, and began to advance on her.
Just as suddenly as her attacker had appeared, another figure raced past her, and lunged at the man. Growling, her savior easily beat him unconscious, and turned to look at her.
"Who're you?" Tori asked hesitantly, taking the offered hand. He pulled slightly, and almost knocked her off balance again.
"My name is Sesshomaru Taisho," he said calmly, eyeing her with apparent contempt. "I should know the name of the woman who's stupid enough to walk alone at night around here."
"I'm Tori Baird," she told him. Looking at his silver hair and amber eyes, as well has his figure, she found herself flushing. "He's pretty hot!"
"Where do you live?" he asked, deciding not to comment on her sudden redness.
"A few blocks away," she said, and then blinked. "Hey, wait – are you Inuyasha's older brother?"
"Unfortunately, yes," he answered, and took her elbow. "Come. I'll walk you home, to make sure you don't do anything stupid along the way."
"I'll be fine, thanks," Tori snapped, "No need to lower yourself to my level."
"It is my responsibility," he replied coldly, "I should not like to have your death weighing on my mind my entire life. So let's go – I have somewhere to be as well."
"Arrogant bastard," Tori muttered inwardly, but let the handsome Sesshomaru lead her down the street.
"Well, that was humiliating," she commented to herself, as she changed into light-blue flannel pants and a white thermal shirt. "And I thought Inuyasha was a jerk. No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend," she said, shuffling out to her laptop. The handsome Sesshomaru was the most eligible – and single – guy on campus, if the rumors were anything to believe.
To her surprise – and amusement – Tori saw that "LordYoukai" was online as well, and proceeded to IM him.
"Would you get off my computer?" Inuyasha demanded, "I wanna PM Kagome!"
"Tough," Sesshomaru commented, "I'm busy on it. Use Dad's, if you are so eager."
"Feh. Forget it, then," Inuyasha huffed, and stalked out of the room.
"Finally, some peace and quiet," Sesshomaru muttered, and blinked as his IM alert popped up. To his knowledge, he hadn't given it out at all.
JigsawPuzzle: Hey! How're you?
LordYoukai: Who are you? How did you get my IM?
Jigsaw Puzzle: You were logged on earlier today, weren't you?"
"Damn," Sesshomaru thought, and sighed. He hadn't meant for anyone to see him floating around. He had only registered due to utter and complete boredom with his house. "Oh well," he shrugged, "May as well see what she's like."
LordYoukai: Yes. I hadn't meant for someone to see me, however.
JigsawPuzzle: Then what's the point of getting on?
LordYoukai: ………
JigsawPuzzle: No comment. Not exactly genius material, are we?
LordYoukai: Speak for yourself. Now, who are you?
JigsawPuzzle: You don't actually think I'm dumb enough to give you my real name, do you?
LordYoukai: It'd be nice.
JigsawPuzzle: Well, you'll have to get your kicks somewhere else. Speaking of which, I met this real arrogant a$$hole today.
LordYoukai: Who?
JigsawPuzzle: Sesshomaru Taisho. Do you know him?
"So I'm an arrogant asshole, am I?" he thought in amusement, "And she obviously has no idea who I am. This could be amusing."
LordYoukai: Yes. I thought he was extremely admirable.
JigsawPuzzle: Well, he did save me. But still…he acted like I owed him my life or something! I didn't need saving. I've taken six years of judo. It's actually where I met one of my friends.
"Could she mean Bankotsu?" Sesshomaru wondered, recalling one of Inuyasha's friends. Shaking his head in amusement, he replied.
LordYoukai: Impressive.
JigsawPuzzle: Not really. Lots of people take it for a long time. I like it. Do you do anything?
LordYoukai: Other than breath, eat, sleep, and so forth.
JigsawPuzzle: Gee, you're a real comedian.
LordYoukai: I was trained in the art of swordsmanship, if you must know.
JigsawPuzzle: Neat! Oh, I better go. I have early class tomorrow morning. Talk to ya later!
LordYoukai: Good-bye.
"Hmm…" Sesshomaru thought, and then shook his head, this time in amazement. "What an odd girl. And Inuyasha wonders why I do not date anyone."
Tori stretched, and glanced over at her collection of puzzles – the inspiration for her name. Renkotsu was often gone on business trips, and she had discovered that the puzzles helped pass the time.
"Well, maybe I'll catch 'LordYoukai' on tomorrow," she thought, and grinned. "At least he has no idea who I am."
Awright, here's the list of names and relations of the characters. I'll try not to make it confusing.
Tori and Renkotsu Baird: siblings; Naraku's cousins
Naraku:Tori and Renkotsu's cousin; Kanna's boyfriend
Kanna: Naraku's girlfriend and Kagura's sister
Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Rin Taisho: siblings
Hiten Thunder: cousin of Jakotsu and Bankotsu; brother of Manten
Jakotsu and Bankotsu Shininintai: siblings; cousins to Hiten and Manten
Kagome, Souta, Shippo, and Koga Higurashi: siblings
Miroku Bouzo: boyfriend to Sango
Sango and Kohaku DeCruz: siblings; Sango is girlfriend to Miroku
Myoga; Kaede; Urusuae: teachers at Tama University of history, athletics, and drama
No, Naraku is NOT going to be an evil bastard in this story! And yes, Koga is Kagome's brother here, and Renkotsu is Tori's older brother. I decided to go for a new (I hope!) angle for my story. Also, does anyone know a site where I can translate English words into Japanese? Like all the "English to Elvish" sites. If so, PLEASE put the address in a review. It'd be extremely helpful. NO FLAMES, but please review.