I do not own Inuyasha and I make no money from these stories.

Chapter 3 - A Better Day - (Armed and Dangerous - 2306)

The taiyoukai refused to talk to anyone after the final bell. Instead of hanging out like he usually would, he rushed straight home. He had research to do. The last thing he wanted was to look like a fool in front of Kagome. He kicked himself for not realizing it earlier. He had assumed that he would be good at everything he tried, that it would come to him easily, but that hadn't been the case at all. Apparently he wasn't as perfect as he'd always believed.

Sesshoumaru spent hours watching online videos about pottery, both on the basic and the more advanced techniques, until he felt confident that he could successfully make his bowl without ruining it over and over again. Maybe if he made less mistakes, she would be less frustrated with him.

He then listened to audio clips of 'Romeo and Juliet', following along in his book so that he could begin to grasp the strange pronunciations as well as the flow of the words. He focused especially on the section he assumed they would be reading tomorrow, not stopping until he could read through the entire act while barely glancing at the text. He had always been told that his voice could make any woman melt. Maybe hearing him reading such a romantic piece properly would cause her to see him differently.

Lastly, he was up until the wee hours of the morning learning everything he could about the process of publishing a school paper. He read every digital edition of the paper that was online from the last two years, paying especially close attention to anything written by Kagome. He discovered that she not only wrote the advice column, but also several feature articles. There was more to her than he had ever known. He spent at least two hours just reading various advice columns he found online, making notes to help him when it came time for him to write his own. Maybe if he did a good job, Kagome would find some worth in him.

He got very little sleep, but it didn't matter. He now felt armed with enough information to make a good impression on the girl he couldn't get off of his mind. He was ready to face his new classes once more and this time he was certain he wouldn't look like an idiot. Now he just had to make sure he didn't fall asleep in class.

By the time pottery class rolled around, Sesshoumaru was beginning to seriously feel the sleep deprivation, but he had put in far too much work to let it drag him down. He made it before the bell this time and immediately retrieved the mess he had made yesterday. Collecting a fresh chunk of clay, he sat down in his seat and quickly set to work trying to fix what he'd done so that he could move on successfully.

He scented her the second she entered the room but the taiyoukai did not look up from his work. He divided his focus, looking for all intents and purposes to be concentrating solely on his clay, while he listened to her greet other students and collect her own work-in-progress. She sat down beside him and his hands began to shake. Suddenly he questioned his abilities. Could a few hours of video instruction really make a difference to a girl who'd taken pottery for nearly two years?

Kagome looked over his work and had to fight down the desire to smile. It seemed as though what she'd attempted to show him yesterday had finally begun to sink in. He was using the pads of his fingers carefully, taking care to keep his claws away from the clay. Secretly pleased with his quick progress, the miko focused on her own work of art. When the teacher came in, he took attendance before leaving them to work, and they did so while the students around them chatted sedately.

Things were going wonderfully, at least as far as his bowl was concerned, but he didn't like the fact that she was still ignoring him. Deciding to change that, Sesshoumaru looked up from his work to study hers.

"Your project is very interesting," he said softly, hoping she would continue the conversation he was trying to initiate.

Kagome looked up in surprise. She had never in her life expected him to actually compliment something that wasn't in some way connected to himself. "Thanks," she replied reluctantly, awaiting the expected condescension. When it didn't come, she felt the need to fill the silence. "It's only about half done. It's supposed to be abstract, unusual, unique, but still functional. It's really just a vase for my mom." Her cheeks burned as they flushed pink and she cursed herself for blushing in his presence. She was not like the other girls! She would not worship him for his looks, status, and wealth. She would never allow herself to feel anything for the arrogant ass of a demon.

"I'm sure she will appreciate it. Have you thought about how you will glaze it?"

The miko's eyes widened and she turned to quickly appraise him. She hadn't said a thing to him yesterday about glazing. He had been having enough trouble grasping just the basics of rolling the clay and adding it to the existing base. She was sure it would have only gone in one ear and out the other.

"Ummm, I was thinking maybe blue. I'm going add embellishments before it's fired. Right now I'm just working on the shape."

"You are very skilled with clay," he complimented, fighting down a smirk as her blush darkened.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You... you should get back to work. You've got a lot of catching up to do."

Sesshoumaru nodded and returned the majority of his focus to his bowl, though he still watched her out of the corner of his eye. This class had gone much better than yesterday's. He could only hope the trend continued.

-

When Sesshoumaru reached their usual lunch table, everyone was surprised to see the smug smirk on his face. He sat and immediately downed his large cup of coffee, draining it in one long swig. Once he'd emptied it, he cracked open an energy drink and then took a bite of his sandwich, his good mood still obvious.

"I'm guessing pottery went well today," Miroku said sagely.

"Yeah, I heard all about it in the hall," Inuyasha chimed in. "You pissed her off good."

The taiyoukai's sandwich fell to his plate in shock. "I did what?"

"Pissed... Her... Off," Inuyasha repeated, enunciating every word.

"In what way did I anger her? I thought things went well."

The hanyou snorted. "I'm sure they did. She, however, didn't like the fact that you made her blush. She prides herself on being immune to you, ya know."

Sesshoumaru smirked once more as Kouga laughed. "She's gonna make this as hard as possible, ain't she? Even if she is attracted to you..."

"She would never admit it," Inuyasha finished for his friend. "You are in for a lot of work, Bro. You'll be lucky if she so much as looks at you for the rest of the day."

"While I believe that she may try to avoid me, she will find doing so rather difficult."

"Why is that?" Miroku asked, very interested.

Sesshoumaru merely shook his head and quickly finished his lunch, downing his energy drink and soon regretting it as his stomach gurgled in displeasure. Before he could stop it, a massive belch escaped him.

"Oh... my... God," Kagome said with a laugh as she continued walking past the guys' table. "Mr. Prim and Proper's lips just flapped!" The girls walking alongside her giggled and Sesshoumaru's forehead connected with the table, thankful that Miroku had slid his tray out of the way just in time.

-

All his confidence had been stripped away by one poorly timed belch, and Sesshoumaru slipped silently into the auditorium, hoping to be unnoticed. Hushed feminine whispers caught his attention and the taiyoukai found himself eavesdropping.

-

"Did you hear about what he did during lunch?" Kagome asked with muffled laughter.

"No," said Ayame while trying to hold down a squeal. Any new information about the God of an inu was appreciated.

"He burped the biggest burp I've ever heard!"

"No!" Toran growled. "Sesshoumaru would never be caught dead doing something so undignified."

"Except he did," Kikyo confirmed. "It was so gross!"

Kagome laughed. "It wasn't that bad. Hell, it was nice to know that he's not a complete tight-ass after all."

"How can you say that?" Ayame gasped.

"Because, he's a teenage boy. They burp, they fart, they screw with each other and are perpetually horny. I'm just surprised he managed to un-wedge the stick from his ass and be normal for a change."

-

She'd liked it? He let out the most disgusting sound that had ever escaped his body in public and that somehow endeared him to her? Well, hell, if a normal guy was what she was looking for, he could do that! Okay, he could try. He wasn't sure if he would succeed, but he would give it serious effort. Confidence returned, Sesshoumaru rose and went to speak with the Drama teacher before the bell rang. He wanted to make sure he got the chance to show off his newfound ability to read Shakespearean English.

-

Kagome was trying, she really was, but it was hard! He sounded so... so... sexy, reading Romeo's parts. He was good at it too! He had the pronunciation down and had even managed to work true feeling into his voice. She'd never heard him speak in anything but his dull, monotone that gave the impression he was bored with everything around him.

Every other girl in the class was affected. Some were sighing heavily, clearly falling deeper in love with the taiyoukai that had already owned their hearts. A few were letting out little sounds of pleasure and Kagome suspected that more than a few had fully saturated their panties, they were so turned on by his voice. A couple were just staring at him dreamily, even missing their cues when it was time for their character to speak.

The other guys in class were not amused. They had enough trouble with the rest of the school's female population, being drama geeks. How dare the most popular male in the entire school invade their turf and steal away the only girls they had even the slightest chance with? It wasn't fair and they were more than ready to drop a stage light on his silver-haired head.

When the bell rang, Kagome fled the room so quickly she almost knocked several other students down. She had to get away. She couldn't stay in his presence right now. He'd decimated several of her carefully constructed walls meant to keep him away from her heart. It was bad enough that she would have to sit beside him in Journalism. She would be forced to discuss letters and their possible responses with him and that voice... she would never be able to forget how he'd sounded just now. It would haunt her forever and no matter how he spoke, she would hear everything in that sexy tone.

-

Kagome was avoiding him and it was making him insane. He didn't even know if she had been impressed by his improvement in Drama. He'd done it all for her, and yet it was impossible to judge. She had remained completely stone-faced through the entire class, her eyes locked on some spot on the stage. He'd tried so hard to get into her good graces. Had he failed? Had he somehow upset her so that she wouldn't even sit beside him?

He looked once more at where she stood beside the teacher's desk, discussing several letters that she had selected as possible choices for her next advice column. Why was she talking to the teacher instead of him? He was supposed to be her partner on this! He'd done so much research last night so that he would be able to make insightful selections. He wanted her to see that he had depth, that he was capable of caring about others, so that she would see him in a different, more favorable light. Was it all a waste?

With a suppressed sigh, Sesshoumaru flipped through the pile of letters. He may as well pick a few of his own. Choices made, he settled in to make notes for each. He was on his fifth when the chair beside him moved. He looked up to find Kagome looking at him curiously.

"What are you doing?"

"What you asked me to do yesterday. I have read through the letters and picked a few that I think I may be able to give possible suggestions to and now I am making notes."

Kagome smiled at him and his heart fluttered in his chest. "Wow, you're really at the top of your game today, eh? Can I see which ones you picked?"

"Of course," he said, holding them out to her. He watched her face carefully as she skimmed through each letter and his notes in the margins, looking for any reaction. He found that she was difficult to read, her expression mostly unchanged. Once she'd finished, he couldn't help but ask. "What do you think?"

"You actually picked two of the same ones as I did. These two," she said, holding them out for him to see. "I like your notes. I think that your advice and mine, from such different perspectives, will give them good options to choose from. Now we just have to get them typed up. Deadline is end of class tomorrow, so we should get started."