I'm baaaaack! Okay, first up, disclaimer! Ahem. I do not own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahshi does, I think. I may have misspelled that... anyway, here is my apology story. Those who read Kidnapping Kagome know how horrible I was about updating on that, so here's what I wrote to make up for it. A sequel, if you will. Anywho, enough about me! On with the story!
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Mrs. Higurashi was washing the table, glancing up at the clock over and over again. She knew her guests would be there soon, and she wanted her house to be in the best possible condition. She knew that in the end it wouldn't matter much- once the company was gone her house would be a huge mess- but she was the type of mother who didn't mind cleaning up a mess.
Knock, knock, knock!
"They're here!" Mrs. Higurashi threw her dishrag into the sink full of hot soapy water, shedding her apron and chucked it into the laundry room on her way to the door. "Coming!" She called louder.
She came to the door and did a once over, checking her clothes for anything out of place, and the house around her as well. Finding all as it was supposed to be, she brushed her shoulders off. She put her hand to the door nob just as her son and father came down the stairs, the boy eager and the old man looking passive. She finally opened the door, smiling broadly at the people who were waiting outside.
"Neechan!" Her sister eagerly embraced her, her bags lying forgotten on the steps.
"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Mrs. Higurashi replied, hugging her sister back. Kids edged around the women in the doorway, twin boys running over to Souta and proudly presenting a video game to the boy.
A little girl, four years old, with pig tails tied up in little pink ribbons ran up to where she knew her favorite cousin, Kagome, would be as the rest of the family poured in.
Mrs. Higurashi welcomed her sister's husband, telling everyone to come into the kitchen for some tea. Her father and mother in law came in next, the elder man going over to talk to Mrs. Higurashi's father about the golf tournaments that had taken place during the weekend. Both suspected foul play in the second to last shot, because there was no way that such a small hit could send the ball rocketing through the air and into the hole.
A teenage boy and girl came in shortly after, their parent's following behind them.
The girl had her arms crossed, looking around the shrine in disdain, while the boy ran to find his cousins. The parents of the teens set their luggage on the ground with everyone else's'- clogging up the entry way- and went to join the other adults for tea.
The teenage girl rolled her eyes, and with a mutter about how "This is stupid." She made her way to living room, where she flopped down on the couch and started to flip through TV channels.
A second later the four year old girl came totting down the stairs, tears building up in her adorable little brown eyes as she clutched her teddy bear to her chest. She tripped a little before taking of at a run to the kitchen.
Mrs. Higurashi turned as she was serving tea, and the smile she had been sporting dropped.
"Oh, Akira, what's wrong?" She asked kindly, holding her arms out to the little girl.
Akira huddled into the woman's warm embrace, sniffling. "K-kagome is gone!"
"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I forgot to tell you." Suddenly Mrs. Higurashi was nervous. After all her preparing, she had forgotten to make up a story that excused Kagome's absence. "You see, Kagome's out right now, but she'll be back." Better to be vague and still sort of telling the truth than to make up an elaborate story that could be completely false as to her daughter's time of return.
"Oh. When will she be returning, sis?"
Mrs. Higurashi looked over at her sister, who was older than her by only two years. "Soon." She answered vaguely. "Now. Would anyone like sugar in their tea?"