"So, Kagome, about that movie, I- Kagome? Are you...listening?"
Hojo was staring at Kagome Higurashi, the girl who currently had been occupying his thoughts. Luckily, she was in school that day. She normally wasn't, for reasons he couldn't understand.
"Kagome?"
Kagome, who had been staring beyond Hojo's shoulder at nothing in particular, snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh. I'm sorry, Hojo. What's that now?"
"I was just gonna say, about that movie, I-"
Her eyes opened wide. "Oh! Hojo! Was that today we were supposed to go?"
Hojo scratched the back of his head. How was he going to break it to her that he couldn't go with her? Normally it was her that broke their never- ending date plans. Now that it was his turn, he didn't exactly know how to break it to her. She was looking at him with a nervous and sad face. He opened his mouth to speak. "Uh, yeah, but I just want to let you know that I-"
"Hojo! I can't go tonight. I'm sorry... it's just that, well, my uh, Grandfather! Yes! He's sick... Nothing I can do. My mom and Souta are out of town, and well, I'm the only one who can really take care of him, you know; take his temperature, read him books, give him ramen, and- RAMEN! Oh, sorry, didn't mean to yell so loud. I forgot. Listen, I have to go to the store to get some ramen... for Grandpa. Yeah, that's it. Do you want to come with?"
Kagome said all of this in one breath, very fast. Hojo didn't even remember what he wanted to say to her. "Uh... sure, Kagome. We'll call it a date... of sorts."
Kagome smiled that smile that always made everything better for him. "Okay! Let's get to walking."
"Actually, I have my car," he said. "I'll drive us."
They got in his car and began to drive to the Little Tokyo Market. Kagome had calmed down a large amount and was not so jumpy anymore. She was counting all the yen she had in her pocket.
"That should be enough for his ramen," she said to herself, but loud enough for Hojo to overhear. "Him and his ramen. Ugh."
Hojo became interested. "Your Grandpa likes ramen?"
Kagome jumped a bit. It seemed she had forgotten that Hojo was driving. "Oh...Yes. Uh, Grandpa loves ramen. Some would call it an obsession. A fetish, if you will. Why, he loves ramen almost more than he loves Kik-"
Kagome paused, looking unsure as to whether she should continue or not.
Now, Hojo wasn't stupid. He could tell that Kagome was bitter about her Grandfather's obsession with ramen. In fact, he wasn't even sure Kagome was even talking about her grandfather anymore. In fact, now that he thought about it, Kagome probably had a secret boyfriend with a ramen fetish! Hojo wasn't so sure that something like that would be okay with him.
"More than he loves what, Kagome?"
"More than he loves... kick...kicking Buyo! Yeah, that's it. He loves to kick Buyo."
Hojo shivered. "Is Buyo your dog?"
"No, I don't have a dog. Per se... But, uh, Buyo's my cat. Why, do you not like dogs?"
Hojo shivered again. "It's not that I don't like them, as much as... they don't like me. There's just something about me that all dogs- can't stand."
Kagome got a nervous yet humorous expression on her face. "Well, I know a dog who would probably like you. Well, now that I think about it, no. No, he wouldn't really like you. I mean, he hates any guy that tries to interact with me. I mean, he hates it whenever Koga tries to kidnap me, but..."
Kagome looked at Hojo, who had a confused expression on his face. They were stopped at a red light. "S-someone tried to kidnap you?"
"Uh, no. Um, Koga is a neighborhood kid. He likes to play pirates, and he always 'kidnaps' me. And Inu- the dog, doesn't like it. He's not my dog though. I don't own him...Hojo?"
Hojo was pondering everything that Kagome had just told him. "You mean, some kid named Koga tries to 'kidnap' you, and some random dog gets angry?"
"...Right."
"Oh, Okay Kagome."
They spent the rest of the way to the store discussing classes and various extracurricular activities, of which Hojo had many. Upon arriving at the store, Kagome had once again stopped acting strange. They walked in to the store together, Hojo feeling strangely calm. Normally he got butterflies whenever he tried to talk to Kagome, mostly because she made him feel nervous. But now that she was the nervous one, he had to be the calm one.
Kagome made a beeline for the noodle isle, right to the ramen. She loaded her basket with about twenty packages. "That should keep him satiated for tonight," Kagome said.
"Your grandfather is going to eat all of that tonight?" Hojo asked in curiosity.
"Yes. He loves it. It's all he can eat when he's sick."
They headed to the register, Kagome picking up two packages of Pocky. The checker woman stared at all the ramen in confusion, but rung it up anyways.
"Hojo, I'm sorry we could only spend this time together instead of going to the movies. Maybe some other-"
As the cash woman put all the ramen into two bags, Hojo spoke. "Kagome, don't worry. I'm sure there will be time for dates in the future. Summer is only a week away! We'll have more free time then."
Kagome smiled, and then glanced at the cashier's digital clock behind the counter. "WHAT? IT'S FOUR FIFTY TWO? OH NO!"
Kagome hastily shoved all her yen at the checker, and turned to Hojo. "I'm sorry, Hojo, I completely lost track of all time! I'm so sorry! I promised Inu- Uh, Grandpa that I'd be back by five. Otherwise he'll come looking for me! So I gotta go... bye!"
"But Kagome, isn't he sick? He can't just get up and-"
Kagome gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Hojo! I'll see you... later!" She grabbed a bag of ramen and ran for the exit.
The checker made a move to run after her. "Miss, you forgot your-"
"Keep the change!" Kagome yelled, and she was out of the door.
Hojo looked at the checker, who held up another bag. "Not only did she leave her money, but she forgot the rest of her ramen!"
Hojo looked around. "Don't worry, I'll take it to her. Thank you!"
He grabbed the bag of ramen and ran out to his car. Kagome had disappeared. She must be a fast runner, he thought, starting the ignition.
The traffic was heavy, and by the time he reached Kagome's house it was four fifty seven. He ran up to her door, and knocked. He hoped that Kagome's Grandfather/secret boyfriend/whatever wasn't mad that she had only brought half of the ramen back.
The door opened. Kagome's grandfather stood in the doorway, looking healthy as could be.
"Kagome's Grandfather...san. Where is Kagome? I brought her the rest of your ramen! Why aren't you resting?"
Kagome's grandfather looked incredibly confused. "Kagome? She's in the well house. And why did you bring me ramen? I can't stand the stuff, personally. Why should I be resting?"
Hojo stared at the old man. "Well... she said you were sick! You needed...ramen... oh no! This means she does have a boyfriend with a ramen fetish! Gah! You said she was in the well house?" The old man nodded, extremely confused. "Okay. I gotta go find her. Thanks, Grandpa-san!" Hojo bowed to the confused old man and rushed to the back garden.
"Damn strange, them kids..." Grandpa shook his head, turning back to the house.
Hojo ran around back, just in time to see Kagome's shiny hair disappear into the well house, rolling the door closed behind her. "Kagome, you forgot your ramen!" He shouted, but she couldn't hear.
He ran to the well house, brandishing the ramen in the air. He flung the door open to find Kagome...
"Nowhere in sight..."
It appeared that Kagome had vanished. "Kagome?" Hojo shouted. "You forgot your ramen!"
Maybe she's hiding in the well, he thought. She's gonna pop out and try to scare me. Well, I'll call her bluff!
"Kagome?" He said, peering around. "I'm gonna find you. I have your ramen. I know it's not for your grandpa! I-"
Just then, he heard a noise behind him. He turned rapidly; the bag of ramen flew into the well, Hojo still swinging it in his hand. It was surprisingly heavy. Hojo lost his balance and found himself falling down into the well. He expected to hit the bottom with a sickening thud, but instead found himself eternally falling into a blue and ethereal light.
Hojo was staring at Kagome Higurashi, the girl who currently had been occupying his thoughts. Luckily, she was in school that day. She normally wasn't, for reasons he couldn't understand.
"Kagome?"
Kagome, who had been staring beyond Hojo's shoulder at nothing in particular, snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh. I'm sorry, Hojo. What's that now?"
"I was just gonna say, about that movie, I-"
Her eyes opened wide. "Oh! Hojo! Was that today we were supposed to go?"
Hojo scratched the back of his head. How was he going to break it to her that he couldn't go with her? Normally it was her that broke their never- ending date plans. Now that it was his turn, he didn't exactly know how to break it to her. She was looking at him with a nervous and sad face. He opened his mouth to speak. "Uh, yeah, but I just want to let you know that I-"
"Hojo! I can't go tonight. I'm sorry... it's just that, well, my uh, Grandfather! Yes! He's sick... Nothing I can do. My mom and Souta are out of town, and well, I'm the only one who can really take care of him, you know; take his temperature, read him books, give him ramen, and- RAMEN! Oh, sorry, didn't mean to yell so loud. I forgot. Listen, I have to go to the store to get some ramen... for Grandpa. Yeah, that's it. Do you want to come with?"
Kagome said all of this in one breath, very fast. Hojo didn't even remember what he wanted to say to her. "Uh... sure, Kagome. We'll call it a date... of sorts."
Kagome smiled that smile that always made everything better for him. "Okay! Let's get to walking."
"Actually, I have my car," he said. "I'll drive us."
They got in his car and began to drive to the Little Tokyo Market. Kagome had calmed down a large amount and was not so jumpy anymore. She was counting all the yen she had in her pocket.
"That should be enough for his ramen," she said to herself, but loud enough for Hojo to overhear. "Him and his ramen. Ugh."
Hojo became interested. "Your Grandpa likes ramen?"
Kagome jumped a bit. It seemed she had forgotten that Hojo was driving. "Oh...Yes. Uh, Grandpa loves ramen. Some would call it an obsession. A fetish, if you will. Why, he loves ramen almost more than he loves Kik-"
Kagome paused, looking unsure as to whether she should continue or not.
Now, Hojo wasn't stupid. He could tell that Kagome was bitter about her Grandfather's obsession with ramen. In fact, he wasn't even sure Kagome was even talking about her grandfather anymore. In fact, now that he thought about it, Kagome probably had a secret boyfriend with a ramen fetish! Hojo wasn't so sure that something like that would be okay with him.
"More than he loves what, Kagome?"
"More than he loves... kick...kicking Buyo! Yeah, that's it. He loves to kick Buyo."
Hojo shivered. "Is Buyo your dog?"
"No, I don't have a dog. Per se... But, uh, Buyo's my cat. Why, do you not like dogs?"
Hojo shivered again. "It's not that I don't like them, as much as... they don't like me. There's just something about me that all dogs- can't stand."
Kagome got a nervous yet humorous expression on her face. "Well, I know a dog who would probably like you. Well, now that I think about it, no. No, he wouldn't really like you. I mean, he hates any guy that tries to interact with me. I mean, he hates it whenever Koga tries to kidnap me, but..."
Kagome looked at Hojo, who had a confused expression on his face. They were stopped at a red light. "S-someone tried to kidnap you?"
"Uh, no. Um, Koga is a neighborhood kid. He likes to play pirates, and he always 'kidnaps' me. And Inu- the dog, doesn't like it. He's not my dog though. I don't own him...Hojo?"
Hojo was pondering everything that Kagome had just told him. "You mean, some kid named Koga tries to 'kidnap' you, and some random dog gets angry?"
"...Right."
"Oh, Okay Kagome."
They spent the rest of the way to the store discussing classes and various extracurricular activities, of which Hojo had many. Upon arriving at the store, Kagome had once again stopped acting strange. They walked in to the store together, Hojo feeling strangely calm. Normally he got butterflies whenever he tried to talk to Kagome, mostly because she made him feel nervous. But now that she was the nervous one, he had to be the calm one.
Kagome made a beeline for the noodle isle, right to the ramen. She loaded her basket with about twenty packages. "That should keep him satiated for tonight," Kagome said.
"Your grandfather is going to eat all of that tonight?" Hojo asked in curiosity.
"Yes. He loves it. It's all he can eat when he's sick."
They headed to the register, Kagome picking up two packages of Pocky. The checker woman stared at all the ramen in confusion, but rung it up anyways.
"Hojo, I'm sorry we could only spend this time together instead of going to the movies. Maybe some other-"
As the cash woman put all the ramen into two bags, Hojo spoke. "Kagome, don't worry. I'm sure there will be time for dates in the future. Summer is only a week away! We'll have more free time then."
Kagome smiled, and then glanced at the cashier's digital clock behind the counter. "WHAT? IT'S FOUR FIFTY TWO? OH NO!"
Kagome hastily shoved all her yen at the checker, and turned to Hojo. "I'm sorry, Hojo, I completely lost track of all time! I'm so sorry! I promised Inu- Uh, Grandpa that I'd be back by five. Otherwise he'll come looking for me! So I gotta go... bye!"
"But Kagome, isn't he sick? He can't just get up and-"
Kagome gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Hojo! I'll see you... later!" She grabbed a bag of ramen and ran for the exit.
The checker made a move to run after her. "Miss, you forgot your-"
"Keep the change!" Kagome yelled, and she was out of the door.
Hojo looked at the checker, who held up another bag. "Not only did she leave her money, but she forgot the rest of her ramen!"
Hojo looked around. "Don't worry, I'll take it to her. Thank you!"
He grabbed the bag of ramen and ran out to his car. Kagome had disappeared. She must be a fast runner, he thought, starting the ignition.
The traffic was heavy, and by the time he reached Kagome's house it was four fifty seven. He ran up to her door, and knocked. He hoped that Kagome's Grandfather/secret boyfriend/whatever wasn't mad that she had only brought half of the ramen back.
The door opened. Kagome's grandfather stood in the doorway, looking healthy as could be.
"Kagome's Grandfather...san. Where is Kagome? I brought her the rest of your ramen! Why aren't you resting?"
Kagome's grandfather looked incredibly confused. "Kagome? She's in the well house. And why did you bring me ramen? I can't stand the stuff, personally. Why should I be resting?"
Hojo stared at the old man. "Well... she said you were sick! You needed...ramen... oh no! This means she does have a boyfriend with a ramen fetish! Gah! You said she was in the well house?" The old man nodded, extremely confused. "Okay. I gotta go find her. Thanks, Grandpa-san!" Hojo bowed to the confused old man and rushed to the back garden.
"Damn strange, them kids..." Grandpa shook his head, turning back to the house.
Hojo ran around back, just in time to see Kagome's shiny hair disappear into the well house, rolling the door closed behind her. "Kagome, you forgot your ramen!" He shouted, but she couldn't hear.
He ran to the well house, brandishing the ramen in the air. He flung the door open to find Kagome...
"Nowhere in sight..."
It appeared that Kagome had vanished. "Kagome?" Hojo shouted. "You forgot your ramen!"
Maybe she's hiding in the well, he thought. She's gonna pop out and try to scare me. Well, I'll call her bluff!
"Kagome?" He said, peering around. "I'm gonna find you. I have your ramen. I know it's not for your grandpa! I-"
Just then, he heard a noise behind him. He turned rapidly; the bag of ramen flew into the well, Hojo still swinging it in his hand. It was surprisingly heavy. Hojo lost his balance and found himself falling down into the well. He expected to hit the bottom with a sickening thud, but instead found himself eternally falling into a blue and ethereal light.