ALMOST A SERENADE
"That'll be an interesting one..." Kagome mumbled quietly to herself. She was lying on her stomach while supporting her weight with her elbows, thoughtfully chewing the end of her pen. Intently focused on her homework, she kicked her legs lightly to help herself think.
"What'cha doing, Kagome?" Shippou asked curiously.
Kagome lifted her head from the list she was composing to acknowledge the little fox demon who was trying to make sense of he writing. Smiling Kagome pointed to the scribbled words and explained, "I'm working on some homework."
"So leave her alone, brat. The sooner she does this the sooner we can go," Inuyasha put in unhelpfully.
"Inuyasha, we're not going anywhere today, anyway. We just got here," Kagome responded to the annoyed half-demon. He was perched in the lowest branch of the nearest tree, trying to seem disinterested in what she was doing despite the glances he kept sending her way.
"Feh."
"So what are you doing over here, Inuyasha? Are you bothering her?" Shippou demanded.
"He's helping me, Shippou. Do you want to watch?"
After a rapid nod, Shippou perched himself onto Kagome's shoulder. He watched with nosy interest as Kagome scribbled another word onto her list after she tapped her pen against her cheek for a moment.
"Okay," Kagome said as she reviewed her list once more. "Shippou, we're playing a kind of game called word association. I've made a list of four nouns, four verbs, and four adjectives. I'm going to read each one out and Inuyasha has to say the first word that comes to mind without thinking about it."
"Oh...kay..." Shippou agreed, pretending that he understood when he clearly did not. What was a verb?
"Afterward, I have to rearrange the two sets of words into a poem or short story based on what I think the connections between my words and his words are. The assignment is supposed to demonstrate how people have private connotations for words, so even though we say something straightforward we may actually be communicating something totally different. It'll be clearer when I start, Shippou, don't worry. Do you want to help me think of the last word?"
Shippou nodded almost too enthusiasticaly, but Kagome didn't catch on. She just smiled brightly.
"I need an adjective---that's a word that describes an object. Like pink, cute, little...Whisper one in my ear when you think of it. Inuyasha can't hear."
He grinned very slyly in a manner befitting of his totem breed, then cupped his small hands around his mouth and leaned up to whisper into Kagome's ear. Shippou's suggestion had Kagome's own smile turning sly as well.
"Perfect," she told him as she wrote that one down at the end of her list. She gave her list one more check-over before glancing up at Inuyasha. "Ready?"
Inuyasha landed on the ground across from her as Kagome watched him cheerfully. He snorted and with an arrogant wave of his hand awaited Kagome to begin the word association game.
"Let the games begin!" Kagome proclaimed dramatically, thrusting her pen into the air as Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously. "Set one begins now. Book."
"Study."
"Number."
"Stupid well."
Kagome grinned but didn't pause. "Fire."
"Ramen."
She rolled her eyes. "Music."
"Lullaby."
Shippou watched as Kagome scanned her list, pressed her notebook to the ground, furiously scribbled down each word Inuyasha had said, and then flipped her book back up.
"Alright, next set!" Kagome said, eyes flashing. "To comfort."
"Cry," he responded.
"To sleep."
"Weak."
"To hum."
"Ramen."
"How did that come out?" Kagome asked before she could stop herself, looking at him in disbelief with her mouth slightly parted.
"You hum when you cook ramen," Inuyasha admitted, blushing slightly as he averted his gaze. Kagome giggled and rolled her eyes, remembering Inuyasha's fixation with instant noodles and that nothing concerning his verbal association with ramen should surprise her.
"Okay...to laugh."
"Summer."
"That's a good one, Inuyasha." She paused to record the set of words with which he had replied. "Alright, to the third and final set! Here we go. Hot."
"Ramen."
"You realize that's the third time you've answered with 'ramen'?" Kagome sighed and shook her head while Inuyasha crossed his arms defensively over his chest.
"I like ramen," he informed her.
"I know. Alright, carrying on. Strong."
"Me!"
"...Wow, just a little conceited are we?" Kagome answered, rolling her eyes with a playful wink.
"What?" he asked, blinking. He was oblivious to the grin spreading on Shippou's face.
"Never mind. Blue."
"Sky."
"Beautiful."
"Kagome."
Kagome held still with her pen above her paper, shocked for a moment. Inuyasha clamped a clawed hand to his mouth when he realized what he had said, and leapt up into the nearest tree branch, cheeks burning brightly. Shippou had fallen from Kagome's shoulder with laughter as she continued to be stunned.
Smiling a warm, albeit small, smile to herself but deciding not to agitate him, Kagome made a simple reply, "Thanks for your help with my homework, Inuyasha!"
"Feh!" came an annoyed and fragile response from the heavy green and gold crowns of the trees.
"Inuyasha loves Kagome!" Shippou yelped loudly when he recovered from his laughter.
"I do not!"
"Shippou, shhh, please be quiet. I'm trying to finish this," Kagome requested, still smiling to herself---she didn't want an argument between the two to spoil the rather happy moment. Shippou calmed down briefly, still smiling childishly. He then bounded off toward the village, where he knew he would surely find Sango and Miroku, to whom he might relate the day's exciting turn of events. Inuyasha, sensing this, sprang after him, wailing and yelling at him. Kagome ignored them as their voices faded. She could faintly hear laughter, howls, and a slap. Pushing it all aside, Kagome returned her interest to her homework, tapping out a poem.
"'You may not study from your book!'
He says, 'The numbers make you disappear
As if you fell into a well
And I have no time to help you out again!'
'I refuse to cry, even for your comfort!'
He says, 'Just like sleep, it makes me weak,
And I can't be that when
I'm as strong as me!'
'While you hum, cook ramen,
Hot ramen!' he says
'Make more ramen for me,
My beautiful Kagome!'"
Kagome laughed as she read it back to herself and mumbled warmly, "Well, it's almost a serenade."
The End