The peacefullness of evening was just beginning to settle on the Higurashi
shrine when it was shattered with a loud but slightly distant curse. The
silver-haired hanyou emerged from the well in a single leap, and stalked
grumbling towards the house, his ears twitching in annoyance. He leapt
directly to Kagome's bedroom window, as usual, but the disgustingly girlish
room was empty. He let himself in and stood in the center of it in
disgust.
"That girl...Where is she?" he grumbled, folding his arms into his sleeves. "She said she would be back this afternoon, and the sun is already going down." He sniffed experimentally and then inhaled deeply, blowing it out in a sigh of frustration. Her scent was so heavy in this room that it was hard to tell when she had last been there.
"Ah, Inuyasha-kun?"
"Huh?" Inuyasha looked up in surprise. Kagome's mother stood in the doorway, smiling brightly, as if it was nothing unusual to find a dog-eared boy standing in the middle of one's daughter's room, cursing at nothing in particular.
"You're here for Kagome, I'm sure. She's not home from school yet, but please come downstairs and have something to eat."
"Uh, that's okay--Eh??" Inuyasha looked over his shoulder in surprise as the petite woman began pushing him firmly towards the door.
"Don't be silly," she chided. "I'm sure Kagome will be home soon. There's no need for you to stand around in here when you could come down and be comfortable. I was just making some snacks for Souta and his friends tomorrow, there's plenty for you to have some too."
Inuyasha found to his bemusement that she had shoved him all the way into the eating area. Not knowing what else to do, he sat down.
"That's good, make yourself comfortable!" Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched as she patted his head happily between his ears, but he let it go. "Let's see, Kagome said you like potato chips, right?"
Before he could answer, she set a bowl of them down on the table. "Help yourself! Would you like some tea?" she added as she set a cup down next to it also. She sat down across from him, still smiling.
Inuyasha's ears twitched a little in confusion, but he shrugged it off and picked up the tea. "Where is that girl?" he asked with his mouth full. "Is it okay that she's out this late?"
"Of course," Kagome's mother nodded cheerfully. "Kagome is a responsible girl. If she's late, I'm sure there must be a reason. She has a lot to deal with, you know."
"I suppose that's true," Inuyasha blinked. 'How can she say that so calmly?'
"I'm glad you're here, though," the woman continued. "I've been a little worried...I wanted to ask you some things." She looked at Inuyasha across the table, her face serious for a moment. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably and swallowed a mouthful of chips.
"Is Kagome getting plenty of sleep?" she asked. Inuyasha face-faulted. "I'm afraid she's not eating enough, too, she's looked a bit thin lately."
Inuyasha blinked. "You were worried about *that*?" he asked incredulously.
"What else can I worry about?" she said brightly. "Kagome says that Inuyasha-kun keeps her safe, but I know you're not human and I want you to make sure you don't forget that Kagome needs her sleep every night and that if she hurts herself, she must be taken care of." She smiled gently. "I know men can forget these kinds of things, so it's up to a mother to remember them, ne?"
Inuyasha looked at her, a feeling he couldn't quite pin down surging in the pit of his stomach. This woman...she knew that Kagome took a great risk every time she leapt into the well. This woman, who cared for her daughter, who worried that she ate enough, that she slept enough, that she was kept warm at night...said nothing of the monsters she faced, the danger she was in.
She trusted Kagome, when Kagome said that Inuyasha would keep her safe. The faith she had in her daughter was staggering...the faith she had in him, only slightly less so.
Kagome's mother smelled of good food and household cleaners, faintly of Kagome's odd medicines, as well the same soft, clean and flowery smells he caught from Kagome. He could smell Kagome's scent on her, and Souta's, and that odd old-person smell he had noticed on the grandfather.
His mother...smelled of perfumes, with the mineral tang that came from the hotspring baths at their home. She smelled of foreign cloth she embroidered, and of the earth from the gardens she walked in. She smelled of home...but not family.
"Mama! I'm home! Ahhh, I'm so late!" Kagome burst through the door, breathing heavy. "Ah--Inuyasha!"
Hanyou Inuyasha, who had no family but a hateful brother that scorned his very existance as blasphemy, stared numbly at this girl, who had such a mother, such a life. "Why?" he asked, without realizing it.
"My friends held me up," Kagome said with an appologetic smile. "Grandpa has told them so many lies about my health that they were worried for me."
Inuyasha started, remembering himself. Embarassed and, as a consequence, angry, he stood abruptly. "You should have hurried up. We've been wasting time! Let's go, already, let's go." He grabbed her wrist and started to drag her towards the doorway.
"Hey!" Kagome cried indignantly. "Wait just a minute! It won't hurt you to wait a little longer while I get my things and say goodbye!"
"I already packed your bag, Kagome," her mother said brightly. Kagome pulled her wrist out of Inuyasha's hand, and he let her go a little guiltily. He tucked his arms into his sleeves and watched as Kagome said her cheerful goodbyes and heaved on her huge bag.
'Don't they realize...any time...if we meet someone stronger...I fail, and Naraku wins...this could be the last time..."
"Okay, we can go now," Kagome said. "See you later, Mama!"
"Go and come back safely!" Kagome's mother smiled and waved.
Inuyasha turned back at the door to look at Kagome's mother seriously. "She will."
Still smiling, Kagome's mother merely nodded.
"Ja, let's go," Kagome headed for the well without the least hesitation.
For a moment Inuyasha just looked after her. 'Why? Why do you leave this life...every time...to help me?'
She looked back at him. "What are you just standing there for? You were in such a hurry a minute ago!"
Inuyasha blinked and then relaxed. "As late as you are already, why should I hurry myself?" he chided with a mischevious grin. He covered the ground between them in one leap, snatched her up, and bounded for the well.
"Kyaaa! Really! Warn someone before you do that!" she cried indignantly as they dropped into the portal.
"That girl...Where is she?" he grumbled, folding his arms into his sleeves. "She said she would be back this afternoon, and the sun is already going down." He sniffed experimentally and then inhaled deeply, blowing it out in a sigh of frustration. Her scent was so heavy in this room that it was hard to tell when she had last been there.
"Ah, Inuyasha-kun?"
"Huh?" Inuyasha looked up in surprise. Kagome's mother stood in the doorway, smiling brightly, as if it was nothing unusual to find a dog-eared boy standing in the middle of one's daughter's room, cursing at nothing in particular.
"You're here for Kagome, I'm sure. She's not home from school yet, but please come downstairs and have something to eat."
"Uh, that's okay--Eh??" Inuyasha looked over his shoulder in surprise as the petite woman began pushing him firmly towards the door.
"Don't be silly," she chided. "I'm sure Kagome will be home soon. There's no need for you to stand around in here when you could come down and be comfortable. I was just making some snacks for Souta and his friends tomorrow, there's plenty for you to have some too."
Inuyasha found to his bemusement that she had shoved him all the way into the eating area. Not knowing what else to do, he sat down.
"That's good, make yourself comfortable!" Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched as she patted his head happily between his ears, but he let it go. "Let's see, Kagome said you like potato chips, right?"
Before he could answer, she set a bowl of them down on the table. "Help yourself! Would you like some tea?" she added as she set a cup down next to it also. She sat down across from him, still smiling.
Inuyasha's ears twitched a little in confusion, but he shrugged it off and picked up the tea. "Where is that girl?" he asked with his mouth full. "Is it okay that she's out this late?"
"Of course," Kagome's mother nodded cheerfully. "Kagome is a responsible girl. If she's late, I'm sure there must be a reason. She has a lot to deal with, you know."
"I suppose that's true," Inuyasha blinked. 'How can she say that so calmly?'
"I'm glad you're here, though," the woman continued. "I've been a little worried...I wanted to ask you some things." She looked at Inuyasha across the table, her face serious for a moment. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably and swallowed a mouthful of chips.
"Is Kagome getting plenty of sleep?" she asked. Inuyasha face-faulted. "I'm afraid she's not eating enough, too, she's looked a bit thin lately."
Inuyasha blinked. "You were worried about *that*?" he asked incredulously.
"What else can I worry about?" she said brightly. "Kagome says that Inuyasha-kun keeps her safe, but I know you're not human and I want you to make sure you don't forget that Kagome needs her sleep every night and that if she hurts herself, she must be taken care of." She smiled gently. "I know men can forget these kinds of things, so it's up to a mother to remember them, ne?"
Inuyasha looked at her, a feeling he couldn't quite pin down surging in the pit of his stomach. This woman...she knew that Kagome took a great risk every time she leapt into the well. This woman, who cared for her daughter, who worried that she ate enough, that she slept enough, that she was kept warm at night...said nothing of the monsters she faced, the danger she was in.
She trusted Kagome, when Kagome said that Inuyasha would keep her safe. The faith she had in her daughter was staggering...the faith she had in him, only slightly less so.
Kagome's mother smelled of good food and household cleaners, faintly of Kagome's odd medicines, as well the same soft, clean and flowery smells he caught from Kagome. He could smell Kagome's scent on her, and Souta's, and that odd old-person smell he had noticed on the grandfather.
His mother...smelled of perfumes, with the mineral tang that came from the hotspring baths at their home. She smelled of foreign cloth she embroidered, and of the earth from the gardens she walked in. She smelled of home...but not family.
"Mama! I'm home! Ahhh, I'm so late!" Kagome burst through the door, breathing heavy. "Ah--Inuyasha!"
Hanyou Inuyasha, who had no family but a hateful brother that scorned his very existance as blasphemy, stared numbly at this girl, who had such a mother, such a life. "Why?" he asked, without realizing it.
"My friends held me up," Kagome said with an appologetic smile. "Grandpa has told them so many lies about my health that they were worried for me."
Inuyasha started, remembering himself. Embarassed and, as a consequence, angry, he stood abruptly. "You should have hurried up. We've been wasting time! Let's go, already, let's go." He grabbed her wrist and started to drag her towards the doorway.
"Hey!" Kagome cried indignantly. "Wait just a minute! It won't hurt you to wait a little longer while I get my things and say goodbye!"
"I already packed your bag, Kagome," her mother said brightly. Kagome pulled her wrist out of Inuyasha's hand, and he let her go a little guiltily. He tucked his arms into his sleeves and watched as Kagome said her cheerful goodbyes and heaved on her huge bag.
'Don't they realize...any time...if we meet someone stronger...I fail, and Naraku wins...this could be the last time..."
"Okay, we can go now," Kagome said. "See you later, Mama!"
"Go and come back safely!" Kagome's mother smiled and waved.
Inuyasha turned back at the door to look at Kagome's mother seriously. "She will."
Still smiling, Kagome's mother merely nodded.
"Ja, let's go," Kagome headed for the well without the least hesitation.
For a moment Inuyasha just looked after her. 'Why? Why do you leave this life...every time...to help me?'
She looked back at him. "What are you just standing there for? You were in such a hurry a minute ago!"
Inuyasha blinked and then relaxed. "As late as you are already, why should I hurry myself?" he chided with a mischevious grin. He covered the ground between them in one leap, snatched her up, and bounded for the well.
"Kyaaa! Really! Warn someone before you do that!" she cried indignantly as they dropped into the portal.