Okay, here is chapter two. Enjoy! And as I said in chapter one, I don't own the Inu crew. Also, take note of this: it refuses to make the chapter headings bold no matter what I try. So I fear they may not be bold and easy to find until I figure out how to get around it.
Sena-Me-Duckie: Thank you so much for the review, and I'm glad you liked the chapter! This one should be kawaii too. Probably more so than the first one.
Chapter Two: Ramen, and Differences of Opinion"InuYasha!" Kagome forced the window open, and braced her hands on the windowsill, staring with eerie coldness at the hanyou. "What do you think you're doing here?" she snapped, clenching her right hand into a fist.
"I came to bring you back, of course," InuYasha answered, as if this was common knowledge and she should know it by now. Catching the look in her eyes, the hanyou twitched uneasily. There was an angry gleam in those eyes, and it occurred to him that he should definitely get out of the window. He did, pushing past her and standing in the middle of her room, where he was slightly safer, if only for the simple reason that she couldn't make him fall off the roof now.
"I just got here two hours ago! InuYasha, I have a right to see my family once in a while too, you know!" Kagome turned from the window, and folded her arms tightly across her chest, surveying InuYasha angrily. "And I needed to get supplies. So please, just go back down the well this time, all right?" her tone brooked no argument, and InuYasha almost did what she said.
Almost.
The half demon shook his head negatively, dog ears flattening against his head. His long, silvery white hair fell back into place again once he finished, and he stared at Kagome disbelievingly. He gave the impression that he had no idea what she had said, and needed her to repeat it. But Kagome didn't fall for it, he knew perfectly well what she had said and why.
"Kagome! Come back to my time, please! Get your supplies and we'll go," he said it in such a commanding tone that the miko could feel her anger rising.
"You don't even care what I think! All I am to you is a jewel shard detector!" Kagome spat out, and then strode determinedly towards the door, shoving InuYasha aside as she did so. Before she reached the portal, though, she felt a strong hand resting on her shoulder, keeping her from leaving. "What do you want? I'm not coming back, you know," she growled, not turning, and shrugging his hand off. But she didn't leave quite yet.
"Yes, you can see jewel shards…" InuYasha hesitated for a moment, and Kagome whirled around. Angry, hurt tears welled up in her chocolate-coloured eyes, and the hanyou knew instantly that he had made a mistake not finishing his sentence.
"See? That's all you care about! Hunting down the stupid jewel shards!" Kagome snapped, shoving him in the chest. She was surprisingly strong for a girl; he hadn't realized she could push that hard. InuYasha took a step backwards to right himself, and shook his head, flustered and searching for words.
"No, Kagome! That's not what I mean! It's just…just…I don't know!" InuYasha threw his hands up in the air, defeated, and looked away, hurt and sorry for what he had done to alienate her so. His canine ears drooped downwards slightly, and he shook his head fiercely, trying to clear his thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kagome waiting impatiently. He'd never seen her this mad before except maybe once or twice, when he had insulted her and then stormed off in his anger.
"What don't you know?" Kagome demanded, tapping her foot on the floor. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed with anger, and she was barely holding back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks and fall onto her sweater. "That I'm not even that important? That I'm just disposable, like…like those ramen cups I give you?" she finished lamely, and bit her lip. "Is that what you think of me?"
"No!" InuYasha clenched his fist, then in one fluid motion turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. "You're way more important than that!" he cursed himself for sounding so pathetic. Looking into Kagome's eyes, he willed himself to communicate what he thought with his own. He was like a lovesick puppy – but he wasn't sure he loved her. He didn't think he did, he knew what it felt like. He'd felt love for Kikyou, and he still did. He let go of Kagome's shoulders, out of words. He turned his back to her and crossed his arms, thinking hard. "I don't know what to say!" he finally admitted defeat with those words, and cringed. How weak they sounded, after leading a life full of strong words, boasting and ruthless.
"InuYasha…" Kagome paused, waiting to get his attention. He angled an ear back at her, still turned away, but partly turned his head as well, without looking at her. "I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, and took the two short steps to her bed, then turned and sat down on it, hands folded in her lap. She looked at the carpeted floor between her feet, at the wall, anywhere but at the hanyou still standing in the middle of her room. "But I really needed to get away from your world for awhile. Just a little while."
"I know…hey, do you have any ramen?" InuYasha's sudden change of tone made her look up in amazement. Ramen? Now? After they had just fought? The hopeful look on his face made her laugh, choking slightly on the lump in her throat. Why he wanted ramen right at this moment, she supposed she would never know. Maybe it was the fact that he was a die-hard ramen addict ever since she had brought some back to the feudal era.
"Yes," she replied, and shook her head. What a strange hanyou she had chosen to become acquainted with! Standing up, she sighed mentally. Her holiday wasn't going to be InuYasha-free after all. Chances were also good that she would have to return sooner than she had intended. "One question first. Why did you follow me back here?" she looked at him curiously, cocking her head.
"To bring you back, like I said," InuYasha shrugged, then looked at her expectantly, clearly wanting his ramen.
"So I see. And for ramen, no doubt. All right, follow me," Kagome headed out of her room with the hungry dog demon following her closely. She went downstairs, and into the kitchen, then set about making InuYasha his instant noodles. The entire time he hung over her shoulder, and she finally looked at him flatly. "You don't have to stay three inches behind me the whole time!" she pointed out, rolling her eyes. "Take it out when it beeps. And don't smash the microwave, all right?"
"All right," InuYasha agreed, then stopped her when she was about to go out. "How do I make it give me my noodles?" he asked, staring at her with inquiring amber eyes. He still had so much to learn about her world, it was absolutely hilarious every time he came here. Kagome resisted the urge not to laugh at him.
"Press this button here, and take out the noodles. Okay?" Kagome smiled, then left him to the mercy of the microwave. Or maybe she had left the hapless microwave to his mercy, one of them, at any rate.
InuYasha waited impatiently for the microwave to beep. Watching the digital numbers count down the time, he drummed his fingers on the countertop and sighed. So much for 'instant' noodles!
"Come on, hurry up!" he told it, then as the timer hit zero, the beep sounded, and InuYasha pressed the button to open it. As the microwave door opened, he snatched the ramen cup out, and smirked. "Ha. Gotcha!" he proclaimed his victory, then almost dropped it as some of the hot water splashed over his hands. "Ow!" he started cursing under his breath, and set the ramen down on the counter. "Kagome!" he yelled, hoping to get her attention quickly.
Kagome shuddered, hearing him calling for her. Tentatively she headed back to the kitchen, and looked at InuYasha with a look reminiscent of someone who very much fears for the sanity of someone else.
"Um…yes, InuYasha?"
"I think your noodle-maker is possessed by Naraku! It burned me!" InuYasha exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the microwave. Kagome sighed and shook her head.
"It's not possessed. You probably just got hot water on you. Here, let me see." Without giving the hanyou an option, she strode over to him and held his burned hand in one of her own. "See? That's what happened, you just burned yourself."
Kagome pulled him over to the sink, and turned on the cold water tap, then made him hold his hand under it. Leaving him there, she went back to the microwave and closed the appliance's door. Looking over at the victimized hanyou who was currently glaring evilly at the ramen cup, she rolled her eyes and pressed her hand helplessly to her forehead.
"I still think it's possessed," InuYasha volunteered suddenly, pulling his hand out from under the stream of water and turning it off, surprisingly on the first try. "Is it ready to eat yet?" he asked, trotting over and looking at the ramen. Kagome pushed him sideways.
"Stop standing over my shoulder, will you? It's annoying. And yes, now it's ready," Kagome picked up the ramen and presented it to the hanyou, who took it. Now he waited for a pair of chopsticks to eat it with. Supplying them, the miko watched him wolf down the ramen in record time. "You ate that awfully fast," she remarked dryly, and got a confused glance back. "And before you ask, you aren't getting any more. Plus, it wouldn't kill you to go back to the feudal era."
"I'm not going back without you coming back with me!" InuYasha shot back, going on the defensive again. He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, as if daring her to try and make him go. "We can't find the jewel shards without you. Come on, let's go back now!" he exclaimed, completely insistent on the matter. It was clear that he wasn't about to go back without her coming along to hunt down jewel shards. Kagome barely held back a scream of frustration with him. This issue had been bothering her for a while now – especially since he followed her into her own time to drag her back to his.
She shook her head, and glared at him.
"No, InuYasha. I'm going to stay here for at least two days. And I want to go back to school for a day or two," Kagome stated firmly, placing her hands on her hips and giving him a stare that was as stubborn as his own. Neither one of them was going to give in.
"Fine. Then so am I," InuYasha declared, then a suspicious look passed over his face. "Hey Kagome…"
"What now?" By now Kagome was growing tired of his insisting demands. She cast him a painfully tolerant glance and waited for him to make his case. Soon enough it came, as she had suspected – and once again had to do with modern technology.
"Can you show me how to use that box thing with the black screen in your room?"
"Fine…follow me, InuYasha."
Yet another task had assigned itself to Kagome's care – the issue of teaching InuYasha to use a computer without breaking it.
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This chapter was sort of comic relief – even if we didn't need it. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and chapter three might take a little while longer than this one did to come.
