Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially Viperthe strange and my anonymous reviewer Ro (about your last review…I'll have you know that I'm British and was born and bred in England, more specifically London. I may not live there anymore but I still get kind of annoyed when people diss it. I hope this doesn't put you off reading my story because I sincerely appreciate your reviews, it's nice to know I have a fan!) thank you also to; blackrosegem, winniepoo13, NUTTYNATTY25, Dark Wolf on a full blood, Murdoca, SquirtlezGurl07, Jombra, Icetea17, coolmarauders and Thoughts13. I love all of yas!
Sorry for not updating sooner, I've been very sick and indisposed only leaving bed to go to the bathroom and assisting my first day at university. It's really scary, and so completely new! I really wish I could have waited until after my eighteenth birthday to start university but I wanted to graduate quick so I can get a job and leave Colombia as soon as possible. I really don't like it here.
Disclaimer: My vampire senses are telling me that I don't own Inuyasha, only a living person can. Rumiko Takahashi is that person.
Chapter 4: Dinner Time
It was six o'clock in the evening and everyone was resting from a hard and tiring day's work.
Naraku was sitting comfortably on the couch reading a newspaper that Mrs Higurashi had given him. Kagura was standing at the other end of the room, as far away from Naraku as possible and she busied herself with staring out the window and watching the sky darken with every passing hour.
Sesshoumaru was up on the roof taking in the view of the city lights contrasting with the dark sky, wondering how anyone could willingly live in such a contaminated and over populated place. He plucked a bit of fluff from the sleeve of the sweater Mrs Higurashi had given him. She had all wanted them to wear comfortable clothes for being around the house. Sesshoumaru 'hmph'ed. Comfortable indeed. These are the most uncomfortable garments I have ever worn. He thought. Then he remembered the tuxedo he used for the dance competition. Yes, the tuxedo was definitely more uncomfortable than a sweater and jeans.
Mrs Higurashi arrived with Kagome from the grocery store, laden with bags of food for dinner. Everyone turned their heads towards the front door as mother and daughter entered, heaving the heavy groceries inside. After placing them on the kitchen counter, Mrs Higurashi went into the living room and with one sweeping gaze of everybody doing apparently nothing productive, she set to work.
She walked behind the sofa and made her announcement. "Okay! If you all want some dinner, you'll need to help me with it so let me see…"
She looked around the room, her eyes narrowing slightly, assessing the situation. She saw the back of Naraku's head as he read the newspaper. She patted his head and smiled.
"Naraku dear, you'll help me with the cooking."
Naraku turned and blinked at her, still clutching the newspaper. "I beg your pardon?"
She moved around the sofa and gently took his arm, pulling him to his feet. "You will assist me in the kitchen." She said with a firm tone and a motherly smile. She relieved him of his newspaper and laid it down upon the couch.
"Uh…I-I was reading that-" began Naraku but stopped after seeing the no nonsense look on Kagome's mother's face. He lowered his head and stayed silent.
Mrs Higurashi's eyes found Kouga, who was sitting on the floor in front of the television, playing on Souta's Xbox.
"Kouga, you will help prepare the table with Ayame and Kikyo."
Kouga looked at her with a bewildered expression. "I will?" he asked.
Mrs Higurashi gave him a stern look. Kouga jumped to his feet immediately, grabbing Ayame's arm and pulling her along with him to the kitchen. Kikyo floated morosely behind.
Miroku and Sango were given the job of making enough fresh orange juice for everyone, Kagura was to help serve the food when it was done and Inuyasha was made to fetch extra chairs to place at the table. Everyone got up and left the living room to go about their new dinnertime chores and Mrs Higurashi was about to leave with Naraku when she noticed that there was someone missing.
"Where is Sesshoumaru?" She asked. Naraku shrugged. Mrs Higurashi left it at that, deciding that Sesshoumaru would just have to do another job after dinner instead.
She placed a hand on Naraku's shoulder and steered him in the direction of the kitchen where she had vegetables waiting to be chopped. She left him standing by the kitchen counter and she fetched one of her frilly white aprons which she easily tied around Naraku. She took a step back to get a good look at him.
"There. You're all ready now." She said with a triumphant smile.
Naraku looked down at himself and fought the urge to rip the apron right off and melt it with his poison clouds. Instead, and with a lot of effort, he looked at Mrs Higurashi and forced a smile.
He let himself be led towards the kitchen counter on top of which Mrs Higurashi had laid out a chopping board, a knife and already washed vegetables, waiting to be diced. Naraku's charming (and fake) smile faltered and he looked at Mrs Higurashi uncertainly.
"Uuuh…what am I-?"
"Look," said Kagome's mother patiently, taking his hand and pressed the knife by the handle in his palm. She took an onion and placed it upon chopping board and guiding his hand, explaining the whole fundamental nature of chopping in a motherly tone, as if he were a small boy learning how to use a crayon for the first time.
"Thin pieces, like so…" she said with each slice of the knife and Naraku nodded, concentrating hard on the onion before him. Mrs Higurashi slowly released his hand and watched him continue to chop.
"That's it…be careful with your fingers now…thin pieces…very good."
Naraku's eyes watered from the burning feeling the slices of onion caused but he did not let himself get distracted by it, no… he would complete this…the knife felt glorious in his grasp…the crisp sound of the layers of onion being perforated by the blade…he felt that this was his mission in life. To chop an onion.
Mrs Higurashi moved away from him and placed her own apron over her head, tying the strings behind her. She got started with preparing the fish and boiling the water for the miso soup. Kagome was to help with the cooking after she finished putting away the ironed and pressed clothes. Mrs Higurashi glanced over her shoulder at Naraku, whose head was bent closely towards the chopping board, probably trying to make sure if he slicing the vegetables into perfectly proportionate pieces. She smiled at the progress he was making with all the ingredients before she got back to removing the skin from the fish.
After a few a minutes, the vegetables Naraku had so carefully chopped were bubbling in a large pot and the fish was frying in a pan. Mrs Higurashi was also making a sauce with the tomatoes Naraku had sliced to pour over the fish and the rest of ingredients, while Naraku watched her add soy sauce and seasoning to it. Mrs Higurashi noticed him looking and gestured for him to come closer, holding out the wooden spoon with which she had been stirring the sauce.
"Can you stir this for me? I need to keep an eye on the fish so that they won't burn."
Stir the sauce? Naraku felt apprehensive of this new mission but he accepted anyway, approaching the cooker and receiving the wooden spoon. He slowly dipped the spoon into the bubbling, dark red sauce and with Mrs Higurashi's guidance he began carefully moving the spoon clockwise.
"Yes, just keep stirring gently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan." Said Mrs Higurashi as she moved to grab a spatula so that she could flip the fish over in the frying pan.
At that moment Kagome entered the kitchen and the first thing she noticed was that Naraku was standing at the cooker with a wooden spoon in his hand, stirring something in a saucepan. Her eyes widened.
Naraku glanced up and saw her and beamed like a happy little boy.
"I'm making sauce." He said, his face bright and expressing a pride that would be expected from a child showing his mother a picture painted with his own fingers. Kagome raised her eyebrows and made as if to nod.
"Ohhhh…wow, um…that's great." She said, humouring him. She gave him a thumbs up. Naraku then did a hilarious thing, as soon as he returned to the sauce stirring, the smile immediately dropped from his face and he became intensely concentrated on the slow movements of the wooden spoon, reminding Kagome of those scientists she had seen on television who immersed themselves completely in their calculations.
"Kagome, could you keep an eye on these vegetables please?" called her mother and Kagome went to her side straight away to help while Mrs Higurashi went to the living room to fetch Sango and Miroku who were supposed to make the orange juice.
Ten minutes later, Kagura was assisting Mrs Higurashi in serving the food on the table which was completely set with chopsticks, napkins, cups and extra chairs. Mr Higurashi and Souta joined everyone at the table and even Sesshoumaru took his place before the plate of food that he knew he wouldn't touch. Mrs Higurashi was the last to sit down, picking up her chopsticks and looking at everyone.
"Itadakimasu!" she said cheerfully and started on the miso soup. Simultaneous mumblings of 'itadakimasu' echoed from around the table followed by appreciative grunts and the clinking sounds of multiple pairs of chopsticks against bowls.
Miroku lifted a bit of food to his mouth and chewed on it, savouring the taste. He gazed at Mrs Higurashi in admiration. "This tastes heavenly Mrs Higurashi."
"Oh no, Naraku helped me with those vegetables." She told Miroku, failing to notice Kagura immediately stop chewing on whatever was in her mouth.
"Naraku?" asked Kagura, not daring to swallow the food in her mouth. Mrs Higurashi nodded and helped herself to some rice from her small bowl.
Kagura narrowly avoided gagging at the table and quietly reached for her napkin, turning slowly to one side and emptying out the food she had in her mouth into it and folding it up to place it in the pocket of the jeans Mrs Higurashi had lent her. She was certain Kagome's mother hadn't noticed but was well aware of Sesshoumaru's ever observant eyes were on her. He was sitting in the seat next to her and if she wasn't mistaken, his lip quirked upwards slightly as if he had found the situation amusing. And that Kagura did not like.
However, she thought the situation was justified when Mrs Higurashi noticed that Sesshoumaru hadn't touched his dinner. She lowered her chopsticks.
"Sesshoumaru dear, why aren't you eating?"
Sesshoumaru stared at her. How to make that woman understand that he didn't need nor like human food? He didn't even bother answering her. But Mrs Higurashi persisted.
"You're going to waste away if you don't get some food in your tummy, now why don't you try some…hmmm?"
Sesshoumaru couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was actually trying to persuade him to consume that human filth they called food. He strongly considered telling her flat out that he despised her kind and their habits, (eating more specifically) but he was also a demon of honour and that meant he was to oblige seeing as how he was a guest in her house.
"Just taste it, you need the nutrition." Smiled Mrs Higurashi in a motherly way. Kagome was looking at her mother desperately and at Sesshoumaru, pleading with her eyes that he comply. Even Naraku had stopped eating and was watching the demon lord expectantly.
Sesshoumaru sighed in irritation and picked up a pair of chopsticks. He took a bit of fish with them and raised it to his lips, pausing for a moment and then placing it in his mouth.
The taste was indescribable to him, it was overwhelmingly horrible and he fought down the retch that threatened to rise from his throat. He hid his disgust well for Mrs Higurashi nodded in approval and returned to her food. Sesshoumaru didn't even try to chew the fish because he knew it would aggravate his state. He could almost taste Kagura's amusement and he refused to look at her.
Then, he felt something soft touch his fingers and looking down he saw that Kagura had passed a napkin to him under the table, which was all the encouragement he needed. He carefully observed Mrs Higurashi and waited for an opportune time to get rid of the food in his mouth. Having her constantly looking at him and smiling didn't help in the least. Finally she inclined her head to one side to sneeze and Sesshoumaru quickly bent his head and hidden by the table he discreetly disposed of the food into the napkin, straightening up when Mrs Higurashi did.
He heard a familiar snigger from across the table and spotted Inuyasha who had witnessed the entire scene and was sporting a toothy grin. Inuyasha was holding his bowl of rice and his chopsticks while he rocked back and forth.
"I'm tellin', I'm tellin', I'm tellin'…" he taunted, grinning widely and saying it loud enough for only Sesshoumaru to hear. Sesshoumaru's amber gaze darkened dangerously and he lifted his chopsticks, spearing them effectively and violently into the poor, unsuspecting fried fish, twisting them around cruelly so that the fish bones made cracking sounds. Inuyasha's grin dropped immediately as soon as he understood the silent message and widening his eyes he looked around nervously.
"Did you see anything? I didn't see anything." He said and hastily bent his head over his bowl and stuffed his mouth with rice. Kouga, who was sitting two seats away from him, stared at the hanyou in confusion, grains of rice falling from his slightly open mouth.
Kikyo swallowed her fish and set her chopsticks down, reaching for her glass of orange juice. Accidentally she knocked one of her chopsticks off the table and it rolled underneath Kouga's chair. Kikyo made a tutting sound and lifted the table cloth a little to try and catch a glimpse of the chopstick and spotted it inches away from Kouga's feet. She slid off her chair and crawled under the table, moving slowly to avoid contact with everyone's legs. She stretched out her hand and with her fingers she rolled the chopstick towards her bit by bit.
Kouga jumped in his seat and immediately lowered down his chopsticks.
"Who the hell is touching my leg?" he exclaimed angrily and began to move his feet around violently.
"Get-" Kick! "Off-" Stomp! "A me!" Kickstompwhack!
Kouga finally stopped stamping his feet and lifted up the table cloth to peer underneath. What he found was a very battered Kikyo clutching a single chopstick in her hand. Kouga grimaced.
"Oops. Sorry Kikyo."
OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo
After dinner, everyone leaned back in their seats and patted their full stomachs, sighing. Kagome was finishing off her orange juice and Mrs Higurashi was complimenting Naraku but aiming the conversation at Kagome.
"He's so helpful. I think Naraku should do the cooking more often." Mrs Higurashi smiled, patting Naraku's hand. Kagome stared at her mum and then bent her head, hastily slurping her juice.
The guys were playing table football, using rolled up balls of the napkins, while their stomachs busily digested the meal. Inuyasha was flicking the little balls at Sesshoumaru who deflected them with his hands easily and Miroku merely watched them, as he slouched in his chair. Kouga's eyes followed the balls as they ricocheted hither and thither.
Finally Inuyasha managed to get one past Sesshoumaru, but he was so full and so bored that he only managed to mumble a weak 'woohoo' and raise his hand feebly. But his 'joy' was short lived when Miroku pointed out that he was off side the whole time so it didn't count anyway.
"Damn." Muttered Inuyasha.
Just then, Mrs Higurashi got to her feet.
"Okay, first of all I'd like to thank all of you for helping me with dinner." She said, beaming at them. She continued, "And second of all…Sesshoumaru," she directed her gaze at him, "You have the honour of washing the dishes since I didn't give you something to do for dinner."
Everyone's heads turned to look at the demon lord, thinking the same thing. Washing and dishes, weren't two words Sesshoumaru was familiar with when both were used in the same sentence.
If Sesshoumaru was shocked then he didn't show it. He was being asked to do servants work? That was just unacceptable. But Mrs Higurashi was giving him that all powerful mother look…
He had no choice but to accept, much to Inuyasha's glee. He was led by Mrs Higurashi to the kitchen and waited until all the plates, pots and pans were piled up by the sink. Sesshoumaru's only thoughts were of homicide when he caught sight of the filthy kitchenware.
Mrs Higurashi filled the sink with warm water and added washing up liquid to it. Then, she took the sponge and squeezed the greenish liquid onto it, and began to explain the mechanisms of washing a dish to the tall, proud demon lord.
Sesshoumaru couldn't believe what he was seeing. First he had to scrub, then he had to rinse and lastly dry…it was outrageous, absolutely outrageous.
"And that's all there is to it!" finished Mrs Higurashi, smiling as she placed the clean dish on the draining board. She had Sesshoumaru take the sponge and observed him as he pressed it onto a plate, beginning to scrub slowly. She nodded, making sounds of approval. She noticed that he had a little trouble with his long hair, it was going in from of his face and his wet hands prevented him from brushing away the strands. And of course he was much too well bred to blow the hair from his face. So, Mrs Higurashi removed one of Kagome's hair bands from her wrist and gently tied back Sesshoumaru's hair into a ponytail, having to tiptoe quite a bit seeing as he was very tall. Sesshoumaru was surprised that anyone would touch his person without first asking his permission but in the end, his hair wasn't making washing the dishes a problem anymore so he let it be. Next time though, there would be repercussions.
"There." Smiled Mrs Higurashi, letting the white hair in the ponytail fall from her hands. She patted his shoulder. "I'll just leave you here then." She said and left the kitchen.
Sesshoumaru was feeling more than just irritated at this point and to make matters worse, at the corner of his eye he spotted Inuyasha swaggering in with a huge (and not to mention satisfied) grin on his face. Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth and continued washing the dishes and ignoring Inuyasha's presence.
Inuyasha paced the kitchen loudly. "Sooooo….." he grinned. "Having fun Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, opting for just finishing his chore in the smallest amount of time possible. Even if it meant putting up with Inuyasha's gloating.
"Hmm…whadda we have here?" asked Inuyasha, picking up a clean plate. "Wow, I can see my face in this…"
He dipped his finger in one of the dirty pots and covered it in the leftover sauce that was congealing inside. He took one look at Sesshoumaru and gave him an evil grin before smearing the red substance all over the plate, and walking around Sesshoumaru, he placed it in the pile of dishes Sesshoumaru had yet to wash.
"I guess it wasn't as clean as I thought." He said, savouring the moment and watching the death glare Sesshoumaru was directing at him. Before the demon lord could do anything to permanently put at risk Inuyasha's health, Mrs Higurashi's head popped in to check up on them.
"How's everything going, boys?" she asked cheerfully. Inuyasha beamed and said everything was fine. Mrs Higurashi smiled and withdrew her head. Inuyasha turned back to Sesshoumaru and grinned.
"Yep, everything's just great."
OooOooOooOooOooOooOoo
A/N: hope you guys liked that chapter! I'm not sure when the next update will be since I just started university and all but I think I'll have a bit of time on my hands before exams. Please R and R!
Itadakimasu: it literally means 'let's dig in' but there's no direct translation. It's just a word the Japanese say before beginning to eat.