Evergreen
AN: There wasn't much of a response to the last chapter... did I disappoint you guys with it? I'm sorry.
I've finished chapter twelve of this story, so I think it's pretty safe to say that it will probably be around seventeen to twenty chapters long. For anyone who's watched KKHH, the ending I have planned is nothing like the ending in the movie.
Fear not! Cute InuKag scenes will soon make an appearance. If you count them yelling at each other as cute... um. Off topic. If you want fluff, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a while.
Last thing, I promise! I've been on the lookout for a beta reader - I PMed two people, but neither have replied. I think my sentence structure could be loads better, which is why I'd love someone to proofread my work for me. Anyone interested in putting up with me? Ha ha.
Disclaimer: As always, Inuyasha and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai do not belong to me… they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Karan Johar respectively.
CHAPTER NINE
Kagome ran one hand over the small girl's forehead, noticing the small furrow between her eyebrows. The woman sighed softly, her fingertips attempting to smooth out the rumple. The girl's frown, however, remained – and after a few minutes, Kagome merely gave up.
The girl intrigued her greatly. For one, she looked so much like herself… Kagome was struck by a shiver as she glanced down at the girl, taking in her slumbering form. A small smile flitted across her face – had she looked like that when she'd returned from the Sengoku Jidai to a real bed?
Sengoku Jidai… Kagome bit down on the inner lining of her cheek, wondering how her thoughts had wandered back to it. She had spent almost two entire weeks at the shrine without thinking of the place even once. It had been a relief – although she certainly hadn't expected a respite from her memories at her old home, of all places.
Kagome had let the girl – she still silently referred to little Kagome as 'the girl', unwilling to name her – sleep in her bed, and had occupied her grandfather's old room. After his death, her mother had begun using it as a storage room, and she hadn't been able to get much sleep in the eerie dusty room.
"Hmm…" The girl opened her eyes, and Kagome averted her gaze from her face. Little Kagome sat up, stretching her arms above her head and yawning widely.
"That was a nice dream…" the girl murmured, still half-asleep. "Bit weird… wonder why the mat is so soft…" Little Kagome blinked rapidly, looking down at the pale pink covers.
"Oh!" She snatched her hand away from the coverlet as if it had been burned. Kagome let out a forced chuckle.
"Sleep well?" the woman questioned, folding her hands in her lap. Little Kagome looked up, startled, and seemed to remember something as she laid eyes on the woman.
"Huh? Yeah, thanks." The girl's reply was oddly absent – she was studying Kagome intently. Kagome found herself scrutinizing the girl as well, running her eyes over the unkempt hair and the stained kimono. The woman felt a frown crumple the skin on her forehead – how on earth did the girl's parents treat her? They didn't wash her, they didn't provide her with new clothes, they let her roll around in mud from the looks of it, and they abandoned her at a shrine.
"I'm sorry." Little Kagome's words were so unexpected that Kagome had to fight to keep a blank expression on her face. When she gazed at the girl quizzically, little Kagome turned red and let her eyes rest on her hands. "For dirtying your bed," she elaborated, gesturing vaguely to the messy sheets that were covered with strands of hair and smudges of dirt. Kagome held back a sigh – she'd have to strip the sheets off the mattress and wash them. Well, she'd been meaning to wash her bed sheets before she left, anyway.
"It's not a problem." Kagome's voice was light as she got up from the mattress, extending a hand towards the girl. "I think you should have something to eat before we go to find your parents."
Little Kagome's face fell. "Find my parents?" she repeated. Kagome looked puzzled.
"Yes…" Was it possible that this girl didn't want to go home? Kagome wasn't surprised – if she was treated so shabbily, why would she want to return? But then again, she couldn't keep the girl. Her mother was getting old, and found it hard to take care of the shrine even with hired help – Kagome couldn't foist a child on her as well. It wasn't possible for her to take the girl back with her, either.
Kagome was silent as she tried to think of what to do, and little Kagome watched her quietly. Finally, the woman sighed.
"Come on. Mama's probably not up yet, but I can get you something if you want."
Little Kagome's hands went to her stomach, and she rubbed it gently. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been the previous night – the girl had practically inhaled everything in sight. As Kagome watched the girl pat her stomach, the memory came rushing back, and she had to fight back a smile. The entire spectacle had reminded her of another voracious eater…
Little Kagome noticed the woman's eyebrows pull together and hopped off the bed. She wondered what Kagome was thinking about.
"It's all right," the girl spoke in her politest voice. "I'm not really hungry."
Kagome laughed. The sound was unexpected, and little Kagome found herself laughing as well.
"All right. I am hungry, though, so I'll make something for myself. You can stay up here, or you can come down with me."
The pink room made little Kagome nervous, so the girl opted to follow the woman. Kagome trotted down the stairs, inhaling deeply. Her classes would start again in another week… she would have to leave soon. The woman looked unhappy at the thought – it had been so pleasant to be back home.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Kagome noticed the girl taking a seat on one of the chairs lining the kitchen walls, her legs swinging energetically. The woman smiled at the sight – it was such a childish gesture, one that befitted the girl. Kagome tilted her head to one side, wondering once more what kind of a household the girl had been brought up in.
"So… do you remember what your neighborhood looks like, at least?" Kagome questioned the girl as she prepared her breakfast. Little Kagome shrugged.
"Kind of."
Kagome scrunched up her nose and exhaled loudly. It was obviously going to take time to pry answers out of the girl.
"What's your last name?"
The girl stared at her blankly. Kagome felt herself flush, although she wasn't particularly sure why. Maybe it was because it was so unsettling to be stared at by a pair of eyes that were so like her own.
"Your parents' names?" the woman finally asked, tucking strands of hair behind her ears. She always wore her hair loose when she slept, and it had a tendency of getting terribly tangled if she did not tie it first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, she hadn't tied it yet, and it streamed around her – falling past her waist, swaying as she moved.
Kagome fiddled with the stove, silently marveling at the fact that she still didn't know how to cook. Her food at her apartment usually consisted of canned goods and other food items that were easy to prepare. At her home, however, preparing a meal took a little more effort.
Her bare feet slid across the tiled floor as she rummaged through the various cupboards in the kitchen, always aware of the girl's penetrating gaze on her. Kagome lit the stove with the vague idea of boiling something.
It was then that she discovered just why she never lit fires before tying back her hair. The kitchen door swung open as Souta entered the room – the gust created by his entrance caused strands of her hair to whirl around, and one such unfortunate strand happened to make an acquaintance with the flame she had just lit.
"MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!" Kagome shrieked, staring at the burning strand of hair with an expression of absolute terror. Souta blinked, rubbing at his eyes.
"What?" he spoke groggily, thinking he'd heard wrong. Little Kagome, however, quickly slid off her chair and padded towards older Kagome, tugging on a fistful of the woman's hair. Kagome turned sharply, her eyes widening as she met the blue-gray gaze of the girl.
"It's just a couple of hairs," the girl sighed, finding Kagome's hysteria quite unnecessary. Kagome looked at little Kagome uncomprehendingly.
"Just… a couple…?" she echoed, looking faint. Kagome would never admit it, because it sounded terribly vain, but she was extremely proud of her hair. To see it being burned – to smell her scorched hair – it made her feel woozy.
Little Kagome glanced around, wondering where on earth she could find water in the strange big hut. Locating no helpful bucket of liquid, she turned to Kagome.
"Where's the water?"
The woman looked blank. Little Kagome found herself wondering if the person she had been named after was quite in her right mind.
"The water?" she repeated. Kagome seemed to pull herself out of her daze.
"The water, of course." She shook her head, moving to the contraption she had called a 'sink' the previous night. She twisted one of the knobs suspended above the sink, and a stream of water flowed out of it.
Little Kagome stared at the stream of water in amazement. While Kagome ran her fingers under the water and used them to douse the small flame, little Kagome crept closer to observe the water that seemed to magically gush out of the small pipe.
Kagome looked embarrassed about her screaming and glanced at her 'namesake', noting her fascinated look. Little Kagome looked up as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks… guess I panicked," Kagome spoke sheepishly. "That'll teach me to come down with untied hair." The woman shook her head and pulled something off one wrist, using it to tie her long hair back. Little Kagome lifted some of her own hair, inspecting it closely.
It was dirty and tangled. It had been quite a few weeks since Sango had last managed to drag her into a stream for a bath – little Kagome guessed it was even before Koga had arrived.
The thought of the wolf demon brought a scowl to her face. Kagome didn't miss the angry expression that crossed the girl's face.
"What's wrong?" she questioned as Souta ambled across the kitchen to open one of the cupboards. The entire episode with Kagome's burning hair had not fazed him, and he collected a box of cereal and a bowl before exiting the kitchen.
"N-nothing…" Little Kagome realized that she tended to stutter when she was nervous around this older version of herself. "Nothing at all," the girl added, trying to sound more convincing. Kagome didn't look convinced.
"Really." The woman shrugged, having obviously decided not to pry. "Still not hungry? I think I lost my appetite after that." She twisted another knob, and the fire on the silver machine flickered out and died. Little Kagome had to hold back a flood of questions that threatened to burst out of her mouth. If she asked Kagome about any one of the contraptions around her house, the woman would become suspicious. Little Kagome wasn't sure if she would ever tell the woman where she was from, or even tell her who her parents were. It seemed that Kagome had made a life for herself, and why would she want to leave it all for her father?
But she loves him, a small voice inside her head protested. Little Kagome flinched.
Did Kagome still love her father? There was no way of finding out without mentioning his name, and that would give everything away.
"Hey… little Kagome?" Evidently, the woman had become worried at the girl's lack of response. Little Kagome blinked and shook her head.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. No, I'm still not hungry…" The girl shrugged, glancing around the kitchen with bright, curious eyes. Her fingers itched to touch the shining surfaces she saw everywhere – but she held the urge back, knowing that she had to remain on Kagome's good side. Messing up this… kitchen of hers would probably not make the woman very happy.
"You never gave me an answer earlier, you know." Kagome' voice was light, but it was obvious that she was intensely interested. Little Kagome frowned.
"What was the question again?" she asked, trying to stall for time. Her parents' names were sure to betray her identity to Kagome.
"Uh…" The woman frowned. "Do you know, I think I've forgotten… in any case, before we go looking for your house, I think you need some cleaning up." Kagome surveyed the girl critically, and little Kagome felt herself blush at the scrutiny.
"I'm clean…" she spoke defensively, but as she glanced down at her dirty and ripped kimono, she knew that there was no way she'd be able to get out of this. Little Kagome let out a silent groan as she felt the woman grasp her by the wrist and proceed to drag her upstairs.
"Ah! This water is so hot!"
Kagome's eyes widened at the little girl's words. She'd been especially mindful and kept the water lukewarm when she ran the bath, but apparently even that was too warm for little Kagome. Once again, Kagome found herself speculating what the girl's lifestyle was like. Every time little Kagome protested about something around the house, or a certain practice, Kagome felt herself grow more and more frustrated. She knew she was missing something, some vital clue to the girl's identity. There was no possible way that anyone could not know what hot water was, not unless they lived in abject poverty.
Kagome mulled over her thoughts as she picked little Kagome's kimono off the floor, where the girl had unceremoniously thrown it. A small folded piece of paper or parchment or something fluttered out of the folds of the cloth, dropping on the floor with a soft sigh.
Kagome leaned down to pick the object up. As she tucked little Kagome's filthy kimono under one arm, she was seized by an inexplicable urge to open the paper. It looked like some sort of a letter – perhaps it would hold information on little Kagome's family and life. Surely it couldn't hurt to take a tiny peek?
The woman's fingers twitched, but Kagome fought back her curiosity, placing the folded paper on her dresser. Even if little Kagome was a small girl, she deserved her privacy. She would just have to find a different way of prying the information out of the girl.
Laughing a little at the delighted sounds issuing from her bathroom, Kagome made her way down the stairs, nodding to her mother in the kitchen. She would wash the kimono for the girl and return it to her – what else could she do? Little Kagome had made it very clear that she did not want any other clothing. Kagome entered the laundry room and left the kimono lying on a table, moving around to locate the washing powder needed by the washing machine.
The woman returned to the table, picking up the kimono and studying it intently. Although it was covered with dirt and all sorts of grime, she could detect bright patterns under the layers of mud. Curious, she took the kimono over to the nearby sink and ran it under the water for a few minutes.
Ignoring the washing machine, Kagome rinsed out the kimono by hand, eventually clearing away the muck and revealing a colorful piece of clothing. Her eyes ran over the fine embroidery, and she was convinced that there was no way little Kagome could possibly own such a kimono and not know what hot water was. Unless she had stolen it…
No. The article of clothing fit the girl perfectly – it must have been made just for her. As Kagome ran her thumb over the now-soft material, she once again wondered about the mystery behind the little girl.
AN: Ah man, you have NO idea how badly I wanted Kagome to peek at the letter! But no, alas, she does not find out about little Kagome's parentage in this chapter. This chapter is pure randomness, nothing more – the entire hair-on-fire scene came out of nowhere. The way the two behaved there reminds me of Serena/Usagi and Rini/Chibiusa of Sailor Moon… except Rini's from the future, not the past.
I really like big Kagome and little Kagome's interaction. There's something very endearing about it.
A bit of bad news - I won't be posting next week. Sorry! But you guys got two chapters this week, so be happy! (Don't kill me?)
