A/N: Some people to thank for reviews: Dragon and Sword Master, ShahzysAngelette, Rukia's Reflection, Taraah36, hollownature, SilverStella, Esha Napoleon, and Emerald Tsukino. And thank you to anyone who put this or its author on their lists. Someone suggested doing a recap so for those who don't remember what happened last time; the gang is going to the doctor's for checkups. Kagome's just gone in and now the rest are out in the waiting room.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al.
A Little Vacation
Ch. 10
Sango gazed after her friend, tightening her hold on the cub that now sat on her lap. Despite Kagome's reassurances, the slayer knew that there was a lot to be apprehensive about in regards to their upcoming examine. Doctors were few and far between in the Feudal Era, and only a rich noble or the emperor would have one in attendance at all times. Normally someone only saw a healer when they were sick or injured. The concept of preventive care was nowhere in the inutachi's lexicon. Most people in their time depended on the village miko for medical help. The very idea of allowing a man who was not her husband see her without her clothes disturbed her. And unlike when Miroku spied on them, she couldn't hit the doctor over the head with Hiraikotsu.
"Sango, I'm bored," Shippou complained, gazing up at the slayer.
By dint of long experience they knew that a bored kitsune cub was a kitsune cub that went looking for mischief to get into. Neither of the older males nor Sango wanted a repeat of what happened one day when Shippou decided to relieve his ennui by pulling pranks on the farmers and housewives in Kaede's village. As the fox demon's "guardians," the old priestess had held them responsible. The only one to get out of her punishment had been Kagome and that was only because she had been in the Modern Era at the time of the incident. No one had told her of the havoc her little "angel" had caused, not wanting to disillusion the school girl at the time. If he did something this time, there was no way to hide the damage.
Sango's eyes slid to the only other small child in the room and smiled gently. "Why don't you go explore those toys, Shippou-chan? That little girl looks like she could use a friend." Emerald eyes studied the other child and a sharp nose took a discreet sniff.
"She's sick," he said quietly, a sad note in his voice.
"Then maybe you can cheer her up," Miroku suggested.
"Keh, she's a human pup, runt. She doesn't have anything you can catch. Show her some of your small magic tricks." Inuyasha watched the boy hop down and wander over to the little girl. The half dog demon glanced over to Kagome's mother when the older woman put a hand on his arm.
"Inuyasha-kun?" Higurashi-san asked.
"The kid's got something in her that's making her sick but Shippou can't catch regular sicknesses from humans." Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, straining to hear what was going on beyond the door separating the waiting room from the rest of the office.
"I see. I'm sure Shippou-chan will cheer her up then." Mama smiled and picked up a magazine.
"You're taking this all quite calmly, Higurashi-san," Miroku noted, gazing at the colored books in fascination. He couldn't even read most of the kanji.
"Should I be surprised or scared? The moment Inuyasha came to get my daughter I knew that she had a destiny that was greater than being just a normal school girl."
"Not that," he said, although it wasn't the first time he'd thought she was behaving differently from the mothers he knew. "I meant having us all here in a doctor's office to get examined. There are several things that could go wrong because of our lack of knowledge."
"That's to be expected," Mama said airily. "You're unfamiliar with our methods. I'm sure as intelligent young adults you'll do just fine."
Miroku opened his mouth to elaborate but closed it when he caught Inuyasha shaking his head. "Don't bother, Miroku. I've learned not to argue with her." The elder Higurashi woman had always bemused him but he had learned not to question her seemingly obliviousness.
Sango, who had heard the conversation between her fiancé and Kagome's mother, frowned at the two men. "If anything goes wrong, it's going to be you two who cause it to happen."
"My dear Sango, how can you say that?" Miroku asked, managing to sound hurt.
"Keh," Inuyasha retorted. He already knew he tended to overreact to things he didn't understand in Kagome's time.
Before she could say anything more, Kagome came to the door and smiled at them. "Okay, so who wants to go next?" she asked, waving a lollipop as an enticement.
"Either she's trying to bribe us, or she wants Shippou to go first," Miroku commented, wondering why a small treat would be enough to make them want to put themselves in a vulnerable position.
"I'll go!" Shippou shouted, running to her and jumping into her arms. The miko hugged him, keeping the lollipop out of reach and smiling triumphantly at her friends.
"When it comes to candy, no one can be bribed faster than Shippou," Sango said with a laugh. "It was her plan all along to get him to go next."
"I wonder what she'll use next," Miroku mused.
"Depends on who she wants to wrap around her finger," Mama answered, completely serious.
At the shocked look the boys gave the woman Sango burst out laughing, catching the twinkle in the other woman's eyes. "If she comes out with ramen, we'll know it's Inuyasha and if it's a beautiful nurse, we'll know she wants Miroku," the slayer added, her amusement continuing.
"How you malign me, my dear!" the monk protested.
"Are you saying she's wrong?" Inuyasha charged.
"I'm devoted to my beloved Sango," Miroku defended. "I will not be distracted by a pretty face."
"Of course, Miroku-kun," Mama said and calmly went back to her reading.
Sango just snickered and held out her hand. "The contents of your wallet if she does what I think she will," the slayer offered, knowing he'd take the bait.
"All right, since you seem so confident," Miroku agreed willingly, falling into her trap.
"Idiot," Inuyasha said and rolled his eyes. Honestly, who did the monk think he was fooling?
That money was as good as gone.
Kagome sat with Shippou waiting for the doctor, the nurse having just left after taking his vitals. She had worried over the numbers until the other woman had assured her that they were all normal for a kitsune his age except for his weight. "Looks like it's official, Shippou. You definitely have to lay off the sweets."
"But…"
"The nurse says you weigh six kilos more than you should."
"Kilo?" the young cub asked confused.
"Let's see, you probably use kanme to measure weight or mass, right? Well, one kanme is roughly equal to 3.75 kilograms. This makes you, my little cub, almost two kanme overweight."
Shippou's eyes widened in disbelief. "Two kanme?" he squeaked.
"Yup, two. Don't you remember how your pants were tight when I gave you the modern ones to wear before coming here?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, Kagome. If I exercise more and eat more vegetables, can I still have my candy?" he begged, looking up at her with imploring emerald eyes.
"We'll see," she answered, determined not to be fooled by his watery puppy eyes this time. The others thought she caved far too often when he turned them on her.
"Okaa-san used to say that," the kitsune child murmured and sighed. "She always meant 'no.'"
"Your mother?" Kagome asked, surprised that he had brought her up. He rarely mentioned his mother and when he did, it was often only in vague reference. The one he talked about the most was his father.
"Yeah, it was mostly when I wanted to eat something before dinner was ready."
"Ah, I see, a very smart mother indeed who knew her cub well." Kagome smiled, kissing the top of his head. "So you liked sweets even then."
"Uh-huh!" He smiled brightly just as the doctor came in. "She was the best!"
"I know the feeling," Kagome murmured before giving her full attention to the doctor.
Her mother was the best too.
Fifteen minutes later she was holding a traumatized kitsune child who was crying his heart out because the doctor had forbidden him from eating more than one piece of candy a day. When Kagome had cut him off he still had a chance to convince her to change her mind. Now that it was "Doctor's orders," he wouldn't be seeing anything for a long, long time.
"Here, Shippou, Dr. Yamato said you could have this," the miko tried to soothe, holding the lollipop out. The green color almost matched his eyes and he stared at it for a minute, sniffing.
"I can?"
"Sure, he always gives these out to good boys and girls who've been to see him." She really was a poor guardian if bribing her charge was the best way she could get him to stop his tears.
"Really? Okay," he said, sticking the small treat in his mouth, tears ceasing almost immediately.
The nurse that was walking out with them smiled, laughing quietly. "He's such a good boy," she commented, patting him on the head.
"He is," Kagome praised. "I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't try to play with any of the doctor's instruments or supplies. He's such a curious child that I was sure he'd be all over the place."
When neither female was looking, he smiled, a devilish light appearing in previously wet eyes. He'd been good throughout the whole examine so he was likely to be rewarded whereas the other two guys would probably make a fuss and destroy something because of their idiocy and the fact that Kagome wouldn't be there to stop them. They'd get punished for it later while both Sango and Kagome made a fuss over him. "Kagome, can we go home now?" he asked, leaning back in her arms.
"Let's ask Mama to take you and Souta back," she suggested, seeing that her brother was bored to tears and struggling to ignore the conversation around him while doing his homework. Sango noticed her first and pointed to Miroku, who was oblivious to the priestess' presence. "Hmm, looks like getting Miroku in here will be easier than I thought." She had asked the pretty nurse to come with her, thinking it would be easier to lure the monk into the other room with a beautiful woman at her side than just a suggestion that he go next.
"There goes his money," Shippou heard Inuyasha mutter and watched as the monk lit up when his name was called. Miroku went willingly to his financial doom, forgetting until he couldn't escape that he'd made a bet.
Mama smiled, remembering the conversation and stood. "So, was it as bad as you thought it would be?" she asked kindly, holding out her arms for Shippou.
"He's slightly overweight and has to cut back on the sweets but other than that, he's a pretty healthy young kitsune."
"Keh, I could have told you that," Inuyasha said, staring hard at his miko. "And what about you, wench?"
"I'm run down and need to take some vitamins but after a little more rest, I should be fine."
"That's good, dear. Why don't I take Shippou and Souta back home so they can eat? That way you and the others can explore the city a bit once you're done here."
"That sounds like a good idea."
"We can go?" Souta perked up, closing his books excitedly.
"Sure," his sister agreed. "There's no use in hanging around here. You can play with Shippou while we're gone. He needs a bit more exercise than he's been getting."
"That's because you always carry him," Inuyasha pointed out. He wasn't surprised when she ignored him.
"Then it's settled, let's go boys," Mama announced, smiling. With a small wave she left the three remaining teens alone to wait for their friend.
Kagome sank into the chair Miroku had vacated with a sigh. Leaning to one side she rested her head on Inuyasha's shoulder. "What's the matter, Kagome?" he asked, knowing she only sought comfort when something was wrong.
"I'm a bad guardian, aren't I? I give him practically everything he asks for and don't make him exercise to make up for the fact that I give him far too much candy."
"You're not a bad guardian," Sango argued. "Yes, you spoil him a bit and not a lot of children get to be treated like that where we come from, but he hasn't turned into an outright brat because of it. We've all taken responsibility for him so it's not like we couldn't object or remind you of these things. Sure, he needs to run around and practice his magic more but he's still pretty much a child even though he's actually older than everyone but Inuyasha. In a time where war and famine are prevalent, maybe him getting to be the child he is, is the best thing. None of us except you know what that's like so he's gaining good experiences through your spoiling."
"As long as you punish him when he really is bad, he should turn out all right," Inuyasha added, patting her arm lightly. "We don't want him to be a kitsune who grows up just to trick people, now do we?"
"No," Kagome agreed. She'd really feel guilty if that ever happened.
"There, you see? Even Inuyasha agrees."
"Thank you, guys." Lifting her head, she smiled at them and looked at the door to the inner offices. "Now does someone want to tell me why Miroku volunteered to go next?"
"Sango tricked him," Inuyasha snorted, trying to hide his laugh. "You bribed Shippou with a lollipop so he'd go in first. Sango figured you'd do something likewise to get us to do the same so she bet Miroku that you'd bring out a pretty woman to lure him in."
"And just what was the bet for?" Kagome asked weakly, trying not to laugh.
"The entire contents of his wallet," her taijiya friend said proudly.
"Poor Miroku," Kagome sighed.
The other two just laughed.
A/N: A kanme is an ancient form of measurement for mass and is Chinese in origin. According to Wikipedia (citation needed so could be incorrect) it was officially adopted in Japan in 701AD. It's measurement has hardly changed through the years and as of the 1891 definition, one kanme was equal to 3.75 kilograms. (1kilo equals 2.2lbs.). This makes Shippou roughly thirteen pounds overweight.