Simple Days
When Inuyasha woke up, he was momentarily confused to find himself back in his room. The last thing he remembered was passing out after exorcising Mayu's ghost. He groaned when he realized Kagome must have carried him back home while he was out of it.
"I can't believe I was carried home by a girl," he grumbled as he sat up. He looked over at his clock and swore when he registered the time. School had started an hour ago. Inuyasha jumped out of bed, but the covers tangled around his legs and he fell to the floor. He was kicking them off when his bedroom door opened and his mother stuck her head inside.
"Oh, you're awake," she said.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up for school?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We thought after the night you had it would be better to let you sleep in," she replied. "How are you feeling this morning?"
Inuyasha paused. He did feel refreshed, but he couldn't afford to miss school. "I guess I'll just have to suck up being late," he said.
"Actually, I was thinking it might be good idea if you stayed home today," Mrs. Higurashi said.
Inuyasha's jaw dropped. "Are you actually suggesting I skip school?" Never in a million years would he have thought to hear his mother say such a thing.
"Well," she said, "I know you haven't had a chance to work on your makeup work at all and you're planning to go back to the Feudal Era tomorrow. You're classes won't do you much good if you don't understand what's going on in them, so why not stay home and do your makeup work today? Even if you can't finish it all, you should still get a good chunk of it done."
"I guess that makes sense," Inuyasha said. "Ms. Sato is still going to get onto me for missing though, I just know it."
"Are you hungry?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. "I saved you some breakfast."
Inuyasha's stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and he remembered he'd only had a few bites of food the night before. "Sure thing," he said, following his mother down the stairs and to the kitchen. As he was eating he remembered Kagome and that she was supposed to train with Sensei again today. "Did Kagome come this morning?" he asked around a mouthful of food.
"Inuyasha, swallow before you speak, you know better than to behave like that," Mrs. Higurashi chided.
Inuyasha swallowed his food. "Sorry. So, did Kagome come by?"
"She did," Mrs. Higurashi said, "but when she saw you were still sleeping she said she could make it to Sensei's dojo by herself."
Inuyasha felt a little bad for not walking her there himself, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. "Finished," Inuyasha said, pushing his plate away. "Thanks for the food, Mom. I'd better get started on that makeup work now."
Inuyasha went back upstairs and settled in at his desk to do his work. He was relieved to find that his makeup assignments made much more sense than the work he'd been doing in class the past few days. By the time he took a break for lunch, he'd made good headway into the assignments.
While eating he remembered the request he'd wanted to make of his mother. "Hey, Mom, I was thinking that Kagome should have some regular clothes to wear when she's here so she doesn't stand out so much to people, but I don't really know how to shop for girls, so could you help me?"
"Certainly," Mrs. Higurashi said. "Do you want to go this afternoon after your lesson with Sensei?"
"Sounds good," Inuyasha said.
"Just how are you going to pay for these clothes?" Gramps asked. "Kagome isn't going to have any form of usable money."
Dang, he hadn't really thought about that. "I haven't bought anything in a while, so I've got some allowance saved up," Inuyasha said. "I guess I'll use that."
"I'll help if you need a little extra," Mrs. Higurashi assured him. "After all, it isn't like she needs an entire wardrobe, just two or three outfits should be fine."
"Thanks," Inuyasha said appreciatively. "I'll get back to work now." Inuyasha went back to his assignments and by the time he needed to leave for practice he had finished nearly all of them.
"Mom, Gramps, I'm heading out," he called as he went for the front door.
"I'll meet you at Sensei's when your class ends so we can go shopping," Mrs. Higurashi said.
"See you then!" Inuyasha called.
At his practice Inuyasha was pleased to note that his performance was much improved compared to the day before. It seemed a good night's sleep really was all he'd needed to get back to normal. It wasn't until practice ended that Inuyasha realized one drawback to his plan of shopping immediately afterwards. Sensei didn't have showers in his dojo, so Inuyasha usually showered as soon as he got home. Now he was going to have to go shopping in girly shops with his mother and Kagome while still sweaty and smelly.
Oh well. Not like I care what the shop clerks think of me anyway.
He went outside and found his mother waiting for him, Kagome was already with her, as well as Usagi, which surprised Inuyasha but probably shouldn't have. "Hey, Mom, Kagome," he said. "Ready to go?"
"Just about," Mrs. Higurashi replied. "Usagi wants to come with us, but she needs to get permission from her father first."
"I'll be right back," Usagi said and dashed off towards the dojo.
"How was training?" Inuyasha asked Kagome while they waited.
She smiled at him. "It went well. Are you feeling better today?"
"Much," Inuyasha said. "I just needed some rest."
Usagi reappeared from the dojo, followed closely by Sensei. "You don't mind if she tags along?" he asked Mrs. Higurashi as they got closer.
"Not at all," she responded. "I think it'll be fun to have Usagi with us; she's eager to help Kagome pick out some new clothes. We'll have her back before suppertime."
Sensei nodded. "That's fine then." He looked over at Kagome. "You may want to leave your sword here. The shops won't appreciate you taking it inside. You can pick it up again when you drop off Usagi."
Inuyasha hadn't even thought about that, but Sensei was right. The store employees would not be happy if Kagome took a real sword in them, and they might even go so far as to call the police. That was a headache they really didn't need.
Kagome hesitated so Inuyasha spoke up. "Sensei is right, the stores probably won't even let you in if you have it."
"Alright then," Kagome said, untying the sword from her waist. She handed it over to Sensei.
"We'll be off then," said Mrs. Higurashi. "Let's go!"
As they left Inuyasha noticed some of the guys from his class staring at Kagome. He glared at them and they quickly looked away.
"Thank you for this," Kagome said, distracting him.
"What? Oh, yeah, sure, it's no big deal," Inuyasha said.
Usagi butted in between them and took Kagome's hand. "I'm going to pick out the prettiest dresses for you, Kagome!"
Inuyasha kind of hoped not. Usagi's idea of pretty involved glitter and poufy pink skirts, and Inuyasha thought Kagome would look kind of ridiculous in something like that. Anyone would look ridiculous dressed like that.
"Here we are," Mrs. Higurashi said. She opened the store door and they went inside. Inuyasha glanced around and was relieved not to notice anything particularly poufy or glittery. Usagi immediately dragged Kagome to the dress rack while Inuyasha's mother started looking at pants and tops. Feeling rather out of place, Inuyasha made his way over to the chairs by the dressing room to sit and wait.
How long does it take them to pick out clothes to try on? he wondered slouching down in his seat.
Eventually they did come to the dressing rooms, and Inuyasha was mildly alarmed at the amount of clothes they had with them. "Does she really need to try on all that?" he asked without thinking.
"Well, we don't know what her sizes are, so she needs to try on a couple different ones so we can figure it out," Mrs. Higurashi explained.
Inuyasha sighed, realizing this was going to take even longer than he'd thought. Maybe I should have just given Mom the money and let her bring Kagome alone. It's not like they even need me here…
"Oh, Kagome, you look so pretty!" Usagi gushed from somewhere in the dressing room.
"Are you sure this is how it's supposed to look?" Kagome asked in a voice that wavered with uncertainty.
"Yes!" Usagi said. "We have to show Inuyasha!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the declaration. Like he cared what clothes they picked out.
A moment later Usagi was dragging Kagome out of the dressing room, and Inuyasha's thoughts shuddered to a complete stop. Kagome was wearing a sundress that Usagi must have picked out because even though there were no bows, glitter or ruffles, it was a bright shade of pink with a slightly paler, small flower print. The dress's short sleeves showed off Kagome's toned arms, and the way her neckline was shaped like the top of a heart brought Inuyasha's attention to the swell of her chest that had previously been hidden by her usual baggy outfit. The top of the dress was fitted, showing off her slim waist, while the skirt flared loosely over her hips to end just above her knees which provided Inuyasha with a nice view of her calves.
Even after riding piggy back with her, it had simply never occurred to Inuyasha that there was a body hidden under all that red material. Now, Inuyasha was pretty sure he'd never be able to forget.
He was jolted out of his stupor when Usagi practically jumped on him. "Isn't she beautiful?" Usagi said, her brown eyes shining. "She's like a princess!"
"Uh, yeah," Inuyasha said stupidly. "She's really pretty." He glanced back up at Kagome's face, noticing for the first time that she was also wearing a wide brimmed sunhat to cover her ears. But much more eye catching than her hat was the blush that spread across her cheeks.
She's really cute when she blushes like that.
"I'm going to try something else!" Kagome said in a rush, whirling around and heading back into the dressing room. For the first time, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the way her hips moved as she did so.
"Ahem."
Inuyasha's head snapped to the side, and it was his turn to blush when he saw his mother watching him with an amused expression. He had completely forgotten she was present. "You could at least try to be subtle," she said.
"Subtle about what?" Usagi asked, glancing back and forth between them. Then her eyes widened in sudden comprehension. "Oh! You like—"
Inuyasha lunged forward and covered her mouth with a hand. "Don't you dare say it," he growled.
Usagi rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away. "You could try asking nicely."
Inyasha's eyebrow twitched, and he was sorely tempted to throttle her. Fear of Sensei's wrath helped to curb his temper. "Please don't say it," Inuyasha managed through gritted teeth.
Usagi sighed dramatically. "I guess that will do. But I expect you to have a tea party with me the next time you come over for practice," she added as she turned back to the dressing room, followed by a still amused looking Mrs. Higurashi.
Dang it, I knew there would be more.
Now he was going to have to drink Usagi's overly sweet tea just so she wouldn't talk about…
I do not have a thing for Kagome!
So what if she was really pretty? So what if she was kick butt, with her super strength and speed, and had a really wicked sword? So what if she was the nicest person he'd ever met? So what if he couldn't think of a single girl that was as remarkable as her?
Oh, crap. I have a thing for Kagome.
The earth opening up and swallowing him would be really appreciated right now.
What was he supposed to do about this? Ask her out? Did people from five hundred years ago even go on dates? Would she have any idea what dating was? And what made him think she'd say yes anyway? It wasn't like he'd done very much to impress her, given how she'd had to save him more than once already. Just last night he'd passed out on her and she'd had to carry him home. No, he didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell with her.
So then, just don't tell her anything. If I just keep acting normal, she won't figure out I like her, and then she won't have a chance to shoot me down.
"What do you think about this outfit, Inuyasha?" Usagi called as she pulled Kagome out of the dressing room again.
Inuyasha had never thought about different types of jeans before, but looking at Kagome now he decided skinny jeans were most definitely his favorite. He admired the way they molded to her legs for a moment before he realized he wasn't supposed to be doing that and jerked his gaze away.
"Keh, she looks fine," Inuyasha said in as careless a tone as he could muster. "Are we almost done here?"
"She's just going to try on a few more things and then she'll pick her favorites," Mrs. Higurashi said.
The women retreated back into the dressing room, and Inuyasha closed his eyes, praying for the shopping trip to come to an end. Eventually it did, and Kagome carried her purchases to the register. Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that the pink sundress and the skinny jeans had made it into her picks, along with two tops, the sunhat and a brown knitted cap, and a pair of shoes. Paying for the items took all of the allowance he had saved, as well as some extra money from Mrs. Higurashi. But it was worth the money when Inuyasha saw the smile on Kagome's face as she carried the bag.
They dropped Usagi off at her home and picked up Kagome's sword before going home themselves. When they arrived at Higurashi Shrine, they were enthusiastically greeted by Souta.
"Guess what?" he said running up to them with a huge grin on his face. "Satoru woke up today! The teachers told us at school, and he's going to be okay!"
Inuyasha smiled, glad to know that his efforts at banishing Mayu's ghost had been good for something. "That's great, Souta," he said.
"Glad to hear it's worked out," Kagome added. She looked over at Inuyasha. "I'd better get back. I'm sure Shippo and Myoga are waiting for me."
"Is that flea still hanging around?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome smiled and nodded. "I'm kind of surprised myself. He doesn't usually stick around this long." She glanced down at the bag in her hands and hesitated for a moment.
"I'll take that," Mrs. Higurashi said. "I know you won't wear them in the past, so we can keep them here for you."
Kagome handed the bag over. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"I'll see you in the morning, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "I'll head through the well after breakfast." They parted ways, and once inside his house Inuyasha made for the stairs immediately. He was going to be in the Feudal Era for a couple days at least, maybe a week, so tonight he was going to soak in a long bath, as it was likely to be the last nice one he'd get until he came back home.
When Kagome arrived in her own time, she found Shippo and Myoga waiting for her in the clearing around the well. "You're back!" Shippo said. "Finally!"
Kagome smiled at him. "Have you been good today?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I'm bored," he said in a tone that just bordered on whining. Kagome knew enough about fox demons to know that a bored fox demon did not stay a well behaved fox demon for very long.
"Well Inuyasha will be here in the morning, and then we can go out looking for more jewel shards," Kagome said.
And doing that, she thought ruefully, will probably be more exciting than any of us actually want.
Near death experiences had never been Kagome's idea of a good time.
Myoga hopped onto Kagome's shoulder. "How did your lesson go?" he asked.
"Good," Kagome said. "Sensei is a good teacher." He was a demanding teacher as well, and he seemed to have high expectations for her even though she'd only just started training with him, but he always gave her the tools for meeting those expectations. She already felt more competent with her sword than she had been.
"Myoga, I have a favor to ask," Kagome said. "Sensei's students pay him for the training he gives them, but I don't have a way to do that. Still, I'd like to give him something for helping me."
"I see," Myoga said thoughtfully crossing his arms. "Do you have any ideas?"
Kagome nodded, having already given this issue some thought. When the whole mess with the Noh mask had happened, Inuyasha had gone to Sensei for help, and the man was skilled enough that he could have defeated it himself if he'd had the right sort of weapon. "I'd like to give him a weapon that would actually be helpful against demons."
"How're you supposed to get him something like that?" Shippo asked. "I mean, he's human so a demon weapon won't work for him."
"A demon weapon won't," Myoga agreed, "but demon forges are not the only ones that can create dangerous weapons."
"Of course!" Kagome exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Demon slayers! A weapon they make will work for him."
"Um, but they're demon slayers," Shippo pointed out. "And you're half demon. They probably aren't going to want to trade with you."
Kagome certainly wasn't going to let a little technicality like that stop her. "They won't want to trade with me, but they aren't likely to turn down Inuyasha," she said. "After all, he's a priest in training. They won't turn away his business."
"That could work," Myoga said. "We would just need to be careful that the three of us are not noticed."
They returned to the village and found Kaede had supper waiting for them. As they ate, Shippo told her of their plans to find a slayer village and trade for a weapon.
"Be careful doing that," Kaede said. "Not all slayers attack demons on sight, but some of them do."
"We'll be careful," Kagome assured her.
After dinner Shippo wanted to play, and Kagome indulged him until bedtime. It was necessary for him to get energy out somehow so he didn't get into mischief. It wasn't until after everyone had settled down to sleep that she allowed herself to think back to the shopping trip she had taken that afternoon.
Clothes in the future had changed quite a bit from what she was used to. She could feel herself blushing as she remembered the way Inuyasha had stared at her when she'd worn that pink dress. No guy had ever looked at her like that before.
He said I was pretty.
Her mother was the only one who'd ever said that about her, and as she had died when Kagome was still very young, so it had been a long time since someone had said something like that about her. She was much more accustomed to being called a monster, or worse, so Inuyasha's compliment almost made her dizzy with pleasure.
Then she frowned as she remembered the way Inuyasha had barely looked at her after that, unsure what had caused the change. Maybe he was just bored. It isn't like there was very much for him to do there. Or he could have just been tired after his lesson with Sensei. Humans do tire out pretty quickly, after all. Or maybe he hadn't liked any of the other outfits she'd tried on, but Kagome disliked that idea for some reason. Dismissing that idea from her mind, Kagome decided he was probably just tired. Closing her eyes, Kagome rolled over on the futon Kaede had given her and drifted off to sleep, visions of Inuyasha's purple eyes watching her with admiration dancing through her mind.