Chapter 5
"This is Why I Don't Socialize"
Something rustled behind her, and she groaned as she shifted onto her side, facing the wall. It was still dark, which meant she should still be sleeping. But no. No, she was destined to be awake forever.
"Buyo," she mumbled. "Stop it."
The noise stopped, and she sighed, nestling her head back down into the pillow. Stupid fat cat disturbing her sleep.
She heard the distinct clink of something breakable being knocked around. Didn't he know it was a school day tomorrow? Today? Crap. What time was it?
"Buyo!" She hissed, rolling back over to face her desk.
It wasn't Buyo. There was a figure hunched over her yellow backpack that rested in her chair.
"Inuyasha?" She asked, and he stopped for just a moment before continuing his digging and searching through her bag. "Hey! I'm trying to sleep here!" He paused and continued back up again. "Inuyasha!" She hissed, reaching for the paperback on her nightstand. He tossed a notebook to the floor. "Inuyasha! Don't throw my things on the floor, you jerk!" She shouted louder. She reared her arm back as he threw another notebook and a textbook on the floor. "I said, knock it off!"
She let the book fly, watching it bounce off his shoulder, and landing somewhere beyond her current range of vision.
He stood upright, and Kagome had a realization at—almost midnight.
The bright swath of moonlit hair was missing, and the familiar red outfit was also lacking.
This wasn't Inuyasha. That wasn't Inuyasha at all.
There was a stranger in her house. In her bedroom. At night.
This figure was black — like absence-of-all-light-and-happiness-black.
And in his hands—the jewel shards, still in the glass bottle she carried them in.
"Hey! Put those down!" She flailed, kicking off the blankets, trying to stop the stranger in her bedroom from taking the shards. She launched herself off the bed and towards the man, or creature, or whatever it was. The only thing that she knew for certain was that he was not entirely human.
His arm swung out, too long and arched to be natural, striking her across her rib cage, sending her crashing into the wall. She bounced off, her foot hitting the nightstand and kicking the lamp off. She hit the floor with an audible thud and pushed herself up enough to see the thing skitter off like a rat towards the stairs.
Grunting, she pushed herself to her feet, running after it.
"Give them back!" She shouted, reaching the stairs as it was halfway down. Clambering after it, she leapt the last half, hoping to land on its back and wrestle the shards back.
However, it's body just—well, it just kinda oozed out of the way, like it was there and then not, leaving her to land painfully at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. She let out a groan, rolling onto her side. The door leading out to the grounds of the shrine was wedged open a couple of inches, and she watched the creature slide through the opening without disturbing door at all. Not a rattle, not a bump, just a quick shick as it moved.
"What is that thing?" She muttered, hauling herself to her feet to chase after it.
Slamming the door wide open, she stumbled out into the courtyard, only to see it heading for the steps.
"Hey!" She shouted, bare feet striking the ground. "Hey! You can't take those!"
She was gaining on it now, and her hand reached out for it. It's head, or the thing she assumed was its head, spun to look at back at her before it used its bulk to body slam her back into the hard ground. She gasped as it loomed over her, preparing to strike.
"Kagome!" The familiar cry echoed around her, and she twisted to see the familiar fire rat and the untransformed Tetsusaiga swinging down towards the figure over her, his black hair swirling out behind him.
Its maw opened, snarling, jetting out to catch his throat. She could hear the sound of something breaking, and Inuyasha's violet eyes opened wide as the sword clattered to the ground beside him.
She screamed, but the noise was muted against the loud crunch and tearing of flesh as the creature ripped itself away, teeth still locked into Inuyasha's throat. He crumbled to the the ground, a hand covering the damage, but she could see the blood pouring through his fingers like water. She pulled them away, glancing at the wide eyes that knew what was coming.
The white of his vertebrae shined in the moonlight, and she felt him exhale under her fingers, and then just stop. She was covered in blood, her pajama pants soaking it up like water in a desert.
"Inuyasha?" She called, but he didn't move, breathe; he just stayed there.
Her eyes watered, and her fingers gripped his haori tightly, shifting his body every so slightly.
It was over so quickly.
She felt the jewel shards behind her still, and the sound of something shifting ever so slightly over the stones.
"Why are you still here?" Her voice was thick and rough. "You got what you wanted, right?" Her grip tightened on his clothes. "I'm going to kill you." She pushed herself up, blood soaked and vision blurred.
The creature shifted, the mass of it rolling so it met her inch for inch in height.
Even the moonlight overhead didn't shine across its skin, as if it was absorbing every single ray of light that touched its surface.
Her body froze, and she glanced over her shoulder at the dark-haired Inuyasha laying prone across the ground, blood still seeping from his wound and soaking into the ground.
"This isn't real." She spoke quietly, turning back to face the creature still holding the jewel shards in its undulating flesh. "Is it?"
It moved it's body as if to shrug its shoulders.
"Where are we?" She asked it, but it gave no response, only another shrug. "Why did you bring me here?"
She stepped forward, but it didn't move, didn't backtrack an inch.
"What do you want from me?"
Even though it had no eyes, she knew it was watching her. She swung her fist towards what she assumed was its face, and it wrapped itself around her arm, throwing her back into the ground and knocking the air out of her lungs. She coughed, struggling against the grip it suddenly had on her forearms and shins. It loomed over her, mouth opening to reveal the needle-like teeth the length of her hand within.
"If you're not going to answer, then let me go!" She shouted.
It paused, as if considering and then the maw opened wider.
No. It spoke without speaking. Never again.
As the teeth descended towards her, she twisted, looking at the bloody silver-haired hanyou staring unceasingly at the full moon above them before the darkness swallowed her whole.
She bolted upright, doubling over at the sudden and deep throbbing pain in her arm as she clutched it to her chest.
Someone was speaking to her, and she finally looked up when clawed hands gripped her arms. His gaze was intense, and she felt her eyes water at the sight of him. Healthy. Whole. Alive. Devoid of blood and gore.
It had felt too real.
"Why are you crying, woman?" She let out a sob and threw herself at him, arms latching around his neck as he sat stiffly in stunned silence.
His arms slowly wrapped around her back; his body relaxing against her own as she tightened her grip on him. He was real. This was real.
"Kagome?" He asked quietly. She sniffled, shaking her head against his neck, as she took a couple deep breaths to calm herself. He sighed.
"I'm okay. It was—" She took another breath. "Just a bad dream." She leaned back slightly, and he let her, hands sliding across her back as she moved away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you." She wiped her eyes with the heel of her left hand. "I'll—uh—I'm gonna go back to bed."
She turned away from him, but she could feel his gaze on her. He was watching her intently, monitoring her every movement.
She flipped her pillow so that she had the cool, dry side against her cheek, settling back into bed, still refusing to meet his eyes.
She suddenly felt embarrassed about the whole thing, but there was something—something lingered afterwards, making her relish the heavy weight of his body on the edge of her bed as she shifted to find a more comfortable position.
Honestly, she really didn't want him to move to the floor and take his usual position.
She was being childish. It was a scary dream, and she would just deal with it like an adult. She'd seen scarier things than this, and it wasn't even real! She didn't have to act like a scared little girl about the whole thing! She was better than this!
Letting out a short exhale, she shifted so that she was resting on her side, refusing to make eye contact with him, even though he hadn't said or word or moved at all.
Staring across the room, she willed herself to go back to sleep.
A soft sigh and a light pat to her knee were the only warnings she got about his departure from her bed. Her hand moved and she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped just as it happened. Her mouth closed and she withdrew her hand from him. He paused, but then continued his movement to his usual position on the floor.
She wanted him closer than that, the dream still terrifying that if he left, if she lost all sense of his presence then it the possibility of it being real increased. He settled near her nightstand, still leaning back against her mattress, the twitching ears clearly within her line of sight.
She smiled, her fingers curling around a few sections of hair.
"Thanks," she mumbled, and an ear flick was her only reply.
Ugh.
It was early.
Too early to be awake or even considering consciousness on any level.
She felt confident that she'd seen every single hour on the clock at least once since midnight. Not to mention the raging headache that was currently rampaging through her brain.
Honestly? Not the best way to start the morning. On a school day.
The door opened, and she cracked a dry eye open to see Inuyasha standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and his displeasure at the situation clear and distinct in his marked scowl.
He huffed loudly, refusing to make eye contact with her.
"Your mom says if you don't get up then you're gonna be late," he growled.
"Thanks," she grumbled angrily, kicking the blankets off her and sitting on the edge of her bed. She rubbed her face with her hand trying to get her brain to function again or at least function at half-capacity. She'd accept the latter readily.
God, today was going to be a long day at this rate.
"You should stay home if you don't feel good."
She glanced up at him, turning her head ever so slightly to see him. Still not making eye contact, but her ears were turned in his direction.
"I'm okay. Just tired."
His eyes flicked to her for just a moment.
"You slept like shit after that dream last night."
"Ugh, I know!" She groaned. She rubbed her face once more, sighing and heaving herself off the bed. Standing upright, she stretched her arms over her head, feeling the satisfying stretch of her muscles. She could do this. She could act like an actual person today.
Kagome turned to look at him, and he quickly averted his gaze, a light pink dusting the bridge of his nose.
"I'll—uh—be downstairs," he mumbled, disappearing down the hallway.
He was being weird.
She watched him go. What was his issue? She looked down at her pajama shirt. It wasn't like she was dressed in something scandalous. She was wearing more clothes than she usually did!
Flexing her wrists, she winced as her wrapped arm ached, like a low muscle ache, not the sharp sting it usually had. Though, she wasn't quite sure which one was preferable.
She needed something to get her going this morning. Shower. After last night's escapade, she definitely needed to rinse off. She could feel the layer of sweat residue on her skin and a quick rinse off was just what she needed. She wanted to start the day fresh. She leaned in and cranked the water on with her left hand. It was awkward, but then again, her sudden left-handedness made everything so.
The dream had been so real, and it wasn't fading in detail like they usually did. She remembered it, every detail, sound, sight embedded in her brain to relive as it saw fit. Her fingers hooked into her waistband, and she hesitated at the sight of her pants not being covered in blood. She pulled them down with her underwear, and then undid the buttons of her top.
The vision of his throat being torn out like that, and so easily too—
She dropped the shirt onto the floor and glanced at herself in the mirror, recoiling at the sight of a black and blue bruise snaking across her rib cage. Leaning on the counter, she stared wide-eyed at its sudden appearance.
Her hand ghosted over the mark.
"How?"
When would she have gotten this? When could she have? She hadn't done anything—okay, she tripped and fell, but that did do this. The scrapes were scabbed over and tender still, but that bruise—what could she have done that caused that?
Tying her hair up into a bun, she stepped under the hot water, arm upright above the spray to prevent it from getting wet. She scrubbed herself a little to remove the smell of herself before shutting the water off and stepping out.
Making sure that the towel covered and hid the large bruise across her abdomen, she darted back into her room to change.
It was a quick change, pausing to brush out her hair and then slip on her socks. She sat on the edge of her bed, tugging the socks into place, inhaling sharply at the twinge that went up her chest as she put pressure on the bruise. It hadn't hurt earlier, but expecting that to continue was clearly asking for too much.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, stepping into the room. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Just knocked my arm a little. You know how it is."
He raised an eyebrow at her statement, and she waved him off.
"Honestly, it's fine now. So don't worry."
His continued silence only made her more nervous and she looked for some way to escape from the increasingly tense situation.
"Okay! Breakfast!" She shouted, grinning at him as she quickly grabbed her book bag and then pushed past him to go down the stairs. He didn't say a word about it which meant that there would be an explosion later.
Inuyasha was biding his time and that in itself was terrifying.
It was halfway down the stairs that she thought about the previous afternoon.
She dropped her bag by the table and her mother gave her a plate and her lunch.
"Thanks Mama!" She chirped and grinned at Inuyasha, who sat down across from her. Souta came bounding down the stairs, sliding into the kitchen for his own breakfast.
"Are you going to be here after school today?" He asked between bites.
"Yeah," Inuyasha answered, gaze shifting to hers, and she swallowed her own bite before giving him a smile. She hadn't considered having to ride the train today. She wasn't going to let him know that she was worried. That would be foolish.
She handed her plate to her mother before giving her a peck on the cheek. She grabbed her bag, tweaked his ear because it was there, and headed out the door.
"What's got you in such a rush?" Inuyasha asked, only a step behind her now.
"Have a good day, Kagome!"
"Bye, Grandpa! I'll see you later this afternoon, Inuyasha." She smiled and headed for the steps.
"You didn't answer the question," he said, grabbing her arm just above the elbow.
"I'm not avoiding. Just trying to not be late!" He didn't relinquish his grip though.
"You're nervous," he pointed out and she had to forcibly restrain herself from biting her lip. It was unfortunate, but he knew her tells.
"I've got a lot to do today. You know how it is! Anyway, if I don't hurry now, I really will be late!" He stared at her, watching, and she tugged her arm slightly before he finally let go. "Bye! I'll see you later!"
Once on the sidewalk, she gave him a wave before heading to the station.
He was right. She was nervous.
She lingered at the stairway for a bit, watching the people pass in and out of the station, before wrangling enough courage to go down herself.
The odds of seeing those men again were slim, and honestly, she might have imagined, or hallucinated, the entire thing.
It may not have even happened.
Her pep talk wasn't making her feel loads better, but it was something.
Even Inuyasha said there weren't any lingering smells or anything out of place so she could trust his senses even if she wasn't sure that she could trust her own.
Yes. There was clearly no reason to be afraid of the train. No reason at all.
She stood at the platform, near the wall, watching as people moved, shifted, in the crowd. She didn't recognize anyone on the train and the ride was completely and
utterly uneventful, which was a relief, but something still felt off—wrong.
Again, she arrived at school and headed towards her classroom as her friends called out to her. She paused, turning towards them as they walked up to her.
"You're here!" Ayumi cheered.
"Yep!" Kagome answered with a smile. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she glanced between the three of them.
"You sure you're okay? You look a little tired." Yuka pointed out.
"Eh, I'm fine. Just stayed up too late. You know how it is." She waved them off, a move reminiscent of this morning with Inuyasha.
"Sounds like your boyfriend had too much fun last night," Eri commented softly, giggling behind her hand with the rest of the girls. Other students glanced at her, but kept to their conversations.
"Eri!" Kagome hissed, spinning on her heel. "Why would you say something like that?!" She kept her voice to a whisper, glancing around to see if anyone else was listening in on them. She pulled Eri towards the wall to avoid being in the center of the walkway and to, hopefully, give them a bit more privacy. Not that there was much to be had in school these days.
"Chill! It's not like anyone cares."
"I care!"
"Geez, Kagome. You're kinda making a big deal out of this," Yuka added.
"A big deal?" Kagome sputtered and then lowered her voice again. "Why wouldn't I make a big deal about it?" You can't just say things like that where people can here you!"
"Oh, take a chill pill, Kagome," Eri said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she walked towards their classroom.
"Maybe you should take a nap when you get home," Ayumi suggested with a soft pat on her shoulder.
"She needs to do something," Yuka muttered passing her by and leaving her in the hallway.
What if her mother heard some rumor or God forbid Inuyasha overheard it? She wasn't entirely sure what he would do about it.
Well, she had an idea.
Go on a rampage.
Hide.
That pretty much encompassed all of Inuyasha's moves.
She took a seat, glaring at Eri before taking out her supplies for the class. As she was digging she realized the little bag Hojo gave her yesterday was still there.
Shit. She couldn't let him see that, so she quickly covered it with her math book.
There that should do it.
"Oh, Kagome," Hojo said as he walked up to her desk, and knelt beside of her.
Great.
She was so not in the mood today.
He held something else in his hand, and she worked hard to internalize her grimace.
Please don't.
Not today.
She was so not in the mood to be nice today.
But her wishes were not meant to be. Not today at least.
"You look tired," he commented, studying her face. She sighed. It must have been obvious. She'd tried to mask it that morning, but clearly, she'd been wildly unsuccessful. "Are you sure that you're feeling up to staying at school today?"
"I'll be fine, Hojo. But thank you for being concerned about my health." She gave him a weak smile, hoping against hopes that he would let it lie and just go sit at his desk.
Again, her desires were left wanting.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He started to say something else, and she screamed internally.
No.
No.
He was not going to give her a confession of his affections here and now. Not when turning him down would be a public affair. She couldn't do that to him.
Oh.
Oh.
Was he, like, a criminal mastermind? If he did it publicly, he had to know that it would make her look bad to turn him down. Of course, he would do it in front of all her classmates! He knew she couldn't turn him down.
That bastard!
He set a small bag on her desk. "It's tea. To help with infection and your immune system, but it's also good for fatigue."
"Oh," she exhaled, relieved. "Thanks. That's very kind of you."
He stood, resting his hand on her shoulder for just a minute, clearly looking like he wanted to speak before stopping himself yet again. She stared at him while he stood next to her, and he put on a brilliant smile, which probably would have made any other girl in the room with a libido swoon. "Perhaps if you're feeling up to it, you would go out to dinner with me this weekend?"
"Oh, I don't—"
"She'd love to!" Eri jumped in. "She'll see you on Friday!"
"Great!" He said, sauntering off.
"Eri!" She hissed, but Eri only faced forward, opening her notebook.
"Okay, class," the teacher started, forcing her to rein in her tirade against her friend.
They conveniently made themselves scarce during break. She'd followed them out into the hallway, intent on giving Eri a piece of her mind, while subsequently avoiding Hojo in the process. But by the time she made it out of the classroom, they'd disappeared, and they didn't reappear until just before class was set to resume.
This meant that the first time she had to talk to them was at lunch. And by then, she'd had time to mull everything over.
Eh, probably not the best thing to do while being completely and utterly exhausted.
Ayumi waved her over, and Kagome was determined to make sure that they understood the issue.
"You look like you're in a bad mood," Yuka noted, as she took a bite of her lunch.
"Yeah, I wonder why," Kagome grumbled, taking a seat, and glancing over at Eri.
"Honestly, it's not like you had a date this Friday or anything."
"Eri, you can't volunteer me like that. What if I did have plans?" She asked, unwrapping her own lunch delicately.
"Do you?"
"No, but—" She started.
"Then what's the problem? You're making a big deal out of nothing if you ask me."
"That's just it! I'm not asking!" Why couldn't she just understand? Was she that daft or did she really just not see a problem with it?
"You're being a little aggressive, Kagome," Yuka started.
"How am I being aggressive?" She asked. "I don't want to go on a date with him. As you like to point out, I already have a boyfriend."
"Yeah, but he's a two-timer. You can do better."
"Then think it all you want, but when you put me up on dates with Hojo, then you're making me into the two-timer and that's not fair to anyone!"
"I wasn't saying get into a relationship with both of them, just have a little fun. See where things go."
"How—" She stopped herself from yelling. "How is that fair to either of them?"
"I'm just trying to help."
"You're not helping anyone except yourself. All you look forward to is having something to gossip about. So please, stop."
"Gossip! You think that's all I do?" Eri had the gall to look indignant.
"Considering how much you try to get me to date Hojo, yeah, I do!"
"Guys, calm down," Ayumi said, putting her hands up, trying to separate the two of them.
"Considering how often you're out 'sick,'" Eri made the finger quotes as she spat out the word, "the rumors—" Eri cut herself off.
"What?" Kagome hissed. "What were you going to say?"
"Nothing," Eri grumbled.
"No, tell me! What were you going to say?" Kagome pushed.
"Rumor has it that you've been shacking up with your boyfriend, and your family claims that you're ill to avoid a scandal! That's why I want you to date Hojo!"
"You really think that's what I've been doing?" She could feel herself about to cry. "You think I like being gone? You think this is easy? I work my ass off to maintain my grades! You have no idea how hard it is!" Okay, she was crying now. "And you believe that I would do that?"
"Kagome, that's not what she meant." Yuka's face paled at Kagome's tirade.
"No. I'm done. We're done. If that's what you really think of me, then I don't need you."
"Kagome, you're tired," Ayumi soothed. "Don't say something that you can't take back."
"I'm done talking anyway." Kagome picked up her lunch and walked back inside, heading straight for the classroom. She was about to go inside, but then thought better about it. She really was on the verge of tears and slunk off to the bathroom to compose herself.
No sense in giving them something else to talk about.
She went into the stall, leaned against the wall, pulling the door shut and locking it. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffled, wincing as that stupid bruise across her chest ached.
Maybe she should go home. She let her head fall back against the wall.
But then that spiteful part of her reared up. Why should she go home? She hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, she'd just fuel any other rumors that were out there.
She'd have to stick it out. She wiped her eyes again. She really just wanted to go home and go back to shard hunting. Somehow that seemed way less complicated than navigating the social dynamics of her high school.
Sighing to herself, she wiped her face and then went out to wash her hands. How was it possible for everything to go so wrong so quickly? Taking a deep, steadying breath, she felt the uncomfortable tug across her chest, and looked at herself in the dirty mirror.
Deep, dark circles under her eyes, and she did look pale. Whatever, they still had no right to talk about her or Inuyasha like that. She stormed out, readying herself for a fight.
When they reappeared, Eri at least looked a little admonished, but none of them said a word to her for the rest of the day.
She'd hoped for at least a small apology, but clearly that was asking for too much from Eri or Yuka. So when the bell rang to end the school day, she was both disappointed and relieved. At least she could go home and just take a nap. Her body literally ached for sleep, and she desperately just wanted to nap before her mother called her down for dinner.
She stepped out of the school yard with the intent to just go straight home.
"Kagome!" Hojo shouted. She couldn't stop the groan that escaped her. A few students glanced her way as they passed, continuing their conversations as they went by. He jogged up the last few steps to her. "I'm so glad that I found you!"
"Yeah, what did you need?" She asked him, pausing near the school entrance. Why was everything against her having a nap?
"Oh, well, I noticed that you weren't walking home with your friends today."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm just tired and heading home."
"Do you want me to walk you back to the shrine?" He tilted his head to the side slightly. "I don't want you to fall asleep and miss your stop."
"Oh, I'll be fine. It's just been a long day is all. Don't worry about it."
"It's no trouble, really. I don't mind."
"It's in the complete opposite direction, Hojo. I'm not that tired. I'll be okay. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"You're sure?" He put his hand on her shoulder, and she politely tapped his hand before giving him a smile.
"Positive," she said as she pulled his hand off her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow." She took a step back before turning away and heading in the direction of the station entrance.
She yawned as she walked covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She was still miffed at the girls, who made a show of walking out of the classroom without waiting for her like they usually did. She thought for a moment that they would be waiting for her at the entrance, hopefully to apologize. But they were gone when she walked out.
That was okay though. If they thought that she was shacking up with Inuyasha while she was away, then they really didn't know her at all.
But really, people thought that she was sleeping with a boy and that was why she was missing so much school?
Didn't they have better things to talk about?
She paused by the stairwell, hesitating before continuing down the stairs. It was no big deal. She'd wait for a few minutes at the ticket station before going down.
Then it shouldn't be quite so empty when she went down to wait for the train. She swiped her card and meandered slowly down to the platform.
There was nothing to be afraid of. Inuyasha didn't smell anything strange, and there must've been some residual effect of the pain medication left in her system. Plus, no telling what the antibiotics were doing to her either. Honestly, no reason to be afraid.
She took the stairs down, and she stood next to the wall, waiting quietly. Her eyes followed people as they arrived, waiting to see if there was anyone she recognized.
A familiar face appeared, walking up to the train, dressed in a suit reminiscent to the one he wore yesterday. She stood still near the wall. He glanced down at his watch, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He glanced around at the people on the platform, eventually meeting her gaze. He smiled, nodded his head, and she took a half-step back, bumping into the wall. He was the one who kept saying she was pretty and trying to touch her.
There was nowhere else to go.
This was a terrible idea.
She had every right to be afraid.
She should have listened to her gut.
And then he turned around and waited for the train.
The train arrived a long few minutes later. She watched him step on the train, and she watched the doors close behind him. He didn't wait for her, and he never gave her a second look. Instead, he just disappeared with the train.
She let out a breath and leaned back against the wall. There was nothing that she could do now that the train was gone.
It was a long wait for the next one. People arrived, departed, waited, and then her train arrived.
No one stared at her as she climbed on and rode to her stop.
No one was waiting for her when she stepped off and went up the steps to the street.
She walked towards the shrine unmolested and unbothered.
She was late.
Her mother said that she hadn't said that she was staying out late. She picked up the machine on the wall and waited.
"Hello, this is Kagome's mother. I was wondering if Ayumi was home yet?" She paused. "Could you ask if Kagome was with her?" Another long pause, and she glanced over at him, giving him a slight smile while winding her finger into the curled string of the machine. Her face fell as she listened to something. "Ah, well thank you. No, nothing to worry about. I'm sure everything is fine. Have a good night." She reassembled the small hand piece and then let out a small breath. "I was hoping that she'd gone out with friends after school, but Ayumi said she left the school before they did."
She was late.
It was unplanned.
Fuck.
"Would you mind—"
"I'll find her," he interrupted, but she didn't seem to mind.
He went out the door, tying the stupid bandanna over his ears.
He'd find her.
He'd find her and bring her back to her mother who was currently pacing the kitchen while making dinner.
She was worried.
And if she was worried, then his own worries were validated.
He made it to the steps, where he was about to leap off when he saw her trudging up the stairs, shoulders stooped, and looking utterly exhausted.
It was a beautiful sight.
"Kagome!" He shouted at her. She jumped, looking up at him.
She gave him a half-assed smile as she continued to climb up the last few steps. He couldn't smell any blood or any other sign of injury, and she looked okay. She moved right in front of him, dropping her bag on the ground, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Kagome?" He asked as she buried her face into his sternum. His arms remained out to the side, not immediately touching her. "Are you okay?"
"'m fine," she mumbled, still holding onto him.
"You're late."
"Bad day."
"Doesn't explain why you're late." He finally wrapped his arms around her, feeling her let out a sigh and lean more of her weight against him.
"I missed the train." Her arms tightened around him, pulling her closer against him. He let his fingers drift lightly across her back and she sighed against him.
"How'd you do that?"
She turned her head slightly to look up at him.
"I missed it," she repeated, as he stared down at her.
"Bad day?" He repeated and the corners of her mouth twitched.
"The worst," she confirmed.
"Your mother is worried." It came out only slightly louder than a whisper, and he wasn't really quite sure what possessed him to say it, but she was so close and her arms were around his waist like she sought comfort from him. She was so close, he just had to lean forward ever so slightly and—
She broke away from his gaze to press her cheek back against his chest, inhaling deeply and letting it out in a sigh. He let his head drop so that he could smell her better.
She still hadn't let go of him. Though he hadn't exactly let go of her either.
"Do you—I mean—do you—you know—wanna talk—about it?" He felt his cheeks start to flame under his skin, forcing his hands to be still and flat across her back and shoulder blades.
"Maybe later?" It was phrased as a question, and it bothered him. Normally, he couldn't get Kagome to shut up, even when it was for her own safety. Kagome not wanting to talk was a concern. Something was wrong, and she was trying to hide it.
"You're sure you're okay?" His breath stirred the hairs on her head as he pulled away slightly. She nodded her head, rubbing her cheek on his haori.
"We should go in," she whispered and he made a noise of ascent. She stifled a yawn and that prompted him to loosen his hold. "I didn't mean to worry you."
"Keh," he answered as she slid away to pick up her bag. He knocked her hand away and grabbed it himself. "I wasn't worried."
"Right. Of course you weren't."
He gave her a side-eyed glare as they walked towards the back door, but it ceased the moment she wrapped her arms around his free one. She only retreated the moment they reached the back door and she pulled it open.
"Kagome!" Her mother called. "I was worried! You're so late, and you didn't call!"
"I'm sorry, Mama." Kagome gave her a smile. "I got held up and missed the train. I had to wait for the next one."
"Well, try to let us know next time alright?"
"Sure," Kagome said with a smile, and he watched her mother run a hand down her head, across her hair. "Dinner is almost ready. Go wash up and get your brother. You too, Inuyasha."
Kagome walked up the stairs and he followed her into her room, setting her bag beside her desk.
"You sure you're alright?" He asked, watching her as she pulled her socks off and threw them in the basket in her closet. Her body and movements spoke of exhaustion.
"I'm fine. Just really tired." She gave him a half-smile. "Come on, let's go get some dinner." He didn't really believe her. He believed that she was tired, but he didn't trust the other answers. He scrubbed his hands beside hers and followed suit patting them dry on the towel before heading down the stairs to dinner.
Kagome was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. She kept rubbing her eyes during dinner just to keep herself awake. She was bone-achingly tired, and the hanyou sitting across from her shooting her concerned looks about it wasn't helping the situation any at all.
"I'm fine," she whispered to him, knowing that he could hear her just fine. "Stop staring."
"Keh," he scoffed, but averted his gaze to her brother, who was rambling about the latest video game coming out.
A loud static crack erupted from the living room, and the news broadcaster continue speaking about the current economic crisis at hand. Kagome yelped at the sudden noise and Inuyasha's reflexive rise to stand, moving so quickly that it knocked his chair over completely.
"It's just the television," Kagome murmured, standing, lightly patting his shoulder as she grabbed the remote and turned the set off. She walked back to the table and just as she was about to sit down, the set turned back on.
"Why is it doing that?" Inuyasha asked.
"It is odd," her mother added as Kagome flicked the set off again. This time she made it to the edge of the kitchen before it turned on again and much louder this time.
She noted Inuyasha's ears were flattened back against his hair as he still stood.
She clicked the remote that sat on the edge of the couch, waiting for a moment to see if it turned back on. But it stayed off, and she went back to the table.
She grabbed her chair, and the television blared back to life. She sighed and went to the television itself and pressed the power button, silencing the broadcaster.
"Why is it doing that?" Inuyasha asked, still standing.
"Eh, there could be a short in a wire," grandpa added.
"A what in the what?"
The television came back on before she'd even stepped away. Kagome frowned, turning it off again. It came right back on. Again and again. On the third time, she grew irritated enough to go straight to the source.
She huffed and reached around behind the cabinet, but she couldn't reach the cord in the wall and growled. A familiar clawed hand pulled her arm away.
"What do I need to pull?" He asked, ears pressed flatter than before at the rise in volume.
"The black cord there. Just pull it out of the wall. Not too hard though."
He grunted and leaned over as she took a step back.
"Priestess," came the voice from the television just as Inuyasha yanked the cord out of the wall, and the signal died completely.
"There. That it?" She stared at the screen and felt her hands start to shake. "Kagome?" She looked at him, standing there, holding the power cable in his hand.
"Did you hear that?" She whispered to him, waiting to see if the television did anything else.
"Hear what?"
"It—" she shook her head, "never mind. Let's finish eating, alright?" She gave him a smile to show that there was nothing wrong and nothing he needed to worry about. She came back to the table and sat back down with Inuyasha joining her a moment later.
They finished dinner without any other interruptions, but she kept glancing over at the television set.
It felt like it was staring at her, and each time she glanced up, it felt like she should be meeting another pair of eyes. But there was always nothing there.
The sound of needle like teeth clicking together drifted to her ears, and she shuddered.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked her, drawing the attention of every one else at the table.
She looked up at him and smiled.
"Just a chill. I'll put a sweater on when I get upstairs."
Sota continued his story, and Kagome just let herself relax. Nothing was going to hurt any of them here. They were at the shrine. They were home. In her time. She was safe as long as Inuyasha was here.
She glanced over at the hanyou beside her; his eyes flickered over at her, raising an eyebrow at her stare. She smiled and continued eating and he did the same.
A/N: So I had about half of this written, and it was beautiful. I loved it. And then it disappeared in one of my syncs, like *poof* gone forever. I might have cried a little at rewriting it. Now, this chapter feels weird. I don't know why, but it feels weird. It's probably just me.