Temporary Home
Summary: Kagome would be the first to tell you that life wasn't easy. She would also tell you that she didn't want it to be. If not for the hard life she had, she wouldn't have the life she did...all thanks to them...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing: Kagome (None)
Rated: T
-x-x-x-
The next morning, Kagome woke to the sound of squawking. Her eyes lingered on the wall across from her for a few moments before she bolted upright and stared curiously at the added detail to the hands on her wall. They were really...really like the mural on her ceiling now. With the miniscule toothpick point stars and clusters scattered randomly on everyone's hands and the bits of glitter speckle that was placed at random. She kicked the blanket off of her and placed her feet on the ground, her eyes surveying each hand, starting with hers and ending with Hideyoshi's.
Running to her closet, she opened it and looked at the clothes inside it. Her eyes widened as she, for the first time since arriving, realized how much they'd prepared for her. She looked at the dresses and sighed, "that's why Eiji asked." Picking a soft polyester dress that was a simple pull on dress, in vertical navy blue and white stripes, she slipped her pajama's off and threw the dress over her head before pulling her hair from beneath it. Tossing her pajamas on the bed, she ran outside of her room and down the stairs. Stopping in the kitchen, her cheeks rosy and her little body out of breath.
"K-Kouta-nii...or Daichi-nii...which of you was it?"
Daichi tilted his head curiously, "Kouta did it, because I don't know what you're talking about."
Kouta blushed and looked away.
"Eh?! Kouta, what did you do?" Etsuko poked the boy besides, his glasses drifting down his nose as she began nudging him harder.
"Kouta-nii...arigato! I love it, I really―really love it!" Kagome smiled brightly.
His cheeks burned at the sudden attention he was receiving, and he stood and left to his room in silence. Unable to deal with the curious glances coming from Etsuko and Daichi. That didn't say anything about the praise he was getting from Kagome. His heart was going to burst if he had to listen to it anymore.
"Nai, nai, Kagome-Chan, what did Kouta do?"
"He made everyone's universe even more beautiful than they were last night!"
Daichi pulled the pan from the stove and sat it down on a hot pad before running upstairs with Etsuko behind him.
"Ehhh!?"
"Kouta, you show off!" Etsuko yelled. THUMP! THUMP! "Baka Kouta! You can't get ahead like that! IT'S CREEPY SNEAKING INTO A LITTLE GIRLS ROOM!"
"Sugoi, they look like miniature galaxies!"
Kagome curiously listened to Daichi and Etsuko as Ayano walked downstairs while staring upstairs in her descent.
"So lively already," she smiled as her eyes turned to Kagome, "morning, Kagome-Chan. I'll be taking you to your school today to get you signed up. Kaa-San had to leave earlier this morning for a meeting and Tou-San is on morning shift at the News Station. Let's have fun today, nai?"
"Hai!"
"Did you put your clothes up?" Ayano asked Kagome, having walked by Kagome's room and seen them thrown across her bed, she already knew the answer.
"I-Iie," Kagome ran back upstairs.
Laughing to herself, Ayano walked over to the stove and frowned, "baka, Daichi!" She continued cooking the bell-peppers and onions, sautéing them until they held a caramelized color. Ready to pour the vegetables into the rice, a hand covered hers and she was pushed aside from the stove. "Grr, oi, if you don't want me cooking then don't leave the food sitting here uselessly!"
Daichi raised a brow; pretending to clean his ear out, he leaned forward so that his ear was by her mouth. "Gomen, gomen, I didn't hear you, what was that?"
"..." steaming, she pinched the corner of his ear and pulled hard, "BAAAAAKAAAAA!"
-x-x-x-
Kagome stared back at the house as she and Ayano left to her car. "Nee-Chan, is Daichi-nii going to be okay?"
"Hm?" Ayano smiled, "he'll be fine."
"Nee-Chan! Give me a ride to Tennis Practice!"
Ayano looked over her shoulder as she unlocked her car, "hai, get in."
She opened the door for Kagome and the ten-year-old climbed in with Eiji sitting beside her in the back.
"How long will you and Kagome-Chan be?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"I can take Kagome with me once you are done!"
"You just want to show her off to your friends, she's not a toy, Eiji."
Eiji blew his cheeks out and pouted, "I know! But I want to introduce her!"
Kagome smiled, "I'd like to meet Eiji-nii's friends, are they like you?"
"No," Ayano answered for him. "His friends are nothing like him. In fact, they are the exact opposite of him. Nothing in common, nothing." She looked at him through the mirror and sighed, "here's the deal, Eiji. I will walk her over to the Tennis Courts, you will be responsible for her as her big brother. Remind yourself that you aren't the little brother anymore, so you can't brush her off for your friends, do you understand?"
"Hey, don't scold me like a little kid! I understand!"
She wasn't so sure, "will you be walking home, or do you want me to pick the two of you up?"
Eiji was grinning ear to ear as he thought about his friends, he'd be introducing Kagome to. "We can walk, right Kagome-Chan?"
"Mm," she nodded, excited to be able to explore outside some. They pulled into a parking lot and Eiji jumped out before racing off across the way, waving to Kagome and Ayano as the climbed out and watched him go. "Is Eiji good at Tennis?"
"Oh, he's great! Seigaku has one of the best Tennis Clubs in the Kanto Region. You know, before he played Tennis, he did Gymnastics. Him and Etsuko did it together."
"Really?"
"Hai, they―"
-x-x-x-
"Again!"
Eiji received the ball and returned it to the basket. Basic practice drills. Shuusuke was across from him hitting the balls in his direction. His eyes zeroing in on them as they moved across the net and bounced in odd ways. He jumped in an arch and struck the ball back into the basket, landing in a tumble as he rolled onto his feet.
"Don't get cocky, Eijiko, I don't want you hurting yourself."
"Hai, hai, Fujiko!" He bounced backwards to make up for the distance between the baseline and himself, the ball hit the court and bounced right at him, the return was easy due to his foresight in moving backwards.
"Nice, Eijiko!"
"Wah hoh!" He cheered and spun around playfully. "Nai, Fujiko! My little sister is coming to watch me play tennis!"
"Is that why you are playing like this? You do seem to be more energetic."
"Hai~!"
Tezuka walked over and took the ball from Fuji's hand, watching Eiji bounce back and forth on the balls of his feet as Fuji held his racket out to him. He took it in hand and served a ball straight at Eiji, watching him Twist in an arch and return it behind his back. Before he landed, Tezuka served another ball.
"Eh?! Buchou!"
-x-x-x-
Kagome watched Eiji with a smile, having just arrived with Ayano. He looked like he was working hard to keep up with the quick serves of the taller guy with glasses. "He's going to wear himself out though, isn't he?"
"Keen observation,"
Kagome turned her eyes to her left and look up at the giant beside her. She stumbled and stepped back.
"Inui-Senpai,"
"Ah, Echizen, hai?"
"You're too tall, don't stand so close to her."
Inui looked down at the girl and seemed to realize how he was towering over her. Bowing, he apologized before he took a seat on the bench beside him.
Kagome looked at the boy who had walked past them, her eyes followed him until she finally spoke, "thank you."
He lifted his racket but said nothing in return.
"Will you be good, Kagome-Chan?"
Kagome smiled up at Ayano, the sun caressed her hair in a way that made it look like she herself was the sun. "Hai, I'll be okay on my own until Eiji-nii is done!"
She nodded, "then I have a few errands to run. Oh, do you have anything special you'd like Daichi to make for dinner tonight? He texted me asking."
Blushing, Kagome looked away from Ayano and shook her head. "I don't have anything..."
"Are you sure? He really wants to make something special for Kagome-Chan."
"Anything Daichi-nii makes is good."
Ayano sighed but smiled all the same, "very well, I'll see you when you and Eiji get home." The sound of her heals grew distant and Kagome tapped the tip of her shoe into the ground as she stared at the greet hard top thoughtfully.
"The probability that you wanted something specific to eat is nearly one hundred percent. You should have told her."
Kagome looked at the guy next to her. She couldn't see his eyes with how the sun touched his glasses, his hair was spiky, and he seemed to have a serious air around him. "I... don't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
"Unnecessary trouble?"
She didn't answer. Not knowing who he was, she felt she'd already said too much. Instead, she stood beside him in silence, and while he wrote notes, she stole glances at his notebook.
-x-x-x-
Me: Here is chapter six, and I'm happy to say that I'm working on different fanfics and not just one. I know sometimes I can irritate you guys by not focusing on just one story. I'm going to try really hard to finish some of these fics. So, for now, please don't make requests. If I have a hundred people making requests, I can't focus on anything and nothing gets done. This time, I focused on one story that I need Yuki wanted done and worked on the rest at my own pace. I got more done than I would have by focusing on everyone's needs. Thank you, and please enjoy all future chapters! MERRY CHRISTMAS!