Oh, and one other note, I gave kagome's mother a name, since it was getting awkward always referring to her as "Kagome's mother", but if anyone knows if she actually has a name, please do let me know, okie?
Amaya
Relationships Ch. 1
Higurashi Kagome blinked wearily as she walked home from school. After being up all night studying, then an extra-long day at school writing make-up exams, she was exhausted. She knew that wouldn't make a difference to Inuyasha, though. He would drag her back to the Sengoku Jidai no matter how tired she was or how much she protested. After all, it had been over three days since she left, and that seemed to be about his limit. Sometimes, she had to secretly admit to herself, she did kindof like the prospect of being dragged off, but when she was this tired all she wanted was a warm bed, and... Her thoughts broke off abruptly as she bumped into someone, sending both herself and the other person tumbling to the ground.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she hastily apologized. She looked up to see a girl perhaps a year or two older than her, with startlingly pale blonde hair but Asian features, rubbing her head and grinning.
"That's alright." the other girl assured her, "I wasn't paying attention." She stuck out her hand. "MacNeil Yumeko, pleased to meet you!"
"Ma...Ku...Nii...A...Ru?" Kagome repeated the strange name.
"It's Irish. My mother was Japanese, but my father is Irish-Canadian. I'm here on exchange to find out about the other side of my heritage and look up the other side of my family. You wouldn't happen to know the way to the Higurashi shrine, would you?"
"I know it," Kagome blinked, "but why are you looking for that particular place?"
"Dad told me that's where he met Mom. He said something about it being the family shrine. So, you know where it is?"
"It's where I live!" Kagome exclaimed. "It's MY family shrine!"
"Oh! So you must be my cousin Kagome then!" Yumeko laughed. "Fancy bumping into you, of all people!" She picked herself up off the ground, then leaned down to help Kagome up as well.
"I think I remember Kaasan telling me I had a cousin in Canada, but I had no idea you were coming to visit."
"I know, it's horribly impolite of me to just drop in like this unannounced, but Dad didn't have the address anymore or else I would have written to let you know I was coming. We kinda lost touch after Mom died." Her face fell slightly.
"That's alright, I'm sure Kaasan won't mind, and Jiichan will be glad to see you." Kagome assured her.
They chatted lightly as they walked, and Kagome found herself quite liking her cousin. Yumeko was cheerful and had a refreshingly dry sense of humour.
"...so I told him he had about three minutes to clear out of there before I'd skewer him with my foil...you should have seen that boy run!"
Kagome giggled. "What's a foil?" she asked.
"It's a sword used in fencing. It's blunt, but the guy didn't know that, all he knew was that I had a sword in my hands and I was mad as Hell." Yumeko giggled.
"That's so BAD!" Kagome teased.
"Yeah, but he deserved it. A girl might not mind being ogled, might find it flattering, even, but I dislike being groped. I was just glad I had fencing later and had brought my foil with me. I put the fear of the wrath of women in him but good!" she chuckled
Kagome grinned and nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I know a guy like that. He's a great guy, but he's always groping girls."
"Bring me along the next time you see him, I'll straighten him out!" Yumeko had a broad but slightly evil-looking grin on her face.
"Well, here we are!" Kagome announced as they reached the base of the temple steps.
"Man!" Yumeko breathed, "I am SO glad I never had a place like that on any of the paper routes I did!"
Kagome laughed. "I'm so used to it I don't even think about it any more." She yawned.
"Tired?" Yumeko asked.
"About ready for a nap." Kagome agreed. "That's what comes of studying all night."
"School's already done for the year in Canada, so I'm here to settle in before the next year starts." Yumeko explained.
Kagome mock-glared and Yumeko giggled.
Kagome swept her arm wide as they reached the top of the stairs. "Well, this is it! The Higurashi shrine in all its glory!" She caught sight of he mother and waved to her. "Kaasan, we have a guest!"
Her mother hurried over wearing a worried expression. "She's not the only 'guest' we have visiting at the moment dear." she gave her daughter a meaningful look.
Kagome sighed, looked at Yumeko, and decided she could trust her. Something just felt right about letting her into the 'family secret.'
"It's okay Kaasan, you don't need to hide things from her, this is MacNeil Yumeko..."
"Kiara's daughter?"
"Yes, my mother was Higurashi Kiara." Yumeko agreed politely. "I know you weren't expecting me, but..."
"Oh, please don't worry about it!" she beamed. "You are welcome for as long as you wish to stay. I am Higurashi Meiko, your mother was my late husband's sister."
"Yumeko, Kaasan, I have to go attend to that 'other guest' now." Kagome sighed. "I'll try to delay as long as I can."
She trudged off in the direction of the shrine, and the invariably impatient dog hanyou who waited for her there. She felt a familiar tingle run down her spine and turned to see him leaning against the Go Shinboku, looking deceptively casual.
"What took you so damned long wench?" he growled at her, "And who the hell is that other wench you brought along with you? I thought you said that if people here found out about me it would be a big problem."
Kagome frowned. "Normally it would, but Yumeko is my cousin. We can trust her."
"Fine, can we go, then?"
"Not yet, I still have to pack."
"Why the hell didn't you do that last night?" Inuyasha grumbled.
Kagome found herself almost growling as she glared at him. "You want to know why I didn't do my packing last night? I didn't do my packing last night because I was up all night studying for make-up tests for the four tests you made me miss MOST RECENTLY while we were hunting shards. I have been awake now for almost a day and a half, but do you hear me asking for a nap? No! Even though I'm exhausted, do you hear me asking for consideration from you about it? No! I know perfectly well you wouldn't give it even if I did ask! All I want is a little time to pack my bag and say goodbye to my family!"
During this whole tirade, Inuyasha found himself backing up, until he felt as though he was trying to actually back through the tree. Tears began to glisten in her eyes and he inwardly cursed. Nothing made him feel like a first-class heel as fast as seeing tears in her eyes and knowing he had caused them...and he knew what usually followed a tirade and tears...
"Inuyasha... OSUWARI!" Kagome snapped.
And down he went, as she stalked back to her room to pack.
"So," Yumeko said as she watched Kagome trudge off, "who is this other guest, and what did Kagome mean by 'you don't need to hide things from her' about me?"
Meiko sighed. "How open-minded are you?" she asked.
"Very." Yumeko assured her. "I've seen enough weird stuff in my life I won't balk at much."
"Well then, the other 'guest' who is here is a half youkai from the Sengoku Jidai period. His name is Inuyasha and he's here to bring Kagome back to his time to hunt for shards of a powerful magical jewel called the 'Shikon no Tama' which Kagome accidentally shattered." Meiko smiled. "In addition to all that, even though he acts all growly all the time, I can tell he's really a sweetheart deep down..." she giggled, "and he has the cutest little ears! I could just tweak them forever!"
Yumeko giggled. "Sounds like fun!"
Meiko smiled. "You'll do fine," she said. "Now let's see if we can't delay him some and give Kagome a break."
They made it to the shrine just in time to catch the end of Kagome's little tirade.
"Oh." Meiko sighed, "I forgot to tell you about that part. Inuyasha had a binding spell placed on him, and Kagome is the only one who can trigger it..."
" With 'sit'. How oddly appropriate." Yumeko chuckled.
"We should wait for him to recover his dignity." Meiko said, "Then I'll introduce you.
They watched silently as a huffy Inuyasha pulled himself up off the ground and dusted off his magenta kimono, then they stepped forward.
"Inuyasha-kun, I would like to introduce the daughter of my late husband's sister, MacNeil Yumeko-san. She has come from her father's country, far over the eastern ocean, to visit us."
"Hajimemashite." Yumeko bowed politely.
"Hajimemashite." he replied gruffly. "I've never seen a human with such light hair, did you do something to it?"
Yumeko laughed. "No, I didn't do anything to it. Where I come from, people have hair as light as mine, or as dark as Kagome's, and every shade in between...even red."
Inuyasha snorted dismissively. "How long is she going to be?" he grumped.
Meiko smiled. "She might be a little while packing, and since Yumeko is here, I thought I would make udon for dinner. How would you like to stay and eat here?"
Inuyasha grumbled, but his stomach was already growling at the thought of food, and they could hear it, so he reluctantly agreed that dinner sounded like a good idea.
"Yumeko dear, you go tell Kagome she's staying for dinner. Her room's on the second floor and her name is on the door. Inuyasha-kun, why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable while you wait."
Yumeko smiled as she watched the power of a mother in action. Since she had lost hers at a young age, she had missed having a strong matriarch to watch and emulate growing up.
Once they were inside the house, it didn't take her long to find her cousin's room. Even without the nameplate on the door, the sniffles and muttering, coupled with the sounds of things being violently shoved into a pack, would have told her where to go.
She knocked softly and called through the door, "Kagome, your mother said to tell you you're staying for dinner. Do you need a hand packing?"
The door opened and Kagome peeked out. "Oh! Yumeko! Come on in. I'd love a hand packing."
When she saw the size of the pack, Yumeko was stunned.
"How do you carry all that?!" she exclaimed.
Kagome laughed. "Usually Inuyasha insists on carrying it. He says I slow him down too much if I try to carry it myself." She sighed. "It would be nice if he would do it for some better reason, but..." she shrugged.
Yumeko smiled suddenly. "Ne, Kagome, I've just had an idea...is this everything you want to put in your pack?" She indicated the stuff strewn all over the floor.
"Pretty much, yes." Kagome agreed.
"And didn't you say you needed a nap?"
"Ooooh yes!"
"So why don't I pack your bag for you, and you sleep until your mother calls us for dinner?" Yumeko suggested.
Kagome got a bright smile on her face and gave her cousin a big hug. "Yumeko, you're a genius! Thank you so much!"
Yumeko smiled. "It's nothing really, now get to sleep and I'll wake you for dinner."
"It's a good thing I have plenty of practice from packing for my trip." Yumeko murmured as she looked at the heap of clothing, food, and other necessaries which had to fit into the pack. Kagome had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, so she was trying to be quiet as she folded and rolled and stuffed. She giggled as she saw the amount of ramen in the pile. "Obviously somebody has a favourite food."
Downstairs, Inuyasha was amusing himself by flipping channels on the TV. He still didn't understand why there were so many different channels, and most without anything good on them, but he knew how to "flip" them now. He was hoping to come across that "Fushigi Yuugi" show again...he had discovered it one day while waiting for Kagome, and although he wouldn't admit it if asked, he had been sucked in by the storyline during subsequent visits. Something about it just appealed to him... He grinned as he saw a familiar character flash across the screen. He HAD managed to time his visit right after all.
"So, that Miaka girl is going back." he nodded, grinning, "That pack is almost as big as Kagome's!"
He relaxed back into the couch as he continued to watch the anime.
From the doorway into the kitchen Meiko smirked. She had picked up on this little obsession of Inuyasha's early on in the game, and now was taping the show for him and surreptitiously playing it, making him believe his little secret was safe. Not that she was going to tell anyone else anyway. She knew all about men and their need to appear strong at all times. Her sister HAD married one like that, after all, and all that trouble her nephew had been through with his iinazuke was due to having been taught that stubbornness. She had offered to teach Kagome some of her little tricks, but Kagome had only blushed brightly and shook her head. Silly stubborn girl. But then, she hadn't admitted yet that she was in love with the boy. Meiko sighed. She could have wished her daughter would choose someone from her own time, that nice Hojo, perhaps, but there is no arguing with the heart, and since she could tell Inuyasha also cared deeply for Kagome, she knew she would have to be content knowing that her daughter would be well taken care of... And the noodles needed cooking. Scolding herself for getting distracted, she turned back into the kitchen.
Yumeko grinned and nodded proudly at the backpack. Despite her worries, she had managed to stuff everything in, even with a little room to spare. Kagome was still asleep, so she snuck quietly out of the room and headed downstairs to see how dinner was coming.
The scents coming from the kitchen almost made her swoon with delight. She could smell udon and shrimp and...and...was that inari?! She sighed in pleasure. One thing was for sure, she definitely loved Japanese cooking! With a wide smile on her face, she peeked into the kitchen.
"Oh! Hello Yumeko-san, what can I do for you?" Meiko asked.
"Do I smell inari?" Yumeko asked politely.
"You do," Meiko confirmed with a smile, "I shouldn't be encouraging you to spoil your dinner, but would you like one now? Just to test them, of course."
"Of course..." Yumeko repeated, a glazed look of pure pleasure on her face as she popped one in her mouth, savouring every morsel. She shuddered and closed her eyes with delight as she finished it.
"I'm glad you like my cooking so much." Meiko smiled.
Yumeko blushed brightly. "It's good, and it's been soooo long since I had homemade inari. I promise, the next piece I won't go quite so crazy over."
"Not 'til dinner's on the table," Meiko said with a smile, "now out, you!" She gently but firmly shooed Yumeko out of the kitchen.
Out in the living room, Inuyasha was still watching Fushigi Yuugi, and Sota, to whom Yumeko had not yet been introduced, was playing some kind of video game. Inuyasha, of course, totally ignored her, but when Sota realized she was there, he jumped up.
"Hi!" he said excitedly, you must be Yumeko. Kaachan told me you were here! I'm Kagome's little brother Sota!"
Yumeko smiled. "Nice to meet you Sota-kun. What're you playing there?" She sat down next to him on the floor.
"Mystic Ninjas of the Flames. It's an RPG." he informed her.
"Sounds cool." Yumeko smiled, "Why don't you play, and I'll watch, I'm not very good at video games." she admitted.
"Okay! This is Mizu. I like to play her cause she has all the coolest attacks." Sota started explaining the game to her.
It wasn't long before dinner was ready. Meiko peeked into the living room.
"Yumeko-san, would you go tell Kagome dinner's ready?" she asked.
Inuyasha stood up. "Don't bother, I'll get her." he said as he headed upstairs.
"But..." Yumeko started to object.
Meiko shook her head. "Yumeko-san, I'd love a little help bringing the food to the table." She gestured toward the kitchen.
Catching the hint, Yumeko trailed after her back into the kitchen.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Meiko smiled. "It may not seem like it most of the time, but I do know that the two of them are in love, although neither one of them will admit it. I know that much of their time is spent in desperate struggles or surrounded by their companions, which is no place for such feelings to come to light, so I try to give them at least a little space and opportunity for such things when they're both here. But not a word to either one of them, you hear me?"
Yumeko grinned broadly. "Never a peep you'll hear from me about it." she assured her aunt, "In fact, I'll even help as much as I can. I do so love a bit of matchmaking!"
With smiles carefully wiped from their faces, the two co-conspirators began to carry the dishes out to the table.
When Inuyasha got upstairs, Kagome's door was open just a crack, so he peered in, only to see that she was sleeping. 'I guess she really was tired,' he thought to himself, 'she hasn't even woken up from me disturbing her.' Slowly he crept closer and closer to her. This was a perfect opportunity to engage in one of his favourite hidden pastimes...watching Kagome sleep. The serene expression on her face, the slow steady rhythm of her heartbeat, the soft susurration of her breath, all suffused with her sweet scent...he felt so at peace. He drank her in, and a slow smile spread across his face. Leaning over her bed he almost forgot himself and stroked her face. Catching himself just in time, he trailed his fingers through her hair on the pillow, then gently shook her shoulder.
"Feh. I guess you must be tired if you sleep this deep." he said as she blinked blearily up at him.
"Inuyasha? What are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she blinked up at him.
"Dinner's ready." he said, then turned to leave.
Kagome ran her hands through her sleep-tousled hair as she got out of bed, and hurried after him. Yumeko had said Kaasan was making udon for dinner, and she didn't want to let Inuyasha get too much of a head start at the table, or she wouldn't get nearly enough!
By the time Kagome and Inuyasha got to the table, it was set, and everyone else was waiting for them. Sota was playing restlessly with his chopsticks and Jiichan, who had been introduced to Yumeko when he came in from the shrine, was happily lecturing her on some legend or other.
"Did you have a good nap?" Yumeko asked Kagome quietly as her cousin sat down next to her.
Kagome smiled at her. "I did. Thanks for helping me out."
Yumeko shrugged. "It was no problem, really." she said as she loaded her plate.
"Itadakimasu!" rang out over the table, and all conversation petered out for a while as everyone busied themselves eating.
After the mad rush to eat had slowed down a bit, Kagome and Yumeko busied themselves talking as well. Yumeko was curious about Kagome's adventures, as anyone would be, so Kagome, with a little "help" from Inuyasha, told her all about the people and places she had seen (edited slightly to leave out some of the more life-threatening times her mother didn't know about yet).
Half an hour later, Kagome sighed, sated, as she finished her plate of udon. She looked over at Yumeko, again, and noticed she was eyeing the three remaining inarizushi with a soulful and pleading gaze.
"Ne...Meiko-basan, may I..."
Meiko laughed. "Yes, you may have them, if you promise to behave yourself."
With a wide grin, Yumeko grabbed her bounty, sighing in delight as she popped each sweet morsel in her mouth.
Kagome threw her mother a questioning glance, but she just shrugged and smiled. Sota giggled.
"She's her mother's daughter all right," Jiichan pronounced, "if I didn't know better I would think both of them were Kitsune. You see, the legend of deep-fried tofu is that Kitsune absolutely adore it, and will do almost anything to get it."
Kagome sighed, having tuned her grandfather out after hearing the words "the legend of...". Inuyasha, on the other hand, thought little of the statement, but stored it away for later testing on, and possibly use against, Shippou.
"Gochisousama deshita." Yumeko bowed politely when she was finished.
"Alright, now that everyone's done, let's get going." Inuyasha said to Kagome in a rather surly tone. Much though he did appreciate the good food and a relatively peaceful evening, he had his priorities, and chief among them was getting the Shikon jewel back in one piece.
Kagome sighed. She was still reluctant, but really she was a little surprised she had gotten as much time at home as she had, and her nap had helped her mood tremendously.
"Alright then, I'll grab my bag and we'll get going." she agreed.
Very soon thereafter, Kagome and Inuyasha (carrying her bag) were headed to the well house. The rest of the family came with them to bid Kagome farewell, and Yumeko was looking forward to seeing just how this time travel thing worked.
In the well house itself, Kagome hugged her mother goodbye, then sat on the edge of the well and pushed off. Without even so much as a goodbye wave (not that anyone expected such from him) Inuyasha jumped in after her, and then both of them were gone.
"Incredible..." Yumeko breathed as she peered down into the now-empty well. "The well looks completely normal, and yet they both just...disappeared!"