"Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,
Pointing to each his thunder, rain, and wind,"
- William Shakespeare
The Darling Buds of May
Chapter Eleven:
"Are you ready, Inu-yasha?" asked Kagome.
"I STILL don't see why they won't let me walk out of the hospital. . ." he muttered. Kagome rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again.'
"Inu-yasha, we've been through this. It's a hospital RULE that patients who check out ride in a wheel chair to their car."
"Feh. . . Let's just get this over with! I don't want to be stuck in here another minute." A short, older man stood up as Inu-yasha was made to sit down in the wheel chair.
"Would you like me to see that the car is ready, Inu-yasha?"
"Yeah, sure Mr. Myoga, that'll be fine. I AM checked out, now, right Sess?" he looked dubiously at his older brother, daring him to change his mind. Sesshomaru merely raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, dear brother, you are free to leave." Kagome sighed.
"Let's go already, then!"
"Mr. Myoga?" Sesshomaru tried to hide his amusement. "Please see that the car is ready for Inu-yasha and Miss Higurashi. I will take a walk back to my office after this is over, I think."
"Yes, Sesshomaru. I will wait for the two of you downstairs." Myoga bowed himself out of the room.
"Well, if there's nothing else, then let's go!" Kagome said, smiling. Sesshomaru strode to stand behind his younger brother's chair, pushing it out of the room. Kagome propped the door to the hospital room so that it would remain open, and caught up to walk beside Inu-yasha's chair. They rode the elevator down to the lobby floor. Sesshomaru wheeled Inu-yasha out through the entrance doors, assisting first Kagome, then Inu-yasha into the car.
"Well, this is where I leave the two of you now. Miss Higurashi, I thank you again, and Inu-yasha, make sure that you are polite to the young lady, now. I will see you home soon, little brother. Oh, and before I forget, take this." He handed Inu-yasha a walking cane. It was old, and rather unique. Each end had a polished copper cap with a spiral of some metal wire inlayed into each. The cane itself bore the carving of two swords, one made to appear old and battered, the other, immense and fang-like. Sesshomaru closed the car door and went to return the borrowed wheel chair.
"Thank you. . ." Inu-yasha mumbled to the car window.
"So, are you taking me home now?" Kagome asked after a while. She stared out the car window.
"Well, yeah. I wanna see where exactly you live, ya know." She turned to look at him.
"Why's that?" Kagome asked suspiciously.
"Well, I need to know where to be if I'm going to have to protect you." Inu- yasha said, getting a stubborn look on his face again.
"Oh no, you're NOT walking me to SCHOOL in the mornings, Inu-yasha!"
"Oh no?" he said slyly. "Well, how am I going to get to school in the morning then, you're not there to show me?" Inu-yasha looked to Kagome's face in order to gage her reaction. He enjoyed the look of shock on her face as his words sank in.
"To-to school? You mean you're going to my school now, too!?"
"Well yeah," he said innocently. "I need to be there too, if I'm going to watch out for you and all. . . Mr. Myoga enrolled me Friday. So tomorrow on Monday, I'll meet you at your home and walk you to school, go to school, and walk you home everyday." Inu-yasha was grinning practically from ear to ear now, as Mr. Myoga finally pulled up next to the shrine stairs.
"Are we here already?" Kagome asked. 'That sure went by quickly. . .'
"So this is your home, huh?" Inu-yasha peered out the window.
"Yeah, but you can't see the house, or really, the shrine, either until you go up those steps there." Inu-yasha opened up the car door, and got out of the car, putting his brother's gift to use.
"Well? Are you getting out or not, Kagome?" he held out his hand to her, blushing as she took it. Kagome blushed in turn. 'Why's he acting so-so polite?' she wondered.
Kagome watched Inu-yasha progress up the stairs out of the corner of her eye, breathing a sigh of relief as they finally reached the top. 'I'm glad he's not tired from that. I didn't think he would be, considering how hard he worked himself in the hospital, I'd think Inu-yasha would be running a marathon!' She shook her head, reminding herself that despite what Inu- yasha let on, the climb had been difficult for him.
Inu-yasha looked around the new scene set before him. Despite himself, he was in awe. 'This is where Kagome lives. . .' They paused to look at an old tree near the entrance.
"What's this old thing?" he asked.
"Hrm. . ." Kagome wracked her brain trying to remember what made the old tree special.
"Oh yeah! That's the God's Tree. Grandpa told us a story about it. . .there was a demon pinned to the tree for fifty years, and finally released by a miko from another era. I don't know much about it, but if you're curious you can always ask Grandpa about it."
Kagome rolled her eyes, and continued. "Grandpa LOVES it when people want to know about the shrine's history. . . or rather, he just loves telling people about our shrine, whether or not anybody wants to hear it." She giggled.
"Feh. . ." Inu-yasha turned his head.
"Well, this is my house. . ." Kagome blushed, looking away. "Do you wanna come in? Meet my Mom, and Grandpa and Sota?" Inu-yasha narrowed his eyes.
"Sota? Who's he?" 'Better not have a boyfriend, or I'll have something to say about it. . .'
"Oh, he's just my little brother." Kagome said absentmindedly, taking no notice of how tense Inu-yasha had become. . . or his sigh of relief. Kagome opened her door, inviting Inu-yasha inside.
"Mom, I'm home! And I've brought a guest with me." A well-looking, middle aged woman poked her head out of the kitchen. She was a little taller than Kagome, with short, wavy black hair and bright eyes.
"Oh, who's your friend, Kagome?" she looked at Inu-yasha. Kagome blushed.
"This is Inu-yasha Masato. Inu-yasha? This is my mom."
"Oh, so you're the boy Kagome's been visiting at the hospital? I'm glad to see that you're well." She smiled.
'Huh, must be where Kagome got her smile from. . . now where did THAT come from?' Inu-yasha thought to himself.
Inu-yasha bowed and muttered a greeting to Mrs. Higurashi.
"Hey Mom! Have you seen my jacket? I can't find it anywhere and I'm getting ready to go to Shippou's h- Who's that?" Inu-yasha looked up the staircase to see a short boy standing at the top.
"That's my brother Sota." Kagome whispered.
"Sota, come down and meet Kagome's friend, Inu-yasha Masato." Mrs. Higurashi called up the stairs to her son. "And your jacket is right down here in the hall closet, where I put it up last time you wore it." Sota hopped down the stairs, taking them two at a time, running to the closet door after landing on the floor. He whipped the door open, pulled his jacket off the hanger, and ran to open the front door, slipping his shoes on as he went.
"Hey Inu-yasha, nice to meet you, gotta go, everybody, bye, bye!" All of this was said very quickly, as hurricane Sota ran out the door, slamming it behind him.
"Oh dear, looks like Hurricane Sota strikes again. . . Please forgive his behavior, Mr. Masato." Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she reached to close the closet door. Inu-yasha, however, was closer, and closed it for her. He smirked.
"I don't mind." He told her. Kagome's mother smiled again.
"Why don't you two come into the kitchen now, and I'll make some hot chocolate."
"Uh, sure. . ." prompted by Kagome, Inu-yasha followed Mrs. Higurashi into the kitchen.
"Mrs. Higurashi?" Inu-yasha looked up from his cup to speak to Kagome's mother.
'Oh, here it comes. . .' thought Kagome.
"Yes, Mr. Masato?" she smiled at him across the table in the way only a mother can.
"Y-you can call me Inu-yasha, if you'd be more comfortable with that. . ." he blushed. "Um, I was going to say that I'd like to walk Kagome to and from school. I-I saw what happened to her a while ago, and I, well, I don't want it to happen again." He turned his head, trying to put his blushing in check.
"Oh, that's right! Your Mr. Myoga has been driving Kagome to and from school. If you'd like to walk with her, then I see no reason why not, but, wouldn't you be pressed for time to get to your own school Inu-yasha?" Kagome spoke up.
"Um, well - you see - Inu-yasha switched schools. . . he'll be going to mine from now on. . ." she mumbled.
"Oh really! Well, if that's what you'd like to do, then go right ahead. It's a lovely idea."
"What's a lovely idea?" An older man had just walked into the kitchen. 'Must be Kagome's Grandfather. . .'
"Hello Kagome! How are you today?" he turned to look at Inu-yasha.
"Daughter, who is the young man?" he asked.
"Oh, this is that friend Kagome's been visiting at the hospital, Inu-yasha Masato."
"Ahhhh. . . I'm glad to see you're well, young man. Please excuse my absence, I was called upon to bless a home in town today. How may we thank you for sending a ride for my grand-daughter?"
"That's okay, really. . ." Inu-yasha mumbled.
"Inu-yasha has offered to walk Kagome back and from school everyday, Father."
"Is that so? Well, you have my blessings to that! Just make sure you keep my girl here in check!" he laughed.
"Grandpa!"
"I'm kidding, Kagome. . . You know that I trust you dear." His eyes darkened for a moment. "It is other people, that I don't trust. . ."
"Oh, Grandpa. . ." Kagome sighed.
"Well, then it's settled! Inu-yasha will meet you in the mornings and walk back with you in the afternoons starting tomorrow." Mrs. Higurashi said.
After a while more, Inu-yasha said he had to go, making his apologies as he pushed himself out of the chair, leaning on the cane once more. Kagome stood up to see him to the door. Kagome's mother called after them.
"Remember, you are always welcomed in our home, Inu-yasha. Do come in and visit us sometime!"
Inu-yasha and Kagome walked back down the steps of the shrine.
"Well, I guess I'll see you here tomorrow morning. . . I still can't BELIEVE you did that." Kagome smiled despite herself. Inu-yasha smirked as he got into the car.
"Yeah, well, it's for your own good, silly girl. . ." he closed the door before Kagome could respond, and rode off.
Author's Note: Whew! This was a long chapter for me! I guess it's my way of making up for all those shorter ones. I hope you liked this one. So, anyway, remember the three 'R's': REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! And if you DON'T review, then keep in mind that my threat still rings true. *giggles maniacally as she waves her violin at readers* Well, until I post again! -Starmoon
The Darling Buds of May
Chapter Eleven:
"Are you ready, Inu-yasha?" asked Kagome.
"I STILL don't see why they won't let me walk out of the hospital. . ." he muttered. Kagome rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again.'
"Inu-yasha, we've been through this. It's a hospital RULE that patients who check out ride in a wheel chair to their car."
"Feh. . . Let's just get this over with! I don't want to be stuck in here another minute." A short, older man stood up as Inu-yasha was made to sit down in the wheel chair.
"Would you like me to see that the car is ready, Inu-yasha?"
"Yeah, sure Mr. Myoga, that'll be fine. I AM checked out, now, right Sess?" he looked dubiously at his older brother, daring him to change his mind. Sesshomaru merely raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, dear brother, you are free to leave." Kagome sighed.
"Let's go already, then!"
"Mr. Myoga?" Sesshomaru tried to hide his amusement. "Please see that the car is ready for Inu-yasha and Miss Higurashi. I will take a walk back to my office after this is over, I think."
"Yes, Sesshomaru. I will wait for the two of you downstairs." Myoga bowed himself out of the room.
"Well, if there's nothing else, then let's go!" Kagome said, smiling. Sesshomaru strode to stand behind his younger brother's chair, pushing it out of the room. Kagome propped the door to the hospital room so that it would remain open, and caught up to walk beside Inu-yasha's chair. They rode the elevator down to the lobby floor. Sesshomaru wheeled Inu-yasha out through the entrance doors, assisting first Kagome, then Inu-yasha into the car.
"Well, this is where I leave the two of you now. Miss Higurashi, I thank you again, and Inu-yasha, make sure that you are polite to the young lady, now. I will see you home soon, little brother. Oh, and before I forget, take this." He handed Inu-yasha a walking cane. It was old, and rather unique. Each end had a polished copper cap with a spiral of some metal wire inlayed into each. The cane itself bore the carving of two swords, one made to appear old and battered, the other, immense and fang-like. Sesshomaru closed the car door and went to return the borrowed wheel chair.
"Thank you. . ." Inu-yasha mumbled to the car window.
"So, are you taking me home now?" Kagome asked after a while. She stared out the car window.
"Well, yeah. I wanna see where exactly you live, ya know." She turned to look at him.
"Why's that?" Kagome asked suspiciously.
"Well, I need to know where to be if I'm going to have to protect you." Inu- yasha said, getting a stubborn look on his face again.
"Oh no, you're NOT walking me to SCHOOL in the mornings, Inu-yasha!"
"Oh no?" he said slyly. "Well, how am I going to get to school in the morning then, you're not there to show me?" Inu-yasha looked to Kagome's face in order to gage her reaction. He enjoyed the look of shock on her face as his words sank in.
"To-to school? You mean you're going to my school now, too!?"
"Well yeah," he said innocently. "I need to be there too, if I'm going to watch out for you and all. . . Mr. Myoga enrolled me Friday. So tomorrow on Monday, I'll meet you at your home and walk you to school, go to school, and walk you home everyday." Inu-yasha was grinning practically from ear to ear now, as Mr. Myoga finally pulled up next to the shrine stairs.
"Are we here already?" Kagome asked. 'That sure went by quickly. . .'
"So this is your home, huh?" Inu-yasha peered out the window.
"Yeah, but you can't see the house, or really, the shrine, either until you go up those steps there." Inu-yasha opened up the car door, and got out of the car, putting his brother's gift to use.
"Well? Are you getting out or not, Kagome?" he held out his hand to her, blushing as she took it. Kagome blushed in turn. 'Why's he acting so-so polite?' she wondered.
Kagome watched Inu-yasha progress up the stairs out of the corner of her eye, breathing a sigh of relief as they finally reached the top. 'I'm glad he's not tired from that. I didn't think he would be, considering how hard he worked himself in the hospital, I'd think Inu-yasha would be running a marathon!' She shook her head, reminding herself that despite what Inu- yasha let on, the climb had been difficult for him.
Inu-yasha looked around the new scene set before him. Despite himself, he was in awe. 'This is where Kagome lives. . .' They paused to look at an old tree near the entrance.
"What's this old thing?" he asked.
"Hrm. . ." Kagome wracked her brain trying to remember what made the old tree special.
"Oh yeah! That's the God's Tree. Grandpa told us a story about it. . .there was a demon pinned to the tree for fifty years, and finally released by a miko from another era. I don't know much about it, but if you're curious you can always ask Grandpa about it."
Kagome rolled her eyes, and continued. "Grandpa LOVES it when people want to know about the shrine's history. . . or rather, he just loves telling people about our shrine, whether or not anybody wants to hear it." She giggled.
"Feh. . ." Inu-yasha turned his head.
"Well, this is my house. . ." Kagome blushed, looking away. "Do you wanna come in? Meet my Mom, and Grandpa and Sota?" Inu-yasha narrowed his eyes.
"Sota? Who's he?" 'Better not have a boyfriend, or I'll have something to say about it. . .'
"Oh, he's just my little brother." Kagome said absentmindedly, taking no notice of how tense Inu-yasha had become. . . or his sigh of relief. Kagome opened her door, inviting Inu-yasha inside.
"Mom, I'm home! And I've brought a guest with me." A well-looking, middle aged woman poked her head out of the kitchen. She was a little taller than Kagome, with short, wavy black hair and bright eyes.
"Oh, who's your friend, Kagome?" she looked at Inu-yasha. Kagome blushed.
"This is Inu-yasha Masato. Inu-yasha? This is my mom."
"Oh, so you're the boy Kagome's been visiting at the hospital? I'm glad to see that you're well." She smiled.
'Huh, must be where Kagome got her smile from. . . now where did THAT come from?' Inu-yasha thought to himself.
Inu-yasha bowed and muttered a greeting to Mrs. Higurashi.
"Hey Mom! Have you seen my jacket? I can't find it anywhere and I'm getting ready to go to Shippou's h- Who's that?" Inu-yasha looked up the staircase to see a short boy standing at the top.
"That's my brother Sota." Kagome whispered.
"Sota, come down and meet Kagome's friend, Inu-yasha Masato." Mrs. Higurashi called up the stairs to her son. "And your jacket is right down here in the hall closet, where I put it up last time you wore it." Sota hopped down the stairs, taking them two at a time, running to the closet door after landing on the floor. He whipped the door open, pulled his jacket off the hanger, and ran to open the front door, slipping his shoes on as he went.
"Hey Inu-yasha, nice to meet you, gotta go, everybody, bye, bye!" All of this was said very quickly, as hurricane Sota ran out the door, slamming it behind him.
"Oh dear, looks like Hurricane Sota strikes again. . . Please forgive his behavior, Mr. Masato." Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she reached to close the closet door. Inu-yasha, however, was closer, and closed it for her. He smirked.
"I don't mind." He told her. Kagome's mother smiled again.
"Why don't you two come into the kitchen now, and I'll make some hot chocolate."
"Uh, sure. . ." prompted by Kagome, Inu-yasha followed Mrs. Higurashi into the kitchen.
"Mrs. Higurashi?" Inu-yasha looked up from his cup to speak to Kagome's mother.
'Oh, here it comes. . .' thought Kagome.
"Yes, Mr. Masato?" she smiled at him across the table in the way only a mother can.
"Y-you can call me Inu-yasha, if you'd be more comfortable with that. . ." he blushed. "Um, I was going to say that I'd like to walk Kagome to and from school. I-I saw what happened to her a while ago, and I, well, I don't want it to happen again." He turned his head, trying to put his blushing in check.
"Oh, that's right! Your Mr. Myoga has been driving Kagome to and from school. If you'd like to walk with her, then I see no reason why not, but, wouldn't you be pressed for time to get to your own school Inu-yasha?" Kagome spoke up.
"Um, well - you see - Inu-yasha switched schools. . . he'll be going to mine from now on. . ." she mumbled.
"Oh really! Well, if that's what you'd like to do, then go right ahead. It's a lovely idea."
"What's a lovely idea?" An older man had just walked into the kitchen. 'Must be Kagome's Grandfather. . .'
"Hello Kagome! How are you today?" he turned to look at Inu-yasha.
"Daughter, who is the young man?" he asked.
"Oh, this is that friend Kagome's been visiting at the hospital, Inu-yasha Masato."
"Ahhhh. . . I'm glad to see you're well, young man. Please excuse my absence, I was called upon to bless a home in town today. How may we thank you for sending a ride for my grand-daughter?"
"That's okay, really. . ." Inu-yasha mumbled.
"Inu-yasha has offered to walk Kagome back and from school everyday, Father."
"Is that so? Well, you have my blessings to that! Just make sure you keep my girl here in check!" he laughed.
"Grandpa!"
"I'm kidding, Kagome. . . You know that I trust you dear." His eyes darkened for a moment. "It is other people, that I don't trust. . ."
"Oh, Grandpa. . ." Kagome sighed.
"Well, then it's settled! Inu-yasha will meet you in the mornings and walk back with you in the afternoons starting tomorrow." Mrs. Higurashi said.
After a while more, Inu-yasha said he had to go, making his apologies as he pushed himself out of the chair, leaning on the cane once more. Kagome stood up to see him to the door. Kagome's mother called after them.
"Remember, you are always welcomed in our home, Inu-yasha. Do come in and visit us sometime!"
Inu-yasha and Kagome walked back down the steps of the shrine.
"Well, I guess I'll see you here tomorrow morning. . . I still can't BELIEVE you did that." Kagome smiled despite herself. Inu-yasha smirked as he got into the car.
"Yeah, well, it's for your own good, silly girl. . ." he closed the door before Kagome could respond, and rode off.
Author's Note: Whew! This was a long chapter for me! I guess it's my way of making up for all those shorter ones. I hope you liked this one. So, anyway, remember the three 'R's': REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! And if you DON'T review, then keep in mind that my threat still rings true. *giggles maniacally as she waves her violin at readers* Well, until I post again! -Starmoon
