Wow! *Has stars in her eyes* Everyone's reviews were so nice! Arigatou to everyone who's reviewed so far. This story is continuing this for all of you. ^_^ Well, due to popular demand, here is chapter 3 to my story. I'm REALLY sorry about the wait. School sure is a major time consumer. Enjoy!
A Little Distracted (Chapter 3)
"Hurry up Kagome! You're going to be late!" Kagome was rushing frantically around her room desperately looking for all of her school materials. She had gotten up a little later than usual and began to panic as soon as she saw what time it was. Her Mom's reminder only made things worse as she rumaged through piles of papers, blankets, and drawers in an effort to locate the misplaced supplies.
"I'll be down in a minute, just hold on!" Kagome yelled in reply. Inuyasha was nowhere in sight due to the fact that he had retreated downstairs earlier in an effort to avoid being caught in her path of destruction. He knew that it wasn't the time to be affectionate and that any attempts to distract her would earn him a very painful 'Osuwari.' Finally, Kagome emerged from her closet triumphantly holding a large textbook in one hand and a thick notebook in the other. She shoved the book and the folder in her backpack and ran downstairs, barely missing Buyo on the way down.
"Honey, aren't you going to have any breakfast?" Mrs. Higurashi called out as Kagome ran into the living room to pick up some pens and pencils she had left there the night before. Souta had already left for school and Inuyasha was quietly sitting at the kitchen table observing the scene before him.
"I can't Mama! I promised the girls I'd meet up with them before class for some last minute studying. If I don't show up they're going to be mad." She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a few cookies, shoving them in her mouth as she grabbed her lunch. She was so busy scrambling around that she tripped over Buyo's food bowl and would have fallen if Inuyasha hadn't been there to catch her. (a/n: Isn't that convenient? ^_~)
"What would you do without me?" Inuyasha teased as he set Kagome upright.
"Have a lot of extra ramen to eat." Kagome answered as she caught sight of the empty bowls that had been his breakfast. She giggled as he scrunched up his face at her unexpected answer. "Well, I guess I would be pretty sad and lonely too." She gave him a reassuring kiss on the lips and then ran off into the living room to pick up some books, much to his dismay.
"You have that 'test' today and that's it, right?" Inuyasha asked as he walked her down the shrine stairs. She had already asked him earlier to stay at the shrine instead of walking her to school because she didn't want Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri to start making up stories. She couldn't deal with awkward questions right before the midterms.
"That's right. After today I'm all yours." Kagome smiled as she saw his mood brighten. 'Until the next test.' She thought and sighed. It was best not to bring that up at the moment. They reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to face each other.
"I'll be waiting for you after school, just like yesterday." He said as she sunk into his strong embrace.
'Now I know what Shakespeare meant when he said that 'Parting is such sweet sorrow.' Kagome thought as she stood there in Inuyasha's arms. She wanted time to stand still, but she knew that wouldn't happen. As much as she enjoyed the moment, it was time to go. "Don't worry Inuyasha, it'll be afternoon before we know it."
"I know." He let go of her and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "Good luck." He stood silently in the shade of the trees as she walked away. She had reached the end of the block and when she turned to look he was still there, the wind softly playing with his hair. She smiled and waved at him, running off when she realized that she had lingered there too long.
'I just have to get through today.' Kagome thought as she ran to school. 'Too bad that's easier said than done.' She made her way into the classroom and found that her three friends were already busy studying. Everyone was very tense, and Kagome
wished she could leave and not go through the pressure of another test.
"Come on Kagome! What are you waiting for?" Eri yelled as she caught sight of Kagome standing in the doorway. "I heard someone say that all of chapter 20 was going to be on the midterm! Let's go." Kagome felt herself dragged to her desk and soon her day was underway.
Back at the shrine, Inuyasha had already made his way back into the house. He had found Buyo along the way and was making the time pass by torturing him like usual.
"Inuyasha, did Kagome leave to school already?" Kagome's Mom called from upstairs.
"Yes." Inuyasha replied, unable to keep the sulkiness out of his voice. "Why, what's wrong?" Kagome's Mom came downstairs holding a small, black, rectangular object, a concerned look on her face.
"Well you see, she left her calculator here and I'm pretty sure she needed it for her math midterm today." She answered motioning to the small rectangle. "She doesn't have that class until after lunch though, so I guess I can take it then." Inuyasha stared at the small device.
"If she really needs it, just tell me and I'll go take it to her." Inuyasha said, turning his attention back to Buyo.
"Really Inuyasha? That would be a big help." Kagome's Mom beamed at Inuyasha. "I'm sure Kagome will really appreciate this too."
"Feh."
~*~ Hours Later At School~*~
*RING!*
Everyone piled out of the classrooms as the lunch bell rang. Kagome sighed as she was pushed out the door, her friends close behind.
"That history midterm was harder than I thought it would be!" Ayumi yelled over the noisy people surrounding their small group.
"Hopefully the math midterm will go better." Yuka said as she rummaged through her backpack. "I even brought my lucky calculator to make sure that nothing goes wrong!" The other three girls had to shield their eyes as Yuka brought a hot pink calculator with neon yellow fuzzballs out of her backpack. "Cool, huh?"
"Umm...it's nice." Kagome said trying to keep a straight face. "I decided to bring something a little more practical." Kagome searched through her backpack trying to find her handy dandy graphing calculator. She began to panic when she couldn't find it.
"What's wrong Kagome?" Eri asked with concern as Kagome began to dump everything out of her backpack.
"Ahh! I think I forgot my calculator at home!" Kagome searched once again through all of her possessions and sighed defeatedly as she produced nothing from the pile.
"That's too bad." Ayumi said as she looked at a sulking Kagome. "I'm pretty sure our teacher said he wouldn't have any calculators to lend." Kagome was now on the verge of tears as she realized the hopelessness of her situation.
"Umm...well, we better go get our lunch before the bell rings." Yuka said dragging the other girls away from Kagome. "Let's go before she blows up." She whispered to them urgently and the three girls retreated from Kagome as quickly as they could.
"I can't believe I forgot something so important!" Kagome was sitting on the floor and was on the verge of tears when she heard a rustle from the tree next to her. A few leaves fell down, but when she looked up she didn't see anything. She was putting all of her things back in her bag when she heard a faint whisper.
"Psst! Kagome!" Kagome looked around, unsure of where the voice had come from.
"I must be going crazy." She said aloud. "I'm starting to hear voices." She stood up and hoisted her backpack on her shoulders.
"No you're not." Kagome froze in place as the voice answered her. "Up here." Kagome looked up to the familiar sight of the red haori clad hanyou in the tree.
"Inuyasha!" She took a step back as her brain processed the sight before her. "What are you doing here at school?"
"Whatever happened to 'hello'?" Inuyasha asked, a sullen expression on his face.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I didn't mean it in a bad way. You just surprised me, that's all." Kagome answered. She looked around and noticed that some people were starting to stare at her suspiciously. "Inuyasha, meet me on the roof. I can't talk openly here." A rustle from the trees signaled to Kagome that Inuyasha was gone. She smiled sheepishly at the students that were staring at her and ran into the building. She made her way up the stairs and found that Inuyasha was already waiting for her.
"You're lucky your Mom loves you almost as much as I do." Inuyasha said as he handed Kagome the calculator she was looking for.
"My calculator!" Kagome rushed forward and got the precious device out of his hands. "You came all the way over here to bring it to me?" Kagome asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Of course. Why else would I be standing here in front of you?" Inuyasha stated crossing his arms across his chest. He looked over at Kagome and realized that her eyes were all wet and glossy. "Oi! What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" He uncrossed his arms and looked at her, unsure of what to do.
"You're so sweet Inuyasha!" Kagome threw herself into the arms of the confused hanyou and buried herself in his red haori. "I can't believe you did this just for me." Inuyasha's face softened and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Of course I did this just for you. I love you." Kagome sighed as the three words she loved to hear the most came out of his mouth efortlessly. "Not to mention your Mom said you would probably share your lunch with me."
"Eh?" Kagome broke their embrace and found that Inuyasha was grinning at her.
"That trip made me pretty hungry you know." Kagome sighed again, but this time in disbelief.
"I forget that you still have a lot to learn about what to say." Kagome hugged Inuyasha again. "But I love you just the way you are anyway." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and sat down on the cement.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha sat down next to her curiously as she searched through her backpack again.
"What do you think?" She asked as she brought out her neatly wrapped lunch.
"I didn't think it was possible, but now I love you even more than before." Inuyasha planted a kiss on Kagome's forehead and began to pig out as soon as Kagome was done unwrapping the lunch. He gulped down some sushi rolls and turned to Kagome.
"So how much longer are you going to stay here?" He asked as he sampled some more of her lunch.
"Not that long actually. All I need is my math test and then there's a break and all of the teachers post the test scores before the end of the day." Kagome explained. Inuyasha gave her a blank stare.
"Uh...huh. Okay, well do you think I could stay here until school is over?" He asked hopefully. He put an arm around her. "I could be nearby and walk you home when everything is done."
"Is that supposed to be a bonus?" Kagome teased. A light kiss on the lips assured Inuyasha that she was only joking. "You can stay on one condition."
"That would be..." Inuyasha asked warily.
"You CAN'T come out of hiding. If anyone sees you they might freak out because of these." She reached up and rubbed the two small white ears on the top of his head.
"Mmmm. That feels good." Inuyasha said closing his eyes happily. Kagome stopped and looked at him, her arms crossed over her chest angrily.
"You know, that's not what you used to say." She glared at him.
"I know." He gave her a boyish grin. "I lied. If I had told you that I loved it everytime you did that, you wouldn't have done it anymore." Kagome uncrossed her arms.
"That's a good point." She said. "But it was still a rotten thing to do." Inuyasha was about to defend himself when a well-timed bell interrupted him. "That's the end of lunch!" She said getting up suddenly. She left the rest of the food for him to eat and picked up her backpack.
"How do I know when school is over?" Inuyasha asked trying to get Kagome to stop rushing around.
"Umm...well when a bell rings and everyone starts leaving these doors." Kagome motioned to the front gate. "That means that school is out. In the meanwhile, you can sit in that tree over there." This time she motioned to a tall oak tree next to a window. "From there you'll be able to see me in my math class. I'll see you after school." She gave him a kiss and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped. "Remember, don't let anyone see you!" With that she ran off.
"Oi! Who does she think she is?" Inuyasha asked no one in particular. He stuffed another sushi roll in his mouth when he remembered. 'That's right, she's my woman.' He thought to himself. 'Bossy woman.' Meanwhile, Kagome rushed to get to her next class and her final midterm. She made it to her seat just as the bell rang.
"There you are Kagome! Where did you go at lunch?" Eri asked while Kagome tried to catch her breath.
"Umm...well...I tried to find someone who would lend me their calculator." Kagome lied as she spotted the pink atrocity of a calculator on Yuka's desk.
"Did you find one?" Kagome nodded as she held up her own calculator triumphantly.
"Did Hojo-kun let you borrow it?" Ayumi asked, nudging Kagome. Kagome froze. She had forgotten all about Hojo. It wouldn't be a good thing if Inuyasha saw her with him.
"Umm...no. It was another girl that I know." She glanced out of the window momentarily as she saw a red streak out of the corner of her eye.
"Alright students! Enough chit chat, it's time to start the midterm." Kagome was happy when the teacher interrupted her conversation to start the test. She looked out the window again while the teacher was passing out the test forms and saw a pair of amber eyes staring at her through the tree leaves. She smiled and turned her attention back to her desk when her test was in front of her.
'One last test to go.' Kagome braced herself and began to work on the days final midterm.
~*~Sengoku Jidai~*~
"How about here?" Kaede asked pressing an area near Sango's ankle. A cry from Sango signaled to the old woman that it would take a while longer for her injury to fully heal.
"I can't believe this still hurts!" Sango said wrapping her foot back in the bandage that Kaede had made.
"It's no use. I don't have the necessary herbs here to help you. Your ankle won't be able to properly heal until I have all the proper supplies. You'll have to wait until we get back to the village." Sango sighed. She was happy that she had Kirara to carry her or else it would be a very painful trip home.
"When do we leave?" Sango asked, leaning against the wall of the cabin they were staying in.
"As soon as Miroku comes back. He went out with Shippou and Kirara to take care of some of the last demons. He's also going to put up some demon charms to keep them from coming back." Kaede shuffled around the cabin packing some of the final things they needed for their trip back.
"The sooner the better." Sango replied. "I can't stand sitting around here doing nothing all day. I need to be active." She closed her eyes for a while when a familiar 'mew' woke her up. "Hi there Kirara. Did you have a good time?"
"Mew!" Came the happy reply. She settled herself in Sango's lap and soon Miroku and Shippou made their way into the hut, both sweating quite a bit.
"What happened to you two?" Sango asked as they both sat down and immediately went for some water.
"We had to do a bit of running." Miroku finally said after he had his fill of water. Shippou went thirstily for the small bottle and drank deeply.
"Were the monsters really that bad?" Sango asked, concern in her eyes.
"Well...not exactly." Miroku said, a curious look in his eyes. Shippou finished drinking and wiped some of the water that had trickled out of his mouth with his sleeve.
"Actually, we had to run from some angry guy. Miroku was hitting on one of the village girls and her father came out and-" Shippou was cut short by a quick hit in the head from Miroku's staff. He fell to the floor clutching his head in pain while Sango's face turned red with anger and she looked away from the tired pair.
"That's quite enough from you." Shippou was holding his head, a large lump beginning to form in the area where he had been hit.
"Why am I not surprised." Sango remarked sadly while petting Kirara.
"It's not like that Sango, I swear!" Miroku laughed cautiously. Shippou just glared at him.
"Come on Kirara. Let's go find Kaede-baba so that we can go home." The two small Youkai made their way out of the hut, leaving an angry Sango with a very guilty-looking Miroku.
"How is your ankle, Sango?" The monk finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. He started to walk towards her, and Sango stared at him icily.
"Don't come any nearer you perverted Houshi." She said backing away slightly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Miroku sighed.
"So, are you feeling any better?" Miroku repeated.
"It still hurts." Sango stated simply. "Not that you really care." She added coldly. Miroku looked taken aback by her comment, much to Sango's surprise. He sat down where he was standing and stared down at the floor.
"You may say what you want about me Sango..." He turned his head in her direction, a hurt look in his eyes. "...but I do care about you."
"Houshi-sama, I..." Sango didn't know what to say. She had never seen Miroku give her a look like that before. She felt awful about what she had just said.
"It's okay Sango, don't worry about it." Miroku said standing up and smiling at her, his sad mood passing away as quickly as it had come. "I just don't want you to ever forget that." Sango smiled at him and nodded.
"I promise Houshi-sama." She turned towards the door as Kaede pulled aside the curtain.
"Well, it looks like we're ready to go now." She walked in followed by Kirara and Shippou. Kirara transformed and Kaede placed a large bag that held all of their belonging on her back. "Oh, I forgot that you have to carry Sango back now."
"It's okay, Kaede-sama. I'll carry Sango." Miroku offered. "You take Hiraikotsu and ride on Kirara, just like when we came." Kirara growled suspiciously, but one reassuring pat on her head from Sango was enough to calm her.
"It's okay Kirara. He'll take good care of me." Sango guaranteed her faithful companion. Miroku beamed proudly. "If he doesn't, then I give you permission to tear him apart." Miroku laughed nervously, not sure if she was joking or not. He knelt down in front of her and he was once again carrying her on his back.
"Are you comfortable?" He asked once they were underway. Kaede, Shippou, and Kirara were well ahead of them, Kirara's pace being much quicker than Miroku's.
"Yes, thank you Houshi-sama." Sango looked up at the sky and noticed that it was dark and overcast. "Too bad that the day is not as beautiful as it was yesterday."
"It's all a matter of perspective." Miroku answered. He turned his face toward her as best as he could. "I think today is just as beautiful as it was yesterday, or even more beautiful." He smirked at Sango and turned away just as she was beginning to turn red.
"Houshi-sama, you can be a real sweet-talker when you want to be." Sango sighed and put her head on his shoulder.
"Then, will you bear my child?" He asked hopefully, rubbing her leg.
*SMACK*
"See what I mean. When you want to be." Miroku was rubbing his head where a large lump was beginning to form.
"No matter what, it's always worth it." Miroku smiled. He stopped when a drop of water hit his nose.
"It's starting to rain." Sango stared up at the sky. "Just what we needed."
"Hurry up you guys!" Shippou yelled from up ahead. We have to get back before it gets any worse!" Almost as if on cue, a streak of lightning flashed over-head followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Rain began to pour down from the skies and Miroku ran ahead to catch up with Kirara.
"It'll be impossible to get home with this kind of weather Kaede-sama." Miroku yelled over the thunder. "We'll all get sick if we don't find some shelter."
"I agree. It will become impossible to see anything with all this rain soon as well." Kaede said, straining her eyes to see in the distance. "Head for those mountains. There must be a cave we can take refuge in." They all made their way deeper into the forest and soon found the rocky walls of the mountains. Sure enough, they found a cave that would suit their needs.
"This will be a good place to stay until the rain lets up." Miroku said in between breaths. Running with a person on his back was much harder than Inuyasha made it seem.
"Shouldn't we check to see if there are any demons in here?" Sango asked cautiously. "Kirara, go check deeper into the cave and make sure there's nothing here." Once Kaede, Shippou, and the luggage was off of her, Kirara made her way into the cave.
"In the meanwhile, we should get a fire going. I have a feeling we'll be staying here a while." Kaede said, staring at the gray sky. They found some dry firewood by the cave entrance and made themselves comfortable. They were all a little wet, but soon the fire had them all dry. Kirara made her way back to the group and transformed back into her small form. She snuggled into Sango's lap and mewed contentedly.
"I take it we have nothing to worry about." Sango said, petting her small friend. Kirara nodded her head groggily and was soon asleep. Sango's eyes were beginning to droop as well when she felt someone wrap a blanket around her.
"No use getting you back to the village to heal if you catch a pneumonia and die anyway." Miroku said jokingly, sitting next to her.
"Thank you for the comfort Houshi-sama." Sango laughed. She had to admit that she wasn't so worried about getting back anymore. She stiffened as she felt Miroku's arm wrap around her, but she relaxed once she saw the look in his eyes. It wasn't a perverted gesture, but a caring one.
"Go ahead and fall asleep." He said looking her in the eyes. "I'll stay up and protect you from any harm." Sango's eyes glossed over with tears, but she nodded at him and smiled. She put her head on his shoulder once again and closed her eyes. She was more exhausted than she thought and soon she was drifting off to sleep.
"Thank you...Miroku." She whispered.
"Hmm?" Miroku looked at her, surprised that she used his name. "Sleep well Sango."
~*~Back to Kagome~*~
"Alright class! Pencils down!" Kagome furiously bubbled in some final answers on her answer sheet and let her pencil drop on her desk. Her math teacher walked around the class and collected the tests.
"I'm glad that's over." Kagome sighed and relaxed in her chair.
"Very good class. I have to go to the computer and grade these tests now, but an office assistant will be here to watch you. All of you know how to behave, so keep the noise level down. A bell will ring 10 minutes before the final bell so that you may all go see your scores." The door opened and a nicely dressed man walked in. "Well, I'll leave you then class. Behave because I'll know if you don't." The teacher gave the man some final directions and walked out.
"How'd you do Kaome?" Yuka asked once the teacher was gone.
"I don't know. I don't want to jinx myself." Kagome forced herself to smile cheerfully. 'I must have guessed on most of those problems.' She thought sadly in her head.
"Don't worry girls, we probably did fine." Eri said, upbeat like always. Kagome was looking out of the window, trying to see if she caught any sign of Inuyasha.
'He probably fell asleep.' She thought and smiled to herself. She could hear the babble of her friends in the background, but their conversation didn't matter very much to her at that moment.
"Hello? Kagome?" Ayumi called, but there was no reply. It wasn't until she waved her hand in front of her face that Kagome snapped out of her trance.
"Huh? What, what's going on?" Kagome asked, startled by the interruption.
"You're really out of it Kagome." Ayumi said. "I asked if you were busy after school. We were thinking of celebrating the end of midterms."
"Sorry, I can't." Kagome searched her mind for an excuse. "I have to help my grandpa with shrine preparations. There's a...um... important event coming up soon and we have to prepare." Kagome lied.
"Oh, that's too bad." Yuka said. "I guess having a shrine is a lot of work." The four girls talked until the end of class when a bell rang. Outside in the tree, Inuyahsa almost fell out when he heard the bell rang. He had indeed fallen asleep because he was so bored, but the bell startled him out of his sleep.
"Is that the end of school?" Inuyasha peered out of the tree and looked at the front gate. No one had left, so he figured that school wasn't over. He looked into the window where Kagome had been and realized that she wasn't there anymore. "Huh? When the hell did that happen?" He sniffed the air and caught her scent a short distance away. Being careful to keep out of sight, he jumped from tree to tree until he was in a location where he could see her. Kagome, meanwhile, was trying to get through the crowd of people to see her scores.
"Come on, excuse me, sorry." She finally pushed her way through the people and saw all of her scores. She sighed in relief when she saw that all of them were high scores and that she really had nothing to worry about.
"Wow Kagome, you got great scores!" Eri said as she found Kagome in the mob of people.
"Their nothing compared to yours Eri." Kagome smiled at her friend. "I'm just glad that this is all over."
"Are you sure that you can't come with us to celebrate Kagome?" Yuka asked as the four girls found each other in the crowd.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She answered as thoughts of Inuyasha cam into her head. "I promise we'll do something together next time." She finished saying just as the bell rang. Everyone cleared out of the school, happy to leave after such a stressful day. Kagome was going to meet Inuyasha at the tree where she had told him to wait when a familiar voice stopped her.
"Higurashi-san!" She turned around and was face to face with Hojo.
"Oh, Hojo-kun." Kagome saw some movement in a tree behind Hojo and was horrified when she saw a pair of amber eyes glaring angrily at the unsuspecting boy.
"Congratulations on the test scores! You did really well." Hojo said, patting Kagome on the back. Was that a grumble she heard...?
"Oh, thank you Hojo. You did well too." Kagome hadn't even seen his scores, but she was desparate to get rid of the clueless boy before an angry hanyou tried to rip him apart.
"I'm really glad you've been here these past days. You're sick all of the time and I never get to see you." He added a little sadly. "Are you busy today?" An audible growl could be heard from the tree and the pair of amber eyes flashed threateningly. Kagome had to act quickly.
"Actually I am really busy. Um...I have to go get something I forgot in class, so I better go." Kagome tried her best to sound nice, but she was getting impatient.
"Alright Higurashi-san." Hojo smiled. "Congratulations again." He said, this time giving her a quick hug. Kagome was taken aback by the gesture, but she had no time to think about that. The leaves on the tree rustled and Kagome did what she knew she had to do to save Hojo.
"OSUWARI!" Inuyasha was surprised as he fell from mid-air attack position down to the bushes at the foot of the tree.
"What was that?" Hojo asked, confused.
"Um...nothing. I...uh...sneezed. Well, see you later Hojo-kun." She ran off to where she had seen Inuyasha fall. Hojo left the school grounds, oblivious to the whole situation like always.
"Who.Was.That?!" Kagome heard Inuyasha say before she had even reached him. He sat up in the bushes, leaves sticking out of his long hair and smudges of dirt on his face. He was trying very hard to control his temper, but Kagome could clearly see that he was pissed off.
"It's just a classmate Inuyasha." Kagome tried to say as calmly as she could. She didn't want Inuyasha to have any reason to feel threatened.
"Well then, what was he doing hugging you!" Inuyasha yelled as Kagome tried to help him up.
"He was just congratulating me because I did so well on my tests!" Kagome yelled back. "Inuyasha, you have absolutely no reason to worry about anything." She added in calmly as he began to pout and turn away. "Look at me Inuyasha." She said turning his face in her direction. "You're the only one I love, and I don't love anyone the way I love you." Inuyasha's face softened and he held her in his arms.
"I know Kagome, but it was hard to stay calm when I saw the way he was looking at you." Inuyasha added.
"Don't worry Inuyasha. Next time I see him I'll make it clear to him that I love someone else." Kagome promised, but inside she wondered how she would accomplish that, considering how dense Hojo was.
"Alright, well let's go." Inuyasha said, satisfied with Kagome's reply. "We have to get everything together before we return with everyone else. Get on my back, it's the quickest way." Kagome climbed on Inuyasha's back and was soon rushing through the rooftops of the city. Before she knew it, she was back at the shrine.
"How did the midterms go honey?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as they made their way inside.
"Fine Mama. I got A's on all of them." Kagome answered proudly. "I'm going to be leaving soon, so would you mind making an early dinner for Inuyasha and I?" Kagome asked.
"Well, I had thought this would happen and the food will be done in 20 minutes." Mrs. Higurashi answered her amazed daughter. "That should give you enough time to pack."
"Thanks Mama! You're the best." She made her way up to her room with Inuyasha in tow. As soon as she got in, she grabbed her travel backpack and began to stuff it with various supplies.
"Your Mom's so weird." Inuyasha said as Kagome scrambled around the room. "She has some sort of sixth sense, not that that's bad." He added as he thought of all the delicious food he would be eating soon.
"I know. Hey, do you think I should take this umbrella?" She asked emerging from the closet with the small pink baton. Inuyasha recognized it from before and answered.
"Nah! It's spring over there. There's no rain." Kagome shrugged her shoulders and put the umbrella back in the closet. She had packed in the usual supplies (first aid kit, brush, hair spray, toothbrush, etc.), extra clothes, her pajamas, and at the last minute an extra warm and fuzzy blanket.
"Why are you packing that?" Inuyasha eyed the blanket that she was trying to stuff into the backpack. "It's just going to take up room."
"I know, but I'm tired of sleeping on the hard floor all the time. I want some sort of comfort and warmth at night." She answered, finally managing to close the large bag.
"That's what I'm for now." Inuyasha said putting his arms around her shoulders from behind. Kagome smiled and gave him a kiss.
"Hmm...don't get your hopes up just yet." She teased him. Come on, lets go eat so we can leave." It was only a matter of time before they were both done eating and it was time to leave. Despite their efforts to leave early, the sun was already going down when it was time to go. They were soon standing in front of the well saying good-bye to everyone, surrounded by bags on the floor.
"Be careful and come back soon." Mrs. Higurashi said as Inuyasha picked up the various bags.
"Thanks for all of the food Mama! You think of everything." She said as she gave her mother a hug and a kiss. "Be good Souta and take care of everything while I'm gone."
"Okay Onee-chan." He turned to Inuyasha. "Thanks for helping me Inu-oniichan. Come back and visit soon!"
"See you later kid." Inuyasha answered, mussing up the young boys hair. "Thanks for everything." He yelled and jumped in. Kagome waved farewell and soon joined him. To her dismay, she found herself standing in a puddle of water when she arrived in Sengoku Jidai.
"What happened to no rain in spring?" Kagome asked as drops started to accumulate in her hair. Luckily, it wasn't a downpour, only a light and steady rain.
"Ever heard of spring showers?" Inuyasha offered as an explanation. "Hop on my back. I'll get us to the hut before we can really get wet, just hold on." Kagome did as she was told and they were soon out of the well and were headed to Kaede's hut at high speeds. They soon made it to the village only to find that there was no light coming from the hut. They went inside and Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back.
"Hello? Kaede-obaachan? Sango-chan? Miroku-sama?" No one answered as they made their way inside.
"Oh well, I guess the rain must have delayed them." Inuyasha stated. "Let's get a fire going." He walked to the corner of the house where they kept the dry wood and soon the light of the fire blazed in the hut. While Kagome put some things away, he sat in front of the fire to take the dampness out of his haori.
"This clothes is too wet for me." Kagome finally said when she had set everything up. "I'm going to change into my pajamas and slippers." She went into another part of the hut and soon emerged in her dry clothing. She sat down and snuggled into Inuyasha, who was now dry and warm from the roaring fire. He put his arm around her and they sat in silence for a while. It wasn't until Kagome's head began to droop in exhaustion that Inuyasha spoke.
"Are you tired?" He asked drawing her closer.
"Yeah, I guess school took a lot out of me these past few days." She answered, waking up a little from her drowsiness. She shivered as a wind blew in some cold air from a draft in the hut.
"Lets go to sleep then." Inuyasha picked her up in his arms and carried her over to one of the mats on the floor that had her sleeping bag on it. He set her down and walked over to her backpack. He pulled out the large blanket and lay down next to her, wrapping the enormous blanket around them both.
"This feels so nice." Kagome snuggled into Inuyasha as he wrapped his arms around her. "Everything just feels right. I don't know why it took so long for this to happen." She said, giving Inuyasha a deep and romantic kiss.
"All that matters is that it did happen." Inuyasha answered her as they pulled apart. "Now close your eyes and rest Kagome."
"Good-night Inuyasha." She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too, my Kagome." He held her close to him as the soft rain lulled them both to sleep, warm in each others arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, that's chapter 3. I'm soooooo sorry about the delay guys. I wanted to have this out much sooner, but I just didn't have the time. I promise the next chapter, which will probably be the last, will be out soon to make up for the delay of this one. Just remember to read and review. Good reviews always make me want to finish the chapter faster. See you later guys!
A Little Distracted (Chapter 3)
"Hurry up Kagome! You're going to be late!" Kagome was rushing frantically around her room desperately looking for all of her school materials. She had gotten up a little later than usual and began to panic as soon as she saw what time it was. Her Mom's reminder only made things worse as she rumaged through piles of papers, blankets, and drawers in an effort to locate the misplaced supplies.
"I'll be down in a minute, just hold on!" Kagome yelled in reply. Inuyasha was nowhere in sight due to the fact that he had retreated downstairs earlier in an effort to avoid being caught in her path of destruction. He knew that it wasn't the time to be affectionate and that any attempts to distract her would earn him a very painful 'Osuwari.' Finally, Kagome emerged from her closet triumphantly holding a large textbook in one hand and a thick notebook in the other. She shoved the book and the folder in her backpack and ran downstairs, barely missing Buyo on the way down.
"Honey, aren't you going to have any breakfast?" Mrs. Higurashi called out as Kagome ran into the living room to pick up some pens and pencils she had left there the night before. Souta had already left for school and Inuyasha was quietly sitting at the kitchen table observing the scene before him.
"I can't Mama! I promised the girls I'd meet up with them before class for some last minute studying. If I don't show up they're going to be mad." She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a few cookies, shoving them in her mouth as she grabbed her lunch. She was so busy scrambling around that she tripped over Buyo's food bowl and would have fallen if Inuyasha hadn't been there to catch her. (a/n: Isn't that convenient? ^_~)
"What would you do without me?" Inuyasha teased as he set Kagome upright.
"Have a lot of extra ramen to eat." Kagome answered as she caught sight of the empty bowls that had been his breakfast. She giggled as he scrunched up his face at her unexpected answer. "Well, I guess I would be pretty sad and lonely too." She gave him a reassuring kiss on the lips and then ran off into the living room to pick up some books, much to his dismay.
"You have that 'test' today and that's it, right?" Inuyasha asked as he walked her down the shrine stairs. She had already asked him earlier to stay at the shrine instead of walking her to school because she didn't want Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri to start making up stories. She couldn't deal with awkward questions right before the midterms.
"That's right. After today I'm all yours." Kagome smiled as she saw his mood brighten. 'Until the next test.' She thought and sighed. It was best not to bring that up at the moment. They reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to face each other.
"I'll be waiting for you after school, just like yesterday." He said as she sunk into his strong embrace.
'Now I know what Shakespeare meant when he said that 'Parting is such sweet sorrow.' Kagome thought as she stood there in Inuyasha's arms. She wanted time to stand still, but she knew that wouldn't happen. As much as she enjoyed the moment, it was time to go. "Don't worry Inuyasha, it'll be afternoon before we know it."
"I know." He let go of her and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "Good luck." He stood silently in the shade of the trees as she walked away. She had reached the end of the block and when she turned to look he was still there, the wind softly playing with his hair. She smiled and waved at him, running off when she realized that she had lingered there too long.
'I just have to get through today.' Kagome thought as she ran to school. 'Too bad that's easier said than done.' She made her way into the classroom and found that her three friends were already busy studying. Everyone was very tense, and Kagome
wished she could leave and not go through the pressure of another test.
"Come on Kagome! What are you waiting for?" Eri yelled as she caught sight of Kagome standing in the doorway. "I heard someone say that all of chapter 20 was going to be on the midterm! Let's go." Kagome felt herself dragged to her desk and soon her day was underway.
Back at the shrine, Inuyasha had already made his way back into the house. He had found Buyo along the way and was making the time pass by torturing him like usual.
"Inuyasha, did Kagome leave to school already?" Kagome's Mom called from upstairs.
"Yes." Inuyasha replied, unable to keep the sulkiness out of his voice. "Why, what's wrong?" Kagome's Mom came downstairs holding a small, black, rectangular object, a concerned look on her face.
"Well you see, she left her calculator here and I'm pretty sure she needed it for her math midterm today." She answered motioning to the small rectangle. "She doesn't have that class until after lunch though, so I guess I can take it then." Inuyasha stared at the small device.
"If she really needs it, just tell me and I'll go take it to her." Inuyasha said, turning his attention back to Buyo.
"Really Inuyasha? That would be a big help." Kagome's Mom beamed at Inuyasha. "I'm sure Kagome will really appreciate this too."
"Feh."
~*~ Hours Later At School~*~
*RING!*
Everyone piled out of the classrooms as the lunch bell rang. Kagome sighed as she was pushed out the door, her friends close behind.
"That history midterm was harder than I thought it would be!" Ayumi yelled over the noisy people surrounding their small group.
"Hopefully the math midterm will go better." Yuka said as she rummaged through her backpack. "I even brought my lucky calculator to make sure that nothing goes wrong!" The other three girls had to shield their eyes as Yuka brought a hot pink calculator with neon yellow fuzzballs out of her backpack. "Cool, huh?"
"Umm...it's nice." Kagome said trying to keep a straight face. "I decided to bring something a little more practical." Kagome searched through her backpack trying to find her handy dandy graphing calculator. She began to panic when she couldn't find it.
"What's wrong Kagome?" Eri asked with concern as Kagome began to dump everything out of her backpack.
"Ahh! I think I forgot my calculator at home!" Kagome searched once again through all of her possessions and sighed defeatedly as she produced nothing from the pile.
"That's too bad." Ayumi said as she looked at a sulking Kagome. "I'm pretty sure our teacher said he wouldn't have any calculators to lend." Kagome was now on the verge of tears as she realized the hopelessness of her situation.
"Umm...well, we better go get our lunch before the bell rings." Yuka said dragging the other girls away from Kagome. "Let's go before she blows up." She whispered to them urgently and the three girls retreated from Kagome as quickly as they could.
"I can't believe I forgot something so important!" Kagome was sitting on the floor and was on the verge of tears when she heard a rustle from the tree next to her. A few leaves fell down, but when she looked up she didn't see anything. She was putting all of her things back in her bag when she heard a faint whisper.
"Psst! Kagome!" Kagome looked around, unsure of where the voice had come from.
"I must be going crazy." She said aloud. "I'm starting to hear voices." She stood up and hoisted her backpack on her shoulders.
"No you're not." Kagome froze in place as the voice answered her. "Up here." Kagome looked up to the familiar sight of the red haori clad hanyou in the tree.
"Inuyasha!" She took a step back as her brain processed the sight before her. "What are you doing here at school?"
"Whatever happened to 'hello'?" Inuyasha asked, a sullen expression on his face.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I didn't mean it in a bad way. You just surprised me, that's all." Kagome answered. She looked around and noticed that some people were starting to stare at her suspiciously. "Inuyasha, meet me on the roof. I can't talk openly here." A rustle from the trees signaled to Kagome that Inuyasha was gone. She smiled sheepishly at the students that were staring at her and ran into the building. She made her way up the stairs and found that Inuyasha was already waiting for her.
"You're lucky your Mom loves you almost as much as I do." Inuyasha said as he handed Kagome the calculator she was looking for.
"My calculator!" Kagome rushed forward and got the precious device out of his hands. "You came all the way over here to bring it to me?" Kagome asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Of course. Why else would I be standing here in front of you?" Inuyasha stated crossing his arms across his chest. He looked over at Kagome and realized that her eyes were all wet and glossy. "Oi! What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" He uncrossed his arms and looked at her, unsure of what to do.
"You're so sweet Inuyasha!" Kagome threw herself into the arms of the confused hanyou and buried herself in his red haori. "I can't believe you did this just for me." Inuyasha's face softened and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Of course I did this just for you. I love you." Kagome sighed as the three words she loved to hear the most came out of his mouth efortlessly. "Not to mention your Mom said you would probably share your lunch with me."
"Eh?" Kagome broke their embrace and found that Inuyasha was grinning at her.
"That trip made me pretty hungry you know." Kagome sighed again, but this time in disbelief.
"I forget that you still have a lot to learn about what to say." Kagome hugged Inuyasha again. "But I love you just the way you are anyway." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and sat down on the cement.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha sat down next to her curiously as she searched through her backpack again.
"What do you think?" She asked as she brought out her neatly wrapped lunch.
"I didn't think it was possible, but now I love you even more than before." Inuyasha planted a kiss on Kagome's forehead and began to pig out as soon as Kagome was done unwrapping the lunch. He gulped down some sushi rolls and turned to Kagome.
"So how much longer are you going to stay here?" He asked as he sampled some more of her lunch.
"Not that long actually. All I need is my math test and then there's a break and all of the teachers post the test scores before the end of the day." Kagome explained. Inuyasha gave her a blank stare.
"Uh...huh. Okay, well do you think I could stay here until school is over?" He asked hopefully. He put an arm around her. "I could be nearby and walk you home when everything is done."
"Is that supposed to be a bonus?" Kagome teased. A light kiss on the lips assured Inuyasha that she was only joking. "You can stay on one condition."
"That would be..." Inuyasha asked warily.
"You CAN'T come out of hiding. If anyone sees you they might freak out because of these." She reached up and rubbed the two small white ears on the top of his head.
"Mmmm. That feels good." Inuyasha said closing his eyes happily. Kagome stopped and looked at him, her arms crossed over her chest angrily.
"You know, that's not what you used to say." She glared at him.
"I know." He gave her a boyish grin. "I lied. If I had told you that I loved it everytime you did that, you wouldn't have done it anymore." Kagome uncrossed her arms.
"That's a good point." She said. "But it was still a rotten thing to do." Inuyasha was about to defend himself when a well-timed bell interrupted him. "That's the end of lunch!" She said getting up suddenly. She left the rest of the food for him to eat and picked up her backpack.
"How do I know when school is over?" Inuyasha asked trying to get Kagome to stop rushing around.
"Umm...well when a bell rings and everyone starts leaving these doors." Kagome motioned to the front gate. "That means that school is out. In the meanwhile, you can sit in that tree over there." This time she motioned to a tall oak tree next to a window. "From there you'll be able to see me in my math class. I'll see you after school." She gave him a kiss and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped. "Remember, don't let anyone see you!" With that she ran off.
"Oi! Who does she think she is?" Inuyasha asked no one in particular. He stuffed another sushi roll in his mouth when he remembered. 'That's right, she's my woman.' He thought to himself. 'Bossy woman.' Meanwhile, Kagome rushed to get to her next class and her final midterm. She made it to her seat just as the bell rang.
"There you are Kagome! Where did you go at lunch?" Eri asked while Kagome tried to catch her breath.
"Umm...well...I tried to find someone who would lend me their calculator." Kagome lied as she spotted the pink atrocity of a calculator on Yuka's desk.
"Did you find one?" Kagome nodded as she held up her own calculator triumphantly.
"Did Hojo-kun let you borrow it?" Ayumi asked, nudging Kagome. Kagome froze. She had forgotten all about Hojo. It wouldn't be a good thing if Inuyasha saw her with him.
"Umm...no. It was another girl that I know." She glanced out of the window momentarily as she saw a red streak out of the corner of her eye.
"Alright students! Enough chit chat, it's time to start the midterm." Kagome was happy when the teacher interrupted her conversation to start the test. She looked out the window again while the teacher was passing out the test forms and saw a pair of amber eyes staring at her through the tree leaves. She smiled and turned her attention back to her desk when her test was in front of her.
'One last test to go.' Kagome braced herself and began to work on the days final midterm.
~*~Sengoku Jidai~*~
"How about here?" Kaede asked pressing an area near Sango's ankle. A cry from Sango signaled to the old woman that it would take a while longer for her injury to fully heal.
"I can't believe this still hurts!" Sango said wrapping her foot back in the bandage that Kaede had made.
"It's no use. I don't have the necessary herbs here to help you. Your ankle won't be able to properly heal until I have all the proper supplies. You'll have to wait until we get back to the village." Sango sighed. She was happy that she had Kirara to carry her or else it would be a very painful trip home.
"When do we leave?" Sango asked, leaning against the wall of the cabin they were staying in.
"As soon as Miroku comes back. He went out with Shippou and Kirara to take care of some of the last demons. He's also going to put up some demon charms to keep them from coming back." Kaede shuffled around the cabin packing some of the final things they needed for their trip back.
"The sooner the better." Sango replied. "I can't stand sitting around here doing nothing all day. I need to be active." She closed her eyes for a while when a familiar 'mew' woke her up. "Hi there Kirara. Did you have a good time?"
"Mew!" Came the happy reply. She settled herself in Sango's lap and soon Miroku and Shippou made their way into the hut, both sweating quite a bit.
"What happened to you two?" Sango asked as they both sat down and immediately went for some water.
"We had to do a bit of running." Miroku finally said after he had his fill of water. Shippou went thirstily for the small bottle and drank deeply.
"Were the monsters really that bad?" Sango asked, concern in her eyes.
"Well...not exactly." Miroku said, a curious look in his eyes. Shippou finished drinking and wiped some of the water that had trickled out of his mouth with his sleeve.
"Actually, we had to run from some angry guy. Miroku was hitting on one of the village girls and her father came out and-" Shippou was cut short by a quick hit in the head from Miroku's staff. He fell to the floor clutching his head in pain while Sango's face turned red with anger and she looked away from the tired pair.
"That's quite enough from you." Shippou was holding his head, a large lump beginning to form in the area where he had been hit.
"Why am I not surprised." Sango remarked sadly while petting Kirara.
"It's not like that Sango, I swear!" Miroku laughed cautiously. Shippou just glared at him.
"Come on Kirara. Let's go find Kaede-baba so that we can go home." The two small Youkai made their way out of the hut, leaving an angry Sango with a very guilty-looking Miroku.
"How is your ankle, Sango?" The monk finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. He started to walk towards her, and Sango stared at him icily.
"Don't come any nearer you perverted Houshi." She said backing away slightly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Miroku sighed.
"So, are you feeling any better?" Miroku repeated.
"It still hurts." Sango stated simply. "Not that you really care." She added coldly. Miroku looked taken aback by her comment, much to Sango's surprise. He sat down where he was standing and stared down at the floor.
"You may say what you want about me Sango..." He turned his head in her direction, a hurt look in his eyes. "...but I do care about you."
"Houshi-sama, I..." Sango didn't know what to say. She had never seen Miroku give her a look like that before. She felt awful about what she had just said.
"It's okay Sango, don't worry about it." Miroku said standing up and smiling at her, his sad mood passing away as quickly as it had come. "I just don't want you to ever forget that." Sango smiled at him and nodded.
"I promise Houshi-sama." She turned towards the door as Kaede pulled aside the curtain.
"Well, it looks like we're ready to go now." She walked in followed by Kirara and Shippou. Kirara transformed and Kaede placed a large bag that held all of their belonging on her back. "Oh, I forgot that you have to carry Sango back now."
"It's okay, Kaede-sama. I'll carry Sango." Miroku offered. "You take Hiraikotsu and ride on Kirara, just like when we came." Kirara growled suspiciously, but one reassuring pat on her head from Sango was enough to calm her.
"It's okay Kirara. He'll take good care of me." Sango guaranteed her faithful companion. Miroku beamed proudly. "If he doesn't, then I give you permission to tear him apart." Miroku laughed nervously, not sure if she was joking or not. He knelt down in front of her and he was once again carrying her on his back.
"Are you comfortable?" He asked once they were underway. Kaede, Shippou, and Kirara were well ahead of them, Kirara's pace being much quicker than Miroku's.
"Yes, thank you Houshi-sama." Sango looked up at the sky and noticed that it was dark and overcast. "Too bad that the day is not as beautiful as it was yesterday."
"It's all a matter of perspective." Miroku answered. He turned his face toward her as best as he could. "I think today is just as beautiful as it was yesterday, or even more beautiful." He smirked at Sango and turned away just as she was beginning to turn red.
"Houshi-sama, you can be a real sweet-talker when you want to be." Sango sighed and put her head on his shoulder.
"Then, will you bear my child?" He asked hopefully, rubbing her leg.
*SMACK*
"See what I mean. When you want to be." Miroku was rubbing his head where a large lump was beginning to form.
"No matter what, it's always worth it." Miroku smiled. He stopped when a drop of water hit his nose.
"It's starting to rain." Sango stared up at the sky. "Just what we needed."
"Hurry up you guys!" Shippou yelled from up ahead. We have to get back before it gets any worse!" Almost as if on cue, a streak of lightning flashed over-head followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Rain began to pour down from the skies and Miroku ran ahead to catch up with Kirara.
"It'll be impossible to get home with this kind of weather Kaede-sama." Miroku yelled over the thunder. "We'll all get sick if we don't find some shelter."
"I agree. It will become impossible to see anything with all this rain soon as well." Kaede said, straining her eyes to see in the distance. "Head for those mountains. There must be a cave we can take refuge in." They all made their way deeper into the forest and soon found the rocky walls of the mountains. Sure enough, they found a cave that would suit their needs.
"This will be a good place to stay until the rain lets up." Miroku said in between breaths. Running with a person on his back was much harder than Inuyasha made it seem.
"Shouldn't we check to see if there are any demons in here?" Sango asked cautiously. "Kirara, go check deeper into the cave and make sure there's nothing here." Once Kaede, Shippou, and the luggage was off of her, Kirara made her way into the cave.
"In the meanwhile, we should get a fire going. I have a feeling we'll be staying here a while." Kaede said, staring at the gray sky. They found some dry firewood by the cave entrance and made themselves comfortable. They were all a little wet, but soon the fire had them all dry. Kirara made her way back to the group and transformed back into her small form. She snuggled into Sango's lap and mewed contentedly.
"I take it we have nothing to worry about." Sango said, petting her small friend. Kirara nodded her head groggily and was soon asleep. Sango's eyes were beginning to droop as well when she felt someone wrap a blanket around her.
"No use getting you back to the village to heal if you catch a pneumonia and die anyway." Miroku said jokingly, sitting next to her.
"Thank you for the comfort Houshi-sama." Sango laughed. She had to admit that she wasn't so worried about getting back anymore. She stiffened as she felt Miroku's arm wrap around her, but she relaxed once she saw the look in his eyes. It wasn't a perverted gesture, but a caring one.
"Go ahead and fall asleep." He said looking her in the eyes. "I'll stay up and protect you from any harm." Sango's eyes glossed over with tears, but she nodded at him and smiled. She put her head on his shoulder once again and closed her eyes. She was more exhausted than she thought and soon she was drifting off to sleep.
"Thank you...Miroku." She whispered.
"Hmm?" Miroku looked at her, surprised that she used his name. "Sleep well Sango."
~*~Back to Kagome~*~
"Alright class! Pencils down!" Kagome furiously bubbled in some final answers on her answer sheet and let her pencil drop on her desk. Her math teacher walked around the class and collected the tests.
"I'm glad that's over." Kagome sighed and relaxed in her chair.
"Very good class. I have to go to the computer and grade these tests now, but an office assistant will be here to watch you. All of you know how to behave, so keep the noise level down. A bell will ring 10 minutes before the final bell so that you may all go see your scores." The door opened and a nicely dressed man walked in. "Well, I'll leave you then class. Behave because I'll know if you don't." The teacher gave the man some final directions and walked out.
"How'd you do Kaome?" Yuka asked once the teacher was gone.
"I don't know. I don't want to jinx myself." Kagome forced herself to smile cheerfully. 'I must have guessed on most of those problems.' She thought sadly in her head.
"Don't worry girls, we probably did fine." Eri said, upbeat like always. Kagome was looking out of the window, trying to see if she caught any sign of Inuyasha.
'He probably fell asleep.' She thought and smiled to herself. She could hear the babble of her friends in the background, but their conversation didn't matter very much to her at that moment.
"Hello? Kagome?" Ayumi called, but there was no reply. It wasn't until she waved her hand in front of her face that Kagome snapped out of her trance.
"Huh? What, what's going on?" Kagome asked, startled by the interruption.
"You're really out of it Kagome." Ayumi said. "I asked if you were busy after school. We were thinking of celebrating the end of midterms."
"Sorry, I can't." Kagome searched her mind for an excuse. "I have to help my grandpa with shrine preparations. There's a...um... important event coming up soon and we have to prepare." Kagome lied.
"Oh, that's too bad." Yuka said. "I guess having a shrine is a lot of work." The four girls talked until the end of class when a bell rang. Outside in the tree, Inuyahsa almost fell out when he heard the bell rang. He had indeed fallen asleep because he was so bored, but the bell startled him out of his sleep.
"Is that the end of school?" Inuyasha peered out of the tree and looked at the front gate. No one had left, so he figured that school wasn't over. He looked into the window where Kagome had been and realized that she wasn't there anymore. "Huh? When the hell did that happen?" He sniffed the air and caught her scent a short distance away. Being careful to keep out of sight, he jumped from tree to tree until he was in a location where he could see her. Kagome, meanwhile, was trying to get through the crowd of people to see her scores.
"Come on, excuse me, sorry." She finally pushed her way through the people and saw all of her scores. She sighed in relief when she saw that all of them were high scores and that she really had nothing to worry about.
"Wow Kagome, you got great scores!" Eri said as she found Kagome in the mob of people.
"Their nothing compared to yours Eri." Kagome smiled at her friend. "I'm just glad that this is all over."
"Are you sure that you can't come with us to celebrate Kagome?" Yuka asked as the four girls found each other in the crowd.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She answered as thoughts of Inuyasha cam into her head. "I promise we'll do something together next time." She finished saying just as the bell rang. Everyone cleared out of the school, happy to leave after such a stressful day. Kagome was going to meet Inuyasha at the tree where she had told him to wait when a familiar voice stopped her.
"Higurashi-san!" She turned around and was face to face with Hojo.
"Oh, Hojo-kun." Kagome saw some movement in a tree behind Hojo and was horrified when she saw a pair of amber eyes glaring angrily at the unsuspecting boy.
"Congratulations on the test scores! You did really well." Hojo said, patting Kagome on the back. Was that a grumble she heard...?
"Oh, thank you Hojo. You did well too." Kagome hadn't even seen his scores, but she was desparate to get rid of the clueless boy before an angry hanyou tried to rip him apart.
"I'm really glad you've been here these past days. You're sick all of the time and I never get to see you." He added a little sadly. "Are you busy today?" An audible growl could be heard from the tree and the pair of amber eyes flashed threateningly. Kagome had to act quickly.
"Actually I am really busy. Um...I have to go get something I forgot in class, so I better go." Kagome tried her best to sound nice, but she was getting impatient.
"Alright Higurashi-san." Hojo smiled. "Congratulations again." He said, this time giving her a quick hug. Kagome was taken aback by the gesture, but she had no time to think about that. The leaves on the tree rustled and Kagome did what she knew she had to do to save Hojo.
"OSUWARI!" Inuyasha was surprised as he fell from mid-air attack position down to the bushes at the foot of the tree.
"What was that?" Hojo asked, confused.
"Um...nothing. I...uh...sneezed. Well, see you later Hojo-kun." She ran off to where she had seen Inuyasha fall. Hojo left the school grounds, oblivious to the whole situation like always.
"Who.Was.That?!" Kagome heard Inuyasha say before she had even reached him. He sat up in the bushes, leaves sticking out of his long hair and smudges of dirt on his face. He was trying very hard to control his temper, but Kagome could clearly see that he was pissed off.
"It's just a classmate Inuyasha." Kagome tried to say as calmly as she could. She didn't want Inuyasha to have any reason to feel threatened.
"Well then, what was he doing hugging you!" Inuyasha yelled as Kagome tried to help him up.
"He was just congratulating me because I did so well on my tests!" Kagome yelled back. "Inuyasha, you have absolutely no reason to worry about anything." She added in calmly as he began to pout and turn away. "Look at me Inuyasha." She said turning his face in her direction. "You're the only one I love, and I don't love anyone the way I love you." Inuyasha's face softened and he held her in his arms.
"I know Kagome, but it was hard to stay calm when I saw the way he was looking at you." Inuyasha added.
"Don't worry Inuyasha. Next time I see him I'll make it clear to him that I love someone else." Kagome promised, but inside she wondered how she would accomplish that, considering how dense Hojo was.
"Alright, well let's go." Inuyasha said, satisfied with Kagome's reply. "We have to get everything together before we return with everyone else. Get on my back, it's the quickest way." Kagome climbed on Inuyasha's back and was soon rushing through the rooftops of the city. Before she knew it, she was back at the shrine.
"How did the midterms go honey?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as they made their way inside.
"Fine Mama. I got A's on all of them." Kagome answered proudly. "I'm going to be leaving soon, so would you mind making an early dinner for Inuyasha and I?" Kagome asked.
"Well, I had thought this would happen and the food will be done in 20 minutes." Mrs. Higurashi answered her amazed daughter. "That should give you enough time to pack."
"Thanks Mama! You're the best." She made her way up to her room with Inuyasha in tow. As soon as she got in, she grabbed her travel backpack and began to stuff it with various supplies.
"Your Mom's so weird." Inuyasha said as Kagome scrambled around the room. "She has some sort of sixth sense, not that that's bad." He added as he thought of all the delicious food he would be eating soon.
"I know. Hey, do you think I should take this umbrella?" She asked emerging from the closet with the small pink baton. Inuyasha recognized it from before and answered.
"Nah! It's spring over there. There's no rain." Kagome shrugged her shoulders and put the umbrella back in the closet. She had packed in the usual supplies (first aid kit, brush, hair spray, toothbrush, etc.), extra clothes, her pajamas, and at the last minute an extra warm and fuzzy blanket.
"Why are you packing that?" Inuyasha eyed the blanket that she was trying to stuff into the backpack. "It's just going to take up room."
"I know, but I'm tired of sleeping on the hard floor all the time. I want some sort of comfort and warmth at night." She answered, finally managing to close the large bag.
"That's what I'm for now." Inuyasha said putting his arms around her shoulders from behind. Kagome smiled and gave him a kiss.
"Hmm...don't get your hopes up just yet." She teased him. Come on, lets go eat so we can leave." It was only a matter of time before they were both done eating and it was time to leave. Despite their efforts to leave early, the sun was already going down when it was time to go. They were soon standing in front of the well saying good-bye to everyone, surrounded by bags on the floor.
"Be careful and come back soon." Mrs. Higurashi said as Inuyasha picked up the various bags.
"Thanks for all of the food Mama! You think of everything." She said as she gave her mother a hug and a kiss. "Be good Souta and take care of everything while I'm gone."
"Okay Onee-chan." He turned to Inuyasha. "Thanks for helping me Inu-oniichan. Come back and visit soon!"
"See you later kid." Inuyasha answered, mussing up the young boys hair. "Thanks for everything." He yelled and jumped in. Kagome waved farewell and soon joined him. To her dismay, she found herself standing in a puddle of water when she arrived in Sengoku Jidai.
"What happened to no rain in spring?" Kagome asked as drops started to accumulate in her hair. Luckily, it wasn't a downpour, only a light and steady rain.
"Ever heard of spring showers?" Inuyasha offered as an explanation. "Hop on my back. I'll get us to the hut before we can really get wet, just hold on." Kagome did as she was told and they were soon out of the well and were headed to Kaede's hut at high speeds. They soon made it to the village only to find that there was no light coming from the hut. They went inside and Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back.
"Hello? Kaede-obaachan? Sango-chan? Miroku-sama?" No one answered as they made their way inside.
"Oh well, I guess the rain must have delayed them." Inuyasha stated. "Let's get a fire going." He walked to the corner of the house where they kept the dry wood and soon the light of the fire blazed in the hut. While Kagome put some things away, he sat in front of the fire to take the dampness out of his haori.
"This clothes is too wet for me." Kagome finally said when she had set everything up. "I'm going to change into my pajamas and slippers." She went into another part of the hut and soon emerged in her dry clothing. She sat down and snuggled into Inuyasha, who was now dry and warm from the roaring fire. He put his arm around her and they sat in silence for a while. It wasn't until Kagome's head began to droop in exhaustion that Inuyasha spoke.
"Are you tired?" He asked drawing her closer.
"Yeah, I guess school took a lot out of me these past few days." She answered, waking up a little from her drowsiness. She shivered as a wind blew in some cold air from a draft in the hut.
"Lets go to sleep then." Inuyasha picked her up in his arms and carried her over to one of the mats on the floor that had her sleeping bag on it. He set her down and walked over to her backpack. He pulled out the large blanket and lay down next to her, wrapping the enormous blanket around them both.
"This feels so nice." Kagome snuggled into Inuyasha as he wrapped his arms around her. "Everything just feels right. I don't know why it took so long for this to happen." She said, giving Inuyasha a deep and romantic kiss.
"All that matters is that it did happen." Inuyasha answered her as they pulled apart. "Now close your eyes and rest Kagome."
"Good-night Inuyasha." She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too, my Kagome." He held her close to him as the soft rain lulled them both to sleep, warm in each others arms.
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Well, that's chapter 3. I'm soooooo sorry about the delay guys. I wanted to have this out much sooner, but I just didn't have the time. I promise the next chapter, which will probably be the last, will be out soon to make up for the delay of this one. Just remember to read and review. Good reviews always make me want to finish the chapter faster. See you later guys!
