CHAPTER ONE
*
"I'm not imaginining it," Inuyasha grumbled. He shifted Kagome's bike higher on his shoulder. "It IS getting heavier every time."
"If it's too heavy, I can always take the backpack off," Kagome said.
"I didn't say it was TOO heavy," Inuyasha said, bristling."It's nowhere near 'too heavy.' I can sure lift anything you can carry into the well. It's just heavier than it needs to be."
They were only five minutes away from the village, and already Inuyasha was in one of his "moods." Nothing would satisfy him, nothing would please him. Kagome stifled a sigh. It was probably a reaction to having to make the choice between coming with her, and living in a tree for a week -- neither was appealing, so he chose the lesser evil and became crabby.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought.
"... it's not even a good idea," Inuyasha was grousing. "I mean, your parents don't even know me."
"My mom," Kagome said abruptly.
"What?"
"Just my mom," she repeated, not slowing down. "My dad's dead."
She waited for an answer, but Inuyasha was quiet. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw he was staring off into the woods, his golden eyes narrowed to slits. He looked uncomfortable now.
"Come on, can't you even try to be cheerful?" she said. "Is it really that bad to be staying with me for a week? We spend almost all our time together anyway, don't we? So this isn't too different, is it?"
"Hmph."
"Buck up, will you? It'll be a whole week where nobody's gonna try to kill us." Kagome shaded her eyes as she looked into the clearing. "I see the well."
Inuyasha kept silent as they approached the well. He watched as Kagome hopped inside, and as she fell she looked up to see his face looking down at her. Then the world blurred into a tangle of light and shooting stars, fading away as Kagome landed lightly on the bottom of the well. "Touchdown," she murmured.
A moment later, Inuyasha appeared out of thin air at her side, with her bike still on his shoulder. "What do you want me to do with this?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter," Kagome said absently, climbing up the ladder.
Inuyasha shrugged and tossed the bike up the well. "No!" Kagome shouted as it crashed into a wall and fell to the floor.
"What?" Inuyasha demanded. "You said it didn't matter."
Kagome sighed. "I did, I know. Come on, I need to talk to my mom."
Inuyasha leaped to the top of the well and perched on the wooden frame. "Does she know I'm coming?"
"Not yet." Kagome jumped over the edge of the well. "But Sota will be glad to see you, even if Grandpa isn't."
Inuyasha made an odd noise that could have been either embarrassment or dismissal.
Kagome peeked out the door. No one was in the courtyard; she seized Inuyasha's hand and pulled him over to the house...
"... has a nasty case of Tourette's Syndrome, quite a nasty case," she heard Grandpa saying loudly from the kitchen. "Anyway, she'll be out of school for a bit longer -- hopefully the attack will subside in time for her finals. I'll tell her you said so, poor thing. Goodbye."
Kagome resisted the urge to shriek. If her grandfather HAD to claim she was sick, couldn't he at least talk about illnesses he knew something about? At least it was better than saying she had herpes. She had almost freaked when she overheard him telling Hojo that.
"What's he talkin' about?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you sick?"
"No, of course not. He's always making excuses for my being in the feudal era," Kagome said in a small voice. "Come on, let's go in."
Her mother was chopping onions in the kitchen. She looked up as Kagome knocked on the door, and her face lit up. "Kagome!"
"Hi, Mom."
Her mother smiled as Inuyasha trailed in after Kagome, sniffing the air. "And I see you brought your friend with the cute ears."
Inuyasha looked slightly peeved.
"Uh, yeah," Kagome said. "Can he stay with us for finals week, Mom? I promise he won't be in the way."
"Of course he can," her mom said warmly. "What was your name again, dear?"
"Inuyasha." He looked even more peeved at being called "dear."
"Well, Inuyasha, I hope you'll enjoy being here," Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Guess so," Inuyasha mumbled, now looking embarrassed.
"She's back!" came a shout from the next room. Sota dashed in and threw his arms around Kagome's waist. "She's back! I got all those notes for the finals from your classmates."
"Thanks, Sota," Kagome said. "Inuyasha's going to be staying with us for a week until I go back to the feudal era."
Sota's eyes went wide. "Cool!" he shouted. Inuyasha was now blushing outright, and trying to avoid Mrs. Higurashi's gaze.
"... I'm sorry but a blood clot in her leg means that she can't have any visitors. Certainly she can't go shopping," came a voice from the hall.
Kagome rushed out, determined to rip the phone out of the wall.
*
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"I'm not imaginining it," Inuyasha grumbled. He shifted Kagome's bike higher on his shoulder. "It IS getting heavier every time."
"If it's too heavy, I can always take the backpack off," Kagome said.
"I didn't say it was TOO heavy," Inuyasha said, bristling."It's nowhere near 'too heavy.' I can sure lift anything you can carry into the well. It's just heavier than it needs to be."
They were only five minutes away from the village, and already Inuyasha was in one of his "moods." Nothing would satisfy him, nothing would please him. Kagome stifled a sigh. It was probably a reaction to having to make the choice between coming with her, and living in a tree for a week -- neither was appealing, so he chose the lesser evil and became crabby.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought.
"... it's not even a good idea," Inuyasha was grousing. "I mean, your parents don't even know me."
"My mom," Kagome said abruptly.
"What?"
"Just my mom," she repeated, not slowing down. "My dad's dead."
She waited for an answer, but Inuyasha was quiet. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw he was staring off into the woods, his golden eyes narrowed to slits. He looked uncomfortable now.
"Come on, can't you even try to be cheerful?" she said. "Is it really that bad to be staying with me for a week? We spend almost all our time together anyway, don't we? So this isn't too different, is it?"
"Hmph."
"Buck up, will you? It'll be a whole week where nobody's gonna try to kill us." Kagome shaded her eyes as she looked into the clearing. "I see the well."
Inuyasha kept silent as they approached the well. He watched as Kagome hopped inside, and as she fell she looked up to see his face looking down at her. Then the world blurred into a tangle of light and shooting stars, fading away as Kagome landed lightly on the bottom of the well. "Touchdown," she murmured.
A moment later, Inuyasha appeared out of thin air at her side, with her bike still on his shoulder. "What do you want me to do with this?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter," Kagome said absently, climbing up the ladder.
Inuyasha shrugged and tossed the bike up the well. "No!" Kagome shouted as it crashed into a wall and fell to the floor.
"What?" Inuyasha demanded. "You said it didn't matter."
Kagome sighed. "I did, I know. Come on, I need to talk to my mom."
Inuyasha leaped to the top of the well and perched on the wooden frame. "Does she know I'm coming?"
"Not yet." Kagome jumped over the edge of the well. "But Sota will be glad to see you, even if Grandpa isn't."
Inuyasha made an odd noise that could have been either embarrassment or dismissal.
Kagome peeked out the door. No one was in the courtyard; she seized Inuyasha's hand and pulled him over to the house...
"... has a nasty case of Tourette's Syndrome, quite a nasty case," she heard Grandpa saying loudly from the kitchen. "Anyway, she'll be out of school for a bit longer -- hopefully the attack will subside in time for her finals. I'll tell her you said so, poor thing. Goodbye."
Kagome resisted the urge to shriek. If her grandfather HAD to claim she was sick, couldn't he at least talk about illnesses he knew something about? At least it was better than saying she had herpes. She had almost freaked when she overheard him telling Hojo that.
"What's he talkin' about?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you sick?"
"No, of course not. He's always making excuses for my being in the feudal era," Kagome said in a small voice. "Come on, let's go in."
Her mother was chopping onions in the kitchen. She looked up as Kagome knocked on the door, and her face lit up. "Kagome!"
"Hi, Mom."
Her mother smiled as Inuyasha trailed in after Kagome, sniffing the air. "And I see you brought your friend with the cute ears."
Inuyasha looked slightly peeved.
"Uh, yeah," Kagome said. "Can he stay with us for finals week, Mom? I promise he won't be in the way."
"Of course he can," her mom said warmly. "What was your name again, dear?"
"Inuyasha." He looked even more peeved at being called "dear."
"Well, Inuyasha, I hope you'll enjoy being here," Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Guess so," Inuyasha mumbled, now looking embarrassed.
"She's back!" came a shout from the next room. Sota dashed in and threw his arms around Kagome's waist. "She's back! I got all those notes for the finals from your classmates."
"Thanks, Sota," Kagome said. "Inuyasha's going to be staying with us for a week until I go back to the feudal era."
Sota's eyes went wide. "Cool!" he shouted. Inuyasha was now blushing outright, and trying to avoid Mrs. Higurashi's gaze.
"... I'm sorry but a blood clot in her leg means that she can't have any visitors. Certainly she can't go shopping," came a voice from the hall.
Kagome rushed out, determined to rip the phone out of the wall.
*
TO BE CONTINUED