CHAPTER FOUR
*
"Bye Mom!" Kagome shouted, waving wildly. "Bye, Grandpa. I'll take care of Sota until you get back! Love you both!"
The taxi sputtered off down the street. Kagome kept waving from the curb until they had dwindled away down the street. Then she glanced along the empty streets. "You can come out now. No one's watching."
A silver head poked out of the bushes. Inuyasha sniffed the air suspiciously.
"I don't know why you're out here anyway," Kagome said, starting up the steps to the shrine. "It's not like I'm gonna get mugged by the taxi driver."
"Hmph. Whatever." Inuyasha leaped up the stairs, landing directly in front of her. His face had a foreboding look that she knew very, very well. "And maybe this is the right time for you to say it to me."
"Say what?"
He almost erupted. "Say WHAT? An apology for all the agony you put me through! You yelled those stupid 'sit' commands three times in one day -- and the first time, I didn't even do anything wrong!"
"That was a fluke, and personally I think it hurt me a lot more than it hurt you. Okay, I'm very sorry I kept shouting that at you. Happy now?"
"Not really." Inuyasha folded his arms, scowling.
"Look, Inuyasha, I'm sorry that I overreacted over that crack about my cooking. And I'm really sorry that I made you land on me, even if that WAS your fault-"
"MY FAULT?"
"You were practically sitting on me, staring at my eyes until I woke up. Now I don't like it when my cat does that, and you may have pretty eyes, but it's STILL not cute when you do it, no matter how good your intentions."
Kagome braced herself for another verbal onslaught, but to her surprise Inuyasha's face had gone blank. Then he frowned, looking puzzled. "Pretty eyes? You think I have pretty eyes?" he said slowly, as if accustoming himself to the idea.
"Er..." Kagome said, feeling herself blush. "Um. Let's get inside. Sota will be waiting for us."
She almost raced up the concrete steps to the shrine, with Inuyasha following slowly behind her, with a thoughtful look on his face.
*
"I need to study!" Kagome called over her shoulder, balancing a stack of books up to her chin. If I can make it up the stairs, she thought, it would be easier from then on.
"But you did that LAST night!" Inuyasha shouted from the kitchen.
"Yes! I need to do it again tonight; it's an ongoing project."
"But if you study, what are we supposed to eat?"
Kagome's math textbook slipped off her pile of books, and clattered down at Inuyasha's feet. Reluctantly he picked up the book and carried it up after her.
A few hours later, Kagome rubbed her eyes. They itched as if she had been awake too long, even though she had had plenty of sleep the night before. Cities, borders, national languages and customs danced in her head like cackling sprites.
Inuyasha was sprawled on her bed, with his legs dangling off the edge. He was a strange, jarring presence in an otherwise normal girl's bedroom, especially with a small plastic screen in front of his face. Kagome knew from long experience that Inuyasha tended to either stare intently at her, or bounce off the walls if he didn't have something to do. So she'd provided him with Sota's old Etch-A-Sketch, and he hadn't moved in three straight hours, except to shake it vigorously.
"Why do you do this stuff anyway?" Inuyasha said suddenly. "Seems like a lot of work for nothin'."
"It's not for nothing," Kagome said absently. "I wanna get into a good high school, and then a good college, so I can have a good job one day."
"Seems like a lot of work just so you can do more work. You should stay on the other side of the well for good. Save yourself a lot of trouble."
"Don't tempt me when I'm ready to rip my hair out over this," Kagome said.
Inuyasha shrugged and went back to his sketching.
Suddenly Kagome stiffened. From somewhere in the house, she had heard a door slam. "Kagome?" a girl's voice called.
"It's Yuka!" Kagome squeaked, almost falling out of her chair. Faint footsteps were coming closer. "Hide!"
"Where?" Inuyasha demanded, getting off the bed.
Kagome looked wildly around her room, then grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into her closet. She slammed the door shut, cutting off his outraged shout, just as the bright-eyed schoolgirl came into her room.
"Kagome? I hope you don't mind, but the front door was open," Yuka said. "Are you okay? You look a little out of breath."
"I was just, uh..."
"Is your inhaler anywhere around?"
"It's not that, don't worry. Um, what are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you the notes for geography class," Yuka said, holding out a giant wad of papers. "I know you must have gotten behind when you were in bed with malaria."
There was a faint thump inside the closet. Kagome quickly pasted on a cheery smile. "Oh yeah, malaria. I have so many illnesses, I lose track of them."
"Most people wouldn't be that upbeat when they'd been sick as long as you have. And you can still manage to drag yourself to finals!" Yuka gushed. "That takes real dedication. I don't think anything could keep you away from your schoolwork."
Kagome watched the closet out of the corner of her eye. Inuyasha was probably boiling, especially since there wasn't much space in there. "Um, Yuka, I'm starting to feel a little... ooh, I feel a stomach cramp coming on," she said, rubbing her stomach and trying to look pained. "I think I should lie down. Thanks for the notes!"
Yuka offered her warm, rambling sympathy before Kagome announced that she had a splitting migraine starting, and that she could use complete silence. When the door slammed and Kagome was just relaxing, the closet door banged open. Inuyasha strode out, with several skimpy tank tops and a couple of bras draped over his shoulders and head. He would have looked comical, if he hadn't been simmering.
"Who's 'Malaria'?" he said through gritted teeth.
Thinking back on what Yuka had said, Kagome sighed. As she plucked the tops and underwear off him, she said calmly, "Malaria is a disease, not a person. And for your information, I have never had malaria in my life."
Inuyasha looked vaguely embarrassed. He unhooked a bra from his long silver hair and handed it to her, trying not to look her in the eye. "And you've got too much stuff in there."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Bye Mom!" Kagome shouted, waving wildly. "Bye, Grandpa. I'll take care of Sota until you get back! Love you both!"
The taxi sputtered off down the street. Kagome kept waving from the curb until they had dwindled away down the street. Then she glanced along the empty streets. "You can come out now. No one's watching."
A silver head poked out of the bushes. Inuyasha sniffed the air suspiciously.
"I don't know why you're out here anyway," Kagome said, starting up the steps to the shrine. "It's not like I'm gonna get mugged by the taxi driver."
"Hmph. Whatever." Inuyasha leaped up the stairs, landing directly in front of her. His face had a foreboding look that she knew very, very well. "And maybe this is the right time for you to say it to me."
"Say what?"
He almost erupted. "Say WHAT? An apology for all the agony you put me through! You yelled those stupid 'sit' commands three times in one day -- and the first time, I didn't even do anything wrong!"
"That was a fluke, and personally I think it hurt me a lot more than it hurt you. Okay, I'm very sorry I kept shouting that at you. Happy now?"
"Not really." Inuyasha folded his arms, scowling.
"Look, Inuyasha, I'm sorry that I overreacted over that crack about my cooking. And I'm really sorry that I made you land on me, even if that WAS your fault-"
"MY FAULT?"
"You were practically sitting on me, staring at my eyes until I woke up. Now I don't like it when my cat does that, and you may have pretty eyes, but it's STILL not cute when you do it, no matter how good your intentions."
Kagome braced herself for another verbal onslaught, but to her surprise Inuyasha's face had gone blank. Then he frowned, looking puzzled. "Pretty eyes? You think I have pretty eyes?" he said slowly, as if accustoming himself to the idea.
"Er..." Kagome said, feeling herself blush. "Um. Let's get inside. Sota will be waiting for us."
She almost raced up the concrete steps to the shrine, with Inuyasha following slowly behind her, with a thoughtful look on his face.
*
"I need to study!" Kagome called over her shoulder, balancing a stack of books up to her chin. If I can make it up the stairs, she thought, it would be easier from then on.
"But you did that LAST night!" Inuyasha shouted from the kitchen.
"Yes! I need to do it again tonight; it's an ongoing project."
"But if you study, what are we supposed to eat?"
Kagome's math textbook slipped off her pile of books, and clattered down at Inuyasha's feet. Reluctantly he picked up the book and carried it up after her.
A few hours later, Kagome rubbed her eyes. They itched as if she had been awake too long, even though she had had plenty of sleep the night before. Cities, borders, national languages and customs danced in her head like cackling sprites.
Inuyasha was sprawled on her bed, with his legs dangling off the edge. He was a strange, jarring presence in an otherwise normal girl's bedroom, especially with a small plastic screen in front of his face. Kagome knew from long experience that Inuyasha tended to either stare intently at her, or bounce off the walls if he didn't have something to do. So she'd provided him with Sota's old Etch-A-Sketch, and he hadn't moved in three straight hours, except to shake it vigorously.
"Why do you do this stuff anyway?" Inuyasha said suddenly. "Seems like a lot of work for nothin'."
"It's not for nothing," Kagome said absently. "I wanna get into a good high school, and then a good college, so I can have a good job one day."
"Seems like a lot of work just so you can do more work. You should stay on the other side of the well for good. Save yourself a lot of trouble."
"Don't tempt me when I'm ready to rip my hair out over this," Kagome said.
Inuyasha shrugged and went back to his sketching.
Suddenly Kagome stiffened. From somewhere in the house, she had heard a door slam. "Kagome?" a girl's voice called.
"It's Yuka!" Kagome squeaked, almost falling out of her chair. Faint footsteps were coming closer. "Hide!"
"Where?" Inuyasha demanded, getting off the bed.
Kagome looked wildly around her room, then grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into her closet. She slammed the door shut, cutting off his outraged shout, just as the bright-eyed schoolgirl came into her room.
"Kagome? I hope you don't mind, but the front door was open," Yuka said. "Are you okay? You look a little out of breath."
"I was just, uh..."
"Is your inhaler anywhere around?"
"It's not that, don't worry. Um, what are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you the notes for geography class," Yuka said, holding out a giant wad of papers. "I know you must have gotten behind when you were in bed with malaria."
There was a faint thump inside the closet. Kagome quickly pasted on a cheery smile. "Oh yeah, malaria. I have so many illnesses, I lose track of them."
"Most people wouldn't be that upbeat when they'd been sick as long as you have. And you can still manage to drag yourself to finals!" Yuka gushed. "That takes real dedication. I don't think anything could keep you away from your schoolwork."
Kagome watched the closet out of the corner of her eye. Inuyasha was probably boiling, especially since there wasn't much space in there. "Um, Yuka, I'm starting to feel a little... ooh, I feel a stomach cramp coming on," she said, rubbing her stomach and trying to look pained. "I think I should lie down. Thanks for the notes!"
Yuka offered her warm, rambling sympathy before Kagome announced that she had a splitting migraine starting, and that she could use complete silence. When the door slammed and Kagome was just relaxing, the closet door banged open. Inuyasha strode out, with several skimpy tank tops and a couple of bras draped over his shoulders and head. He would have looked comical, if he hadn't been simmering.
"Who's 'Malaria'?" he said through gritted teeth.
Thinking back on what Yuka had said, Kagome sighed. As she plucked the tops and underwear off him, she said calmly, "Malaria is a disease, not a person. And for your information, I have never had malaria in my life."
Inuyasha looked vaguely embarrassed. He unhooked a bra from his long silver hair and handed it to her, trying not to look her in the eye. "And you've got too much stuff in there."
TO BE CONTINUED