CHAPTER FIVE
*
"What's the matter with you?" Kagome asked tartly. She winced as the knife nicked her hand, and quickly stuck her thumb in her mouth. "You made a mistake. Everyone does. Granted, yours was bigger and more embarrassing than most-"
"Thanks for the comfort!" Inuyasha shouted.
One of Inuyasha's biggest weaknesses was his face, Kagome thought with a smile. When he got embarrassed, or when he lied, he blushed bright red. He'd been flushed ever since the incident in the closet.
I'm just glad he didn't get mad enough to burst out of there before Nabiki left, she thought. An angry half-demon with dog ears and a short fuse would be hard to explain away. She poured a half-cup of water into the pan and covered it.
Inuyasha sniffed suspiciously. "Did you cook that?"
"Shut up. It's instant -- I just add water and let it simmer." Kagome dusted off her hands. "I need to talk to you upstairs."
"What about?" Inuyasha asked, following her up the stairway.
Kagome pointed down the hall from her room. One of the doors had a motley assortment of stickers, while another had a flower painted over the knob. The third was plain, except for hastily applied spell scrolls.
"Does that old coot really think that'll keep me out if I wanna go in?" Inuyasha asked irritably.
"Well, it doesn't matter. You need to pick a bedroom to stay in until Mom and Grandpa come back."
"I do? Since when?"
"Since they left." Kagome folded her arms sternly. "I'm not sleeping in the same room with you if there are two empty rooms in the house. The last thing I need is more distraction. So, which do you want? How about Mom's?"
Inuyasha looked away, wrinkling his nose. "It's too frilly."
Him and his macho pride, Kagome thought, rolling her eyes. "How about Grandpa's, then?"
Inuyasha growled, "That one's even worse. It's full of incense. The smell is so thick I can barely breathe."
"That's true," Kagome said, rubbing her chin. "I don't have your sense of smell, but I can smell it even through the door. I'm just used to it, that's all."
"I'm not, and I don't plan to be." Inuyasha folded his hands into his wide sleeves, still glaring at the spell-covered door. "Although I'm tempted to use it just to show the old coot that his spells don't work. Show him AGAIN, that is," he added, smirking.
"So you'll take Mom's room?"
"If you take the frilly stuff out."
Kagome sighed. "I'm not sure why I'm giving in, but I'll take out the bedspread and the chair cover, and beyond that, no way."
*
The next morning was hectic. Kagome nearly had a wrestling match with Inuyasha in the foyer, as he insisted that she had to make food before leaving. "I can't!" she shouted. "I have another final in about forty-five minutes and I'm already late!"
She managed to break away from Inuyasha and drag the groggy Sota out to his own bus. "And don't leave the house!" she shouted as she ran down the steps.
The test went relatively well, but Kagome could feel herself wobbling under pressure. She racked her brains, often torn between possible answers. The notes Yuka had brought her were a help, but she left with the sinking feeling that she had flunked.
As she raced out of the school, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just so long as Inuyasha hadn't burned down the house while she was gone...
A bicycle bell went off nearby. Kagome turned just in time to see Hojo riding toward her, waving and smiling. She waved and smiled back, then turned and ran down the sidewalk.
What am I feeling guilty for? she thought. Why do I feel weird even TALKING to Hojo when Inuyasha's at home?
She felt even more irritated as she ran down a side-street, glancing back to see if Hojo was following her. Somehow, despite being the most desired boy in the school, with girls falling over themselves to even meet him, he had singled her out over and over.
And what do I do? Kagome said to herself. I rush away from Hojo, to be with a guy who hasn't ever even kissed me or said he loves me, and who's still covered in hangups because of his ex-girlfriend, who is now an undead, super-powerful stalker priestess. I'm such an idiot...
Feeling even stupider, she stepped into her house and called, "I'm home!"
"Kagome!" Sota rushed out of the kitchen, tears in his eyes. "Inuyasha fainted and I can't get him to wake up!"
Kagome's heart nearly stopped. "What? How? Where?"
"Out in the toolshed!" Sota seized Kagome's hand and half-dragged her out into the courtyard.
Kagome tried to keep herself calm as she ran out to the rickety little shed where Grandpa kept tools, paint, and other odds and ends used to keep the shrine in good repair. But she was terrified. If Inuyasha was seriously ill, she couldn't take him to a hospital. What could have happened? she thought. He was fine this morning...
She saw a flash of red through the half-closed door, and wrenched it open. Inuyasha was sprawled facedown on the floor, his clawed hands extended toward the door.
"He - he wasn't like that when I left," Sota stammered.
Kagome took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "I'll grab his arms, you grab his legs." She slipped her arms around Inuyasha's chest and heaved him up. She tottered back out of the shed, with the half-demon drooping over her. Then she dropped him in a heap under the willow tree.
"What's the matter?" Sota asked, wiping his eyes.
Kagome tore open her backpack, took out a file folder, and started waving it over Inuyasha's face. "Sota, what were you doing in there?"
"I was - I was just showin' him around the shrine. And I was looking for some paint for my arts'n'crafts project."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You opened a can of paint thinner, didn't you?"
"How did you know?"
"I was born with a nose."
Sota looked slightly embarrassed. "So, what's wrong with him?"
"I've seen him like this before," Kagome said, fanning Inuyasha faster. "He's got an incredibly sensitive nose, and strong smells like that knock him out cold. Imagine the strongest smell you can think of, and multiply it by at least thirty. He probably woke up just long enough to drag himself to the door."
Inuyasha coughed hard and sat up, his eyes bloodshot. "WHAT'S THAT STENCH?" he rasped.
"That was paint thinner," Kagome said, fanning his face. "You're going to be okay, I think. How do you feel?"
"My head hurts and my mouth tastes like-"
"Not in front of my brother!" Kagome interrupted. Sota looked mildly disappointed.
Inuyasha sulkily fell silent, and reluctantly leaned on Kagome as she led him into the house again.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"What's the matter with you?" Kagome asked tartly. She winced as the knife nicked her hand, and quickly stuck her thumb in her mouth. "You made a mistake. Everyone does. Granted, yours was bigger and more embarrassing than most-"
"Thanks for the comfort!" Inuyasha shouted.
One of Inuyasha's biggest weaknesses was his face, Kagome thought with a smile. When he got embarrassed, or when he lied, he blushed bright red. He'd been flushed ever since the incident in the closet.
I'm just glad he didn't get mad enough to burst out of there before Nabiki left, she thought. An angry half-demon with dog ears and a short fuse would be hard to explain away. She poured a half-cup of water into the pan and covered it.
Inuyasha sniffed suspiciously. "Did you cook that?"
"Shut up. It's instant -- I just add water and let it simmer." Kagome dusted off her hands. "I need to talk to you upstairs."
"What about?" Inuyasha asked, following her up the stairway.
Kagome pointed down the hall from her room. One of the doors had a motley assortment of stickers, while another had a flower painted over the knob. The third was plain, except for hastily applied spell scrolls.
"Does that old coot really think that'll keep me out if I wanna go in?" Inuyasha asked irritably.
"Well, it doesn't matter. You need to pick a bedroom to stay in until Mom and Grandpa come back."
"I do? Since when?"
"Since they left." Kagome folded her arms sternly. "I'm not sleeping in the same room with you if there are two empty rooms in the house. The last thing I need is more distraction. So, which do you want? How about Mom's?"
Inuyasha looked away, wrinkling his nose. "It's too frilly."
Him and his macho pride, Kagome thought, rolling her eyes. "How about Grandpa's, then?"
Inuyasha growled, "That one's even worse. It's full of incense. The smell is so thick I can barely breathe."
"That's true," Kagome said, rubbing her chin. "I don't have your sense of smell, but I can smell it even through the door. I'm just used to it, that's all."
"I'm not, and I don't plan to be." Inuyasha folded his hands into his wide sleeves, still glaring at the spell-covered door. "Although I'm tempted to use it just to show the old coot that his spells don't work. Show him AGAIN, that is," he added, smirking.
"So you'll take Mom's room?"
"If you take the frilly stuff out."
Kagome sighed. "I'm not sure why I'm giving in, but I'll take out the bedspread and the chair cover, and beyond that, no way."
*
The next morning was hectic. Kagome nearly had a wrestling match with Inuyasha in the foyer, as he insisted that she had to make food before leaving. "I can't!" she shouted. "I have another final in about forty-five minutes and I'm already late!"
She managed to break away from Inuyasha and drag the groggy Sota out to his own bus. "And don't leave the house!" she shouted as she ran down the steps.
The test went relatively well, but Kagome could feel herself wobbling under pressure. She racked her brains, often torn between possible answers. The notes Yuka had brought her were a help, but she left with the sinking feeling that she had flunked.
As she raced out of the school, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just so long as Inuyasha hadn't burned down the house while she was gone...
A bicycle bell went off nearby. Kagome turned just in time to see Hojo riding toward her, waving and smiling. She waved and smiled back, then turned and ran down the sidewalk.
What am I feeling guilty for? she thought. Why do I feel weird even TALKING to Hojo when Inuyasha's at home?
She felt even more irritated as she ran down a side-street, glancing back to see if Hojo was following her. Somehow, despite being the most desired boy in the school, with girls falling over themselves to even meet him, he had singled her out over and over.
And what do I do? Kagome said to herself. I rush away from Hojo, to be with a guy who hasn't ever even kissed me or said he loves me, and who's still covered in hangups because of his ex-girlfriend, who is now an undead, super-powerful stalker priestess. I'm such an idiot...
Feeling even stupider, she stepped into her house and called, "I'm home!"
"Kagome!" Sota rushed out of the kitchen, tears in his eyes. "Inuyasha fainted and I can't get him to wake up!"
Kagome's heart nearly stopped. "What? How? Where?"
"Out in the toolshed!" Sota seized Kagome's hand and half-dragged her out into the courtyard.
Kagome tried to keep herself calm as she ran out to the rickety little shed where Grandpa kept tools, paint, and other odds and ends used to keep the shrine in good repair. But she was terrified. If Inuyasha was seriously ill, she couldn't take him to a hospital. What could have happened? she thought. He was fine this morning...
She saw a flash of red through the half-closed door, and wrenched it open. Inuyasha was sprawled facedown on the floor, his clawed hands extended toward the door.
"He - he wasn't like that when I left," Sota stammered.
Kagome took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "I'll grab his arms, you grab his legs." She slipped her arms around Inuyasha's chest and heaved him up. She tottered back out of the shed, with the half-demon drooping over her. Then she dropped him in a heap under the willow tree.
"What's the matter?" Sota asked, wiping his eyes.
Kagome tore open her backpack, took out a file folder, and started waving it over Inuyasha's face. "Sota, what were you doing in there?"
"I was - I was just showin' him around the shrine. And I was looking for some paint for my arts'n'crafts project."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You opened a can of paint thinner, didn't you?"
"How did you know?"
"I was born with a nose."
Sota looked slightly embarrassed. "So, what's wrong with him?"
"I've seen him like this before," Kagome said, fanning Inuyasha faster. "He's got an incredibly sensitive nose, and strong smells like that knock him out cold. Imagine the strongest smell you can think of, and multiply it by at least thirty. He probably woke up just long enough to drag himself to the door."
Inuyasha coughed hard and sat up, his eyes bloodshot. "WHAT'S THAT STENCH?" he rasped.
"That was paint thinner," Kagome said, fanning his face. "You're going to be okay, I think. How do you feel?"
"My head hurts and my mouth tastes like-"
"Not in front of my brother!" Kagome interrupted. Sota looked mildly disappointed.
Inuyasha sulkily fell silent, and reluctantly leaned on Kagome as she led him into the house again.
TO BE CONTINUED