CHAPTER SEVEN
*
Kagome let her algebra textbook fall open with a thud. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand, but she was determined to get some studying done before her test. Inuyasha and Sota were fast asleep, and unless there was a major crisis neither of them would be bothering her until morning.
She frowned as she flipped to chapter ten. The pages were covered with tiny grubby handprints. Shippo, she thought with a sigh. Like Inuyasha, the tiny fox-demon never understood why she spent so much time on her homework. She had found him flipping through her textbooks, asking why there weren't any stories inside.
"It's not a book for stories, Shippo," she had explained. But at his insistence, she had turned some of the schoolwork into bedtime stories. "And X and Y got married, and lived happily ever after..."
At about midnight, Kagome yawned. After closing her book, she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep. Her only dreams were of having Inuyasha defending her from algebraic equations... the usual weird stuff.
*
A loud clatter woke her up.
Kagome blinked up at the ceiling. Her room was pitch black, except for the beams of moonlight sifting through her gauzy curtains. She sat up slowly, glancing around and rubbing her eyes.
"Inuyasha?" she called softly. "Is that you
Opening the door, Kagome tiptoed over to the stairs. The downstairs was still dark; Inuyasha and Sota's doors were still shut. Buyo was sprawled on the steps, purring in his sleep.
"Just a dream," she murmured finally. "Good thing..."
But a flashlight beam cut through the darkness, wandering over the hallway and over the walls. Slowly, searching. Kagome ducked around the corner, her stomach flip-flopping.
"Inuyasha," she whispered again.
She crept as quickly as she dared over the smooth floor and into Inuyasha's bedroom. He was still curled up on her mother's bed, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his long silver hair catching the moonlight. Kagome crept across the bed to him and prodded his shoulder. "Inuyasha!" she whispered.
"Hrm..." he mumbled.
"Inuyasha, wake up! There's a burglar downstairs!"
Inuyasha sat up, fully awake. "What?"
"There's a burglar downstairs!" Kagome repeated, clutching her robe shut.
In the faint light, his face looked... well, demonic as he smiled. "Don't worry. I can deal with a small-fry thief."
"I know you can. That's why I woke you up."
Inuyasha's hand closed on Tetsusaiga, only to have Kagome grab her arm. "Not with that!" she whispered. "I know what you can do with the Tetsusaiga, but I want Mom to still find a living room when she comes home from her trip!"
Inuyasha scowled, but let the sword fall back to the bed.
Kagome could hear the faint footsteps of the thief, as she followed Inuyasha to the stairway. The half-demon's golden eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. He punched the palm of one hand with a slightly savage smile. "Time to have some fun," he muttered.
"Be careful," Kagome whispered.
"It's just a human," Inuyasha said, his claws cracking ominously. "I could beat him to a pulp if I was dead drunk."
"I know that, but he might have a knife or a gun."
"He can't see in the dark, can he? Well, I can."
He slipped down the stairs and into the darkened living room. He could smell the thief, a scent that grew stronger as he moved past. The smell was all over the house; the man had been looting every room. Inuyasha growled softly.
The thief looked over his shoulder, only to see a pair of glinting golden eyes watching him. Something sharp smashed his flashlight, splintering tiny rays of light over a snarling face that looked half-man, half-dog. "Mangy creeping mutt!" Inuyasha shouted.
Kagome waited until the burglar started shrieking, then flipped on the hall lights. As she dialed the emergency number, something crashed and Inuyasha yelled, "Get back here, you mewling coward!"
"Hello?" Kagome said loudly into the receiver, above the sound of the thief's shrieks, Inuyasha's grunting, and the sound of furniture being shattered. "I'd like to report a break-in."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kagome let her algebra textbook fall open with a thud. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand, but she was determined to get some studying done before her test. Inuyasha and Sota were fast asleep, and unless there was a major crisis neither of them would be bothering her until morning.
She frowned as she flipped to chapter ten. The pages were covered with tiny grubby handprints. Shippo, she thought with a sigh. Like Inuyasha, the tiny fox-demon never understood why she spent so much time on her homework. She had found him flipping through her textbooks, asking why there weren't any stories inside.
"It's not a book for stories, Shippo," she had explained. But at his insistence, she had turned some of the schoolwork into bedtime stories. "And X and Y got married, and lived happily ever after..."
At about midnight, Kagome yawned. After closing her book, she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep. Her only dreams were of having Inuyasha defending her from algebraic equations... the usual weird stuff.
*
A loud clatter woke her up.
Kagome blinked up at the ceiling. Her room was pitch black, except for the beams of moonlight sifting through her gauzy curtains. She sat up slowly, glancing around and rubbing her eyes.
"Inuyasha?" she called softly. "Is that you
Opening the door, Kagome tiptoed over to the stairs. The downstairs was still dark; Inuyasha and Sota's doors were still shut. Buyo was sprawled on the steps, purring in his sleep.
"Just a dream," she murmured finally. "Good thing..."
But a flashlight beam cut through the darkness, wandering over the hallway and over the walls. Slowly, searching. Kagome ducked around the corner, her stomach flip-flopping.
"Inuyasha," she whispered again.
She crept as quickly as she dared over the smooth floor and into Inuyasha's bedroom. He was still curled up on her mother's bed, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his long silver hair catching the moonlight. Kagome crept across the bed to him and prodded his shoulder. "Inuyasha!" she whispered.
"Hrm..." he mumbled.
"Inuyasha, wake up! There's a burglar downstairs!"
Inuyasha sat up, fully awake. "What?"
"There's a burglar downstairs!" Kagome repeated, clutching her robe shut.
In the faint light, his face looked... well, demonic as he smiled. "Don't worry. I can deal with a small-fry thief."
"I know you can. That's why I woke you up."
Inuyasha's hand closed on Tetsusaiga, only to have Kagome grab her arm. "Not with that!" she whispered. "I know what you can do with the Tetsusaiga, but I want Mom to still find a living room when she comes home from her trip!"
Inuyasha scowled, but let the sword fall back to the bed.
Kagome could hear the faint footsteps of the thief, as she followed Inuyasha to the stairway. The half-demon's golden eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. He punched the palm of one hand with a slightly savage smile. "Time to have some fun," he muttered.
"Be careful," Kagome whispered.
"It's just a human," Inuyasha said, his claws cracking ominously. "I could beat him to a pulp if I was dead drunk."
"I know that, but he might have a knife or a gun."
"He can't see in the dark, can he? Well, I can."
He slipped down the stairs and into the darkened living room. He could smell the thief, a scent that grew stronger as he moved past. The smell was all over the house; the man had been looting every room. Inuyasha growled softly.
The thief looked over his shoulder, only to see a pair of glinting golden eyes watching him. Something sharp smashed his flashlight, splintering tiny rays of light over a snarling face that looked half-man, half-dog. "Mangy creeping mutt!" Inuyasha shouted.
Kagome waited until the burglar started shrieking, then flipped on the hall lights. As she dialed the emergency number, something crashed and Inuyasha yelled, "Get back here, you mewling coward!"
"Hello?" Kagome said loudly into the receiver, above the sound of the thief's shrieks, Inuyasha's grunting, and the sound of furniture being shattered. "I'd like to report a break-in."
TO BE CONTINUED