CHAPTER EIGHT
*
A small wooden table had been broken right through the middle, with dozens of dents on top of it. Two chairs had been cracked in half, with the legs shattered to splinters. Miscellaneous cracks in the walls. And a few breakables reduced to dust.
Kagome craned her neck, trying to see more over the policeman's shoulder. The living room had been thoroughly smashed by Inuyasha's acrobatic beating of the robber. To top it off, there were a few bloodstains on the wall -- the thief's, not Inuyasha's. He'd escaped without a scratch. Weirdly enough, he'd been more angry than tired afterward.
Can he do ANYTHING without breaking something? He's like a very large bull in a very small china shop, she thought, rolling her eyes.
At the sound of sirens, she had banished Inuyasha to her closet upstairs and told him not to come out, no matter what, or else. She'd emptied a lot of the clothes from it, but it was still pretty stuffy.
"So, the thief tried to escape when you came at him with a candlestick," a young man was asking her. "You hit him, he broke the furniture, and he passed out, and then you called the police?"
"Yes, that's right."
From the hallway, Kagome could hear the thief wailing, "It wasn't her! It was a demon -- it had claws -- fangs -- it was growling..." He was still raving as they dragged him out the door in handcuffs, with blood streaming down his face.
"We'll just check upstairs, miss," one of the officers said.
Kagome felt a chill. "Do you have to?" she asked desperately. "My... my brother is up there."
The officer patted her head, a gesture that made her grimace. "Don't worry. We always do that, to make sure nobody's up there, and we won't wake your brother."
Kagome bit her lip. A few minutes later a portly officer came down the stairs and announced, "Nothing." He spoke softly to his superior, then winked at Kagome on his way out. She wasn't sure what the wink meant, but she was just glad they apparently hadn't checked her closet.
The lead police officer looked rather sternly at her, then said, "Good night, miss."
Kagome sank down on the couch as the sound of the police cars faded into the distance. Now that the trouble was over, her stomach was twisting into a tight little knot. She felt sick -- sick at the idea of someone breaking into her home, and the thought of what MIGHT have happened to her and Sota if Inuyasha hadn't been there.
A shadow slipped down the stairs and revealed itself to be Inuyasha, with a pink sweater in one hand. "It's still too cramped in there. Did you know your mother's been wearing this?" he said all in one breath.
"How do you know?"
"I'm sleeping in her bed. I know what she smells like."
Kagome sighed. "It doesn't matter. I was afraid that they'd find you in there."
She rose and wandered into the kitchen. Inuyasha sprawled out, still playing with her sweater. He draped one leg over the rather battered arm of the sofa. "Well, someone sort of did."
"What?!"
"It wasn't my fault. I was sittin' in there, waiting for them to go away, when somebody opened the door." Inuyasha picked at a loose thread. "It was some fat human. He just looked at me -- he couldn't see much except my face -- and then said, 'Son, that's the first place they always look.' Then he shuts it again." He shrugged. "Don't know what 'they' he was talkin' about."
Kagome felt torn between laughing and crying. So that was why that one guy had winked. She carried a tray into the living room, stepping carefully over broken chairs and smashed plates.
Inuyasha sniffed. "What's zat?"
"Cinnamon buns and tea."
"Don't you have some test tomorrow?" Inuyasha nibbled one of the buns suspiciously.
"Yes, but I'm all freaked out now." Kagome sank onto the couch beside him. "I don't think I can sleep." She leaned her dark head against the back of the couch, as close to his shoulder as she could without touching him. She took a halfhearted bite of her bun. "You were really mad at that guy. I've never seen you attack a human like that."
"I had a reason. What are you doing?"
Kagome held up her hands, with strands of Inuyasha's silver hair tangled in them. "I'm braiding your hair on this side. What reason?"
Inuyasha swallowed half his tea, avoiding Kagome's eyes. "I was scared."
Kagome frowned. "Scared of HIM?"
"I wasn't scared for myself. I was thinkin' about you. About what that little creep might have done to you if I hadn't been here. I know his type, the little weasel." He watched the remaining tea slosh around the cup. "I hated that thought. It made me madder than anything else I could think of, and I just wanted to beat him to a pulp. I didn't want to see you get hurt, and the idea that you might've if I hadn't been here made me see red..."
His golden eyes were narrow and shadowy, as he seemed to see something far away. But when he turned to Kagome, he saw that she was snuggled against him -- fast asleep.
"I open up, she falls asleep," he growled.
He silently ate the rest of his bun, and after a moment of thought, ate hers as well. Then, careful not to wake her, he gathered Kagome in his arms as gently as if she were made of porcelain. He moved through the ruined room and up the stairs, just as the sun peeked over the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
A small wooden table had been broken right through the middle, with dozens of dents on top of it. Two chairs had been cracked in half, with the legs shattered to splinters. Miscellaneous cracks in the walls. And a few breakables reduced to dust.
Kagome craned her neck, trying to see more over the policeman's shoulder. The living room had been thoroughly smashed by Inuyasha's acrobatic beating of the robber. To top it off, there were a few bloodstains on the wall -- the thief's, not Inuyasha's. He'd escaped without a scratch. Weirdly enough, he'd been more angry than tired afterward.
Can he do ANYTHING without breaking something? He's like a very large bull in a very small china shop, she thought, rolling her eyes.
At the sound of sirens, she had banished Inuyasha to her closet upstairs and told him not to come out, no matter what, or else. She'd emptied a lot of the clothes from it, but it was still pretty stuffy.
"So, the thief tried to escape when you came at him with a candlestick," a young man was asking her. "You hit him, he broke the furniture, and he passed out, and then you called the police?"
"Yes, that's right."
From the hallway, Kagome could hear the thief wailing, "It wasn't her! It was a demon -- it had claws -- fangs -- it was growling..." He was still raving as they dragged him out the door in handcuffs, with blood streaming down his face.
"We'll just check upstairs, miss," one of the officers said.
Kagome felt a chill. "Do you have to?" she asked desperately. "My... my brother is up there."
The officer patted her head, a gesture that made her grimace. "Don't worry. We always do that, to make sure nobody's up there, and we won't wake your brother."
Kagome bit her lip. A few minutes later a portly officer came down the stairs and announced, "Nothing." He spoke softly to his superior, then winked at Kagome on his way out. She wasn't sure what the wink meant, but she was just glad they apparently hadn't checked her closet.
The lead police officer looked rather sternly at her, then said, "Good night, miss."
Kagome sank down on the couch as the sound of the police cars faded into the distance. Now that the trouble was over, her stomach was twisting into a tight little knot. She felt sick -- sick at the idea of someone breaking into her home, and the thought of what MIGHT have happened to her and Sota if Inuyasha hadn't been there.
A shadow slipped down the stairs and revealed itself to be Inuyasha, with a pink sweater in one hand. "It's still too cramped in there. Did you know your mother's been wearing this?" he said all in one breath.
"How do you know?"
"I'm sleeping in her bed. I know what she smells like."
Kagome sighed. "It doesn't matter. I was afraid that they'd find you in there."
She rose and wandered into the kitchen. Inuyasha sprawled out, still playing with her sweater. He draped one leg over the rather battered arm of the sofa. "Well, someone sort of did."
"What?!"
"It wasn't my fault. I was sittin' in there, waiting for them to go away, when somebody opened the door." Inuyasha picked at a loose thread. "It was some fat human. He just looked at me -- he couldn't see much except my face -- and then said, 'Son, that's the first place they always look.' Then he shuts it again." He shrugged. "Don't know what 'they' he was talkin' about."
Kagome felt torn between laughing and crying. So that was why that one guy had winked. She carried a tray into the living room, stepping carefully over broken chairs and smashed plates.
Inuyasha sniffed. "What's zat?"
"Cinnamon buns and tea."
"Don't you have some test tomorrow?" Inuyasha nibbled one of the buns suspiciously.
"Yes, but I'm all freaked out now." Kagome sank onto the couch beside him. "I don't think I can sleep." She leaned her dark head against the back of the couch, as close to his shoulder as she could without touching him. She took a halfhearted bite of her bun. "You were really mad at that guy. I've never seen you attack a human like that."
"I had a reason. What are you doing?"
Kagome held up her hands, with strands of Inuyasha's silver hair tangled in them. "I'm braiding your hair on this side. What reason?"
Inuyasha swallowed half his tea, avoiding Kagome's eyes. "I was scared."
Kagome frowned. "Scared of HIM?"
"I wasn't scared for myself. I was thinkin' about you. About what that little creep might have done to you if I hadn't been here. I know his type, the little weasel." He watched the remaining tea slosh around the cup. "I hated that thought. It made me madder than anything else I could think of, and I just wanted to beat him to a pulp. I didn't want to see you get hurt, and the idea that you might've if I hadn't been here made me see red..."
His golden eyes were narrow and shadowy, as he seemed to see something far away. But when he turned to Kagome, he saw that she was snuggled against him -- fast asleep.
"I open up, she falls asleep," he growled.
He silently ate the rest of his bun, and after a moment of thought, ate hers as well. Then, careful not to wake her, he gathered Kagome in his arms as gently as if she were made of porcelain. He moved through the ruined room and up the stairs, just as the sun peeked over the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED