CHAPTER TWELVE
*
The sun was only a red glow in the west when Kagome finally dropped the mop. The floor was as dry as Kagome could get it, and the carpet was now only sort-of-damp.
Kagome knew she looked terrible, but she really didn't care. Inuyasha, with very rumpled hair and too-small sweatpants, looked almost as bad. Kagome adjusted her bathrobe and slumped down on the couch. Inuyasha was perched on the arm, and was deliberately not looking at her.
"I'm not gonna yell at you," Kagome said after a moment.
Inuyasha didn't answer.
"And I'm not gonna 'sit' you either."
Inuyasha turned to say something. But a horrified look came over his face, just before the necklace dragged him down. His head slammed into Kagome's lap.
Too shocked to say anything, Kagome watched as Inuyasha scooted back on his backside, looking stunned and embarrassed. "I deserved that," she said, dusting herself off.
"Yeah, you did," he said, turning around.
"You're blushing again, aren't you?"
"Am not."
After another awkward silence, Inuyasha crept up onto the couch beside her, with his arms crossed tightly over his bare chest. Kagome watched his face. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" he said gruffly.
"Well, you got sprayed in the face with a lot of water. I should have asked how you were once I turned it off."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Are you saying YOU were wrong?"
Kagome sighed. "Yes, but nowhere near as wrong as you were. What in the world possessed you to rip off the faucet?"
Inuyasha mumbled something.
"What?"
"I wanted it to stop dripping. Happy now?"
"You ripped it off to make it stop dripping?"
"You make it sound like I was TRYING to rip it off!"
"You mean you WEREN'T?!"
The phone ringing interrupted Inuyasha halfway through his first word. He sank back in the couch, glowering, as Kagome picked up the phone. She had barred him from answering it under any circumstances, unless a telemarketer called and she wanted him to growl into the receiver. And even then, he wasn't sure she was serious...
His ears pricked up as he heard her say wearily, "Hi Mom. Yeah -- no, we had a problem earlier. Back when? On Friday? Inuyasha will be glad to hear that. No kidding. Can you uh, put Grandpa on?" There was another long pause."Grandpa, how could you tell people I have a tapeworm? I ... no, he has NOT been in your room..."
After a few more minutes of peculiar conversation, Kagome let the phone drop. Her grandfather had a tendency to ramble, and Inuyasha's presence just down the hall from his room had made him worse than usual. She ran her fingers through her damp, tangled hair.
"Inuyasha?" she said, leaning on the door. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything dead," Inuyasha said, examining the teak chess pieces.
"Care to narrow it down? I'm not cooking, for your information; I'm going to order something. I'm too tired."
He perked up noticeably. "Like what?"
"Like anything dead."
*
Kagome slammed the textbook shut and switched off her desk light. Inuyasha owes me half of middle school, she thought darkly. Those trips back in time have killed my grades; I can barely keep up with anyone else. I hadn't set foot in the classroom in almost a month. And now on top of it, the bathroom is almost unusable, unless I wash my hands in the bathtub.
She could hear Inuyasha pacing in the next room. She raised her hand to knock on the wall, but let it drop. Somehow it was comforting to know that he was there, even if the footsteps were getting a little annoying. Kagome smiled a little as the footsteps stopped, and the sound of bedsprings creaking started.
He may be a huge pain at times, she thought, creeping into bed. But at least he's a pain that means well.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The sun was only a red glow in the west when Kagome finally dropped the mop. The floor was as dry as Kagome could get it, and the carpet was now only sort-of-damp.
Kagome knew she looked terrible, but she really didn't care. Inuyasha, with very rumpled hair and too-small sweatpants, looked almost as bad. Kagome adjusted her bathrobe and slumped down on the couch. Inuyasha was perched on the arm, and was deliberately not looking at her.
"I'm not gonna yell at you," Kagome said after a moment.
Inuyasha didn't answer.
"And I'm not gonna 'sit' you either."
Inuyasha turned to say something. But a horrified look came over his face, just before the necklace dragged him down. His head slammed into Kagome's lap.
Too shocked to say anything, Kagome watched as Inuyasha scooted back on his backside, looking stunned and embarrassed. "I deserved that," she said, dusting herself off.
"Yeah, you did," he said, turning around.
"You're blushing again, aren't you?"
"Am not."
After another awkward silence, Inuyasha crept up onto the couch beside her, with his arms crossed tightly over his bare chest. Kagome watched his face. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" he said gruffly.
"Well, you got sprayed in the face with a lot of water. I should have asked how you were once I turned it off."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Are you saying YOU were wrong?"
Kagome sighed. "Yes, but nowhere near as wrong as you were. What in the world possessed you to rip off the faucet?"
Inuyasha mumbled something.
"What?"
"I wanted it to stop dripping. Happy now?"
"You ripped it off to make it stop dripping?"
"You make it sound like I was TRYING to rip it off!"
"You mean you WEREN'T?!"
The phone ringing interrupted Inuyasha halfway through his first word. He sank back in the couch, glowering, as Kagome picked up the phone. She had barred him from answering it under any circumstances, unless a telemarketer called and she wanted him to growl into the receiver. And even then, he wasn't sure she was serious...
His ears pricked up as he heard her say wearily, "Hi Mom. Yeah -- no, we had a problem earlier. Back when? On Friday? Inuyasha will be glad to hear that. No kidding. Can you uh, put Grandpa on?" There was another long pause."Grandpa, how could you tell people I have a tapeworm? I ... no, he has NOT been in your room..."
After a few more minutes of peculiar conversation, Kagome let the phone drop. Her grandfather had a tendency to ramble, and Inuyasha's presence just down the hall from his room had made him worse than usual. She ran her fingers through her damp, tangled hair.
"Inuyasha?" she said, leaning on the door. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything dead," Inuyasha said, examining the teak chess pieces.
"Care to narrow it down? I'm not cooking, for your information; I'm going to order something. I'm too tired."
He perked up noticeably. "Like what?"
"Like anything dead."
*
Kagome slammed the textbook shut and switched off her desk light. Inuyasha owes me half of middle school, she thought darkly. Those trips back in time have killed my grades; I can barely keep up with anyone else. I hadn't set foot in the classroom in almost a month. And now on top of it, the bathroom is almost unusable, unless I wash my hands in the bathtub.
She could hear Inuyasha pacing in the next room. She raised her hand to knock on the wall, but let it drop. Somehow it was comforting to know that he was there, even if the footsteps were getting a little annoying. Kagome smiled a little as the footsteps stopped, and the sound of bedsprings creaking started.
He may be a huge pain at times, she thought, creeping into bed. But at least he's a pain that means well.
TO BE CONTINUED