CHAPTER FIFTEEN
*
As she went down the stairs, Kagome wondered if it had all been a dream -- Inuyasha coming into her room and curling up behind her. He hadn't been next to her when she woke up, even though they had been hugging when she fell asleep...
Inuyasha was sitting in the dining room next to Sota, warily eyeing a bowl of oatmeal as if he expected it to bite back. "What are these?" he was asking Sota, pointing at the bowl.
"Apple bits, or raisins. I don't remember which," Sota replied, gulping down his own breakfast.
Inuyasha didn't look impressed.
"Glad to see you're over your stomach bug," Kagome yawned, picking up a packet of instant oatmeal. "Judging from the way you're gobbling it up, anyway."
"I was gagging a little last night -" Sota began.
"Don't try that with me, you little liar," came the reply from the kitchen. "I wised up to your tricks years ago. You're going to school. Go get dressed once you're done eating -- and don't just nibble either."
Inuyasha, apparently grateful to not be the victim of Kagome's chiding, just studied his placemat and stirred his oatmeal. When she sat down beside him, he asked gruffly, "No more nightmares?"
Kagome promptly dropped the bowl on her foot. "Uh no," she said, ducking under the table. "I was fine after you... uh... talked to me."
So, it hadn't been a dream. Kagome finished wiping the oatmeal from her toes and watched Inuyasha, who was sniffing suspiciously at his food. He wasn't a touchy-feely guy in general; Kagome could count on one hand the number of times he'd hugged her before last night. On one finger, actually. He'd grabbed her, caught her and shielded her with his body time and time again, but hugs were a rare thing.
The first time it had ever happened was right after a vicious battle with Sesshoumaru. For a few horrible moments, Kagome had thought Inuyasha was dead; he crumpled to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, not moving. Later, right before pushing her down the well "for her own good," he had hugged her tightly in spite of his injuries, confessing how frightened he had been of losing her. She'd been too breathless to say how she had felt the same -- that she had still been scared for him.
This time, there were no goodbyes. No lifted jewel shards. He'd just been comforting her, with no question of ulterior motives. Kagome absently touched her hair, remembering how he'd been stroking it.
"All right, what is it NOW?" Inuyasha demanded.
Kagome blinked. "Hmm?"
"You're staring at me again. It's creepy."
Kagome stirred her now-cold oatmeal. "I was just thinking about last night."
"Oh." Inuyasha flushed a little. "What about it?"
"You don't need to act like a tough guy all the time," Kagome said. "It was sweet, that's all. And I really appreciate it... it was really, really sweet." Especially what you said, she added silently.
Inuyasha held her gaze for a moment, with a bewildered mix of emotions on his face. Then he quickly looked away.
"What are you talkin' about?" Sota asked, looking from one to the other.
"None of your business," Kagome said, getting up to get ready for school.
*
Kagome's pencil broke just as she scribbled the last answer on her test. She put it down and rubbed her aching eyes. Finally it was all over, and she could go back to the feudal era with only a vague feeling of dread. Until her test scores came in, that was. But the pressure was off. When she got her grades, she could cry into Shippo's tail or something like that...
"Time's up," the teacher droned. "Put down your pens."
Kagome scanned her answers a last time before turning the paper over. The school bell rang, and she was halfway out the door when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, Higurashi!" Hojo laughed. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Kagome smiled. "Oh, I have something to do when I get home."
"Well, um, this sounds a little odd, but uh..." Hojo scratched his head. "Since we just finished finals, and there's a vacation coming up, would you... uh, like to go to a movie next Monday?"
"Monday?" Kagome went blank.
"Yeah. I'll bring a heating pad for your spine..."
Grandpa, if you said anything about a hemorrhoid cushion, I'll have Inuyasha trash your room, Kagome thought. That humiliating medical excuse was still smarting. "Uh, I'd love to, but I... I really can't."
"Oh," Hojo said, clearly disappointed. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I have... plans."
Hojo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who is he?"
"He?"
"That guy I saw walking around with your little brother. About my age, sort of whitish hair. I didn't get a good look, because he vanished when I came up to ask where you were."
"Oh, uh..." Kagome said, hoping she didn't choke. "Uh, he's a... friend of the family. Hojo, I really need to leave. I'll see you after the vacation, okay?"
Hojo half-smiled, and waved as she raced out the door.
Kagome felt intense gratitude that Inuyasha hadn't simply swooped out of the trees and and cursed at Hojo. He'd done worse things to guys he thought were pestering her. She paused on a street corner, remembering the way he'd wiped away her tears, and the promise he made.
It was a weird arrangement, but there wasn't any way she could arrange a another doomed date with Hojo. Kagome brushed her bangs away from her eyes, and thought about what she'd order for their last dinner in her era.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
As she went down the stairs, Kagome wondered if it had all been a dream -- Inuyasha coming into her room and curling up behind her. He hadn't been next to her when she woke up, even though they had been hugging when she fell asleep...
Inuyasha was sitting in the dining room next to Sota, warily eyeing a bowl of oatmeal as if he expected it to bite back. "What are these?" he was asking Sota, pointing at the bowl.
"Apple bits, or raisins. I don't remember which," Sota replied, gulping down his own breakfast.
Inuyasha didn't look impressed.
"Glad to see you're over your stomach bug," Kagome yawned, picking up a packet of instant oatmeal. "Judging from the way you're gobbling it up, anyway."
"I was gagging a little last night -" Sota began.
"Don't try that with me, you little liar," came the reply from the kitchen. "I wised up to your tricks years ago. You're going to school. Go get dressed once you're done eating -- and don't just nibble either."
Inuyasha, apparently grateful to not be the victim of Kagome's chiding, just studied his placemat and stirred his oatmeal. When she sat down beside him, he asked gruffly, "No more nightmares?"
Kagome promptly dropped the bowl on her foot. "Uh no," she said, ducking under the table. "I was fine after you... uh... talked to me."
So, it hadn't been a dream. Kagome finished wiping the oatmeal from her toes and watched Inuyasha, who was sniffing suspiciously at his food. He wasn't a touchy-feely guy in general; Kagome could count on one hand the number of times he'd hugged her before last night. On one finger, actually. He'd grabbed her, caught her and shielded her with his body time and time again, but hugs were a rare thing.
The first time it had ever happened was right after a vicious battle with Sesshoumaru. For a few horrible moments, Kagome had thought Inuyasha was dead; he crumpled to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, not moving. Later, right before pushing her down the well "for her own good," he had hugged her tightly in spite of his injuries, confessing how frightened he had been of losing her. She'd been too breathless to say how she had felt the same -- that she had still been scared for him.
This time, there were no goodbyes. No lifted jewel shards. He'd just been comforting her, with no question of ulterior motives. Kagome absently touched her hair, remembering how he'd been stroking it.
"All right, what is it NOW?" Inuyasha demanded.
Kagome blinked. "Hmm?"
"You're staring at me again. It's creepy."
Kagome stirred her now-cold oatmeal. "I was just thinking about last night."
"Oh." Inuyasha flushed a little. "What about it?"
"You don't need to act like a tough guy all the time," Kagome said. "It was sweet, that's all. And I really appreciate it... it was really, really sweet." Especially what you said, she added silently.
Inuyasha held her gaze for a moment, with a bewildered mix of emotions on his face. Then he quickly looked away.
"What are you talkin' about?" Sota asked, looking from one to the other.
"None of your business," Kagome said, getting up to get ready for school.
*
Kagome's pencil broke just as she scribbled the last answer on her test. She put it down and rubbed her aching eyes. Finally it was all over, and she could go back to the feudal era with only a vague feeling of dread. Until her test scores came in, that was. But the pressure was off. When she got her grades, she could cry into Shippo's tail or something like that...
"Time's up," the teacher droned. "Put down your pens."
Kagome scanned her answers a last time before turning the paper over. The school bell rang, and she was halfway out the door when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, Higurashi!" Hojo laughed. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Kagome smiled. "Oh, I have something to do when I get home."
"Well, um, this sounds a little odd, but uh..." Hojo scratched his head. "Since we just finished finals, and there's a vacation coming up, would you... uh, like to go to a movie next Monday?"
"Monday?" Kagome went blank.
"Yeah. I'll bring a heating pad for your spine..."
Grandpa, if you said anything about a hemorrhoid cushion, I'll have Inuyasha trash your room, Kagome thought. That humiliating medical excuse was still smarting. "Uh, I'd love to, but I... I really can't."
"Oh," Hojo said, clearly disappointed. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I have... plans."
Hojo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who is he?"
"He?"
"That guy I saw walking around with your little brother. About my age, sort of whitish hair. I didn't get a good look, because he vanished when I came up to ask where you were."
"Oh, uh..." Kagome said, hoping she didn't choke. "Uh, he's a... friend of the family. Hojo, I really need to leave. I'll see you after the vacation, okay?"
Hojo half-smiled, and waved as she raced out the door.
Kagome felt intense gratitude that Inuyasha hadn't simply swooped out of the trees and and cursed at Hojo. He'd done worse things to guys he thought were pestering her. She paused on a street corner, remembering the way he'd wiped away her tears, and the promise he made.
It was a weird arrangement, but there wasn't any way she could arrange a another doomed date with Hojo. Kagome brushed her bangs away from her eyes, and thought about what she'd order for their last dinner in her era.
TO BE CONTINUED