CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
*
In her dreams, hundreds of fox demons were swarming over her house, and Kagome had to figure out which one of them was Shippo. As she caught one wriggling demon after another, she heard a high, thin voice calling her name: "Kagome!"
"Shippo?" she called, turning around.
"KAGOME!" the voice called again. "Can you come in here? My nightlight is out..."
Kagome sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. A sliver of the bright moon outside showed that it was still late at night. He's nine already, she thought. Can't he sleep for even one night without that stupid nightlight?
She switched on the lamp over her bed. It didn't go on. After jiggling the switch a few more times, she called, "Sota, get out in the hallway. It's a blackout."
With only a bit of the moon to light her way, she somehow managed to stagger out into the hallway. The hall lights were also out, confirming her fears. "Sota?" she said.
Something warm bumped into her. Kagome poked at where Sota's face would be, and only found a very well-muscled chest. She worked her fingers up a neck and ran them up over the jawbone. Yep, there was nothing on the sides of the face where ears should be.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked dryly.
"Just making sure it was actually you."
"Well, if I was a thief, I'd love this reception." There was a long pause; Kagome wished she could see his face. "This isn't my fault."
"I know it isn't your fault -- SOTA! Get your butt out here!" Kagome shouted. "It's a blackout, and they'll probably have it fixed in a few hours. In the meantime, I'll try to find the flashlights Mom keeps in that room."
"Ka-go-me..."
"Sota, if you want me, get out of that bed and come out here!"
"What room?" Inuyasha said, ignoring Sota's wails.
"Your room. Her room. Whatever." Kagome worked her way past Inuyasha's body and over to where she estimated her mother's door was. She was off by a few inches. Rubbing her sore nose, she stumbled over a blanket she had left by the door, and bumped her head into the doorframe.
"Didja forget I can see a lot better than you can?" Inuyasha asked loudly.
"Feel free to help!" Kagome called.
She felt Inuyasha pick her up and set her outside the bedroom. "They should be in a shoebox under the bed," she called.
For what seemed like an eternity, she listened to stifled grunting and scrabbling. Then Inuyasha said in her ear, "It isn't there."
"It has to be!"
"It isn't."
She felt a tugging at her sleeve. "Kagome?" Sota quavered. "When are the lights coming back?"
"I don't know," Kagome said, groping around in the dark for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, will you please say something? It's creeping me out just having you walk around without any noise."
"What do you want me to say?" came from near the bathroom.
"I don't care. Recite poetry... and uh, can you tell me where the stairs are? Grandpa always keeps some candles in the kitchen."
She heard some sort of shuffling in the dark, and "Hop on, kid." Then a pair of arms slid under her back and legs, and swept her up before she could protest. "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" she said, clinging to his shoulder.
"Cool!" Sota said, awe overcoming his fear. "Are you carryin' both of us?"
Kagome gave up protesting. After all, she had no idea how to navigate the house in complete darkness. She clung to Inuyasha as he went slowly and rather clumsily down the stairs. As he set her down, she suddenly shrieked and almost leaped back into his arms. "Something just ran over my foot!"
"That was your cat. From the smell of him, he's been wallowing in the garbage," Inuyasha said impatiently. "Where are those candles?"
With Inuyasha guiding her, Kagome managed to find the matches and candles -- and the misplaced flashlights. "Grandpa never puts anything where it should be," Kagome muttered.
She handled a flashlight to each of them, stifling a yawn. Sota stared up at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Kagome, can I sleep in your room tonight?"
Kagome groaned inwardly. She thought about telling Sota that his unwashed laundry was the only scary thing in his room, but her brother's frightened face drained her words away. She opened her mouth to say that he could, only to hear Inuyasha say, "You can stay in my room, kid. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep anyway, and your sister needs hers."
"Wow?" Sota cried. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." Inuyasha boosted Sota onto his shoulder and carried the little boy up the stairs.
Kagome followed more slowly, impressed. Inuyasha hadn't struck her as being a guy who was good with kids -- his preferred method of discipline was punching in the head -- but he was doing pretty well with Sota. Who could be a little pain in the backside, especially when Mom wasn't around.
Inuyasha paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at her for a moment, with a little smile on his face.
Did he just do that so I could get some sleep? she wondered.
She was still wondering that when she fell asleep, listening to the sound of Inuyasha pacing, and Sota squealing and bouncing on the bed.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
In her dreams, hundreds of fox demons were swarming over her house, and Kagome had to figure out which one of them was Shippo. As she caught one wriggling demon after another, she heard a high, thin voice calling her name: "Kagome!"
"Shippo?" she called, turning around.
"KAGOME!" the voice called again. "Can you come in here? My nightlight is out..."
Kagome sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. A sliver of the bright moon outside showed that it was still late at night. He's nine already, she thought. Can't he sleep for even one night without that stupid nightlight?
She switched on the lamp over her bed. It didn't go on. After jiggling the switch a few more times, she called, "Sota, get out in the hallway. It's a blackout."
With only a bit of the moon to light her way, she somehow managed to stagger out into the hallway. The hall lights were also out, confirming her fears. "Sota?" she said.
Something warm bumped into her. Kagome poked at where Sota's face would be, and only found a very well-muscled chest. She worked her fingers up a neck and ran them up over the jawbone. Yep, there was nothing on the sides of the face where ears should be.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked dryly.
"Just making sure it was actually you."
"Well, if I was a thief, I'd love this reception." There was a long pause; Kagome wished she could see his face. "This isn't my fault."
"I know it isn't your fault -- SOTA! Get your butt out here!" Kagome shouted. "It's a blackout, and they'll probably have it fixed in a few hours. In the meantime, I'll try to find the flashlights Mom keeps in that room."
"Ka-go-me..."
"Sota, if you want me, get out of that bed and come out here!"
"What room?" Inuyasha said, ignoring Sota's wails.
"Your room. Her room. Whatever." Kagome worked her way past Inuyasha's body and over to where she estimated her mother's door was. She was off by a few inches. Rubbing her sore nose, she stumbled over a blanket she had left by the door, and bumped her head into the doorframe.
"Didja forget I can see a lot better than you can?" Inuyasha asked loudly.
"Feel free to help!" Kagome called.
She felt Inuyasha pick her up and set her outside the bedroom. "They should be in a shoebox under the bed," she called.
For what seemed like an eternity, she listened to stifled grunting and scrabbling. Then Inuyasha said in her ear, "It isn't there."
"It has to be!"
"It isn't."
She felt a tugging at her sleeve. "Kagome?" Sota quavered. "When are the lights coming back?"
"I don't know," Kagome said, groping around in the dark for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, will you please say something? It's creeping me out just having you walk around without any noise."
"What do you want me to say?" came from near the bathroom.
"I don't care. Recite poetry... and uh, can you tell me where the stairs are? Grandpa always keeps some candles in the kitchen."
She heard some sort of shuffling in the dark, and "Hop on, kid." Then a pair of arms slid under her back and legs, and swept her up before she could protest. "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" she said, clinging to his shoulder.
"Cool!" Sota said, awe overcoming his fear. "Are you carryin' both of us?"
Kagome gave up protesting. After all, she had no idea how to navigate the house in complete darkness. She clung to Inuyasha as he went slowly and rather clumsily down the stairs. As he set her down, she suddenly shrieked and almost leaped back into his arms. "Something just ran over my foot!"
"That was your cat. From the smell of him, he's been wallowing in the garbage," Inuyasha said impatiently. "Where are those candles?"
With Inuyasha guiding her, Kagome managed to find the matches and candles -- and the misplaced flashlights. "Grandpa never puts anything where it should be," Kagome muttered.
She handled a flashlight to each of them, stifling a yawn. Sota stared up at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Kagome, can I sleep in your room tonight?"
Kagome groaned inwardly. She thought about telling Sota that his unwashed laundry was the only scary thing in his room, but her brother's frightened face drained her words away. She opened her mouth to say that he could, only to hear Inuyasha say, "You can stay in my room, kid. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep anyway, and your sister needs hers."
"Wow?" Sota cried. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." Inuyasha boosted Sota onto his shoulder and carried the little boy up the stairs.
Kagome followed more slowly, impressed. Inuyasha hadn't struck her as being a guy who was good with kids -- his preferred method of discipline was punching in the head -- but he was doing pretty well with Sota. Who could be a little pain in the backside, especially when Mom wasn't around.
Inuyasha paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at her for a moment, with a little smile on his face.
Did he just do that so I could get some sleep? she wondered.
She was still wondering that when she fell asleep, listening to the sound of Inuyasha pacing, and Sota squealing and bouncing on the bed.
TO BE CONTINUED