CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
*
The first thing Kagome heard the next morning was pounding on her door. The second was Inuyasha calling, "KAGOME! Are you awake?"
"No," Kagome muttered, turning over in bed. She opened her eyes just long enough to see the numbers on her spare alarm clock -- 6:15. The sun was only halfway-risen.
She suspected that Inuyasha had come in to cuddle again. Either that, or she'd had a deeply comforting dream, about feeling his body up behind hers. He'd had really cold feet, she remembered vaguely.
More thunderous pounding. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
"I'm not gonna get up! I'm still sleeping!" Kagome said, burying her face in her pillow. "Get lost. Mom and Grandpa won't even be back for hours." Her brain was too tired to calculate exactly how long it would be. "And don't you dare break that door!"
"Kagome!" Sota called faintly. "I'm hungry."
Kagome considered getting up, just because of the very real possibility of Inuyasha setting the stove on fire. After weighing the possibilities, she decided that he could handle a few pesky housefires, and buried her face in her pillow again.
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha bellowed, pounding on the door.
"I must have been really bad in a previous life," Kagome muttered, pulling the blankets over her head.
*
"Hey, the neighbor wants to know if you can babysit her twins," Sota said, waving the phone over his head. "Wanna, or should I make up an excuse like Grandpa?"
Kagome managed to choke down some of Inuyasha's oatmeal, which had formed into a bland, cold blob in her bowl. "Tell her I've got something, okay? The last thing I want to do is take care of her devil-spawn twins. Those babies make garden gnomes look cute."
"I thought you LIKED babies," Inuyasha said, sniffing his bowl.
"I like most of them. But those two are like something out of 'The Omen.' They think bathing is a contact sport." Kagome gave up on the oatmeal. "Inuyasha, do you understand what measuring cups are for?"
"Nope."
"I thought not. We'll have to go over that before you try instant oatmeal again." Kagome grimaced.
She devoted most of the morning to cramming clothes and bathroom supplies into her pack. Her pace was slowed a little by Inuyasha's helpfulness. He kept grabbing random items from her closet and tossing them into the backpack, apparently trying to speed up her progress. Kagome didn't feel like telling him that with his help, it only took twice the usual amount of time.
"When are we leaving?" Inuyasha asked, pacing through the house.
"When my mom gets back," Kagome said from the depths of a teen girl's magazine. "I'm not supposed to leave Sota alone. Besides, I wouldn't trust him not to do something weird."
Inuyasha jumped onto the couch and peered over the magazine. "What's that thing about?"
"Girl stuff. You wouldn't be interested."
"Like what?"
"'Eye makeup -- how to mesmerize him with bedroom eyes,'" Kagome read. "'20 great exercises to shrink your butt.' 'Flaw-minimizing bathing suits -- how to look sexy on the sand.'"
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "Why d'ya read that stuff?"
"Because Grandpa was at a loss for what to get me for Christmas, so he got me a subscription," Kagome said, turning a page. "Besides, I can always use a few tips on eye makeup."
"Oh." Inuyasha sank down on the couch next to her. "Why's that woman not wearing her clothes?"
"Don't look at her. It's a body wash ad." Kagome folded the magazine up and slid it into the couch cushions.
Inuyasha folded his arms and stared twitchily out the window. "Kagome," he said finally, in an unusually quiet voice. "I... uh, before anyone else comes, I need to tell you something."
"Like what."
Inuyasha swallowed, looking nervous. "I... uh... this is kinda hard for me to say..."
"What?"
"I broke your new alarm clock."
*
Kagome leaned her bike against the mini-shrine. It was a little the worse for wear after Inuyasha had tossed it, but it would still work. Nearby, Inuyasha was sprawled under a tree, tapping his fingers impatiently. Mom and Grandpa should be back any minute, Kagome thought. Maybe Inuyasha will learn some patience in the meantime.
"Hey, Kagome!"
It was the sort of situation that was usually reserved for Kagome's nightmares. She barely had time to register Hojo's voice before she was dragging Inuyasha to his feet. "Quick, up the tree before he sees you!"
Inuyasha did so. As Kagome turned around, she saw Hojo running up the stairs, somewhat out of breath.
"Kagome!" Hojo said, smiling. He held out a heavy study guide. "You forgot your book at school."
"Oh," Kagome took the book. She could see Inuyasha over Hojo's head, crouching like an attractive gargoyle. His ears were pricked -- a sure sign he was interested. "Oh, uh, thanks. It slipped my mind."
Hojo eyed her bulging pack. "Going somewhere?"
"Uh yes. A clinic," Kagome said lamely.
"What kind of clinic? You don't have TB, do you? Your grandfather said something about your lungs a few weeks ago. I could bring a-"
"Yes," Kagome said quickly. "I have TB. I was hoping to keep it a secret."
Hojo looked horrified. "Wow, I thought -- I mean, I heard that people with TB coughed up blood or whatever."
"I've been very discreet," Kagome lied. She coughed demurely.
"Are you feeling sick?" Hojo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I can call a taxi."
"No no, someone's coming to pick me up." Kagome prayed that the hand didn't spur Inuyasha to come leaping out of the tree. She could explain her absences, but the dog-boy was a little harder to excuse. "Uh, Hojo, I think you better get away from me -- I'm pretty contagious." She coughed again.
"Well, if you're sure," Hojo said. He waved as he ran down the steps to the street.
Kagome sighed with relief, turned around -- and found herself face-to-upside-down-face with Inuyasha. The half-demon was looking as suspicious as a guy hanging by his knees can look. "Who's the drip?" he asked.
"Hojo? Oh, he goes to school with me. He has a little crush on me." A crush that means he's been asking me out all year, Kagome thought.
Inuyasha looked after Hojo for a moment, then flipped down next to her. "Drip," he repeated. "I'm goin' inside to say bye to your brother, okay? Just call when your mom gets here."
"Will do," Kagome said, shouldering her pack.
The girl idly flicked willow leaves into the rain gutter, watching the ripples. As the sound of an car stopping reached her, she quickly stood up. "Mom?"
"Yes, it's us, honey!" Her mother rushed up the steps, smiling broadly. "Well, your great-aunt is doing much better now, and there's a professional nurse taking care of her. I hope Sota wasn't too much of a handful."
Him, no -- the friend with the cute ears, yes, Kagome thought. She sighed heavily. "Well, as you can see, I'm all packed to get back to the Feudal Era. It's been kind of a weird week."
"How were exams, sweetie?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, as her puffing father-in-law came up the steps.
Before Kagome could answer, a white and red blur shot out of the back door and swept her off her feet. She barely had time to call, "I'll tell you all about it when I get back!" before Inuyasha leaped down the well, with Kagome still slung over his shoulder.
The old priest grumbled, "I still don't entirely trust that young demon with Kagome."
Mrs. Higurashi hesitated as Inuyasha leaped back out of the well, looking around the courtyard. Then he raced back inside, with Kagome's bike over his shoulders, and vanished into the well for the second time.
"Oh, I don't know," Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling. "I think Kagome knows her way around him."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The first thing Kagome heard the next morning was pounding on her door. The second was Inuyasha calling, "KAGOME! Are you awake?"
"No," Kagome muttered, turning over in bed. She opened her eyes just long enough to see the numbers on her spare alarm clock -- 6:15. The sun was only halfway-risen.
She suspected that Inuyasha had come in to cuddle again. Either that, or she'd had a deeply comforting dream, about feeling his body up behind hers. He'd had really cold feet, she remembered vaguely.
More thunderous pounding. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
"I'm not gonna get up! I'm still sleeping!" Kagome said, burying her face in her pillow. "Get lost. Mom and Grandpa won't even be back for hours." Her brain was too tired to calculate exactly how long it would be. "And don't you dare break that door!"
"Kagome!" Sota called faintly. "I'm hungry."
Kagome considered getting up, just because of the very real possibility of Inuyasha setting the stove on fire. After weighing the possibilities, she decided that he could handle a few pesky housefires, and buried her face in her pillow again.
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha bellowed, pounding on the door.
"I must have been really bad in a previous life," Kagome muttered, pulling the blankets over her head.
*
"Hey, the neighbor wants to know if you can babysit her twins," Sota said, waving the phone over his head. "Wanna, or should I make up an excuse like Grandpa?"
Kagome managed to choke down some of Inuyasha's oatmeal, which had formed into a bland, cold blob in her bowl. "Tell her I've got something, okay? The last thing I want to do is take care of her devil-spawn twins. Those babies make garden gnomes look cute."
"I thought you LIKED babies," Inuyasha said, sniffing his bowl.
"I like most of them. But those two are like something out of 'The Omen.' They think bathing is a contact sport." Kagome gave up on the oatmeal. "Inuyasha, do you understand what measuring cups are for?"
"Nope."
"I thought not. We'll have to go over that before you try instant oatmeal again." Kagome grimaced.
She devoted most of the morning to cramming clothes and bathroom supplies into her pack. Her pace was slowed a little by Inuyasha's helpfulness. He kept grabbing random items from her closet and tossing them into the backpack, apparently trying to speed up her progress. Kagome didn't feel like telling him that with his help, it only took twice the usual amount of time.
"When are we leaving?" Inuyasha asked, pacing through the house.
"When my mom gets back," Kagome said from the depths of a teen girl's magazine. "I'm not supposed to leave Sota alone. Besides, I wouldn't trust him not to do something weird."
Inuyasha jumped onto the couch and peered over the magazine. "What's that thing about?"
"Girl stuff. You wouldn't be interested."
"Like what?"
"'Eye makeup -- how to mesmerize him with bedroom eyes,'" Kagome read. "'20 great exercises to shrink your butt.' 'Flaw-minimizing bathing suits -- how to look sexy on the sand.'"
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "Why d'ya read that stuff?"
"Because Grandpa was at a loss for what to get me for Christmas, so he got me a subscription," Kagome said, turning a page. "Besides, I can always use a few tips on eye makeup."
"Oh." Inuyasha sank down on the couch next to her. "Why's that woman not wearing her clothes?"
"Don't look at her. It's a body wash ad." Kagome folded the magazine up and slid it into the couch cushions.
Inuyasha folded his arms and stared twitchily out the window. "Kagome," he said finally, in an unusually quiet voice. "I... uh, before anyone else comes, I need to tell you something."
"Like what."
Inuyasha swallowed, looking nervous. "I... uh... this is kinda hard for me to say..."
"What?"
"I broke your new alarm clock."
*
Kagome leaned her bike against the mini-shrine. It was a little the worse for wear after Inuyasha had tossed it, but it would still work. Nearby, Inuyasha was sprawled under a tree, tapping his fingers impatiently. Mom and Grandpa should be back any minute, Kagome thought. Maybe Inuyasha will learn some patience in the meantime.
"Hey, Kagome!"
It was the sort of situation that was usually reserved for Kagome's nightmares. She barely had time to register Hojo's voice before she was dragging Inuyasha to his feet. "Quick, up the tree before he sees you!"
Inuyasha did so. As Kagome turned around, she saw Hojo running up the stairs, somewhat out of breath.
"Kagome!" Hojo said, smiling. He held out a heavy study guide. "You forgot your book at school."
"Oh," Kagome took the book. She could see Inuyasha over Hojo's head, crouching like an attractive gargoyle. His ears were pricked -- a sure sign he was interested. "Oh, uh, thanks. It slipped my mind."
Hojo eyed her bulging pack. "Going somewhere?"
"Uh yes. A clinic," Kagome said lamely.
"What kind of clinic? You don't have TB, do you? Your grandfather said something about your lungs a few weeks ago. I could bring a-"
"Yes," Kagome said quickly. "I have TB. I was hoping to keep it a secret."
Hojo looked horrified. "Wow, I thought -- I mean, I heard that people with TB coughed up blood or whatever."
"I've been very discreet," Kagome lied. She coughed demurely.
"Are you feeling sick?" Hojo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I can call a taxi."
"No no, someone's coming to pick me up." Kagome prayed that the hand didn't spur Inuyasha to come leaping out of the tree. She could explain her absences, but the dog-boy was a little harder to excuse. "Uh, Hojo, I think you better get away from me -- I'm pretty contagious." She coughed again.
"Well, if you're sure," Hojo said. He waved as he ran down the steps to the street.
Kagome sighed with relief, turned around -- and found herself face-to-upside-down-face with Inuyasha. The half-demon was looking as suspicious as a guy hanging by his knees can look. "Who's the drip?" he asked.
"Hojo? Oh, he goes to school with me. He has a little crush on me." A crush that means he's been asking me out all year, Kagome thought.
Inuyasha looked after Hojo for a moment, then flipped down next to her. "Drip," he repeated. "I'm goin' inside to say bye to your brother, okay? Just call when your mom gets here."
"Will do," Kagome said, shouldering her pack.
The girl idly flicked willow leaves into the rain gutter, watching the ripples. As the sound of an car stopping reached her, she quickly stood up. "Mom?"
"Yes, it's us, honey!" Her mother rushed up the steps, smiling broadly. "Well, your great-aunt is doing much better now, and there's a professional nurse taking care of her. I hope Sota wasn't too much of a handful."
Him, no -- the friend with the cute ears, yes, Kagome thought. She sighed heavily. "Well, as you can see, I'm all packed to get back to the Feudal Era. It's been kind of a weird week."
"How were exams, sweetie?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, as her puffing father-in-law came up the steps.
Before Kagome could answer, a white and red blur shot out of the back door and swept her off her feet. She barely had time to call, "I'll tell you all about it when I get back!" before Inuyasha leaped down the well, with Kagome still slung over his shoulder.
The old priest grumbled, "I still don't entirely trust that young demon with Kagome."
Mrs. Higurashi hesitated as Inuyasha leaped back out of the well, looking around the courtyard. Then he raced back inside, with Kagome's bike over his shoulders, and vanished into the well for the second time.
"Oh, I don't know," Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling. "I think Kagome knows her way around him."
TO BE CONTINUED