CHAPTER NINETEEN
*
Kagome's front wheel was squeaking ominously as she pedalled through the woods. It was times like this that she was glad Inuyasha was so light. If he didn't balance so perfectly, she probably couldn't keep going for more than a few feeeeet.
Inuyasha was dangling his legs off Kagome's bike, resting his back against hers. He seemed a bit more sedate since they returned to the feudal era, watching birds as they rode along.
Finally the week is over, Kagome thought. Things can go back to what passes for normal -- I just hope Mom doesn't freak out when she sees what happened to the house.
"I liked that," Inuyasha said suddenly.
Kagome slowed her bike. "What?"
"I liked being at your house." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her. "I made a lot of trouble, but I liked being there with you."
Kagome thought carefully about what to say before speaking. "Really?"
"Yeah." He leaned his head back on her shoulder. "I don't have a home. Never did. Not really, ever since I was little. Not anyplace that I was welcome or that was for me. I remember for a long time, that was just about all I wanted."
Kagome swerved instinctively around a bend in the road. The few hints Inuyasha had given about his childhood were whirling in her mind like autumn leaves. What would my life have been like, she wondered, if I hadn't had a home or a family?
As if in a dream, she heard herself saying the last words she had wanted to say: "You can come back sometimes if you like."
Inuyasha stiffened at that, then relaxed. They rode on in silence through the trees.
*
"They're back!" Shippo squealed, leaping at Kagome's face. The bike wobbled and almost fell; Inuyasha leaped off, shouting, "Hey, what's the idea?!"
Three humans came from inside the small hut. Kaede smiled slightly as she saw Inuyasha and Kagome coming toward her, with Shippo swarming over Kagome's head. "Ah, ye have returned," she said. "Have ye been having a good time?"
Kagome started to answer. "Uh, Sango," she said finally. "Can I talk to you? Shippo, there's a lollipop for you in my backpack."
The demon-slayer followed her silently to a nearby tree. "What's wrong?" Sango asked, petting Kirara.
"I'm not sure if I had a good time or not," Kagome said, tugging absently at her hair. "Inuyasha was... half the time I wanted to hug him, and the rest of the time i wanted to wring his neck. He broke half the stuff in my house, then came into my room to comfort me after I had a nightmare.
"That sounds nice..."
"It was," Kagome said. "I'm not sure what to think about it!" She took a deep breath. "So how was Miroku?"
"Worse than usual." Sango stared in Miroku's direction. "I think boredom doesn't agree with him."
"Hands, all the time?"
"Yes. But I found out that he doesn't touch me when Kaede's around." Sango smiled. "So I spent a lot of time just staying nearby her."
"Does Kaede know this?"
"Oh yes. She says she recognizes the type from when she was young."
"It's been a long, long time!" Inuyasha bellowed from across the field.
Miroku's dark eyes watched as the girls wandered away, talking with their heads close together. Sango looked as if she were giggling, and Kagome was covering her face.
The monk seated himself beside Inuyasha, who was going through Kagome's backpack. He glanced briefly at Shippo, who was perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. "So," Miroku said with feigned casualness. "You just got back from a week with Kagome."
Inuyasha looked up briefly. "Brilliant, Miroku."
Miroku smiled a little. "So, man to man," he said. "How was it?"
"It was pretty awful," Inuyasha said, tossing aside the study guide.
Miroku glanced at Kagome. "Really?"
"Yeah. She wouldn't let me do anything outside the house. It smelled weird, I bashed around too much, and she said I was doing all the wrong things. That, and I passed out once."
Miroku's imagination was running wild, wondering what could have caused these things. "You passed out?"
"Yeah. Her brother got sick, and I flooded the house. I kind of liked being there, anyway..." he added gruffly.
Miroku blinked, his alarming thoughts vanishing. "Oh. I see. But Inuyasha, how was it?"
Inuyasha looked up, frowning. "How was what?"
"You know... IT."
"What is 'it'?"
"You know..."
"No, I don't know!"
Miroku sighed heavily, watching Shippo. The little fox-demon was watching with great interest, evidently sharing Inuyasha's confusion over the mysterious "it."
*
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with him," Sango said, shifting her boomerang on her shoulders. They were on the road again, searching for more shards of the Shikon jewel. The girls were taking the lead, while Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo were a short distance behind.
"Give him time," Kagome said. "Sometimes guys change."
"And sometimes they don't." Sango thought for a moment. "Has Inuyasha changed at all, since you met him?"
"In what way?"
"Any way at all. I haven't known him for very long, but you once said he was the first person you encountered when you came through the well."
"No, dammit! I don't know what IT is!" Inuyasha shouted. "Stop asking me about IT unless you're gonna tell me what IT is!"
Kagome smiled a little, and looked over her shoulder at the frustrated half-demon. "Yeah, he's changed. In some ways, that is."
THE END
*
Kagome's front wheel was squeaking ominously as she pedalled through the woods. It was times like this that she was glad Inuyasha was so light. If he didn't balance so perfectly, she probably couldn't keep going for more than a few feeeeet.
Inuyasha was dangling his legs off Kagome's bike, resting his back against hers. He seemed a bit more sedate since they returned to the feudal era, watching birds as they rode along.
Finally the week is over, Kagome thought. Things can go back to what passes for normal -- I just hope Mom doesn't freak out when she sees what happened to the house.
"I liked that," Inuyasha said suddenly.
Kagome slowed her bike. "What?"
"I liked being at your house." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her. "I made a lot of trouble, but I liked being there with you."
Kagome thought carefully about what to say before speaking. "Really?"
"Yeah." He leaned his head back on her shoulder. "I don't have a home. Never did. Not really, ever since I was little. Not anyplace that I was welcome or that was for me. I remember for a long time, that was just about all I wanted."
Kagome swerved instinctively around a bend in the road. The few hints Inuyasha had given about his childhood were whirling in her mind like autumn leaves. What would my life have been like, she wondered, if I hadn't had a home or a family?
As if in a dream, she heard herself saying the last words she had wanted to say: "You can come back sometimes if you like."
Inuyasha stiffened at that, then relaxed. They rode on in silence through the trees.
*
"They're back!" Shippo squealed, leaping at Kagome's face. The bike wobbled and almost fell; Inuyasha leaped off, shouting, "Hey, what's the idea?!"
Three humans came from inside the small hut. Kaede smiled slightly as she saw Inuyasha and Kagome coming toward her, with Shippo swarming over Kagome's head. "Ah, ye have returned," she said. "Have ye been having a good time?"
Kagome started to answer. "Uh, Sango," she said finally. "Can I talk to you? Shippo, there's a lollipop for you in my backpack."
The demon-slayer followed her silently to a nearby tree. "What's wrong?" Sango asked, petting Kirara.
"I'm not sure if I had a good time or not," Kagome said, tugging absently at her hair. "Inuyasha was... half the time I wanted to hug him, and the rest of the time i wanted to wring his neck. He broke half the stuff in my house, then came into my room to comfort me after I had a nightmare.
"That sounds nice..."
"It was," Kagome said. "I'm not sure what to think about it!" She took a deep breath. "So how was Miroku?"
"Worse than usual." Sango stared in Miroku's direction. "I think boredom doesn't agree with him."
"Hands, all the time?"
"Yes. But I found out that he doesn't touch me when Kaede's around." Sango smiled. "So I spent a lot of time just staying nearby her."
"Does Kaede know this?"
"Oh yes. She says she recognizes the type from when she was young."
"It's been a long, long time!" Inuyasha bellowed from across the field.
Miroku's dark eyes watched as the girls wandered away, talking with their heads close together. Sango looked as if she were giggling, and Kagome was covering her face.
The monk seated himself beside Inuyasha, who was going through Kagome's backpack. He glanced briefly at Shippo, who was perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. "So," Miroku said with feigned casualness. "You just got back from a week with Kagome."
Inuyasha looked up briefly. "Brilliant, Miroku."
Miroku smiled a little. "So, man to man," he said. "How was it?"
"It was pretty awful," Inuyasha said, tossing aside the study guide.
Miroku glanced at Kagome. "Really?"
"Yeah. She wouldn't let me do anything outside the house. It smelled weird, I bashed around too much, and she said I was doing all the wrong things. That, and I passed out once."
Miroku's imagination was running wild, wondering what could have caused these things. "You passed out?"
"Yeah. Her brother got sick, and I flooded the house. I kind of liked being there, anyway..." he added gruffly.
Miroku blinked, his alarming thoughts vanishing. "Oh. I see. But Inuyasha, how was it?"
Inuyasha looked up, frowning. "How was what?"
"You know... IT."
"What is 'it'?"
"You know..."
"No, I don't know!"
Miroku sighed heavily, watching Shippo. The little fox-demon was watching with great interest, evidently sharing Inuyasha's confusion over the mysterious "it."
*
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with him," Sango said, shifting her boomerang on her shoulders. They were on the road again, searching for more shards of the Shikon jewel. The girls were taking the lead, while Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo were a short distance behind.
"Give him time," Kagome said. "Sometimes guys change."
"And sometimes they don't." Sango thought for a moment. "Has Inuyasha changed at all, since you met him?"
"In what way?"
"Any way at all. I haven't known him for very long, but you once said he was the first person you encountered when you came through the well."
"No, dammit! I don't know what IT is!" Inuyasha shouted. "Stop asking me about IT unless you're gonna tell me what IT is!"
Kagome smiled a little, and looked over her shoulder at the frustrated half-demon. "Yeah, he's changed. In some ways, that is."
THE END