Chapter 30: Around the House

The rest of Tuesday passed without incident and Kagome was allowed to go to school on Wednesday.  However she went with a note from Dr. Subaru stating that Kagome was not to participate in P.E. due to her injuries. 

This left a very bored Inuyasha at the Shrine.  He had got as much information out of Neko as he could.  It had come up the evening before that she could not tell them of anything that had happened and technically she shouldn't even be talking to the couple.  But of course life is a funny thing and brings people together in the most unexpected ways.

So Inuyasha headed outside and perched himself in the God Tree.  Neko sat below him sketching him in the tree, the shrine, and whatever else caught her artist's eye.

"So, Neko, if you are here in this time, then where is the future version of me?  How come I haven't come by?" Inuyasha called down to her.

Neko raised her golden eyes to him.  You are not here…she thought sadly.  The woman sighed.  "I told you I can't tell you about your future.  Besides you wouldn't come by here anyway."

"Why not?"

"Time space thing."  She could feel her cousin giving her a confused look.  "A future version of you and the you right now can not occupy the same space at the same time.  To do so would kill you."

It was quite for a moment.  "Then how come Kikyo and Kagome can be in the same place at the same time?"

"Because Kikyo and Kagome are two different people.  Haven't you learned that by now?"

Inuyasha contemplated this and all was silent for a while with the exception of the scratching of Neko's pencil. 

Then Grandpa came on the scene.  He looked up in the tree.  "Inuyasha, if you are going to be here, you might as well help around the Shrine!"

"Can't," Inuyasha called down.  "Might reopen these injuries."

"Actually, you are just fine.  They are little more than scratches now."  Neko smiled up at the young man.  "You are purr-fectly fit to help."

"Feh."  Inuyasha hopped out of the tree.  He shot Neko a nasty look as he followed Grandpa to do whatever chore needed to be done.

*****

Nekoyasha had sensed that something was on Sesshomaru's mind the day before, but she didn't feel like arguing with the lord.  So she had let him be.

It was different when his mood hadn't changed.  He seemed to have distanced himself from Rin and was pre-occupied with something.

She caught him looking at her paintings.  When she saw that everyone else had left to go outside, she approached him.  The painting he was glaring at was one of Inuyasha pinned to the tree.

"Sesshomaru?" she inquired as she laid her hand on his arm.

"Why did he run?" he whispered.

Nekoyasha was shocked by the question.  It took her a minute to come up with an answer. 

"He is not use to you seeing him in his human form."

Sesshomaru gave a small snort that might have been meant as a laugh.  "That is not what I meant.  He always runs.  From me, from Naraku, from Kikyo, from Kagome, from himself."  He turned and looked at the cat.

Nekoyasha saw a multitude of emotions in his eyes, many of which she never thought she would see in the proud lord eyes.  There was regret, confusion, and … sadness in those golden orbs.

Her own blue eyes must have reflected those emotions back to him because he turned his head away from the woman.  "I would have been there to take him home in a couple of days.  Why did he run?"

It took Nekoyasha a few moments to understand what he was referring to.  She took his arm in hers and guided him to the table.  She set two cups of tea on the table and sat next to him.

"It wasn't all your fault.  There was so much going on at that time.  I thought our bond was tight enough to keep him in my father's lands, but it wasn't.  You left him with us for 10 years."

"But I told him that I would be back," the man insisted.

She nodded. "You don't know what happened do you?"  Sesshomaru shook his head no.  "My mother died, Sesshomaru.  It hit him hard.  I think it reminded him too much of his own mother's passing.  We didn't know you were coming.  He left in the middle of the night."

Sesshomaru blinked. 

"And that may be why he runs.  He is afraid of being hurt."

*****

Inuyasha stood on the top of the Shrine repairing the roof.  He had given Grandpa a hard time about it, but in reality he didn't mind.  It gave him something to do.  He stood up and stretched.  It was a clear day and he could see far from the top of the shrine.  He inhaled deeply.  The air was not as clean here, but he thought he could get use to it.

He glanced down.  Neko was running back and forth talking to Grandpa.  Apparently Grandpa had decided to put the healer to work as well.  Inuyasha smiled at the fact that he wasn't the only one working.

Neko is here, so this time can't be all bad.  Plus there is Kagome.  And Souta has become accustomed to me being here.  The family would need someone willing to fix the roof from time to time.  He paused.  Plus there is Ramen here.  He smiled at that thought.  I could be with Kagome.  I think I could be happy here in this time…

His thoughts were interrupted by Neko calling, "Inuyasha!  Lunch!"

Food knocked all other thoughts out of Inuyasha's head.  It was lunch time and Kagome would be home soon after that.

Little did Inuyasha realize that his heart had just made a decision that his mind and soul would not be aware of until much later.

*****

A/N:  Well, I meant to have the other chapter up about a week ago.  But stupid slow computers.  ::sigh::  So guess what?  That means you now get two chapters at once!!!  Yea for multiple chapter updates.  There's not really much else to say. Until next time!