Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, okay?
Chapter 5
"Update, agent." A mysterious man ordered, his face hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit room.
"Manten failed, my Lord. The hanyou interfered." A thin man responded, bowing. Grief saturated his voice.
"Dead?"
"Yes, my Lord. We did not find his body, but we did find his blood on the grass under his post."
"Hmm...very well. Send out Kanna. She'll get the job done."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Turn left at the next road." Kagome said, leaning over the seats, pointing out directions. "Now, turn right. The shrine's two blocks down the street."
"Right." Miroku said, following her directions.
Inuyasha sat, brooding, in the passenger seat. Kagome had refused to get in the car until Inuyasha had agreed to let Miroku drive (Inuyasha had called her some really nasty names and made Kagome very pissed). Both were still angry and still weren't talking to each other.
Kagome squealed happily as Miroku came to a stop in front of the shrine steps. She scrambled out of the car and waited, impatiently, for the others to follow. A few days ago, she would have gladly stayed in the car, but now she was glad to be able to see her grandfather and brother. Hell, she was glad to still be alive.
She bound up the steps and dashed into the shrine house. "Jii-chan!" She wailed, flinging her arms the old man sweeping out the leaves and dust.
"K-Kagome? You're alright!" Kagome's grandfather chocked out, enveloping his granddaughter in a fierce hug.
"I'm fine, it's just a few cuts and bruises. Where's Souta?" Kagome asked, searching for her little brother.
"He's in the house Oh, it's so good to see you. We were so worried; Souta hasn't touched his video games since we got word of the accident. Why don't you go see him? Maybe that will cheer him up." Jii-chan said, squeezing Kagome once more, and then releasing her. She nodded and walked over to the house, joined by Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha.
"Souta?" Kagome called out, stepping into the house.
A faint 'Nee-chan' was heard before a brown-haired blur dashed down the stairs and threw itself at Kagome, knocking her flat. All three agents blinked in surprise to see the blur turn into a 13-year-old boy clinging tightly to Kagome's chest.
"Nee-chan! You're alive!" The boy cried.
"Souta, I'm fine. Or at least I will be if you let go so I can breathe again." Kagome gasped out, trying to pry her brother off of her.
He finally let go, and helped Kagome to her feet. He hugged her again and looked up at his sister, who was a good five inches taller than him. "Sorry, I was just so worried about you!"
Kagome smiled as she ruffled his hair. "I know you were, Squirt. I missed you, too."
"Hey...Who are they?" Souta asked, peering around his sister's arm.
"They're friends of mine. Souta, meet Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha. They'll be sticking around for a while." Kagome said.
Souta bounced over to Inuyasha. "Do you play video games?" He asked hopefully.
"Sure. Me and Miroku are the best." Inuyasha gloated, puffing out his chest as Souta beamed up at him.
"Awesome! Come and check out this new game I got from Jii-chan." Souta cheered, grabbing Inuyasha and Miroku by the sleeves and dragged them off.
Kagome shook her head. "Great. Now they'll be playing for hours."
"Well at least they'll be out of our hair for a while." Sango laughed/
Kagome grinned and leaned against the kitchen counter. "It's been a long time since I was last here. Three years..." Kagome sighed. "I grew up here, with my mom and dad, Souta and Jii-chan, and of course Buyo. Well, my dad died when I was three, but I still remember him. Then, when I turned 16, my mom got a job in the city..." She trailed off, staring into space. Sango watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across the other girl's face. Kagome jumped when she felt someone squeeze her shoulder. She turned to see Sango, who gave her a sympathetic smile, and smiled weakly back.
"Kagome?" Jii-chan called from outside.
Kagome stuck her head out the kitchen window. "Yeah?"
"Seeing how I'm busy right now, could you make dinner?" Jii-chan asked.
"Ugh. Fine." Kagome sighed. She turned to Sango and said, "He always does that. He can't cook well, so he makes others do it when they visit." She paused. "How many of us are there?"
"Six. Need some help?" Sango grinned at Kagome's shocked face.
"Please? All I can make is stir fry and Ramen." She pleaded.
"Ramen's fine!" Inuyasha called from the other room. Kagome looked, stunned, in the direction of his voice. Sango laughed in response. Kagome shook her head, and went to get packs of Ramen out of a cabinet.
Inuyasha sighed happily as he pushed his empty bowl away.
"Five bowls, Inu. Five. You never cease to amaze me." Miroku sighed, shaking his head.
"Wow." Souta breathed, watching his new hero intently.
"That was...gross..." Kagome shuddered, pushing away her almost- empty bowl.
"You'll get used to it." Miroku and Sango said in unison.
"You know, since girls made dinner..." Sango started, getting an evil glint in her eyes, and grinned at the guys.
Kagome caught on quickly. "Guys do the dishes." She finished, smirking.
"What?!?" Miroku, Inuyasha, and Souta all yelped.
"Nee-chan! That's not fair!" Souta whined.
"Sure it is." Kagome responded.
"Well, ahem, I guess I'll leave you to it..." Jii-chan coughed before dashing out of the house.
"Jii-chan..." Kagome sighed, getting up from her seat to retrieve the old man. She stopped mid-step when she heard a yelp from out in the yard.
"Where do think you're going, old man? She said 'guys' do dishes, and that includes you." Inuyasha scowled, carrying in Kagome's grandfather by the back of his robes, and set him back down at the table.
"It will get done faster if you help us, sir." Miroku added.
"Hmm...fine. But only if I dry." Jii-chan said, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Dry and put away." Miroku responded, taking on a negotiating manner.
"Dry."
"Rinse and dry."
"Dry!"
"Alright then, how about you don't do none of it?" Miroku smirked.
Kagome's grandfather paused a moment, considering. "Deal!" He nodded and shook Miroku's hand.
"Cool. Come on guys, let's go outside." Miroku said, standing up and walked away with everyone else.
"W-wait! Where are you going?!" Jii-chan yelled after them.
"Double negative, Gramps. You just agreed to do it all!" Inuyasha called back, giving Miroku a high five.
"One of the perks of being a FBI agent is you can talk your way out of anything." Miroku whispered to Kagome, who laughed in return.
"Inuyasha! Catch!" Souta called, tossing a basketball to Inuyasha, who caught it and shot it in the basket. "Woah! Cool! How'd you do that?"
Kagome and Sango sat on the porch and watch the guys play a 2-on-1 game, with Souta and Inuyasha on one team, and Miroku on the other. Miroku was currently losing, badly.
"I resign. You've got me beat." Miroku gasped, sprawling on the ground.
"Well, duh! He's Inuyasha!" Souta said, cheering on his hero.
"Careful, Squirt. His ego is already too big for his head." Kagome called, laughing lightly.
"What did you say?" Inuyasha growled, spinning on his heels and began stalking towards her.
"You heard me, baka." Kagome growled back, getting to her feet.
Inuyasha was about to pounce when Kagome squeaked and pointed up over his shoulder. He spun around, unconsciously preparing to fight, and saw a giant demon cat with fire curling around its body begin to descend into the yard. Relaxing, he walked over to Sango, who was waiting for the cat to land.
"Hey, Kirara." He said, scratching behind one of the cat's ears.
"'Sup, Yash?" A boy asked as he dismounted from Kirara's back.
"Hey, Kohaku. What are you doing here?" Inuyasha grinned, giving the kid a noogie, who squirmed out from under his arm before he could do too much damage.
"Your brother told me you guys were on a case, so I decided to drop by and see how it was going." Kohaku shrugged, trying, vainly, to get his hair to stop sticking up at weird angles.
Miroku, followed by Kagome, joined the group. "Weren't you supposed to be watching..." He started, but stopped as a copper-colored ball of fir launched itself at Inuyasha's head.
"Shippou!" Inuyasha yelled, trying to dislodge the fir ball from his head. He succeeded, but ended up lifting his hat as well. He quickly yanked it back on his head, but not before Kagome caught a glimpse of something twitching on his head, immediately triggering her curiosity.
"What have I told you about jumping on me?" Inuyasha growled, holding up a 5-year-old kid with copper hair, bright green eyes, and a fluffy tail that matched his hair.
Kagome momentarily forgot about the thing under Inuyasha's hat as she looked at the child clinging to Inuyasha. "How cute!" She squealed, scooping the child into her arms.
"This is Shippou, my adoptive son. He's the fox demon kit who's parents were my friends." Inuyasha said, eying Kagome cooing to Shippou, who was happily accepting all the attention.
Kagome looked up. "Fox demon? So his tail is real?"
"Yep. See, I can wiggle it." Shippou piped up, shaking his tail side-to- side.
Kagome giggled. "Hi Shippou. I'm Kagome."
"Hi!" Shippou grinned, then climbed out of her arms and on her injured shoulder.
"Oi, brat. Don't climb all over her. She's hurt." Inuyasha growled, suddenly feeling possessive, and pulled Shippou off Kagome. Shippou yelped, protesting leaving his comfy perch, and began to flail his tiny limbs. Inuyasha avoided his attempts at freedom, until a particularly strong swing of Shippou's arm knock his hat off his head. Before he could register what happened, the hat fell to the ground. His eyes snapped from the hat to Kagome, and saw her standing there, staring at the ears that now visibly poked out of his head. 'Oh, crap..."
Chapter 5
"Update, agent." A mysterious man ordered, his face hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit room.
"Manten failed, my Lord. The hanyou interfered." A thin man responded, bowing. Grief saturated his voice.
"Dead?"
"Yes, my Lord. We did not find his body, but we did find his blood on the grass under his post."
"Hmm...very well. Send out Kanna. She'll get the job done."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Turn left at the next road." Kagome said, leaning over the seats, pointing out directions. "Now, turn right. The shrine's two blocks down the street."
"Right." Miroku said, following her directions.
Inuyasha sat, brooding, in the passenger seat. Kagome had refused to get in the car until Inuyasha had agreed to let Miroku drive (Inuyasha had called her some really nasty names and made Kagome very pissed). Both were still angry and still weren't talking to each other.
Kagome squealed happily as Miroku came to a stop in front of the shrine steps. She scrambled out of the car and waited, impatiently, for the others to follow. A few days ago, she would have gladly stayed in the car, but now she was glad to be able to see her grandfather and brother. Hell, she was glad to still be alive.
She bound up the steps and dashed into the shrine house. "Jii-chan!" She wailed, flinging her arms the old man sweeping out the leaves and dust.
"K-Kagome? You're alright!" Kagome's grandfather chocked out, enveloping his granddaughter in a fierce hug.
"I'm fine, it's just a few cuts and bruises. Where's Souta?" Kagome asked, searching for her little brother.
"He's in the house Oh, it's so good to see you. We were so worried; Souta hasn't touched his video games since we got word of the accident. Why don't you go see him? Maybe that will cheer him up." Jii-chan said, squeezing Kagome once more, and then releasing her. She nodded and walked over to the house, joined by Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha.
"Souta?" Kagome called out, stepping into the house.
A faint 'Nee-chan' was heard before a brown-haired blur dashed down the stairs and threw itself at Kagome, knocking her flat. All three agents blinked in surprise to see the blur turn into a 13-year-old boy clinging tightly to Kagome's chest.
"Nee-chan! You're alive!" The boy cried.
"Souta, I'm fine. Or at least I will be if you let go so I can breathe again." Kagome gasped out, trying to pry her brother off of her.
He finally let go, and helped Kagome to her feet. He hugged her again and looked up at his sister, who was a good five inches taller than him. "Sorry, I was just so worried about you!"
Kagome smiled as she ruffled his hair. "I know you were, Squirt. I missed you, too."
"Hey...Who are they?" Souta asked, peering around his sister's arm.
"They're friends of mine. Souta, meet Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha. They'll be sticking around for a while." Kagome said.
Souta bounced over to Inuyasha. "Do you play video games?" He asked hopefully.
"Sure. Me and Miroku are the best." Inuyasha gloated, puffing out his chest as Souta beamed up at him.
"Awesome! Come and check out this new game I got from Jii-chan." Souta cheered, grabbing Inuyasha and Miroku by the sleeves and dragged them off.
Kagome shook her head. "Great. Now they'll be playing for hours."
"Well at least they'll be out of our hair for a while." Sango laughed/
Kagome grinned and leaned against the kitchen counter. "It's been a long time since I was last here. Three years..." Kagome sighed. "I grew up here, with my mom and dad, Souta and Jii-chan, and of course Buyo. Well, my dad died when I was three, but I still remember him. Then, when I turned 16, my mom got a job in the city..." She trailed off, staring into space. Sango watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across the other girl's face. Kagome jumped when she felt someone squeeze her shoulder. She turned to see Sango, who gave her a sympathetic smile, and smiled weakly back.
"Kagome?" Jii-chan called from outside.
Kagome stuck her head out the kitchen window. "Yeah?"
"Seeing how I'm busy right now, could you make dinner?" Jii-chan asked.
"Ugh. Fine." Kagome sighed. She turned to Sango and said, "He always does that. He can't cook well, so he makes others do it when they visit." She paused. "How many of us are there?"
"Six. Need some help?" Sango grinned at Kagome's shocked face.
"Please? All I can make is stir fry and Ramen." She pleaded.
"Ramen's fine!" Inuyasha called from the other room. Kagome looked, stunned, in the direction of his voice. Sango laughed in response. Kagome shook her head, and went to get packs of Ramen out of a cabinet.
Inuyasha sighed happily as he pushed his empty bowl away.
"Five bowls, Inu. Five. You never cease to amaze me." Miroku sighed, shaking his head.
"Wow." Souta breathed, watching his new hero intently.
"That was...gross..." Kagome shuddered, pushing away her almost- empty bowl.
"You'll get used to it." Miroku and Sango said in unison.
"You know, since girls made dinner..." Sango started, getting an evil glint in her eyes, and grinned at the guys.
Kagome caught on quickly. "Guys do the dishes." She finished, smirking.
"What?!?" Miroku, Inuyasha, and Souta all yelped.
"Nee-chan! That's not fair!" Souta whined.
"Sure it is." Kagome responded.
"Well, ahem, I guess I'll leave you to it..." Jii-chan coughed before dashing out of the house.
"Jii-chan..." Kagome sighed, getting up from her seat to retrieve the old man. She stopped mid-step when she heard a yelp from out in the yard.
"Where do think you're going, old man? She said 'guys' do dishes, and that includes you." Inuyasha scowled, carrying in Kagome's grandfather by the back of his robes, and set him back down at the table.
"It will get done faster if you help us, sir." Miroku added.
"Hmm...fine. But only if I dry." Jii-chan said, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Dry and put away." Miroku responded, taking on a negotiating manner.
"Dry."
"Rinse and dry."
"Dry!"
"Alright then, how about you don't do none of it?" Miroku smirked.
Kagome's grandfather paused a moment, considering. "Deal!" He nodded and shook Miroku's hand.
"Cool. Come on guys, let's go outside." Miroku said, standing up and walked away with everyone else.
"W-wait! Where are you going?!" Jii-chan yelled after them.
"Double negative, Gramps. You just agreed to do it all!" Inuyasha called back, giving Miroku a high five.
"One of the perks of being a FBI agent is you can talk your way out of anything." Miroku whispered to Kagome, who laughed in return.
"Inuyasha! Catch!" Souta called, tossing a basketball to Inuyasha, who caught it and shot it in the basket. "Woah! Cool! How'd you do that?"
Kagome and Sango sat on the porch and watch the guys play a 2-on-1 game, with Souta and Inuyasha on one team, and Miroku on the other. Miroku was currently losing, badly.
"I resign. You've got me beat." Miroku gasped, sprawling on the ground.
"Well, duh! He's Inuyasha!" Souta said, cheering on his hero.
"Careful, Squirt. His ego is already too big for his head." Kagome called, laughing lightly.
"What did you say?" Inuyasha growled, spinning on his heels and began stalking towards her.
"You heard me, baka." Kagome growled back, getting to her feet.
Inuyasha was about to pounce when Kagome squeaked and pointed up over his shoulder. He spun around, unconsciously preparing to fight, and saw a giant demon cat with fire curling around its body begin to descend into the yard. Relaxing, he walked over to Sango, who was waiting for the cat to land.
"Hey, Kirara." He said, scratching behind one of the cat's ears.
"'Sup, Yash?" A boy asked as he dismounted from Kirara's back.
"Hey, Kohaku. What are you doing here?" Inuyasha grinned, giving the kid a noogie, who squirmed out from under his arm before he could do too much damage.
"Your brother told me you guys were on a case, so I decided to drop by and see how it was going." Kohaku shrugged, trying, vainly, to get his hair to stop sticking up at weird angles.
Miroku, followed by Kagome, joined the group. "Weren't you supposed to be watching..." He started, but stopped as a copper-colored ball of fir launched itself at Inuyasha's head.
"Shippou!" Inuyasha yelled, trying to dislodge the fir ball from his head. He succeeded, but ended up lifting his hat as well. He quickly yanked it back on his head, but not before Kagome caught a glimpse of something twitching on his head, immediately triggering her curiosity.
"What have I told you about jumping on me?" Inuyasha growled, holding up a 5-year-old kid with copper hair, bright green eyes, and a fluffy tail that matched his hair.
Kagome momentarily forgot about the thing under Inuyasha's hat as she looked at the child clinging to Inuyasha. "How cute!" She squealed, scooping the child into her arms.
"This is Shippou, my adoptive son. He's the fox demon kit who's parents were my friends." Inuyasha said, eying Kagome cooing to Shippou, who was happily accepting all the attention.
Kagome looked up. "Fox demon? So his tail is real?"
"Yep. See, I can wiggle it." Shippou piped up, shaking his tail side-to- side.
Kagome giggled. "Hi Shippou. I'm Kagome."
"Hi!" Shippou grinned, then climbed out of her arms and on her injured shoulder.
"Oi, brat. Don't climb all over her. She's hurt." Inuyasha growled, suddenly feeling possessive, and pulled Shippou off Kagome. Shippou yelped, protesting leaving his comfy perch, and began to flail his tiny limbs. Inuyasha avoided his attempts at freedom, until a particularly strong swing of Shippou's arm knock his hat off his head. Before he could register what happened, the hat fell to the ground. His eyes snapped from the hat to Kagome, and saw her standing there, staring at the ears that now visibly poked out of his head. 'Oh, crap..."