CHAPTER FOUR
*
The sound of scuffling and scrabbling came from inside the kitchen. Several cousins, aunts and uncles glanced at the door as Kagome's voice rang out, "Sit!" There was another crash.
"That isn't good," a great-aunt said mournfully. "They don't seem to be getting along too well, do they?"
"Oh, he's much nicer than he seems at first," Mrs. Higurashi said, pouring herself some punch. "He and Kagome get along very well, I think. They've had some disagreements, but they always patched them up in the end." She watched as Uncle Toshi ducked into the kitchen, then emerged looking grudgingly satisfied.
"Are you sure he's... well, suitable?" her sister Azuna asked dubiously. "He seems rather rough. And that hair -- those clothes -- he wasn't wearing shoes, either."
"He's a rather unique young man," Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling. She didn't say much more than that for the rest of the evening about Inuyasha.
When Kagome and Inuyasha emerged from the kitchen, Inuyasha was scowling and clutching a cup of instant ramen. Kagome straightened his cap and whispered something to him. "I am not," Inuyasha growled in response.
"Just go sit down, you," Kagome said, pushing him in the direction of the couch.
Inuyasha and his ramen retreated to a corner of the room. He glowered at Kagome from under his baseball cap. Somehow she always seemed to get the better of him in these fights, especially when she chose to "sit" him. She does it for fun, he thought. I just know it.
A woman sat down beside him, smiling in what she apparently thought was a pleasant manner. "Hello there."
Inuyasha just stared at her.
"I was wondering if I could speak to you about Kagome."
"Meanin' what?" Inuyasha asked flatly. He glanced around as a few other aunts, great-aunts, and other female relatives gathered around him.
"Well, partly to do with you," Azuna said, patting him on the shoulder. "Kagome's a sweet child, but she hasn't said much about you to anyone else in the family. I'm really curious to know more about you -- are you a nice boy?"
"No," Inuyasha said bluntly.
An uncomfortable silence fell. "You're not?" Azuna asked.
"Just ask her," Inuyasha said darkly, pointing at Kagome. "She'll tell you all about it."
He choked on a mouthful of ramen as Kagome swooped down on the couch. "Aunt Azuna!" she said with a smile. "He didn't quite understand what you meant -- he was answering literally. He means he's hard to deal with. Which he is." She rumpled his white hair, earning a glare from him. "She means, are you like Miroku?"
"No!" Inuyasha shouted, jumping to his feet. Kagome pushed him back down, and retreated to speak with her mother.
By the time their talk was done, Inuyasha was starting to look outright panicked. Kagome pulled him away from her aunts, great-aunts and cousins, and headed for the kitchen. He followed all too eagerly, glaring back at Azuna as if he thought she had tried to trick him.
*
"Your family is nuts," Inuyasha said, falling back on Kagome's bed and hugging his knees. When the sun had set, most of the relations had left the house, threatening to come back tomorrow.
"At least nobody in there turns into a giant homicidal poodle," Kagome said, rifling through her underwear drawer.
"At least I know what to do with a giant homicidal poodle," Inuyasha said darkly. "I can't do that to them. Especially that uncle of yours."
"Just don't take it so personally." Kagome pulled a nightshirt and bathrobe out of her closet. "He thinks all boys are like that. Stop growling -- I know perfectly well that you're not. In fact, you're too much the reverse."
"What does THAT mean?"
"It means that you act like a total cold fish."
"Do not."
"Oh, please!" Kagome slammed the closet door shut. "Every time you've looked at me in the hot springs, it was by accident. You don't even try to look."
Inuyasha was staring at her now. "What are you saying? So you mean you WANT me to look when you're naked?"
"No, I don't."
"So what gives? Then what do you want? You want me to look when you're naked, but you don't want me to look."
"You could at least PRETEND to be tempted by the idea! I'm not that bad-looking, am I?"
Inuyasha flushed, avoiding the question. "So what, you want me to be more like Miroku?" he asked, disgusted.
"If it means admitting a little temptation, then yeah! I don't want you to actually BE like him, but -- oh, you just don't get it!"
"Do you want me to ask you to have my baby too?"
The word "sit" was clinging to Kagome's lips, but she swallowed it with an effort. Inuyasha was bracing himself on her bed, clearly expecting to crash down any second now. "No," she said slowly and deliberately. "I just would like you to occasionally treat me a little differently. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower. And don't you dare leave this room until I get back!"
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The sound of scuffling and scrabbling came from inside the kitchen. Several cousins, aunts and uncles glanced at the door as Kagome's voice rang out, "Sit!" There was another crash.
"That isn't good," a great-aunt said mournfully. "They don't seem to be getting along too well, do they?"
"Oh, he's much nicer than he seems at first," Mrs. Higurashi said, pouring herself some punch. "He and Kagome get along very well, I think. They've had some disagreements, but they always patched them up in the end." She watched as Uncle Toshi ducked into the kitchen, then emerged looking grudgingly satisfied.
"Are you sure he's... well, suitable?" her sister Azuna asked dubiously. "He seems rather rough. And that hair -- those clothes -- he wasn't wearing shoes, either."
"He's a rather unique young man," Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling. She didn't say much more than that for the rest of the evening about Inuyasha.
When Kagome and Inuyasha emerged from the kitchen, Inuyasha was scowling and clutching a cup of instant ramen. Kagome straightened his cap and whispered something to him. "I am not," Inuyasha growled in response.
"Just go sit down, you," Kagome said, pushing him in the direction of the couch.
Inuyasha and his ramen retreated to a corner of the room. He glowered at Kagome from under his baseball cap. Somehow she always seemed to get the better of him in these fights, especially when she chose to "sit" him. She does it for fun, he thought. I just know it.
A woman sat down beside him, smiling in what she apparently thought was a pleasant manner. "Hello there."
Inuyasha just stared at her.
"I was wondering if I could speak to you about Kagome."
"Meanin' what?" Inuyasha asked flatly. He glanced around as a few other aunts, great-aunts, and other female relatives gathered around him.
"Well, partly to do with you," Azuna said, patting him on the shoulder. "Kagome's a sweet child, but she hasn't said much about you to anyone else in the family. I'm really curious to know more about you -- are you a nice boy?"
"No," Inuyasha said bluntly.
An uncomfortable silence fell. "You're not?" Azuna asked.
"Just ask her," Inuyasha said darkly, pointing at Kagome. "She'll tell you all about it."
He choked on a mouthful of ramen as Kagome swooped down on the couch. "Aunt Azuna!" she said with a smile. "He didn't quite understand what you meant -- he was answering literally. He means he's hard to deal with. Which he is." She rumpled his white hair, earning a glare from him. "She means, are you like Miroku?"
"No!" Inuyasha shouted, jumping to his feet. Kagome pushed him back down, and retreated to speak with her mother.
By the time their talk was done, Inuyasha was starting to look outright panicked. Kagome pulled him away from her aunts, great-aunts and cousins, and headed for the kitchen. He followed all too eagerly, glaring back at Azuna as if he thought she had tried to trick him.
*
"Your family is nuts," Inuyasha said, falling back on Kagome's bed and hugging his knees. When the sun had set, most of the relations had left the house, threatening to come back tomorrow.
"At least nobody in there turns into a giant homicidal poodle," Kagome said, rifling through her underwear drawer.
"At least I know what to do with a giant homicidal poodle," Inuyasha said darkly. "I can't do that to them. Especially that uncle of yours."
"Just don't take it so personally." Kagome pulled a nightshirt and bathrobe out of her closet. "He thinks all boys are like that. Stop growling -- I know perfectly well that you're not. In fact, you're too much the reverse."
"What does THAT mean?"
"It means that you act like a total cold fish."
"Do not."
"Oh, please!" Kagome slammed the closet door shut. "Every time you've looked at me in the hot springs, it was by accident. You don't even try to look."
Inuyasha was staring at her now. "What are you saying? So you mean you WANT me to look when you're naked?"
"No, I don't."
"So what gives? Then what do you want? You want me to look when you're naked, but you don't want me to look."
"You could at least PRETEND to be tempted by the idea! I'm not that bad-looking, am I?"
Inuyasha flushed, avoiding the question. "So what, you want me to be more like Miroku?" he asked, disgusted.
"If it means admitting a little temptation, then yeah! I don't want you to actually BE like him, but -- oh, you just don't get it!"
"Do you want me to ask you to have my baby too?"
The word "sit" was clinging to Kagome's lips, but she swallowed it with an effort. Inuyasha was bracing himself on her bed, clearly expecting to crash down any second now. "No," she said slowly and deliberately. "I just would like you to occasionally treat me a little differently. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower. And don't you dare leave this room until I get back!"
TO BE CONTINUED