CHAPTER SEVEN
*
"Dog!"
"Shut up, kid."
"Dog!"
"Get lost. I mean it!"
"Dog!"
"Go AWAY!"
"DOG!"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. He had only been at the last day of the Higurashi family reunion for ten minutes, and this baby was following him around. The kid had seen his ears when he was putting on his hat, and now he wouldn't go away. "Dog!" the little boy said, pointing at Inuyasha's head.
"Kid, I mean it -- get lost!" Inuyasha snapped.
Kagome took his arm and guided him firmly into the living room. "Don't let Hoji bug you. He's only one, after all. If you don't let it get to you, people will just think he's pretending."
Inuyasha barely heard her. As they walked through, he could feel eyes watching him. He glared back at three or four girls, just a little older than Kagome. They were watching him intently and whispering, and he didn't like it.
"Relax," Kagome said. "They're not suspicious, Inuyasha. Those distant cousins of mine think you're good-looking." She drew closer and held his arm tighter. "This isn't some kind of battle. You don't need to flip out every time somebody looks at you."
"That's because usually when someone looks at me, they're about to do or say something stupid." Inuyasha avoided looking at those girls again. He couldn't remember anyone staring at him for that reason. He flushed as one of them giggled.
When it came time for lunch, Inuyasha flinched.
"What's the matter?" Kagome whispered.
"I can smell the food from here."
"So what? You usually smell food."
Inuyasha clamped his mouth shut.
"Inuyasha, would you come with me, please?" Kagome said. She wasn't giuving him a choice -- as she asked, she was dragging him to the kitchen. Inuyasha followed her, glaring back at Hoji, who was following them.
When the door swung shut behind them, Kagome asked, "Is there something wrong with the food? And why are you taking off your hat?"
"My ears itch," Inuyasha said, rubbing his ears. "And it's SPICY."
"Your ears?"
"The food! The food is spicy; I can smell it."
Kagome winced. "I hadn't thought of that. Aunt Mai does tend to cook very spicy stuff. Um, okay, you don't have to eat any if you don't want. I can sneak something up to my room sometime soon."
Before Inuyasha could reply, the door began to shift open.
"Hide!" Kagome said, pushing him backwards. Before Inuyasha could protest, she had jumped into the broom closet with him, and pressed him against the back of it with her own body. Inuyasha closed his eyes. "Do we have to do this again?" he mumbled.
"Shh!" Kagome whispered.
"But I-"
"Shut up!"
A creaky voice said faintly, "Hello? Is Kagome in here? I could have sworn I heard her saying something to that nice young man in here..."
Inuyasha could feel himself growing warm all over as Kagome leaned on him, with one hand pressed to his mouth. "K'gome," he mumbled. "Please can I get-"
"Shh," Kagome said again, pressing harder on his lips. "It's great-grandmother, but I don't know if she's gone..."
Inuyasha tried not to groan. Kagome slowly moved back and prodded the door open a crack. "Clear," she said, relieved.
"Geh yo finhas ouha ma mou."
"Huh? Oh, sorry," Kagome said, hastily pulling her fingers from Inuyasha's fangs. "Sorry about that. I didn't nudge you in too hard, did I?"
"Yes!" Inuyasha snapped. "In all the wrong places." He frowned and jammed the cap down over his ears. He just wished it could cover his flushed face as well. "I wish you'd stop that," he grumbled, stalking out.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's voice stopped him, with one hand on the door. She sounded gentler, softer than she had since he had arrived. "I just wanted to say thanks. I know you're really freaked out by this, and you're handling it really well. Thanks... for not leaving me in the lurch."
She took his arm again, as they went out for the food. Suddenly Inuyasha fell to his knees, gasping and clutching at his nose.
"I probably should have mentioned the incense Aunt Mai likes to burn during meals," Kagome said, kneeling beside him. "If it's any comfort, I think it smells bad too."
"Dog!" announced Hoji, patting Inuyasha's head.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Dog!"
"Shut up, kid."
"Dog!"
"Get lost. I mean it!"
"Dog!"
"Go AWAY!"
"DOG!"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. He had only been at the last day of the Higurashi family reunion for ten minutes, and this baby was following him around. The kid had seen his ears when he was putting on his hat, and now he wouldn't go away. "Dog!" the little boy said, pointing at Inuyasha's head.
"Kid, I mean it -- get lost!" Inuyasha snapped.
Kagome took his arm and guided him firmly into the living room. "Don't let Hoji bug you. He's only one, after all. If you don't let it get to you, people will just think he's pretending."
Inuyasha barely heard her. As they walked through, he could feel eyes watching him. He glared back at three or four girls, just a little older than Kagome. They were watching him intently and whispering, and he didn't like it.
"Relax," Kagome said. "They're not suspicious, Inuyasha. Those distant cousins of mine think you're good-looking." She drew closer and held his arm tighter. "This isn't some kind of battle. You don't need to flip out every time somebody looks at you."
"That's because usually when someone looks at me, they're about to do or say something stupid." Inuyasha avoided looking at those girls again. He couldn't remember anyone staring at him for that reason. He flushed as one of them giggled.
When it came time for lunch, Inuyasha flinched.
"What's the matter?" Kagome whispered.
"I can smell the food from here."
"So what? You usually smell food."
Inuyasha clamped his mouth shut.
"Inuyasha, would you come with me, please?" Kagome said. She wasn't giuving him a choice -- as she asked, she was dragging him to the kitchen. Inuyasha followed her, glaring back at Hoji, who was following them.
When the door swung shut behind them, Kagome asked, "Is there something wrong with the food? And why are you taking off your hat?"
"My ears itch," Inuyasha said, rubbing his ears. "And it's SPICY."
"Your ears?"
"The food! The food is spicy; I can smell it."
Kagome winced. "I hadn't thought of that. Aunt Mai does tend to cook very spicy stuff. Um, okay, you don't have to eat any if you don't want. I can sneak something up to my room sometime soon."
Before Inuyasha could reply, the door began to shift open.
"Hide!" Kagome said, pushing him backwards. Before Inuyasha could protest, she had jumped into the broom closet with him, and pressed him against the back of it with her own body. Inuyasha closed his eyes. "Do we have to do this again?" he mumbled.
"Shh!" Kagome whispered.
"But I-"
"Shut up!"
A creaky voice said faintly, "Hello? Is Kagome in here? I could have sworn I heard her saying something to that nice young man in here..."
Inuyasha could feel himself growing warm all over as Kagome leaned on him, with one hand pressed to his mouth. "K'gome," he mumbled. "Please can I get-"
"Shh," Kagome said again, pressing harder on his lips. "It's great-grandmother, but I don't know if she's gone..."
Inuyasha tried not to groan. Kagome slowly moved back and prodded the door open a crack. "Clear," she said, relieved.
"Geh yo finhas ouha ma mou."
"Huh? Oh, sorry," Kagome said, hastily pulling her fingers from Inuyasha's fangs. "Sorry about that. I didn't nudge you in too hard, did I?"
"Yes!" Inuyasha snapped. "In all the wrong places." He frowned and jammed the cap down over his ears. He just wished it could cover his flushed face as well. "I wish you'd stop that," he grumbled, stalking out.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's voice stopped him, with one hand on the door. She sounded gentler, softer than she had since he had arrived. "I just wanted to say thanks. I know you're really freaked out by this, and you're handling it really well. Thanks... for not leaving me in the lurch."
She took his arm again, as they went out for the food. Suddenly Inuyasha fell to his knees, gasping and clutching at his nose.
"I probably should have mentioned the incense Aunt Mai likes to burn during meals," Kagome said, kneeling beside him. "If it's any comfort, I think it smells bad too."
"Dog!" announced Hoji, patting Inuyasha's head.
TO BE CONTINUED