CHAPTER TEN
.
Ramen... no, not that. He already had it too often for it to be much of a treat. Potato chips? Maybe. A period with no "sits" whatsoever? He might like that...
Kagome sighed heavily. Inuyasha wasn't an easy person to buy gifts for. He wore just about everything he owned, and the modern food she could provide for him.... well, it didn't really seem like enough to make up for this whole miserable trip.
"When the hell are they all leaving?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"I'd say once the drinking contest is over," Kagome said, squinting at a bunch of her relatives. "I'd ask if you want to join them, but no offense, I don't want you getting drunk."
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
Kagome gave him a light punch in the arm. He really was doing his best to tough it out, she thought. And he was doing it for her sake. "Well, just suffer for another half hour-"
Suddenly a scream rang out.
Inuyasha automatically sprang to his feet, looking around. "What the hell?" he whispered.
Then he saw it: a tiny figure staggering on the rooftop, silhouetted against the twilight sky. It was a little girl, no more than three. She was clutching on to the drainpipe as she stumbled up the roof on her chubby baby legs, from the balcony outside Kagome's house. A bunch of obviously terrified women were standing below her, pleading with her not to move.
"Inuyasha, quick!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha raced over to the side of the house and began rapidly climbing up the drainpipe. He didn't dare jump up; even if nobody noticed, he didn't want to startled the kid. After a moment he slithered onto the rooftop, only a few feet from the little girl.
She stared at him with wide dark eyes, sucking on her fist. She didn't seem TOO worried about where she was. "Come on, kid," Inuyasha said, stretching out his arms.
The little girl shook her head.
One of the women shrieked as Inuyasha sprang forward and pounced on the little child. A moment later he reappeared on the edge of the rooftop, clutching the drainpipe in one hand, and the struggling, wailing toddler in the other. Almost effortlessly, he swung down onto the balcony and into the window.
The toddler's sobbing mother scooped her out of Inuyasha's arms and began berating her whining child for getting up on the roof. The half-demon brushed off his sleeves and stalked away, as the women tried to tell him how brave he had been. But he wasn't interested. The kid was safe -- even if she'd gotten a few good kicks at his ribs while he dragged her down. And at least this whole messy trip hadn't been a total waste.
Then Kagome rushed over to him. "Inuyasha, that was amazing!"
"Huh?"
Kagome gave him a quick hug. "That was my cousin up there!"
"Oh, uh," Inuyasha said, somewhat startled. "Well, it wasn't nothin'. I mean, it wasn't that hard for me to get her down."
"Still," Kagome said warmly, "thanks."
She caught his baggy sleeve and tugged him toward the house. "Come on, let's go see if there's any leftover dessert."
Inuyasha smiled a little as Kagome opened the door. Maybe this wasn't such a horrible trip after all, he was thinking...
When suddenly he doubled over and sneezed.
"I'll put out the incense," Kagome said hastily.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Ramen... no, not that. He already had it too often for it to be much of a treat. Potato chips? Maybe. A period with no "sits" whatsoever? He might like that...
Kagome sighed heavily. Inuyasha wasn't an easy person to buy gifts for. He wore just about everything he owned, and the modern food she could provide for him.... well, it didn't really seem like enough to make up for this whole miserable trip.
"When the hell are they all leaving?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"I'd say once the drinking contest is over," Kagome said, squinting at a bunch of her relatives. "I'd ask if you want to join them, but no offense, I don't want you getting drunk."
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
Kagome gave him a light punch in the arm. He really was doing his best to tough it out, she thought. And he was doing it for her sake. "Well, just suffer for another half hour-"
Suddenly a scream rang out.
Inuyasha automatically sprang to his feet, looking around. "What the hell?" he whispered.
Then he saw it: a tiny figure staggering on the rooftop, silhouetted against the twilight sky. It was a little girl, no more than three. She was clutching on to the drainpipe as she stumbled up the roof on her chubby baby legs, from the balcony outside Kagome's house. A bunch of obviously terrified women were standing below her, pleading with her not to move.
"Inuyasha, quick!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha raced over to the side of the house and began rapidly climbing up the drainpipe. He didn't dare jump up; even if nobody noticed, he didn't want to startled the kid. After a moment he slithered onto the rooftop, only a few feet from the little girl.
She stared at him with wide dark eyes, sucking on her fist. She didn't seem TOO worried about where she was. "Come on, kid," Inuyasha said, stretching out his arms.
The little girl shook her head.
One of the women shrieked as Inuyasha sprang forward and pounced on the little child. A moment later he reappeared on the edge of the rooftop, clutching the drainpipe in one hand, and the struggling, wailing toddler in the other. Almost effortlessly, he swung down onto the balcony and into the window.
The toddler's sobbing mother scooped her out of Inuyasha's arms and began berating her whining child for getting up on the roof. The half-demon brushed off his sleeves and stalked away, as the women tried to tell him how brave he had been. But he wasn't interested. The kid was safe -- even if she'd gotten a few good kicks at his ribs while he dragged her down. And at least this whole messy trip hadn't been a total waste.
Then Kagome rushed over to him. "Inuyasha, that was amazing!"
"Huh?"
Kagome gave him a quick hug. "That was my cousin up there!"
"Oh, uh," Inuyasha said, somewhat startled. "Well, it wasn't nothin'. I mean, it wasn't that hard for me to get her down."
"Still," Kagome said warmly, "thanks."
She caught his baggy sleeve and tugged him toward the house. "Come on, let's go see if there's any leftover dessert."
Inuyasha smiled a little as Kagome opened the door. Maybe this wasn't such a horrible trip after all, he was thinking...
When suddenly he doubled over and sneezed.
"I'll put out the incense," Kagome said hastily.
TO BE CONTINUED