"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?"
Inuyasha was mad. He was seething with an anger he only reserved for times when A.) Naraku did something truly evil, B.) When Shippo was an ass, or C.) When Kagome was late. In this case, it was option C.
Sango, who sat with a sleeping Kirara, was across from Inuyasha under a tree, sighed with impatience. "Inuyasha, you really need to calm down. Look at the watch Kagome gave to you. What does it say?"
Inuyasha looked at the digital watch Kagome had left with him. The numbers read 5:02. "Look, Sango. It says 5:02. Kagome SAID she'd be back by five, at the latest. She said that if she wasn't back by FIVE, I could go look for her."
Miroku suddenly appeared from the other side of the tree. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to go after her. You've been restless all afternoon, Inuyasha."
Shippo decided to join them by jumping down from the branches above them, where he had been peacefully napping until Inuyasha's apoplectic fit. "Yeah, Inuyasha. You sure have missed Kagome today! Not even I miss her as much as YOU do, and she's my mother figure."
Inuyasha hit Shippo on the head, and continued to brood.
Sango sighed again. "Listen, Inuyasha. Give it five more minutes, please. I'm sure she'll show up. She was probably doing something for you, in any case."
"Feh. What has Kagome ever done for me?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Sango smirked. "Well, for one thing, she's shown you infinite patience-"
Miroku decided it was the opportune moment to jump in. "She's always understood you when no one else wanted to deal with your attitude-"
"Not to mention the fact that she sure is in love with you, Inuyasha!"
(Shippo got another lump on his head after the last comment.)
"She is NOT in love with me, you stupid kitsune! She loves that boy she always is talking about, the one from the future. What's his stupid name? Hoho?"
"Hojo," retorted Sango, rolling her eyes. "And you know perfectly well that's what it is. Just because you pretend not to listen doesn't mean I don't see your jealousy when she talks about him, Inuyasha."
"Hmph."
"Inuyasha, she doesn't like him as anything more than a friend. You, of all people, should know that."
"Yeah, Inuyasha," said Shippo, hesitantly crawling toward InuYasha, wishing to avoid another lump. "You know that Kagome favors you over anyone."
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he was comforted by their talk. The conversation switched to some other topic, but he wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about all that Kagome really did for him, which was a lot.
I guess she has done a lot for me, he thought.
He thought about how strong she had to be when Kikyo showed up and always tried to kill her. He thought about how, even though she sometimes caused trouble, she solved a lot of problems. Not to mention the fact that she made an excellent miko, bringing back all of her medicine from the future. Also, he thought she was beautiful. Her scent, which used to bother him, now intoxicated him. Not that he would ever let her know that.
By this time, Inuyasha had a grin plastered across his face. Shippo, who had escaped Miroku and Sango's boring conversation about battle techniques, was staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and mischief. "Inuyasha? Who're you thinking about?"
SMACK!
"Stop bothering me, you baka!"
"I'm ba-ack!"
Just then, Kagome ran over the hill, swinging the bag of ramen. She was right in time to see Shippo go flying through the air. She dropped the bag of ramen, and caught him in her arms.
"Kagome! WHEE!"
Kagome laughed at her little kitsune friend. "Hi, Shippo! Why were you flying through the air like that?"
"Inuyasha threw me."
Kagome looked annoyed, but not surprised in the least. "Where is Inuyasha? I brought him some-"
"KAGOME! Where have you been?" Inuyasha had jumped up and sped over to where she stood.
Usually when she was late, Inuyasha yelled at her and called her a wench. But now, he seemed truly relieved to see her, as if she had gone on a death mission.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha! I had gone to go get you some ramen...I would have been back in time, but Hojo was with me, and... well, he slowed me down, I guess." Kagome looked sheepish. She knew how much Inuyasha hated to hear about Hojo.
"Oh? How is your friend these days?" Inuyasha asked, not a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Kagome wondered what was wrong with him.
"Inuyasha... aren't you going to yell at me for being late? Or for being with Hojo?"
Just then, Shippo decided to speak up. "Oh, Kagome! Inuyasha's been sad all day! Since you haven't been here, he's been in the most awful mood. He pretended to be mad for a little while, but I think he was just sad. He kept on looking at that watch-Urf!"
Shippo went flying again. Inuyasha had been turning red during the entirety of Shippo's speech. He gave a small laugh to Kagome. "You know, I really was worried, Kagome. But thanks for the ramen..."
Kagome was confused. Inuyasha was never this nice to her. Maybe he was coming down with a disease. "Um, no problem. I bought about twenty packets, that should keep you through tomorrow."
Inuyasha was already rifling through the bag. "Eight...nine...ten. I only count ten, Kagome."
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh! I must have left them at home! I really should go back and get them, surely ten packets aren't enough for you."
"Kagome, don't go back and get them. I'll be fine. I'm just happy you're back for now," Inuyasha said.
Inuyasha was starting to scare Kagome with his easy demeanor. "Okay, Inuyasha. I'll stay."
Shippo, having recovered from his recent flight, attacked Kagome again. "Did you bring me anything, Kagome?"
Kagome smiled, and nodded. "Sure did, Shippo! I picked up two packages of... Oh no, now I do have to go back, Inuyasha! I left Shippo's Pocky at home with the rest of your ramen!"
Inuyasha, who had started on his fourth package of raw ramen already, jerked his head up. "Okay, okay. But I'm going back with you this time. And we're coming back right away. No stops."
Hojo awoke from a short sleep, and found himself at the bottom of what he thought to be Kagome's well. What a strange hallucination, he thought. All he could remember was a big monster reaching toward him, yelling, "Give me your shard, human!" Then he remembered batting its hand away with his arm, and the arm broke off with ease. He yawned and sat up. He pulled himself up on the rung of the well's ladder, and heard a sickening crunch. He looked down and realized that he was standing on some bones.
Not just SOME bones, but an arm bone.
He looked up, and found himself not staring at the ceiling of the Higurashi well house, but a sky streaked with the glow of the end of the day. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud.
"Only one way to find out..." he thought, climbing to the top of the well.
Inuyasha was mad. He was seething with an anger he only reserved for times when A.) Naraku did something truly evil, B.) When Shippo was an ass, or C.) When Kagome was late. In this case, it was option C.
Sango, who sat with a sleeping Kirara, was across from Inuyasha under a tree, sighed with impatience. "Inuyasha, you really need to calm down. Look at the watch Kagome gave to you. What does it say?"
Inuyasha looked at the digital watch Kagome had left with him. The numbers read 5:02. "Look, Sango. It says 5:02. Kagome SAID she'd be back by five, at the latest. She said that if she wasn't back by FIVE, I could go look for her."
Miroku suddenly appeared from the other side of the tree. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to go after her. You've been restless all afternoon, Inuyasha."
Shippo decided to join them by jumping down from the branches above them, where he had been peacefully napping until Inuyasha's apoplectic fit. "Yeah, Inuyasha. You sure have missed Kagome today! Not even I miss her as much as YOU do, and she's my mother figure."
Inuyasha hit Shippo on the head, and continued to brood.
Sango sighed again. "Listen, Inuyasha. Give it five more minutes, please. I'm sure she'll show up. She was probably doing something for you, in any case."
"Feh. What has Kagome ever done for me?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Sango smirked. "Well, for one thing, she's shown you infinite patience-"
Miroku decided it was the opportune moment to jump in. "She's always understood you when no one else wanted to deal with your attitude-"
"Not to mention the fact that she sure is in love with you, Inuyasha!"
(Shippo got another lump on his head after the last comment.)
"She is NOT in love with me, you stupid kitsune! She loves that boy she always is talking about, the one from the future. What's his stupid name? Hoho?"
"Hojo," retorted Sango, rolling her eyes. "And you know perfectly well that's what it is. Just because you pretend not to listen doesn't mean I don't see your jealousy when she talks about him, Inuyasha."
"Hmph."
"Inuyasha, she doesn't like him as anything more than a friend. You, of all people, should know that."
"Yeah, Inuyasha," said Shippo, hesitantly crawling toward InuYasha, wishing to avoid another lump. "You know that Kagome favors you over anyone."
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he was comforted by their talk. The conversation switched to some other topic, but he wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about all that Kagome really did for him, which was a lot.
I guess she has done a lot for me, he thought.
He thought about how strong she had to be when Kikyo showed up and always tried to kill her. He thought about how, even though she sometimes caused trouble, she solved a lot of problems. Not to mention the fact that she made an excellent miko, bringing back all of her medicine from the future. Also, he thought she was beautiful. Her scent, which used to bother him, now intoxicated him. Not that he would ever let her know that.
By this time, Inuyasha had a grin plastered across his face. Shippo, who had escaped Miroku and Sango's boring conversation about battle techniques, was staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and mischief. "Inuyasha? Who're you thinking about?"
SMACK!
"Stop bothering me, you baka!"
"I'm ba-ack!"
Just then, Kagome ran over the hill, swinging the bag of ramen. She was right in time to see Shippo go flying through the air. She dropped the bag of ramen, and caught him in her arms.
"Kagome! WHEE!"
Kagome laughed at her little kitsune friend. "Hi, Shippo! Why were you flying through the air like that?"
"Inuyasha threw me."
Kagome looked annoyed, but not surprised in the least. "Where is Inuyasha? I brought him some-"
"KAGOME! Where have you been?" Inuyasha had jumped up and sped over to where she stood.
Usually when she was late, Inuyasha yelled at her and called her a wench. But now, he seemed truly relieved to see her, as if she had gone on a death mission.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha! I had gone to go get you some ramen...I would have been back in time, but Hojo was with me, and... well, he slowed me down, I guess." Kagome looked sheepish. She knew how much Inuyasha hated to hear about Hojo.
"Oh? How is your friend these days?" Inuyasha asked, not a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Kagome wondered what was wrong with him.
"Inuyasha... aren't you going to yell at me for being late? Or for being with Hojo?"
Just then, Shippo decided to speak up. "Oh, Kagome! Inuyasha's been sad all day! Since you haven't been here, he's been in the most awful mood. He pretended to be mad for a little while, but I think he was just sad. He kept on looking at that watch-Urf!"
Shippo went flying again. Inuyasha had been turning red during the entirety of Shippo's speech. He gave a small laugh to Kagome. "You know, I really was worried, Kagome. But thanks for the ramen..."
Kagome was confused. Inuyasha was never this nice to her. Maybe he was coming down with a disease. "Um, no problem. I bought about twenty packets, that should keep you through tomorrow."
Inuyasha was already rifling through the bag. "Eight...nine...ten. I only count ten, Kagome."
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh! I must have left them at home! I really should go back and get them, surely ten packets aren't enough for you."
"Kagome, don't go back and get them. I'll be fine. I'm just happy you're back for now," Inuyasha said.
Inuyasha was starting to scare Kagome with his easy demeanor. "Okay, Inuyasha. I'll stay."
Shippo, having recovered from his recent flight, attacked Kagome again. "Did you bring me anything, Kagome?"
Kagome smiled, and nodded. "Sure did, Shippo! I picked up two packages of... Oh no, now I do have to go back, Inuyasha! I left Shippo's Pocky at home with the rest of your ramen!"
Inuyasha, who had started on his fourth package of raw ramen already, jerked his head up. "Okay, okay. But I'm going back with you this time. And we're coming back right away. No stops."
Hojo awoke from a short sleep, and found himself at the bottom of what he thought to be Kagome's well. What a strange hallucination, he thought. All he could remember was a big monster reaching toward him, yelling, "Give me your shard, human!" Then he remembered batting its hand away with his arm, and the arm broke off with ease. He yawned and sat up. He pulled himself up on the rung of the well's ladder, and heard a sickening crunch. He looked down and realized that he was standing on some bones.
Not just SOME bones, but an arm bone.
He looked up, and found himself not staring at the ceiling of the Higurashi well house, but a sky streaked with the glow of the end of the day. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud.
"Only one way to find out..." he thought, climbing to the top of the well.