Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, that honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi
"What?!" Inuyasha's face quickly changed expressions.
"I have to take community service hours to make up for all the credits I've lost to get into college." Kagome calmly stated, smirking at the corner of her mouth.
"What kind of community service hours?" He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at the whole idea.
"I've signed up for childcare and animal shelter volunteer." She replied smiling, trying to hide her intense glee.
Inuyasha's face didn't improve as he watched Kagome sit quietly and finish her homework at the desk in her room. He looked over her shoulder and carefully studied what Kagome herself had been studying.
"You know I could help you, if it would make you go faster. How many hours do you need?" He asked, grabbing a box of snacks on Kagome's desk that she had brought for him.
"I need 60 hours. Besides are you sure you can take care of kids and animals?" Kagome asked under her breath as she calculated some last minute math homework.
"I don't know, maybe." Inuyasha replied skeptically.
Everything stayed quiet until an hour later when Kagome decided it was time to go to bed. She fought with Inuyasha about sleeping arrangements and came to the conclusion that he would sleep outside on the roof.
That night Inuyasha reclined on the roof, staring up at the alien sky. It was different than his own, it was darker and more peacefully, he thought. He wondered if he could actually help Kagome, or if he would just be in the way. He concluded that he would try his best the next day.
At the crack of dawn a loud bang occurred, knocking Inuyasha off the roof and sending him into a tree. Souta had overslept and was suppose to meet some friends at the park. Kagome, still sleeping rolled over on her side as Inuyasha slipped in through her window, bumped and bruised.
As Inuyasha watched her sleep he thought about how adorable Kagome looked as she snoozed. He hadn't really ever taken the time to think how much he truly cared for Kagome; he blushed for the first time. At that moment Kagome opened her eyes slightly to see Inuyasha sitting in her desk chair.
"Good Morning." Inuyasha greeted Kagome.
She smiled, brightly and slid out of bed, "Good Morning."
"Are you ready to get to work?" Inuyasha asked eagerly.
Kagome blinked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Um…because it would be a new experience for me." Inuyasha quickly said, pondering his reply.
Kagome smiled brightly back at Inuyasha, even though he didn't realize that the smile was warm and touching towards his generosity and sweetness. "Before anything, wouldn't you agree to have breakfast first?" She asked giggling.
Inuyasha nodded quickly, not noticing his tongue was hanging out as he replied.
Once they both got downstairs they were engulfed in plate loads full of every pastry and morning delight you could imagine. Inuyasha didn't know what to start with first as his eyes glistened at everything. With a gentle nod from Kagome, Inuyasha plowed into the plate closest to his nose.
"Do you think I baked too much?" Mrs. Higurashi asked smiling embarrassingly.
Inuyasha mumbled a few words as he started on his second plate.
"I think Inuyasha said 'no you didn't'" Kagome giggled as she starts on her first plate.
All of a sudden Souta comes running down the stairs with a 'thud'. Shortly after the noise he came around the corner into the kitchen, grabbing a donut as he headed towards the door. However just as his fingers brushed the top of the knob Mrs. Higurashi held the door shut firmly. Inuyasha and Kagome looked on as Souta was interrogated by constant questioning.
"I promised a few friends I'd meet them in the park at least an hour ago." Souta argued.
"And when did you confirm this with me?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, tapping her foot.
Souta's face reddened and a sweat drop fell from the side of his face as he stood under his mother's heated glare, "I….uh…..thought I told you about this last night."
Mrs. Higurashi shook her head and turned Souta's body around facing back towards the stairs, "I suggest you go to your room."
Without another word Souta slowly crawled up the steps in a sloppy manner, dragging his feet on the way up.
Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other and sadly frowned at the first morning situation that they were dragged into, they felt bad for Souta and decided to help him out.
"Mama, it's a Saturday. You can't expect Souta to stay indoors all day, do you?" Kagome asked walking over to the sink to clean her dish.
"Souta has to learn responsibility for his actions. He should have told me what he had planned today a long time ago. Telling me the last minute is out of the question Kagome." Her mother stated sternly.
"The kid needs to figure things out on his own once in a while. You're right he should learn responsibility for his actions, let his friend be mad at him for being late." Inuyasha said as he wiped frosting off his mouth after his fifteenth plate.
"That would be letting Souta get his way, that just isn't something I can allow, enough said." Mrs. Higurashi raised a hand to silence the two as they were about to argue back.
Knowing that they had no chance in changing Mrs. Higurashi's mind they exited the kitchen quietly.
"What was her problem?" Inuyasha asked as they walked away, folding his arms into the sleeves of his Kimono.
Kagome shook her head not really wanting to explain her mother's unexplainable meanings. "We should be more focused on doing the community service hours anyways."
"Keh." Inuyasha replied silently, not caring if Kagome heard or not.
As they walked out the door Mrs. Higurashi caught up with them, "Don't forget your friends will be stopping by later Kagome, to give you your Birthday gifts. They all said that they are going to the carnival tomorrow and won't be able to come by at the house."
Kagome's pleasantness slightly crumbled as her mother's words bleed into her ears. "That's fine Mama, we'll be sure to be home as soon as possible." Kagome put on a fake smile and waited as her mother threw a hat on Inuyasha's head and wished them a healthy goodbye.
"It's your Birthday tomorrow?" Inuyasha asked curiously as they walked down the sidewalk.
Kagome blushed slightly, even though she was somewhat devastated by the news her mother gave her. "Yes, I'll be sixteen."
Inuyasha tried to lighten up as he realized her sadness. "I understand how you feel. Since no one in my village liked me when I was a child, I never had a very productive birthday."
Kagome's expressions worsened a bit, "I'm so sorry Inuyasha, and you must think I'm lucky to have had friends at least consider visiting me."
He realized that he had said the wrong thing and made Kagome feel as though he was jealous of her, "I didn't mean it that way…I" He was suddenly cut off when they reached the child care services office.
They stepped inside and wiped their feet. As Kagome was signing a few papers she looked at Inuyasha who was trying to hold his ears and nose.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" She asked tenderly.
He didn't quite want to answer as his eyes started to tear, "It smells…and all I hear is whining."
The desk clerk raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha for the way he was dressed and for how he was acting, not noticing the sword at his side, "How can you hear or smell anything when these walls are ten inches thick?" She asked bewildered.
Kagome grabbed a clothes pin off the clerk's desk that must have been left over from changing a child's clothes and put it on Inuyasha's nose. "Better?" she asked.
He had stopped holding his nose and now placed both hands over his ears. "It's a bit better." He answered loudly.
She than grabbed a piece of cloth from a pile of old rags and tore it in two, stuffing each piece into each ear. "Is that better?" She asked, raising her voice a bit so that it could be heard by Inuyasha.
He nodded as he quenched his teeth, not believing that he was actually about to do this.
The clerk woman opened the door that led to the child care division and showed them the way in. Kagome smiled and commented on how cute each and every child was.
Inuyasha just looked on and under his breath stated 'Why not just have one to make yourself happy'.
As soon as the clerk left, Kagome was pulled over to a nearby window and began painting with the kids.
However, Inuyasha was dealing with his own crisis, a few children had attached themselves to him physically, hanging on each individual leg. "What am I suppose to do Kagome?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha who was now trying to walk with the kids hanging on him. "Play with them of course." Kagome stated, turning back to the kids painting.
One child grabbed hold of Inuyasha's sword and started running around the nursery with it as Inuyasha chased him yelling things at him like, 'That's a dangerous weapon kid, give it back' or 'You'll get hurt if you don't listen to me brat'.
When Inuyasha finally got possession of his sword once again he was met with a very angry face, Kagome's. "Why did you bring something so dangerous in the first place?" Kagome asked harshly.
"You never asked me to take it off." Inuyasha stated truthfully.
"Its common sense when you're with kids to not have anything sharp that they may get hold of." She argued back.
"You forget where I'm from Kagome, every kid has knowledge of the sword." He said back more calmly then they had been speaking.
Kagome sighed, understanding that he was right and she was wrong in blaming him, "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I guess I'm still kind of angry at various things."
"I know, don't worry about it. You should be focused on your birthday anyways." He replied in giving Kagome a heartwarming hug. "I never did wish you a 'Happy Birthday'."
By this point, some of the boys were sticking their tongues out and acknowledging how gross this all seemed to them. However, the girls sat with awe at the cute couple.
A few seconds later it all came clear to Inuyasha and Kagome why the room was suddenly quiet. They quickly parted their connection a few feet from each other and tried desperately to flush the red from their cheeks.
"Are you two going to get married?" One girl asked tugging at Inuyasha's pant leg.
Inuyasha was stunned at the child's question, not knowing how to answer he turned to Kagome for help. Kagome giggled slightly, amused, yet somewhat embarrassed by all this. "No we are not, at least not anytime soon."
Inuyasha's mind raced with Kagome's words, 'not anytime soon'. Did she mean that one day we might? He thought. He kept his cool through the rest of the children's questions until they finally done enough for one day.
Before leaving, the desk clerk called her over a wished her a 'Happy Birthday'. "I read the forms and I just wanted to let you know that as a gift you are not obligated to come in tomorrow. We'd like you to spend your Birthday with your family, friends, and your boyfriend you brought along with you today."
Kagome looked at Inuyasha who was looking back at Kagome. "Boyfriend?" Inuyasha repeated questionably. "Who said I was her…." Before Inuyasha could go on, Kagome clapped a hand to his mouth and shut him up. She gave a kind thank you and goodbye to the desk clerk and dragged Inuyasha out the door.
Even though Inuyasha's mind was racing with tons of unanswered questions he prevented himself from asking any. He quietly walked with Kagome a few blocks until they came to a very small, grey building. It was much smaller than the child care place and much more welcoming. However, he did not let his guard down as he walked in.
As soon as they walked in Kagome clapped hands to her ears as Inuyasha grabbed the clothes pin and pinned it on her nose. Both giggled as one lady showed them the way to the back.
Barking and howling became louder once the door opened and Inuyasha was met with thousands of trapped animals.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha's torn face. He had lost all of his anticipation as soon as he viewed the desperate animals.
Once the lady left, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm and looked into her eyes, "Why are these poor animals trapped?"
"These animals, Inuyasha, have no home. People can't bear to see them roam the streets and die by starvation or car accidents." Kagome replied sorrowfully.
It was the first time Kagome had seen Inuyasha so hurt, even more than that when Kikyou appeared every so often. She realized how much Inuyasha truly cared, not just for himself.
"This is why in my time, demon's fight to live and take care of themselves." Inuyasha bravely said back. "So that we don't have to live in cages and be taken care of."
"Then why would they kill, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, afraid she had said the wrong thing.
Inuyasha's glare worsened as it turned back to Kagome. "To survive. Sometimes….because they hate..." he replied a little hurt.
Kagome shielded a tear that had been making its way down her cheek, "Do you really want to become something like that forever?" She asked. She was scared that Inuyasha would become a full demon once the Shikon no Tama had been restored, and that everything she felt for him would leave or be forgotten.
Inuyasha turned his gaze from Kagome, trying to find a reasonable answer, "I decided a long time ago that I would become a full-fledged youkai." He stated calmly.
Kagome's hands flew up to her face as a river of tears streamed from her eyes. Suddenly Inuyasha grabbed her and pulled her close, startling her and the animals around them. The animal's noises had become louder.
"However, some things have changed and I don't know my future plans anymore. I regret that I might have to break my promises for various, unexplainable reasons." He added, with Kagome's head against his chest. He stroked her hair and slowly calmed her back to her original state.
The rest of their time at the animal shelter was silent between the two of them. Both were dependant on their knowledge of the other and decided to give it some time. What am I going to do once the jewel is restored? Inuyasha asked himself consciously. I love Kagome, but I don't have the courage to tell her. Why?
Why am I such an idiot? Why did I have to ask him such personal questions? He was forced to show such emotions because I screwed up. Kagome said to herself harshly as she brushed a golden retriever. I am ashamed that such questions came out of me. A small voice in the back of Kagome's head was telling her to say something to Inuyasha. However she remained quiet, fearing that if she said anything else he would hate her for the rest of her life.
The trip home was the same as it had been most of the day, quiet as the grave. It was sundown and Inuyasha and Kagome were the only two walking down the sidewalk back towards Kagome's home. Out of everything that had happened though, Inuyasha, decided to make things a little more soothing. Out of no where, he grabbed Kagome's hand and adverted his gaze to the trees that he past in the opposite direction of Kagome. She blinked, surprised at Inuyasha's actions, but she did gain a little bit of her happiness back as she realized she had not lost his trust or affections.
Once back at her house, Kagome saw her brother and grandfather watching a sports channel and howling at the screen.
"Football season is always the worst..." Mrs. Higurashi said, walking past Kagome and Inuyasha as they entered.
All of a sudden, before Kagome could say anything Inuyasha had jumped on the couch next to Souta and was also screaming at the television.
"What are they doing?" Inuyasha asked Souta eagerly.
"Well we're rooting for that team player to make a touchdown by getting the ball to the other side of the field, either by kicking it or throwing it…It doesn't look like we'll be in luck though…Come on!" Souta explained, concentrating on the game fiercely.
"What's he doing?! That shouldn't be allowed! That other player just threw his mouthpiece at him!" Jii-chan screamed at the television.
"The other team's player number six is going to tackle him down on the twenty-five yard line!" Souta yelled back at Jii-chan.
"Come on! It's too close!" Inuyasha said, joining in the fight with the TV.
Kagome smiled at her mother who started giggling as she watched Inuyasha's new love for football. "It's funny how all men love sports." Her mother announced, heading back into the kitchen to start dinner.
Kagome covered her mouth as she snickered at his funny behavior towards football.
"I guess you're taking an interest in present time pastimes." Kagome stated, setting the table, unsure whether or not Inuyasha was listening to her.
The men, sitting on the couch, had lost all interest in the world around them and were fully focused on the television in front of them. Kagome had realized at this point that she'd lost contact, for the moment, with Inuyasha.
Once dinner was ready and everyone was sitting at the table the food started to be pasted out, "Itadakimasu!" Everyone recited before they all partook in dinner.
The meal was quiet, except for Inuyasha's loud chewing and Souta's bubbling blowing in his soda. All that Kagome could think about was everything that had happened earlier that day.
Was It wise? She asked herself, To put him in the position that I put him in today? Looking at Inuyasha made her feel uneasy about everything, like something was missing.
That night, Inuyasha thought the same thing about Kagome. He couldn't get his mind off that fact that he might have made her feel like she was left out.
They both, however, thought that tomorrow would bring a new outlook on all their thoughts.
A/N: I hope you like this first chapter. I know I haven't been able to write much lately. Mainly for the fact that I'm writing a book that I plan on perhaps publishing once complete. Usually I like to write my fanfiction to help me get more into the creative mood. I would like to thank all of my readers for their patience. I've told myself for this New Year, 2005, that I would try harder to maintain my stories. Please look forward to more updates on this, as well as many of my other, stories.