The White Dog
by Becky Tailweaver
Chapter 24: Math and Vanilla Frosting
Shirokiba paced restlessly outside Kaede's hut, waiting for the verdict on Kouga's condition. Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha sat on the porch, watching the wolf-dog fret and fidget. He hadn't stopped for hours--ever since his younger half-brother had been taken in to the hut to be treated by Sango and Kaede.
"I'm sure he will be alright," Miroku offered yet again. "Kaede-sama is a wise healer, and Sango has a great deal of experience with youkai-inflicted injuries."
Shirokiba barely spared him a momentary glare as he continued to stride back and forth.
"Kouga's tough," Shippo added meekly. "He's really hard for even Inuyasha to hurt. I bet he'll be fine."
Shirokiba gave a warning growl--the first either of the two well-wishers had ever heard from him. "Stop patronizing me," he rumbled--sending the kitsune scurrying to hide behind the monk.
Inuyasha leaned back against the porch rail, not looking at any of them. His expression was disinterested, as if he didn't care that Kouga's life hung in balance--but one of his ears remained tuned to Kaede's door, betraying his concern. "You're such a worrywart about these kinds of things," he commented lazily. "Would you quit? You're making me dizzy, going 'round and around like that."
Shirokiba didn't honor him with a glance.
"I just ran my ass off to save a Wolf I don't even particularly like," the inu-hanyou went on. "You could be a little more appreciative."
"And a little less dangerous," Shippo muttered.
Shirokiba continued to rumble and pace.
"This isn't like him," Miroku whispered in Inuyasha's direction.
The hanyou shrugged. "Naw...you've just only seen the calm side. He always turns into a basketcase whenever his friends get even the slightest bit hurt."
Shirokiba stopped his pacing and planted himself in front of the hanyou, glaring down at him. "Inuyasha," he began, forcing his voice to remain in its usual calm, instructive tones. "I am always concerned with the well-being of the people I care about. Kouga is very badly injured and has lost a lot of blood. I know that there is a slim chance he may die." He leaned closer to speak directly to the young hanyou. "You were hurt many times as badly back then. How do you think I felt about you? If you please, show a little more respect for my concern."
Inuyasha seemed to have shrunk a little, pinned to the porch rail with his ears flattened. "O-okay," he quickly agreed. Though Shirokiba's tone was amiable, the look in his eyes was not--but lucky for Inuyasha, the wolf-dog went back to his pacing, leaving the hanyou to breathe a sigh of relief.
The entire group jumped to attention when Kaede finally stepped out of her hut, wearily wiping her hands on a cloth. Shirokiba whirled and froze instantly, eyes wide and expectant.
"He is out of danger," the old miko announced simply, before trundling tiredly off to wash up.
Sango emerged a second later, looking just as haggard as Kaede had. There were bloodstains on the lower half of her kimono, as there were on Kaede's, but she sighed wearily and tried to smile cheerfully at the others.
"How is he?" Shirokiba asked, stepping close to her.
"He's asleep right now," the taijiya replied honestly. "He has a lot of bad gashes, a few deep punctures, some broken bones...but he's healing nicely already--he's a youkai all right. I believe he'll be just fine in a few days."
The wolf-dog let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding--the first deep breath he'd taken in hours. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. Thank you, Sango-san--and please tell Kaede-san I'm grateful as well."
"You're welcome--and I will," Sango responded with a tired smile.
"Can I see him?" the anxious wolf-dog asked.
Sango nodded. "You can go in--but let him rest. Don't wake him up and get him excited."
"Hai, hai." Amazingly, he seemed to be back to his old self, ducking his head obediently with a wry smile as he scuttled indoors.
Sango headed off after Kaede to wash, and Miroku--with his kitsune shoulder-guard--followed her to ask questions. Inuyasha remained on the porch.
Inside Kaede's hut, Kouga lay on blankets spread in one corner--cleaned of blood and grime, swathed in stark white bandages. Hours ago, Kaede had sent his bloodstained clothes and armor to be cleaned; now, his only covering was a warm blanket and his own mottled fur. He was very still, though his breaths were deep and even and his heartbeat sounded strong.
Quiet and subdued, Shirokiba padded over to sit by his younger brother's side. Lying there thus wounded, Kouga looked helpless and young--young like Inuyasha was, even though the Wolf was decades older. Shirokiba smiled softly and touched the younger youkai's long black hair where it lay fanned out on the pillow, free of its restraining band.
The straight strands were dark black, tempered with a sheen of wolf-brown and cinnamon that was only visible when the sunlight touched it. Kouga was a darker version of Shirokiba, without the Dog-gray; both had received their coloring from their Wolf father, though Shirokiba's hues ran to platinum and pastel rather than black and shade. Kouga had his father's black-sprinkled coat, while Shirokiba had been shaded pale with his mother's gray.
"Otouto..." Shirokiba bowed his head. All the good times we had together...so long ago, when we romped and hunted together, with your little bachelor Pack of rowdy fellows. You and your Pack would help me bring down youkai-bulldeer for a fine supper, and you'd always get a laugh out of me chasing Wolf bullies away for you, since I'm so much larger...
It's always so different with Wolves, he thought in fond memory. You've never cared that I'm half Dog--I was always your brother. You were barely a teenage cub when I left you behind to care for Inuyasha...and when my little White pup was gone, and I'd finished wandering and returned, I found you were a man, leading your own Pack. I should remember now that you're a grown Wolf, not a cub--you're nearly eighty now, after all...but I'm still Aniki, and I still worry over you. We've drifted apart sometimes...but we've always been brothers.
Sadly, he gave a deep sigh. But I have to tell you when you wake--I don't want you and Inuyasha to fight and destroy each other. I don't want to lose my two favorite pups to selfish, petty rivalry over a female. Kouga...Otouto...how are you going to take it? Will you hate me if I tell you the girl you want is already claimed? Will it be a wedge between us? Please understand...you're my brother and I love you, and I don't want to see you hurt...
But I sent you away yesterday because of that--it's my fault...I sent you right into their jaws...
"I promise I'll get those Dogs for you, Otouto," he whispered aloud. "They won't get away with this. I don't care if they hurt me. I'm one of them, and I'm used to it--I can bear their abuse. But you have nothing to do with any of this...they've gone over the line attacking you...!"
A faint footstep behind him made his hackles bristle involuntarily. "Inuyasha," he hissed, mentally kicking himself for not noticing the hanyou's approach. He'd been so intent on his half-brother he'd become oblivious to his surroundings--a foolish mistake for a hunter to make in the presence of other predators.
Inuyasha looked the fallen Wolf over, his expression cool and slightly annoyed but his ears again betraying him with their intent focus. "He looks fine," he said uncaringly--but hesitant, as if offering gruff comfort for Shirokiba.
"Yes. He'll be alright now, thanks to Kaede-san and Sango." Shirokiba gently smoothed his brother's bangs over the bandages around his head.
Inuyasha looked away, as if jealous of Shirokiba's tenderness toward the Wolf. "Are you sure you know what did this to him?"
"It was definitely inu-youkai," Shirokiba replied, his voice hard and tight. "He tried to tell me--and the forest out there reeks of them."
Inuyasha's brows pulled down. "Dogs, huh?"
"Blacks or Grays, or even Silvers. They were big ones. If I knew who they were I could tell you why they're here, but I couldn't see any of them and I don't know their scents." "
"If they were Gray Dogs--my Clan--then they're here to foil Ginnezu's plans somehow," Shirokiba said thoughtfully. "I might be able to talk to them--find out why they harmed Kouga. They would be an asset to us; Grays have long hated the Silver Dogs. However...if they were Black Dogs--or Silvers--then they're Ginnezu's allies and we're all in trouble."
"Well, whoever they are," Inuyasha snorted with a cocky grin, gripping Tetsusaiga, "you want I should go out and prowl a bit? I'll put the fear of Seibunishi into 'em!"
"Not in the shape you're in," Shirokiba said sternly. "I don't want to have you end up here beside Kouga. You're so tired you're barely on your feet right now--and besides, I doubt those Dogs are still out there."
"Keh." Inuyasha tucked his arms into his sleeves and leaned against the wall. "So what should I do? I don't want to sit around and do nothing."
Shirokiba kept his back to Inuyasha, keeping his expression a secret. "I think you should go to Kagome and tell her what's happened. She'd probably like to know about Kouga--and you should warn her not to come here right now, at least until we figure out this mess with the Dogs."
"But...she's..."
"Just because she isn't coming here doesn't mean you can't go there," Shirokiba said, with a hidden grin. "I don't think she'd mind a visit."
"Uh..."
"It couldn't hurt," Shirokiba added. "And she needs to be told, anyway, so she knows what's going on. If you don't, what if she comes back to visit and blunders into something nasty?"
"Oh...well...yeah," Inuyasha agreed reluctantly. "I guess I should go."
"You do that," Shirokiba said, turning to smile at him at last. "And do try to be polite about it, at least."
"Keh!" Inuyasha merely snorted and headed out the door.
"Silly pup," Shirokiba chuckled fondly when he was gone. He turned back to his unresponsive brother. "Well, he fell for it."
For a long time, he sat and thought about the Dogs, his brother, the attack, and their current situation--trying to puzzle out the meaning of recent events. What were a bunch of large, dangerous inu-youkai doing all the way over here in Musashi's Domain--outside of Clan territory, far from the Western Lands? And why had they attacked Kouga--had he challenged them, or merely gotten in their way? Or...had he heard or seen something he wasn't supposed to?
Abruptly a thought struck him. "Where's Ginnezu?"
"I haven't seen her today," replied Miroku, making Shirokiba jump yet again.
"Miroku!" Shit, I'm getting careless if a measly human can walk up on me!
The monk held up his hands placatingly as Shirokiba calmed his ruffled nerves. "I apologize...but as for Ginnezu, I thought she'd be with Inuyasha, anyway," the monk added. "However, I didn't see where he went."
"You should tell Sango, Kaede-san, and the villagers to be cautious," Shirokiba informed him. "There's some inu-youkai lurking about, and it's not wise to tangle with them. Inuyasha and I are the only ones who should take them on."
"I doubt we would have too much trouble...but if you advise against confronting them, I will tell the others," Miroku aceded. "Oh, by the way--where is Inuyasha?"
The wolf-dog gave a secretive, knowing smile. "I sent him to get some rest."
When Inuyasha hopped out of the Bone-Eater's Well and into Kagome's world, he was once again bombarded with the scents and sounds of modern-day life and the city all around. One one breath, he was in his own land, where the air was fresh and foresty--on the next, he was in Kagome's, and suddenly plunged into a near-overload of all-pervading smell.
Though Kagome's home was distant from the worst of it and situated pleasantly on a hill amongst trees, he still inhaled a screaming jangle of abrupt and varied odors with every breath--car exhaust and tarry asphalt, rancid grease and mowed grass, trash-smoke and sour-sweaty indistinct humanity.
To say nothing of the utter madhouse of noise Kagome's world could be. Though her home was far from the screeching, grinding, banging, roaring, chattering cacophony that was the "downtown" of her enormous village, there was still a great deal of cluttered sound--grumbles and squawks from the horseless carts, blaring music, rattling construction, high-pitched electronic noise, yammering dogs who had nothing useful to say...
And most especially, the ear-splitting, skull-cracking, jaw-grinding sirens that sometimes happened by--so shrill and endless and loud that they hurt and hurt and hurt until he wanted to scream at them just to drown the clamor out.
He was lucky today; there seemed to be nothing but the usual background din of distant cars and neighboring houses--not a single emergency vehicle in sight. He approached the back door of the Higurashi residence, ears pricked, but he could tell that there was no one home--he heard nothing but silence within.
"Just my luck," he growled to himself, feeling like a fool. "Now what am I supposed to do?"
He couldn't very well try to track Kagome down; she was at school now and if he intruded she would be furious. Besides, there was far too much of Kagome's world between the house and the school, and far too many people--to say nothing of all the noise and stink.
And those few times he had dared to venture beyond the Higurashis' yard had made him very, very nervous, and even more self-conscious of his inhuman appearance. Kagome had explained many times that the people here would probably have an even worse reaction to him than those in his own world.
Having been on the receiving end a few times when he'd sneaked out, he knew--it was worse. People here didn't look at him and run screaming--they just stared. Some in bland interest, others in morbid curiosity, still others in a horrified sort of fascination; some openly, some only from the corner of their eye, and some even turned to whisper--not knowing that most times he could hear them clearly.
No, there was no running and screaming here; no violence he could react to, no scorn he could scoff at, nothing to build a wall against--just eyes that made him feel intensely uncomfortable in his own skin.
I'll just wait for her here, he considered morosely, staring across the yard toward the gate and the steps that led out of Higurashi territory, into the city beyond. She doesn't need me to come rushing to her now--this is her world. It's safe for her here.
With a shake of his head, he trotted up beneath Kagome's window and leaped to the sill. He was in luck--it was open a bit, so he nudged it wider and slipped in. He landed soundlessly, guarded, on all fours, and carefully crept forward to sit in the center of the room, ears twitching restlessly.
Her scent was so thick and rich here--so bright in his sense of smell that he could almost see it. He tilted his head back and breathed deeply, letting his eyes drift shut as her gentle scent comforted him, making it seem almost as if she was really there.
But he knew she wasn't; without her presence, the scent was colder--stale, old. If she were there in the room with him, it would be warm and soft and overpowering--so sweet; he wished she were beside him so that the rest of his senses could partake of her. Breathing deeply, he felt like just drifting...
His head snapped up, his eyes flying open. Idiot! he snarled at himself. This is no time to be falling asleep in her bedroom!
Giving a snort, he padded over to the door and nosed it open, heading out into the hall. The scents of the rest of her family drifted there as well, also many hours old; her little brother's most recent trail led from his bedroom, while their grandfather's smell led down the stairs and probably to the shrine itself.
At the top of the stairs, Inuyasha paused again, ears twitching. Noises came from the front entryway below; a low rumble sprang up in his chest at the thought of someone invading Kagome's home. The front door clicked open, and light, clattering footsteps sounded in the entryway, along with the sound of shoes being removed. He analyzed the information his senses were giving him, sniffing--as a scent reached his nostrils and a voice made his ears prick up in sudden excitement.
"Tadaima!" Kagome called from the front hall, her soft sock-clad footsteps heading for the kitchen.
Inuyasha dove down the stairs, his claws clicking on the wood as he darted in her direction. Not used to varnished flooring, he skidded coming around corners and nearly slammed into the walls, skittering almost comically on his way--but he still managed to skid to a seated stop at the kitchen door, hop to his feet, and step inside, all without crashing.
"Kagome!"
Already startled by his clattering run through the house, Kagome whirled to face him, her eyes wide. She stared at him a moment, agape at the almost goofy half-grin on his face as he gazed eagerly at her. That brief racket she had heard--which had sounded like a pack of wild animals thundering through the house--had only been Inuyasha rushing to the kitchen. "What are you doing here?" she demande, for lack of anything better to say.
Inuyasha seemed to realize what expression he wore and quickly changed it to a more customary one, drawing himself up to face her. "I was waiting for you. What else?"
Her eyes widened even more. "You're not...here to take me back--are you? Even after you--?"
"Keh--stupid girl," Inuyasha snorted. "I told you you could stay here and finish your business."
"Then why--?"
"Shirokiba sent me," the hanyou explained gruffly. "Kouga came looking for you yesterday. Then he got hurt real bad last night, and Shirokiba wanted me to tell you--"
"You got in a fight with him, didn't you?" Kagome accused, eyes flashing. "Oh, I just knew you'd get into trouble without me to--!"
"Now wait just a damn minute!" Inuyasha growled. "I never laid a finger claw on him!"
Her tirade petered out. "Oh. Then what...?"
"He was attacked by inu-youkai," Inuyasha stated. He then proceeded to fill her in on the events of the previous day, ending with the arrival of the wounded Kouga that morning and the tense wait to ascertain his survival. Kagome got more and more angry about the Dogs as the tale went on, and immediately wanted to go herself to see that Kouga was all right. Inuyasha had a hard time dissuading her, but in the end, Shirokiba's sage advice won out.
"So now we have some new youkai prowling around--and gosh, I still can't believe Kouga-kun is Shirokiba-san's little brother!" Kagome exclaimed again. "Who would have thought?"
"Aren't we all thrilled--and that's not counting some of the other things I found out last night..." Inuyasha muttered.
"Like what?"
"Just...um, stuff." The hanyou shrugged and turned away to hide the slight reddening of his cheeks. "I...I'll tell you sometime..."
"I guess I shouldn't worry about Kouga too much," Kagome went on, not dwelling on his hesitance. "He's a youkai, after all, and it takes a whole lot to hurt you guys."
Inuyasha fidgeted at her indirect praise.
"Mama left a note--she's out shopping and she'll pick up Sota from school. It's just us and Jiichan here this afternoon--and he's out napping in the shrine," she added with a wink.
Inuyasha's brows promptly shot up. "Uh..."
"Do you want a snack?" the schoolgirl offered. "Mama said she made cupcakes today. You want one?"
"Um...yes?"
"Don't worry--cupcakes are delicious," Kagome giggled as she went for the covered tray, pausing to look at him over her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look tired."
Kagome's mention of "tired" made him suddenly remember that he was, as he leaned against the counter. "Didn't get much sleep last night," he grumbled. A yawn attack hit abruptly then, forcing him to comply.
Kagome just giggled softly and shook her head at his gaping fangs and curled tongue; the yawn was very broad and exceedingly long. "Goodness, you are tired," she commented, opening the tray of goodies and looking in. "Oh! She made chocolate ones this time--chocolate with vanilla frosting!"
He leaned forward a little, looking uncertain. "What are those?"
"It's okay--go ahead," she coaxed, holding a cupcake out to him. "Try one. They're good."
He raised an eyebrow skeptically, hesitating, but took it from her hand almost gingerly. The first thing he did was sniff delicately at the cupcake and make an odd face.
"Smells...sweet," he commented, still looking it over.
"It is sweet, silly," Kagome responded, laughing. "It's frosting and...well, chocolate bread."
She continued to watch what he did, curious; he continued to inspect the cupcake as though it were a potential attacker. He sniffed again, regarding the little cake seriously--then squished it a little, testing its consistency. Finally, he licked at the white frosting atop it, catching a tiny dab on the tip of his tongue and tasting it carefully.
He blinked, his brows raising. Peeling back the paper, he took a large, fanged bite of the cupcake--apparently no longer afraid of having it leap out and assault him. Kagome giggled at his far-too-serious expression as he chewed thoughtfuly and swallowed. "Pretty good," he finally admitted.
Kagome's giggle burst into full-fledged laughter, earning an odd look from him--and his odd look turned to a glare when she continued to chuckle. "What?"
"You've...you've got frosting on your nose!" Kagome managed to get out between breathless chortles.
"Eh?" The hanyou crossed his eyes and spotted the offending bit of vanilla creme. With a soft slurp and a flash of pink tongue, the dollop of white on the end of his nose was gone.
"Whoa..." Kagome was left staring, too surprised to laugh. "You've got a very long tongue."
"What about it?" Inuyasha growled with a grumpy shrug, feeling suddenly defensive, finishing the cupcake in another gulp.
"Well, I can't lick frosting off the end of my nose," Kagome retorted, miffed at his surly tone--she'd just been trying to make a rather impressed observation. Putting the cover back on the tray of cupcakes, she rose from the table and put her back to him.
"I have studying to do," she announced, heading upstairs with her backpack. "Are you coming, or are you going back to the well?"
What's the matter with her all of a sudden? Inuyasha wondered with a brief rumble, following her by way of answer.
Once in her room, Kagome set herself up at her desk with her books--and the brand new piles of homework--while Inuyasha watched her from the doorway, hesitant. After a few moments, she looked over her shoulder curiously. "What are you waiting for? Come on in."
"I didn't know if you really wanted me to."
"That's never stopped you before."
Glaring, they stared at each other stubbornly for another few moments before Kagome's face softened. "It's okay. You can come in."
Now feeling a little more welcome, Inuyasha padded forward and stood for a minute, watching her. As she resumed her work, not glaring at him or scolding him, he grew bolder and looked over Kagome's shoulder as scratched out symbols on the paper with her little wooden writing stylus--the pen-sill. "What is that?" he asked.
"Mathematics homework."
"Mathematics?"
"Yeah--you know, numbers and calculations."
"I know what it is," Inuyasha grumbled at her, nearly insulted. "That just doesn't look like any math I've ever seen."
Kagome glanced at him for a second, uncomprehending--before she realized what was confusing him. "Oh! These are new symbols for the numbers. They're a little less bulky than the old way." To demonstrate, she proceeded to write out the equation using the old-fashioned kanji method.
Inuyasha's face flashed comprehension. "Ah. But...what're these symbols?"
"Those tell me what function needs to be done for each problem," she explained patiently, pointing to each symbol in turn. "This one means addition, this one means subtraction, and this one means multiplication."
"Hn." Inuyasha scanned the open face of the textbook, narrowed eyes studying the expanse of numbers and symbols. "Even if those new numbers are 'less bulky,' those ones look complicated. What are all those drawings? Maps?"
Kagome looked where his claw pointed. "No, silly," she giggled, not unkindly. "I'm learning some advanced algebra and basic trigonometry. It's very complex math that has to do with numbers that are missing, and with finding angles and stuff... But if I were going to teach you math, I'd have to start with the basics."
"Basics?"
"Um...easy stuff, like what I started with learning. Simple computation--like thirty-two added to seventy-five."
"One hundred seven," Inuyasha replied blandly, almost as she finished speaking.
Kagome caught her breath, staring at him for several beats. No way! He does not know how to do mental math that fast! It couldn't be more than a lucky it? "Are you sure?" she ventured cautiously.
"Positive," he snorted disdainfully, crossing his arms and glancing away. "Any idiot can do 'simple computation.'"
She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Let me see," she insisted, snatching up her calculator to checked his figures--sure enough, it was 107 on the dot. "Wow. No way..."
"What is that?" he asked, unable to stifle a second yawn that had snuck up on him.
"Oh--this? It's a calculator," Kagome told him patiently. "It's a machine that can do math very quickly, and it helps me do my homework a little faster."
"Hn. Makes sense--you've got machines for just about every other damn thing you people do here--"
"Okay, okay," she sighed, hiding a laugh at his defensive scorn for so many of the complicated devices that she considered everyday objects. "How about...eighty-three plus sixty-six?"
"Eh...one hundred forty-nine."
"Jeeze--how do you do that?"
The inu-hanyou shrugged. "Ofukuro taught me how to read, write, and do figures when I was little--she said it was stuff I should know whether I was hanyou or not. It didn't take much effort to learn it, anyway--putting numbers together is easy." It's figuring you out that's hard.
"Oh? Then try this one." Kagome's eyes took on a challenging gleam. "One hundred fifty-six plus two hundred seventy-three."
He cocked an eyebrow, and there was the briefest of pauses. "Four hundred twenty-nine," he replied quickly.
There was a glint in his eye, too--he found himself enjoying this demonstration of his mental skill. It was a chance to show her there was more to him than youkai muscle--and it wasn't every day he got to impress her with his prowess in something other than wielding his claws.
"Five hundred ninety-one plus three hundred eight," Kagome went on, choosing bigger and more difficult numbers.
"Uh...eight hundred ninety-nine."
And apparently she was going to have to go all-out to stump him. "All right, here's a big one--twenty-nine times thirty-four."
"Hn..." He was silent for merely a few seconds, his eyes distant--and Kagome could almost hear the abacus clicking in his head. "Nine hundred eighty-six," he answered at last, succinctly.
"Wow!" she all but gushed, after checking his response. "That is amazing! Inuyasha, the human calculator!"
He scowled, looking away again. "I'm not human."
Kagome winced, sharply reminded of one of his many his sore spots. "I'm sorry. I meant--"
"I know." Finished with showing off, Inuyasha stepped back from her desk and sat down on the floor. Despite the twinge from her unintentional comment, he felt...settled once more, as he had been earlier; Kagome's scent was around him like a blanket again, and now that she was there with him it was as alive and sweet as the drifting perfume of flowers in the spring. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and savored it for a moment. "So that's what you have to study all the time," he grunted, dragging his mind away from particular desires to curl up next to her and snuggle himself to sleep. "Doesn't seem like much."
Despite the almost insulting quality of his words, his tone was merely sleepy, not really gruff. Kagome, back to poring over her homework once more, gave him only a slightly sharp reply. "I'm doing much more complex stuff than just addition and multiplication. And some of us don't have calculators in our heads. And I have other subjects to study, too--like writing, language, history, and science. We know a lot more about the world in my time, so all students have to learn it."
Inuyasha snorted at that idea, folding his limbs to curl comfortably on the carpet. "Some of us don't live in giant villages where there are free schools for every person. I'm lucky to know what I do know." He yawned widely again and lowered his head, which felt inexplicably heavy.
She paused, instantly regretting her sharp words. He was quite right--in his world, things like education were hard to come by, unless one was rich or noble. She was fortunate to be living in her era; most average girls in Inuyasha's time were illiterate peasants with dull, dangerous futures ahead of them--and many were already married at her age, with at least one child.
"So..." she began hesitantly, her tone apologetic and curious, "what else did your mom teach you?"
"Mm..." His voice was definitely growing sleepy. "'Sides reading and writing, she taught me some cooking, court etiquette, a little bit of flute, an' some of her spells..."
Kagome turned quickly in her chair to face the sleepy hanyou. "Her spells?"
Inuyasha's head was pillowed on his arm, but his eyes forced themselves open at her insistent tones. "Yeah. Ofukuro was...like Kikyo, only...a healer, not a warrior. And...not so strong..." His sleepy golden eyes drifted shut again. "'Snice 'n quiet in here..."
Kagome opened her mouth to ask him more, but paused when she saw his tired ears drooping, and heard his slow, even breaths. Sitting back in her chair, she smiled gently at him, content just to watch him rest. "You poor thing," she whispered softly, affectionately. "They're wearing you out over there, aren't they?"
With a fond, sympathetic sigh, she let the young hanyou sleep.