CHAPTER THREE
x.
"Mom, I'm gonna be late," Kagome called, stuffing her textbooks into her sagging bookbag. "Where's my lunch?"
Her mother bustled out of the living room, where Inuyasha was now lying on the sofa. She picked up a paper bag from inside the fridge and gave it to Kagome. "Are you sure you can make it to school in time?" she asked, worried.
"Sure, if Sota hurries up," Kagome said, slipping into her shoes. "SOTA!"
Sota wandered into the kitchen with a wet washcloth pressed to his face. "Mom, I don't feel well... I think I got what Inuyasha has."
"Nice try, you little liar," Kagome said, snatching the washcloth away. As she dragged Sota out the door, she called over her shoulder, "Bye, Inuyasha! I'll see you this afternoon."
x.
"Kagome!"
"KAAAGOOMMEEE!"
Kagome paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Yuka... Eri... Ayumi," she said as the three girls surrounded her. "Hey, what's up?"
"The better question is, how are YOU doing?" Eri replied. "Your grandfather told us about those weird blisters all over your skin. Did they go away that fast?"
"Heh heh," Kagome giggled halfheartedly. "Yeah, they did. You know, I just woke up and they were gone."
Fifteen minutes later, Kagome found herself being pulled by her three friends into a small fast-food restaurant. Oh well, she thought. Inuyasha's probably being pampered out of his mind by Mom. And it's been a long time since I had food I didn't have to cook myself.
"So tell us, how's the boyfriend?" Yuka suddenly piped up. "Has he been bullying you again?"
"What? Who? No!" Kagome said, almost dropping her drink. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you haven't said anything about the two-timing jerk," Eri commented, studying her nails. "I mean, normally you tell us something about what he's been doing. So... spill."
"Uh, nothing much." Kagome began eating her fries as fast as she could. One of them stuck in her throat, and Ayumi quickly slapped her on the back. After she stopped coughing, Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes. "Th-things are going very well with that guy," she said finally.
"Are you sure?" Eri said suspiciously.
"Of COURSE I'm sure. He can't cause any trouble right now anyway -- he's on bedrest at my house."
"BEDREST?" Eri said. "You mean he got beaten up in a gang fight or something?"
"No!" Kagome said, exasperated. "He got sick. That's all that happened -- he got sick, so right now he's recovering. So, what did you put down for answer seven on that quiz?"
Kagome allowed herself to sigh as she went home, after escaping the clutches of her school pals. Their suspicions about her "violent, jealous, two-timing boyfriend" were the thorn in her side whenever she came back to the present. Not that telling the truth would help. "I travel back in time with a boy who has dog ears, and the reason he's sick is he was poisoned by an evil superdemon"? No, no, no...
Buyo was sunning himself on the steps when she came home. Kagome scratched his round belly, and carried him up towards the house. "Mom, I'm home!" she called. "Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha was still on the couch where she had left him that morning. He looked a little better than before. But that might have had something to do with the lavish, half-eaten meal on a tray, the cups of tea, and the lush pillows under his head. A throw blanket had been draped carefully over him from the chest down, and the TV was on. He looked like one of the less decaded Roman Emperors.
"Well," Kagome said dryly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "I can see you've had a good day. My mother doesn't even treat me like this when I'm sick."
"Hey, I ain't complainin'," Inuyasha said, chewing thoughtfully on a chopstick.
If he's thinking "why can't you be like your mother?", I'm going to sit him so hard... Kagome thought. She shook that thought out of her head. "Come on upstairs, Inuyasha."
"How come?"
"I'm putting this nicely, Inuyasha. You stink."
He stiffened. "What?"
"You smell like Naraku's vapors from that last battle. It wasn't so noticeable back in the past, but inside you really stink. So come on, and I'll start a shower for you."
TO BE CONTINUED