Chapter 6: Fumes and Young Love
Gomen, people!! I haven't updated in sooo long, but we moved and my computer didn't have Internet access, and my bro's computer, which does, doesn't have a floppy drive so I couldn't upload my chapters... And THEN the school computers wouldn't accept my files... But anyway, you are free to feast your eyes now, and that's all the matters. Enjoy! By the way, thankies for all the wonderful reviews!!!
Inuyasha followed his nose for a few minutes trying to locate a tree (and avoid running into one), but then abandoned the idea. The rain was so thick he couldn't make out any smells at all except… well, water.
Finally, groping about and widening his eyes as far as he could, trying to see further through the soaking blanket, he found what seemed to be a broad, sturdy tree. He didn't jump to a high branch, as he usually would, but proceeded to climb hand over hand, praying that a branch wouldn't break and fuming at his helplessness caused by something as insignificant as water.
Settling on the first wide limb he came to, Inuyasha folded his arms inside his haori (coat), flattened his ears, and leaned back against the trunk, feeling the rough bark through the haori cloth.
Now, the thought that had been hovering at the back of his mind sprang back full force: how to kill the brainless lump Hobo.
Ripping his throat out sounded like a good place to start, thought Inuyasha viciously as the previous scene flashed through his mind. Or throwing him off a bridge into freezing, torrent waters where he'd instantly be sucked under by the current… Or giving Shippo a break and using Hobo as his new favorite punching bag… Or tying him to a stake and unleashing the Wind Scar until nothing was left but ashes…
The possibilities were cruel and endless.
And, unless he wanted an early death by those teleporting "pleasemen" and their weird metal "guns", impossible.
By far the easiest option would be to drag Hobo to the well, toss him in, and wait the two seconds it would take for him to get devoured by a demon. And yet, this was also futile seeing as Inuyasha and Kagome were the only ones who could pass through the well.
"Well then," Inuyasha muttered, sitting up suddenly and cracking his knuckles. "If he can't come, I'll go meet him instead..."
Kagome raced back to the shrine, hair flying and the book ends poking through her bag grinding into the small of her back. Fleetingly, she saw several people staring at her with surprise, but she didn't care. All she wanted right now was to place as much distance between her and Hojo as possible.
Finally, she reached the shrine and leaned against the wall of the house, getting her breath back. She couldn't go back through the well tonight. Not after what had happened. Either Inuyasha would blow a few vocal cords yelling at her, or else ignore her completely with that detached air she had learned to dread. She couldn't expect the rest of her friends to remain quiet and go with the flow, and she wasn't exactly in the mood to answer any questions…
So what was she supposed to do now?
Mounting the stairs to her room dejectedly, she didn't see Sota bearing down on her-until it was too late.
"Ngh!" Kagome gasped as they collided, instinctively clutching the stair rail with both hands. Then, "Watch where you're going! I could've broken my neck!" they yelled at each other.
"Sorry Sis, but I'm in a hurry! Gottagobye!" Sota made to scramble past, but Kagome grabbed the back of his shirt, glaring.
"Oh no you don't! Since when are you 'in a hurry'? Mostly all you do is play those dumb games of yours all day."
Sota turned pink and stared at the wall scroll mounted above Kagome's head, mumbling something about meeting someone.
"'Meeting someone'? Is this someone… a girl?" Kagome inquired attentively.
In answer, her little brother turned pinker.
"Mm-hm, I thought so," she said triumphantly. "It's that little third-grader, isn't it?"
Sota nodded, now staring at his feet, but he couldn't keep the tiny grin off his face.
Man, look at the little bugger squirm, Kagome thought. She was enjoying herself immensely, current troubles forgotten. I think I'll rub it in a little more before letting him go.
She clasped her hands over her heart and pretended to swoon. "Ah, young love! What a wonderful thing… Well, you'd better be going; don't wanna be late for your big date!" she admonished chirpily, shoving her now tomato-red brother down the stairs.
As the door slammed though, the previous events that afternoon came crashing down on her. She climbed up to her room in sullen silence.
"Hey, Sota!" Yuka called in surprise. She, Eri and Arimi were sitting in their usual booth in Wacdnolds, waiting for Kagome to arrive and fill them all in on a hopefully successful date. "Over here!"
The boy came running from where he'd been standing at the door. "Huh? What is it?"
"Have you seen Kagome lately?" Eri questioned.
"She was supposed to meet us here, but she's late," Yuka added.
"Oh my gosh!" Arimi suddenly gasped. "Do you think something's happened to her?! What if she-got run over by a car, or…"
"Arimi!" her two friends chorused exasperatedly.
"Uh, no, she's fine," Sota waved his hands half-consolingly. "I ran into her on the stairs in our house when I was going out, in fact."
"What? But she specifically said that she'd meet us here! How could she have forgotten?" Arimi cried.
"Maybe she had something on her mind…" Yuka said mischievously.
"What d'you… Augh! You don't think…!" Eri pulled Sota up by the front of his shirt. "Spit it out, munchkin!! What'd she say? What'd she do??"
"Hey! Let me go!!" Sota squirmed frantically.
"TELL!" Eri commanded.
"O-okay, okay! Well, we um, ran into each other and I told her I was m-meeting this gir- I mean, a friend, and she got all lovey-dovey for some reason. She seemed pretty chipper. Then she shoved me down the stairs and I went out." He squirmed again. "LEMME GO!"
"Fine! Geez, you don't have to yell." Eri released him and immediately put her head in with her friends. Sota scrambled off towards a booth with a cute, little brunette girl sitting in it.
"Chipper, he said! That means the date went great, doesn't it?" Arimi asked eagerly.
"It'd better! Why, for all we know… maybe Hojo… you know…" Yuka wiggled her fingers coyly.
Eri let out a muffled, ecstatic shriek. "Oh my gosh! You don't think that they actually…" She looked around as if to check if anyone was eavesdropping, and then said in the tiniest whisper, "kissed, do you?!"
The three girls started giggling madly, causing people several booths away to stare.
"Oh, wow," Arimi sighed dreamily when they stopped, "that would be so romantic… And it would mean that she's got to dump her boyfriend! I mean, he's been nothing but rude to her ever since they've met! But Hojo, on the other hand…"
Eri finished fiercely, "Is the greatest guy on earth and we'll be thanking him on bended knee for driving Mr. Two-timer clean out of Kagome's head!"
Okay, yeah, it's short. Sorry. I'll try to make the next one longer but I can't make any promises... Until then, R&R!!!!! I'm still suffering writer's block, so constructive criticism is much welcomed!
