Chapter 4: 'Fess Up
-
"Do you know what you did?" Kagome yelled.
"I'm...uh...sorry," Inuyasha muttered to the floor.
"Sorry?! Is that all?!" Kagome felt as though she had never been so mad.
How dare he! Then she sighed. It wasn't all his fault.
"Why did I spend all that money without thinking?" she mused out loud.
Inuyasha awkwardly mumbled, "Please don't blame yourself."
Hysterically, Kagome shouted, "Blaming myself? I'm not blaming myself! Wanna know why?"
"Um...why?"
"Because," she shrieked, "It's all YOUR fault! All...your...fault..."
Realization hit her. No, hit wasn't the word. It kicked her, hard, making her double over. Kagome wasn't mad anymore.
This meant her mother would die. And she had spent all her family's money. She hugged herself, sobbing.
A wave of helplessness and fear washed over her, cleansing the mask that hid her emotions, as a wave does to the surface of the earth.
What would happen to her and Souta? How could she lose her only parent?
Inuyasha felt his heart ache. Kagome looked so much like a little child, so innocent and vulnerable.
He hated it when girls cried. It made him feel powerless, and it made him look like a jerk. Already, random students were staring at him angrily, as if asking how he could make a girl cry.
Without thinking, he gently hugged her and waited for her sobs to die down.
"I—I'm so sorry...I'll do whatever it takes to help you."
"Promise?" Kagome whispered, her dark brown eyes staring into his.
Blushing, he stared down at the floorboards. "I promise."
And I mean that, he thought. I'll do whatever it takes. Even if it kills me.
-
Sango burst through the door of Miroku's room.
"You two—"
Miroku and Inuyasha's eyes bugged. Inuyasha dropped his deck of cards. If it were another time, Miroku would have fully taken advantage of the situation and sneak a glance at Inuyasha's cards.
Today, Miroku, who had been slurping a smoothie, was in mid-bite when Sango had entered. He mouth dropped open in surprise, his spoon clanging into the cup. He choked, swallowing the bite he had almost coughed up.
"Sango—what..."
Sango was distracted long enough to say, "Miroku! That's gross!" Then she seemed to remember what she was here for.
That makes one of us, Inuyasha thought grimly.
"Okay! You two! 'Fess up!" She pointed a finger at them accusingly.
They blinked.
"Oh, don't play innocent with me," Sango scowled, planting her hands on her hips.
"Kagome, the day she got detention, was upset. The next day, she's so happy she's skipping down the halls wearing a huge grin. Then, today, when I came to her house, she was crying. A lot."
Sango was babbling as fast as she could. Inuyasha and Miroku were barely following. She ended with a triumphant flourish.
"And I know you two had something to do with it. So 'fess up. Don't bother lying."
"And do it now!" she added, when she realized that Inuyasha and Miroku were staring blankly at her.
"Old grouch," Inuyasha muttered to Miroku.
Sango heard it. "Yes?" she asked sweetly. "Did you say something?"
"Nope! Nothing!" Inuyasha blurted.
Miroku stared.
"I'm waiting!" Sango snapped.
"All right, all right!" Miroku said. Seeing that Inuyasha wouldn't be of much help here, he sighed.
"I guess I'll be the one talking." So he repeated the story, making it completely clear that Inuyasha was the one who had came up with the lottery idea. Inuyasha cringed at the end.
Sango's eyes were fiery as she glared at him. "How could you?!"
Then she frowned. "I can't believe Kagome was hiding this! I can't believe it! How her dad left and her mom was sick..."
She stared angrily at a chair. Then she sighed. "And I can't believe how stupid and insensitive I was to not notice something was wrong!" Her eyes filled with tears.
Miroku put his arm around her. He flinched, as if anticipating a slap. But Sango was too upset to care. She even seemed to welcome it.
"I think I'll leave you here," Inuyasha smirked. Then he looked grave.
"I'm going to Kagome's."
-
"Argh! Did I get the address wrong or something?" Inuyasha grumbled.
Stupid! He had read it wrong, and thanks to Sango's terrible handwriting, he had been circling the same place five times.
"Hello," and old man with bug eyes croaked next to him. "I'm Totosai." [Sorry, I HAD to put him in somewhere! Totosai's so cool!]
"Whaddaya want?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers? Yours for only ten dollars."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Like he'd ever need flowers. Wait! Kagome!
"Um...I'll take a dozen roses," he told Totosai, grabbing to flowers and handing him some money. He strolled along the sidewalk with the beautiful red roses.
Inuyasha didn't even realize that roses were the stereotypical romantic flower.
-
Kagome sighed. She reached into her second box of tissues.
Nothing worked.
Her best friend couldn't make the reality go away. She had tried drowning her sorrows in a bubble bath. [Oh! Pun! Drown...bath...okay, I'll shut up.] She had eaten a bunch of ice cream. She had watched cartoons for the past three hours.
Kagome was now entertaining herself with a printout of corny jokes. (Knock knock jokes and the classic variation of "Is Uranus bigger than Mars?")
Then the doorbell rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. Do I really need to get that? she thought grumpily, pulling herself to her feet like a lazy sloth. She moved slowly to the door, opened it, and there stood Inuyasha.
His hands were behind his back, clutching something.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a voice cold enough to freeze fire. Of course, it was said with more venom than she actually felt.
He glanced awkwardly.
"I don't know...I guess I don't belong here...it's just that—here" he shoved a bunch of roses into her hands.
"I'm so sorry and I hope that you forgive me...if you don't, I understand, but I want you to know that I'll earn all that money back...And I guess I'll be going now..."
Kagome felt a tug at her heart. Her trying to act tough was like watching a cute little mouse bare it's teeth and growl.
"No—stay," she said softly.
Inuyasha was incredulous. "You mean—you'd still let me set foot in your house, even after all that I'd done to you?"
Kagome smiled a little. "Yeah...well, you'd better get in here before I change my mind and slam the door on you."
Both gave a weak laugh and Kagome let Inuyasha inside her house.
-
Sango had calmed down and now she and Miroku were in a different world—the world of video games.
"Yes!" Sango cheered as her racecar swept past Miroku's, beating him for the fifth time in a row.
"Come on! You cheated!" he whined.
Sango laughed. Then she said, "Hey, when do you think Inuyasha's gonna be back?" She frowned and stood to look at the clock.
Sango had kicked a toy clown while getting up and now it was singing, "It's a Small World."
She grinned. "Miroku, you really need to clean this room."
"Yeah right. I'll betcha that you don't clean yours."
Sango replied, "Well, my parents used to tell me, when I was expecting friends over, to go clean the house. And I would think, well, my friends like me for who I am. And if being messy is part of it, they should respect it...Sorry—" she smiled. "That was more detail than you needed."
"No," Miroku insisted. "That's an awesome idea. Maybe I should try it sometime."
Sango rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Oh, darn. It's seven already? I gotta go. See ya."
Miroku watched her go, an unbelieving look on his face. A girl was just in his room! And he didn't even act perverted...This must be some kind of a miracle.
"Miroku! Come down!" his mother hollered from the kitchen.
He sighed. "Coming!"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Miroku!" his mother glared. "Your room is a mess! Clean it! Now!"
"Quit treating me like a baby," he whined. Wait. Maybe he should try some of Sango's philosophy.
He repeated what she said, with a slight variation, so that it applied to him.
"Hm...I'm impressed," his mother smiled.
Victory! He mentally cheered and was about to head back up the stairs.
"Oh, and Miroku?"
"Yeah, Mom?" he said.
"You still have to clean your room."
-
"Do you know what you did?" Kagome yelled.
"I'm...uh...sorry," Inuyasha muttered to the floor.
"Sorry?! Is that all?!" Kagome felt as though she had never been so mad.
How dare he! Then she sighed. It wasn't all his fault.
"Why did I spend all that money without thinking?" she mused out loud.
Inuyasha awkwardly mumbled, "Please don't blame yourself."
Hysterically, Kagome shouted, "Blaming myself? I'm not blaming myself! Wanna know why?"
"Um...why?"
"Because," she shrieked, "It's all YOUR fault! All...your...fault..."
Realization hit her. No, hit wasn't the word. It kicked her, hard, making her double over. Kagome wasn't mad anymore.
This meant her mother would die. And she had spent all her family's money. She hugged herself, sobbing.
A wave of helplessness and fear washed over her, cleansing the mask that hid her emotions, as a wave does to the surface of the earth.
What would happen to her and Souta? How could she lose her only parent?
Inuyasha felt his heart ache. Kagome looked so much like a little child, so innocent and vulnerable.
He hated it when girls cried. It made him feel powerless, and it made him look like a jerk. Already, random students were staring at him angrily, as if asking how he could make a girl cry.
Without thinking, he gently hugged her and waited for her sobs to die down.
"I—I'm so sorry...I'll do whatever it takes to help you."
"Promise?" Kagome whispered, her dark brown eyes staring into his.
Blushing, he stared down at the floorboards. "I promise."
And I mean that, he thought. I'll do whatever it takes. Even if it kills me.
-
Sango burst through the door of Miroku's room.
"You two—"
Miroku and Inuyasha's eyes bugged. Inuyasha dropped his deck of cards. If it were another time, Miroku would have fully taken advantage of the situation and sneak a glance at Inuyasha's cards.
Today, Miroku, who had been slurping a smoothie, was in mid-bite when Sango had entered. He mouth dropped open in surprise, his spoon clanging into the cup. He choked, swallowing the bite he had almost coughed up.
"Sango—what..."
Sango was distracted long enough to say, "Miroku! That's gross!" Then she seemed to remember what she was here for.
That makes one of us, Inuyasha thought grimly.
"Okay! You two! 'Fess up!" She pointed a finger at them accusingly.
They blinked.
"Oh, don't play innocent with me," Sango scowled, planting her hands on her hips.
"Kagome, the day she got detention, was upset. The next day, she's so happy she's skipping down the halls wearing a huge grin. Then, today, when I came to her house, she was crying. A lot."
Sango was babbling as fast as she could. Inuyasha and Miroku were barely following. She ended with a triumphant flourish.
"And I know you two had something to do with it. So 'fess up. Don't bother lying."
"And do it now!" she added, when she realized that Inuyasha and Miroku were staring blankly at her.
"Old grouch," Inuyasha muttered to Miroku.
Sango heard it. "Yes?" she asked sweetly. "Did you say something?"
"Nope! Nothing!" Inuyasha blurted.
Miroku stared.
"I'm waiting!" Sango snapped.
"All right, all right!" Miroku said. Seeing that Inuyasha wouldn't be of much help here, he sighed.
"I guess I'll be the one talking." So he repeated the story, making it completely clear that Inuyasha was the one who had came up with the lottery idea. Inuyasha cringed at the end.
Sango's eyes were fiery as she glared at him. "How could you?!"
Then she frowned. "I can't believe Kagome was hiding this! I can't believe it! How her dad left and her mom was sick..."
She stared angrily at a chair. Then she sighed. "And I can't believe how stupid and insensitive I was to not notice something was wrong!" Her eyes filled with tears.
Miroku put his arm around her. He flinched, as if anticipating a slap. But Sango was too upset to care. She even seemed to welcome it.
"I think I'll leave you here," Inuyasha smirked. Then he looked grave.
"I'm going to Kagome's."
-
"Argh! Did I get the address wrong or something?" Inuyasha grumbled.
Stupid! He had read it wrong, and thanks to Sango's terrible handwriting, he had been circling the same place five times.
"Hello," and old man with bug eyes croaked next to him. "I'm Totosai." [Sorry, I HAD to put him in somewhere! Totosai's so cool!]
"Whaddaya want?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers? Yours for only ten dollars."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Like he'd ever need flowers. Wait! Kagome!
"Um...I'll take a dozen roses," he told Totosai, grabbing to flowers and handing him some money. He strolled along the sidewalk with the beautiful red roses.
Inuyasha didn't even realize that roses were the stereotypical romantic flower.
-
Kagome sighed. She reached into her second box of tissues.
Nothing worked.
Her best friend couldn't make the reality go away. She had tried drowning her sorrows in a bubble bath. [Oh! Pun! Drown...bath...okay, I'll shut up.] She had eaten a bunch of ice cream. She had watched cartoons for the past three hours.
Kagome was now entertaining herself with a printout of corny jokes. (Knock knock jokes and the classic variation of "Is Uranus bigger than Mars?")
Then the doorbell rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. Do I really need to get that? she thought grumpily, pulling herself to her feet like a lazy sloth. She moved slowly to the door, opened it, and there stood Inuyasha.
His hands were behind his back, clutching something.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a voice cold enough to freeze fire. Of course, it was said with more venom than she actually felt.
He glanced awkwardly.
"I don't know...I guess I don't belong here...it's just that—here" he shoved a bunch of roses into her hands.
"I'm so sorry and I hope that you forgive me...if you don't, I understand, but I want you to know that I'll earn all that money back...And I guess I'll be going now..."
Kagome felt a tug at her heart. Her trying to act tough was like watching a cute little mouse bare it's teeth and growl.
"No—stay," she said softly.
Inuyasha was incredulous. "You mean—you'd still let me set foot in your house, even after all that I'd done to you?"
Kagome smiled a little. "Yeah...well, you'd better get in here before I change my mind and slam the door on you."
Both gave a weak laugh and Kagome let Inuyasha inside her house.
-
Sango had calmed down and now she and Miroku were in a different world—the world of video games.
"Yes!" Sango cheered as her racecar swept past Miroku's, beating him for the fifth time in a row.
"Come on! You cheated!" he whined.
Sango laughed. Then she said, "Hey, when do you think Inuyasha's gonna be back?" She frowned and stood to look at the clock.
Sango had kicked a toy clown while getting up and now it was singing, "It's a Small World."
She grinned. "Miroku, you really need to clean this room."
"Yeah right. I'll betcha that you don't clean yours."
Sango replied, "Well, my parents used to tell me, when I was expecting friends over, to go clean the house. And I would think, well, my friends like me for who I am. And if being messy is part of it, they should respect it...Sorry—" she smiled. "That was more detail than you needed."
"No," Miroku insisted. "That's an awesome idea. Maybe I should try it sometime."
Sango rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Oh, darn. It's seven already? I gotta go. See ya."
Miroku watched her go, an unbelieving look on his face. A girl was just in his room! And he didn't even act perverted...This must be some kind of a miracle.
"Miroku! Come down!" his mother hollered from the kitchen.
He sighed. "Coming!"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Miroku!" his mother glared. "Your room is a mess! Clean it! Now!"
"Quit treating me like a baby," he whined. Wait. Maybe he should try some of Sango's philosophy.
He repeated what she said, with a slight variation, so that it applied to him.
"Hm...I'm impressed," his mother smiled.
Victory! He mentally cheered and was about to head back up the stairs.
"Oh, and Miroku?"
"Yeah, Mom?" he said.
"You still have to clean your room."
