Broken Glass
Chapter Five

-

"Good morning," Rin greeted as Kagome sat down in her third period Creative Writing class. Kagome smiled shyly at her new friend. Last year she'd barely known the girl, having on a few classes with her here and there. This year, however, the girl named Rin had taken a liking to her and had thus proceeded to talk to her every day before class started.

"Morning," Kagome greeted as she unpacked her necessary materials for the class from her backpack. Rin beamed happily as she plopped down into the desk next to her. The person who normally sat there scoffed, dropped off her stuff and scurried away to talk to her friends on the other side of the room.

"Have fun last night with Inuyasha?" Rin asked suggestively and Kagome felt her cheeks flush. Rin, having the strange ability of getting Kagome to talk about Inuyasha, had managed to squeeze the information of Kagome inviting the boy to her house out of the poor girl's conscious.

Kagome thought back to the shocking revealing of Inuyasha's ears. After the initial shock had worn off, the issue wasn't addressed as Inuyasha happily feasted on the food her mother had prepared. Kagome had been mesmerized by the furry appendages that peeked out from the unruly bangs of her escort's silver hair. They twitched towards any sound made and at some points would be in a hyperactive frenzy trying to pick up everything everyone said. Kagome bit her lip at the memory. The triangular ears had been too adorable, and had it not been for insecurities and the sheer rudeness of it all, she would have touched them.

Her fingers twitched involuntarily at the thought of the little furry triangles in between her fingers and thumbs.

The only time the ears had been mentioned again that night had been towards the end of dinner when Inuyasha was preparing to leave. "It's a secret," he'd explained and pressed a finger to his lips to signify the silence of said secret. He'd slipped on his hat again, hiding the adorable dog ears from view, much to Kagome's inner disappointment. "No one can know about them." His voice was urgent, pleading her to keep his secret. Kagome had nodded her agreement, understanding the danger of revealing such things… especially at her school.

His features had flooded with relief and he'd given her his traditional loopy smile as he tied the laces of his converse, grasped the door handle and left with the promise of picking her up in the morning.

"We had dinner," Kagome finally said with a dismissive shrug, not wanting to go into detail. Especially since she'd promised to keep the biggest secret of her teenaged life last night. "Nothing happened, if that's what you're wondering," she said, eyeing the short girl.

Rin pouted. "There go my chances of living through you," she declared with a mock huff. Kagome laughed nervously, unsure of what to make of that remark.

The bell signaling that class was ready sounded and Rin regretfully got up from her seat and trotted to her seat near the front row. The teacher took role and quickly rattled off what she wanted them all to write about before writing the assignment on the board. Kagome quickly copied down what her teacher said so that she wouldn't have to struggle to read what it said. In these situations she hated to lean over and ask them to read it for her.

'Write about a childhood.' An odd prompt for her teacher to give her; she hadn't said to write about her childhood just a childhood. Kagome frowned curiously as she racked her brain for an idea to kindle her creative plot bunnies in her head. The only thing that came to her was her childhood. And she didn't want to write about that.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her seat and she tapped her pencil against the desk. She might as well write an uninspired piece of work and get a bad grade instead of not writing at all and getting a failing grade.

She wrote briefly about a small boy, keeping the description and the situation vague, since she really didn't have any idea what it was she was supposed to write about. Besides, the only childhood she knew about was hers, and she did not want to write about that. An involuntary shiver ran down the self-conscious girl's spine as she scribbled away on her notebook paper. Might as well get this over with…

'I wonder what Inuyasha was like as a kid,' she found herself thinking before she could stop herself. Her pencil stopped abruptly and a small smile spread across her lips as she imagined a child Inuyasha with big, floppy ears, shaggy hair and bright golden eyes. 'Oh, he'd be too adorable!' she concluded.

After about half way through the period when everyone was done writing their assignment and had turned it into the teacher to grade, the teacher had released the students to go about their teenager ways and hang out with their friends among the classroom. Kagome stayed in her seat and allowed Rin to come to her, which she did without a moment's hesitation.

"So tell me," Rin urged, her eyes staring up into Kagome's curiously. Kagome looked at her in confusion. "Every juicy detail you can about your dinner date."

Kagome stared at Rin, barely processing what Rin was demanding of her. She gulped down a small lump in her throat and smiled weakly. "…Nothing important happened," she said, remembering the way his adorable dog ears would twitch towards every sound within the apartment; the way the locks of beautiful silver hair had tumbled down his head after being crammed into his beanie hat in an attempt to dwindle the ear's rotating under the material.

Rin watched the smile spread over Kagome's face and the way her eyes hazed over and made them unreadable. She smiled slyly.

Kagome finally snapped out of her trance and turned to Rin, taking note of the way the girl was grinning wolfishly. "What…?"

"Did he kiss you goodnight?" Rin demanded.

Kagome quickly shook her head. "Inuyasha wouldn't do that; he'd rather kiss someone else."

"…Then why is he spending so much time with you, hm?" Rin asked, her grin widening.

"He thinks it's his responsibility because he broke my glasses," Kagome said gently, fiddling with the hem of her long, knee-length blue skirt. She felt her eyes mist over in shame, but she didn't shed a tear. She hated being so weak. "Besides… I'd feel too… weird being around him."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because… I don't know if those rumors are true or not," Kagome said bashfully. "He's so mysterious… and he always seems to be hiding something… something big. What if… all those rumors about him are true? If they were, I wouldn't want to be associated with him…"

"But you already are."

"You know what I mean."

"Kagome," Rin said gently, her lips quirked. "I'm sure those are all just rumors…"

"I know it's stupid to think that way," Kagome said shamefully, her head lowered. "But I'm fearful that he'll… do something that I don't like... Or I'll do something he doesn't like—that I'll make him angry or something…"

"Kagome, you shouldn't worry about that. I'm sure Inuyasha really couldn't care less," Rin reassured, her warm, chocolate eyes staring at her friend; her wolfish grin weakened to a simple, friendly smile. Kagome didn't meet her gaze, but the smaller of the two girls understood. "I'm positive."

-

Inuyasha was waiting for her as promised when her third period bell rang. She smiled shyly at him and ducked her head, failing to make eye contact with him. He simply chuckled at the all too familiar display of nervousness and he gestured towards the back staircase that would lead them to the library.

They walked in silence towards the library, Inuyasha decked out in the same style of outfits he wore everyday. This time, however, she understood why he always wore a hat over his uncontrollable silver mane. The tall boy beside her helped her up the stairs when her blurry vision couldn't determine when the steps ended and he held the library's door open for her.

He was so generous to her, and even though she knew he felt obligated to help her, she couldn't help feel guilty about the fact that she did nothing in return for his kindness. Once again she cursed her lack of self confidence. As they approached the back of the library and sat down at a table, Inuyasha kicked his feet up and sat in a half-lotus on the library's chair, observing her.

In the empty library Kagome heard Inuyasha's stomach growl rather loudly. He looked embarrassed for only a brief moment before he grinned brightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry," he whispered out, though even his whisper was loud.

Kagome nodded her head and pursed her lips as an idea formed in her head. "Inuyasha?" she asked curiously.

Inuyasha relocked his gaze on her and one of his eyebrows cocked curiously. "Yeah?"

"If… I were to make you lunch, would you eat it?" Kagome said quickly, feeling her stomach flop inside her. She felt as if butterflies had sprung to life inside of her and were fluttering around spastically. She lowered her eyes and fiddled with her fingernails, picking at them.

Inuyasha regarded her for a long moment, thinking over what she'd just asked of him. He smiled charmingly and looked thrilled. "You'd make lunch for me?"

Kagome nodded her head slowly.

"I'd really like that," he admitted with a smile. "I never have time in the morning to make my lunch and my Bubbie can't do it either because she's asleep until ten…"

Kagome beamed proudly, though Inuyasha didn't see this due to the girl's bowed head and her black tresses covering her delighted blue eyes. She wanted to repay him for all he'd done for her, and it was the least she could do without making herself embarrassed. He was so kind and sweet to her, displaying unfathomable kindness and patience for her wellbeing and comfort. He was just about the nicest guy she'd ever met.

"I'm glad…" she murmured, her cheeks red but a smile still on her lips. Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and his golden eyes swept over the girl's form.

Silence drifted between the two, but neither really seemed to mind as Kagome began to work on her homework and he sat there staring at her notebook paper blankly, watching as she completed their Spanish homework. Golden eyes traveled from the piece of paper to the hand that was scribbling on it with a mechanical pencil. Long, slender fingers, a pale, gorgeous hand, touched pink from the small amounts of sunlight they received over the winter. He smiled faintly, wondering why he was so captivated by her hands.

Kagome either didn't notice the warm, golden gaze on her hands, slowly traveling up her arms to her bowed head, or she just didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the boy was staring at her rather intently. Inuyasha felt a feathery sigh escape his parted lips and he rested his head in his cupped hand, leaning against it, his eyes hooded.

Their silence stretched on only interrupted by the clicking of Kagome's mechanical pencil as she caused more lead to appear at its tip, and the scratching of the said pencil on her Spanish homework. Soon the history of Spain melted away to geometrical problems for her math homework.

"You're really diligent with your work," Inuyasha commented, breaking the silence the two had created.

Kagome tilted her head slightly and nodded.

"How come?"

"Haven't we had this conversation already?" Kagome asked faintly.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders before realizing Kagome couldn't see this action. "I guess so; it's just kind of interesting, that's all," he defended with a wave of his hands.

Kagome nodded her head and an uncomfortable silence followed Inuyasha's question. The girl finished her math homework, packed up her work and sat patiently. Inuyasha twiddled his thumbs, feeling kind of uncomfortable by the girl's silence.

"Want to come to my house after school?" Inuyasha asked suddenly and Kagome snapped her head up, staring at him in shock before ducking her head again. Inuyasha sat, his growing discomfort overtaking him ten-fold. His question really hadn't helped the growing tension between the two, and he should have known better. Kagome was a very shy girl, and such a question could upset her.

Inuyasha twiddled his thumbs lazily, though he didn't move to take back the invitation. They sat silently, listening to the rain pouring outside the library, the small pelts of rain plummeting against the large glass windows. The dark, angry clouds rolled above the school's roof and the heavens poured their tears. The boy's eyes flickered to the dark, water-covered windows before darting back to Kagome.

"I-I…" Kagome began but was cut off.

"I want you to meet my Bubbie," Inuyasha clarified, smiling across the table at her, his golden eyes warm and understanding. He knew that Kagome was shy and awkward—but he found that he liked her. She made him smile, something he hadn't truly done for a while. Shaking his head slightly he said in an apologetic tone, "You don't have to—it's only a suggestion."

"I'd like to," Kagome murmured softly. "But just for a little bit."

Inuyasha smiled his gratitude and reached out a hand to pat her hand before retracting it, unsure how the girl would take the contact—wanted or unwanted.

"Right, only for a little bit," he agreed and listened to the pounding rain outside.

-

"You!" Rin declared as she pointed a finger at Inuyasha. The silver haired boy looked up from his desk in their sixth period art class. He blinked his eyes as the girl came marching towards him like a lioness did with her prey. He gulped slightly and sat up straighter in his chair.

"Uh… me?" Inuyasha said once the girl was within five feet of his counter. Rin came up to him and placed her hands on his desk and leaned over it, observing him. "Er… hi?"

Rin continued to stare at him silently, her chocolate-eyed gaze staring down at him critically as she silently sized him up. Inuyasha sat perfectly still, and if he was surprised or uncomfortable, he masked it well.

Finally Rin seemed to find what she was looking for because she pulled back, walked around their drawing counter and hopped up onto the stool next to his before unpacking her drawing supplies. Inuyasha watched her silently, debating with himself as to what to say to the short, perky girl who'd just stared at him with no explanation.

The beginning-of-class bell rang and the class began with the teacher telling them to work on the artwork they'd been working on the day before—still life. Unveiling the bowl of fruit they'd seen yesterday, the teacher allowed his students to get to work before retreating to his corner where he snuggled into his swivel chair and began to read a chapter from his latest romance novel.

The students, for the most part, worked diligently. Inuyasha found his eyes wandering—due to his status as a neophyte artist, he found no particular inspiration to pursue the banana's perfect shading as it sat perched on top of the countless amounts of oranges, apples, grapes and one pineapple. "Damn stereotypical drawing… thing…" Inuyasha muttered.

"You mean model?" Rin teased as she drew her fruit assortment perfectly. Inuyasha continued to murmur curses under his breath. She glanced at his work. "You suck," she pointed out boorishly, failing to keep her thoughts to herself or to keep said thoughts subtle.

Inuyasha smirked softly. "My last… school didn't have an art program," he said quietly, his pencil brushing over where his banana would eventually be if it chose to be drawn properly.

"Where did you go last?" Rin inquired curiously.

"Somewhere in Montana—you wouldn't know what it was," Inuyasha said curtly, successfully getting his point across that he did not want to talk about it. "I had to move there in the sixth grade…"

"Where'd you live before then?" Rin asked cautiously—wary of Inuyasha's attitude change.

As quickly as his agitation had come it was gone. Inuyasha smiled delicately and dropped his pencil. He watched lazily as it rolled down his counter and off the edge where it plummeted to the floor. He turned his head towards Rin and one of his dark eyebrows rose to his hairline. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean?" Rin replied innocently, not taking her eyes off the fruit bowl at the front of the class.

"You never talk to me unless Kagome's around," Inuyasha explained as he leaned the balance of his stool backwards—balancing on the two back legs. "What do you want?"

"Well," Rin drawled out as she finally took her eyes off her assignment and turned to meet the rather gorgeous teenaged boy sitting next to her, a sly smile on her lips. "It has to do with Kagome."

Inuyasha's curiosity mounted. "Oh?"

Rin pretended to be inspecting something under her nails and she took her time answering the boy. "Well," she said again, acting as nonchalant as she could without bursting inside. "She and I have third period together and were discussing something today…"

"And…?" Inuyasha prompted, genuinely curious as to what the two girls had talked about. He'd only spent four days with the girl but already he found her interesting; she was really quiet and he always wondered what she thought about.

"How can I put this in a way that won't upset you or embarrass her beyond belief?" Rin questioned herself, tapping her lips as she stared at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all her questions. Silence ticked between the two as the short girl thought in something that was obviously supposed to be melodrama. Inuyasha squirmed on his stool uncomfortably, finding himself anxious.

"Are you going to tell me or make me guess?" Inuyasha asked as he watched the girl roll her head towards him.

She smiled adorably and brushed auburn hair away from her matching coffee colored eyes. "Well," she let out a feathery sigh. "Kagome's afraid of you."

Any retort Inuyasha was going to say died in his throat at the girl's words and he sat stupidly on his stool, staring at her blankly; like a fish out of water, its glassy eyes staring upwards. "Huh?" he managed to spill from his suddenly parched lips. He didn't know why he cared so much… he'd grown used to people being afraid of him. But somehow the possibility that Kagome feared him didn't sit well with him.

"Well, Inuyasha, you do have a rather bad reputation following you like a shadow," Rin said lightly, picking up her pencil and drawing again.

Inuyasha frowned. He hopped off his stool and ducked down, retrieving his pencil. His golden eyes were narrowed slightly as he thought, not saying a word to Rin for the rest of the period.

-

The silence was deafening, Inuyasha decided silently as he and Kagome walked down the hill away from their school and towards his house. He could tell Kagome was nervous and anxious. He could also tell that she didn't want to talk. The words that Rin had told him still echoed in his head, however, and filled him with a slight insecurity that quickly passed only to return the next time he thought about it.

He watched the rain bounce off the umbrella he held above Kagome's head, not minding so much that the water droplets were bouncing off his red beanie hat. Kagome glanced at him periodically but for the most part kept her gaze on the ground. Thunder rolled above them and threatened to unleash more gallons of rain, but Inuyasha and Kagome were too lost in thought to notice or care.

Inuyasha stepped in a puddle and it dampened his pant leg, causing the blue denim of his slightly flared pants to cling to his leg like a second skin. He also noted with a bit of distaste that his socks were sticking uncomfortably to the bottom of his green converse.

He sighed softly and tilted his head back, staring at the sky as the heavens cried. Frowning slightly, he blinked his golden eyes when droplets of water fell into the orbs, blurring his vision. He shifted the umbrella so that it covered Kagome better and the girl mumbled something.

"Huh?" he asked, tilting his head back and looking down at her as they walked.

"Thank you," she whispered out, her hands clutched in front of her, the folds of her pleated skirt ruffling as she walked. She looked so adorable, but he didn't say anything about it. He found her skirts original, and they looked good on her. Though he had a feeling that if he stated these opinions they would not be met with the desired reaction.

"I don't mind." He shrugged.

They walked in silence again, only interrupted by Inuyasha's muttered curses as he stepped in more puddles or water dripped into his eyes unsuspectingly. Kagome glanced up at him silently, debating internally with herself on the matter of addressing the boy who took care of her.

"Why do you have dog ears?" she finally burst out before she could stop herself, the silence too much for her. The moment the question left her lips, however, she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her and she turned her face away. Why had she asked that? It was so personal, and she didn't want to sound snoopy about it all…

Inuyasha laughed without mirth and fell still. Kagome paused in her footsteps, turning bashfully towards him, wondering if he was going to say anything more. He stood silently, his arm outstretched as he covered her head with his umbrella. Finally, he laughed again sardonically.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Inuyasha said with a light sigh.

"Try me," Kagome retorted and blushed. When had she started to snap back at people? She grasped the hem of her skirt and stared at her muddy feet. Inuyasha noted her distress.

He sighed again as the wind picked up, whipping sheets of rain towards them and making the umbrella Inuyasha provided utterly useless. Kagome shivered as the cold slammed against her. "If it's going to get this cold, it should snow," Inuyasha cursed quietly as he began walking, ushering Kagome with the palm of his hand against her back. She'd grown used to the contact, but even so, it still took her by surprise.

Kagome was muted; slightly disappointed that he hadn't told her why he had dog ears.

As they turned a street corner and the busy streets melted away into a neighborhood, Inuyasha spoke. "Back in world war two, my Zadie volunteered for an experiment to create a super solider."

Kagome stared at him in surprise. She felt the boy tense beside her and his hand fist with the material of her jacket, but she didn't protest, lest he changed is mind about sharing whatever it was he was going to tell her. He shuffled his feet against the wet pavement, kicking up stray debris with his dirty, muddy green converse. "By mixing human DNA with other kinds of DNA, and after countless years of research, the scientists could create hybrids that enabled their soldiers to become stronger—almost supernatural…"

He ran his fingers through silver hair, the damp hair sticking to his forehead irritably. They walked a few paces, Kagome taking note of the way the houses changed from smaller to large almost instantly. "My Zadie took the vial for the dog DNA," he sighed. Kagome looked at him in stunned silence, her feet faltering and coming to a stand still.

"Though the DNA allowed him to have supernatural strength and senses, he and his bloodline were cursed with abnormal features. Silver hair, golden eyes…" he trailed off, the said golden orbs averting towards the tree line behind a cluster of houses. "According to my Bubbie, my dad, my aunt and my cousin have silver hair and golden eyes, too. But I don't know them, so it doesn't matter."

"I always thought you dyed your hair and wore colored contacts," Kagome said feebly.

Inuyasha smiled gently and shook his head. "I'm the first in my family, however, to have dog ears."

"Oh…" Kagome wasn't sure how to respond to his comment. Inuyasha was the result of a genetic experiment…? "Did they know it was hereditary?"

"No," Inuyasha murmured. He perked up as they turned another corner and crossed a street. "There's my house," he announced happily and pointed towards a beautiful white house.

Kagome's jaw dropped. It was a large, eastern styled home, white and with pillars and a porch. It looked like it had walked out of New Orleans and had landed here.

"Wow," Kagome breathed, taking in the site of the old time, plantation styled home.

Inuyasha smiled ruefully and led her up the cold, wet walkway. Lush grass grew on either side of the pavement and as Inuyasha fished out his key and unlocked the door to his house, Kagome suddenly felt unworthy to enter such a beautiful home. After seeing this, her apartment seemed plain slummy.

"Look out," Inuyasha warned and Kagome observed him in confusion before he unlocked the door, pulled it open and pushed inside. Kagome had barely any time to react before half a dozen cats came charging out of the house and right towards the girl. She squeaked in surprise as they all came running at her, skidded to a stop and began rubbing their tiny heads against her legs.

Before Kagome could stop herself, she was squealing, kneeling down and petting the cats. "They're so cute," she cooed as she patted the head of a lithe black cat, who purred loudly.

Inuyasha laughed. "They seem to like you," he agreed as he knelt before her and looked at his six cats. "Majority of them are morons, though."

Kagome giggled as the cats purred loudly and bumped their heads against her hands, eager for attention. "They're adorable; what are their names?" she asked out loud, really to herself more than to Inuyasha. But of course the dog-eared boy heard her and cracked a smile.

"This one is Onyx." He pointed to the black cat she'd been petting earlier. "This is Midnight." He motioned towards another black cat with white patches on his chest and paws. "Zola, short for Gorgonzola." He ran his hand over the back of a large, fluffy white cat. "Couscous." He pointed towards a grey cat with darker spots on it. "This is Kippah…"

"Isn't that the cap you have to wear when you go to temple?" Kagome questioned lightly.

Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah." His eyes glittered. "I'm surprised you know that." Kagome blushed proudly.

Kagome looked at the calico named Kippah; green eyes stared up at her silently.

"And finally, my favorite little stupid cat," Inuyasha's voice filled with mock pride as he touched the last cat. A big cat with a mix of greys, browns, white, and black; and big, green eyes. "Barkly—my little stupid-head."

"That's not very nice," Kagome chastised quietly as she stroked behind the cat's ears.

"Oh, but he is," Inuyasha warned and laughed. "Come on; let's get inside before you catch a cold."

As they entered the house, Kagome was shocked to see that it was cold and dark; a startling contrast to the outside's appearance. Inuyasha silently slipped off his shoes and motioned for her to the do the same. Kagome nodded meekly and soon her feet were clad in only their socks as she followed after the tall, lanky boy down the long hallway. Turning left, they entered his kitchen.

"Sorry," he apologized as Kagome took in the dirtied kitchen. Dishes were stacked up near the sink. "I forgot to do my chores yesterday…"

Kagome stood stupidly in the middle of Inuyasha's kitchen as he dug around in a drawer, extracted an apron, rolled up his sleeves and filled the sink up with soapy water. She stared at his back dumbly as he began scrubbing the dishes and stacking them into the dishwasher. 'He's amazing…' she marveled silently to herself. He was just so… dedicated. Though, she did feel slightly out of place in his kitchen as he worked and scrubbed at a grease ridden cookie sheet.

"Damn little thing," she heard him mutter but could hear the smile in his voice.

A door slammed on the second floor and Kagome squeaked, jumped back and banged her back against the kitchen table. Inuyasha quickly lifted his head and glanced at her over his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he questioned.

Kagome nodded her head slowly.

"That was just my Bubbie," he explained gently, smiling tenderly. "She'll be down in a few minutes; you can meet her!"

Kagome wasn't sure how to process this information. She stood idiotically leaning against Inuyasha's kitchen table when a clang was heard as a cane hit against a staircase's banister. A few moments later, a plump old woman toddled into the room, holding a cane to support her slightly lopsided walk. A beady, brown eye stared up at her, the other eye hidden beneath an eye patch. She wore a long skirt that reached below her ankles and a worn old sweater.

"Bubbie," Inuyasha beamed, wiped his hands on his apron and rushed forward, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "This is my friend, Kagome; she's the girl I told you about."

Kagome blushed. She knew that he'd probably only told his grandmother that she was someone he was looking after, but the fact that Inuyasha had even mentioned her made her feel warm inside. This frightened her due to the fact that she didn't even know this boy and had only spoken to him for four days. But, already she longed for his attention. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous when he would talk to someone else. She didn't understand why she felt that way, but had concluded that it had simply been because he was the first guy to really give her the time of day.

The old woman eyed the girl, taking in her slouching posture, her nervous blue eyes and the way her pale hands clenched each other in a nervous twitch. She seemed like a nice enough girl, the woman decided as she brushed away her grey hair from her one good eye. "Hello," she greeted the young girl, her accent rich. Kagome's eyes widened in realization when she realized that she did sound exactly like Souta had made her to sound like: a Jewish woman with a New Yorker accent.

"Nice to meet you," Kagome greeted softly, a faint smile touching her lips. She found the old woman charming.

"You Jewish?" the plump woman asked abruptly and Kagome blinked before shaking her head. "That explains the skirt."

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, hoping for some clarity. Inuyasha laughed softly. "Bubbie's an orthodox Jew," he explained, laughter in his voice. "She doesn't think girls should wear pants or skirts above the ankles."

Kagome looked at her skirt, embarrassed and afraid she'd insulted Inuyasha's grandmother in some way.

"Don't talk as if I'm not here; oy vay," the woman said with a slur in her accent. Turning briskly on her heel she began to hobble out of the room. "You making dinner, Inuyasha?"

"Yes, Bubbie," Inuyasha chirped and turned back to his chores. He finished the dishes, fed the cats, began cooking and managed to take care of Kagome. He helped her with her homework when he noticed she was struggling and just in time to make sure that his soup was burning.

"Are you sure you're not bored?" Inuyasha questioned for the umpteenth time as he stirred a wooden spoon in the pot. He'd explained to Kagome that his grandmother was unable to make food due to her tendency to burn things and even though he wasn't much of a cook either, he was better than his senile old bubbie. Kagome had found this entertaining. She liked listening to him talk about himself and his family. Even though they were spending time together, they didn't really talk much.

"Want to come over again tomorrow?" Inuyasha questioned as he turned off the stove. Kagome eyed him curiously and he waved his hand innocently. "I know it's been pretty boring for you today, and tomorrow is Saturday. What do you say? Or do you need to do something?"

Kagome noted the slight disappointment in his voice he tried to hide. She smiled faintly and nodded her head. "I'm not busy."

"Great," he gushed. "I promise it won't be as boring as today."

"I didn't think it was boring," Kagome piped up and traced her fingers along the wooden surface of the kitchen table. She blushed hotly.

"Great," he repeated and smiled charmingly at her, his chipper self never failing to make her smile. She laughed quietly and smoothed the ruffles in her skirt. "Dinner will be ready soon; do you want to stay? Or call your Mom?"

"I'll stay, but I need to call my mom anyway," Kagome said with a small smile and he handed her the phone, the bright grin never wiped from his face.

-

Author's notes: I decided to take a new twist on Inuyasha's ears. I think it's a pretty original idea and if it's not: oh well, I tried! Nothing particularly exciting happened this chapter, sorry to say. Maybe next chapter… until next time! (waves)