Daughters
Chapter Nine: Smile
"Thank God, it's almost Friday," Miroku moaned as he stretched his arms above his head, across his desk, over Inuyasha's shoulders (until the boy shoved them away), and to the ground. "I am tired"!
Inuyasha didn't respond, just gave Miroku a blank look and tapped his pencil against his desk. "But you'll have to go to school again on Monday. And there's still two days before the weekend."
"Don't you dare spoil my fun, you jerk," Miroku defended and sighed, tipping his head back to the ceiling. "We only have three periods after this until we can go home."
"Yep, and then we get to come back the next day," Inuyasha said with a shrug as he bit into the last of his lunch and threw the empty containers into his desk for safekeeping. "You must be beside yourself with joy."
"What's with that attitude?" Miroku lamented, throwing his arm out in a rather dramatic gesture as he did a mock-gasp. "Aren't you excited for the weekend?"
"The thing I liked about the weekend was sleeping in." Inuyasha scrunched up his nose. "And I can't do that anymore."
"You can't sleep in?" Miroku questioned.
"My cousin," Inuyasha muttered with another one of his shrugs. "She doesn't like to sleep in."
"That sucks," Miroku said with a frown and glanced over Inuyasha's shoulder to grin at Sango and spout out some drabble about how she meant the world to him. As was routine, Sango either ignored him or shot back a comment about how she was no such thing.
"You'll never give up, will you?"
"Of course not," Miroku snorted. "Not until I have Sango in my arms." He shook his head and leaned in close to Inuyasha. "But I have something to ask you."
Inuyasha turned his head away, not liking the short proximity between Miroku and himself. He took a large gulp of his lemon tea.
"Have you slept with Kagome yet?" Miroku questioned suddenly.
Inuyasha choked and spat out his lemon tea right into Miroku's face.
"Oh God, that's so gross, Inuyasha," Miroku said, disgusted as he wiped the liquid off his face. "Was that really necessary?"
Inuyasha continued coughing and didn't answer Miroku, mostly because he couldn't, and pounded a fist against his chest to try and free his airway. Once he'd regained control of himself he whipped his head up and glared daggers at Miroku.
"God you got it right in my damn mouth!"
"What the hell kind of question was that?" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku didn't answer him, as he was too preoccupied being grossed out by the lemon tea spraying in his face. He punctuated his disgusted moans with tiny 'I can't believe you did that's every so often.
"I have not slept with Kagome," Inuyasha growled out harshly. "I haven't done anything with Kagome because there's nothing for us to do. She's my cousin's fucking babysitter, for Christ's sake. I have no feelings for her, at all."
"Ah," Miroku let this information digest as he ate the last of his own lunch and throwing the containers into his desk to pick up at the end of the day. "We've got PE next, should we head down there?"
Inuyasha followed after Miroku as the two exited the room to prepare for their PE period. They made it to the changing room and slipped inside. The majority of their male classmates were already in there, save for a few stragglers left in the classroom with the quickly diminishing girls (who were going to their changing room, too.)
"So?" Miroku questioned as he started changing. "How are things with Kagome?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha grumped as he pulled off his shirt and threw on his PE top. "There's nothing between Kagome and me in the first place. How can there be things between us, anyhow? She's just my cousin's damned babysitter. I've told you this already. I've told you this everyday"
Miroku pursed his lips, completely unsatisfied with that answer. "How can you say that? Kagome's quite the catch."
"Shut up," Inuyasha mumbled, feeling his face turning red. "It doesn't matter to me."
"Liar," Miroku accused as he started tying the laces of his running shoes. "I bet you secretly want Kagome. I mean, it's hard not to with that body."
Inuyasha was getting uncomfortable. He always got uncomfortable whenever Miroku talked about his cousin like that; and that was quite frequently, he had to admit. "Cut it out. Not all of us are sex fiends, you know."
"Come on," Miroku threw his hands up in defeat. "You're a youthful teenaged boy. Of course you're sex driven. And don't try to tell me you're not."
"Even if I was," Inuyasha snapped, clicking his locker shut and pulling on his shoes. "Like hell I'd tell you."
"You're blushing," Miroku sang out, fluttering around Inuyasha like this was the most exciting news ever. Inuyasha felt his eye twitch at the unnecessary attention he was receiving from the cling-on boy. "You do like Kagome."
"I do not like Kagome," Inuyasha shot back, feeling his face turn even redder. "God damn it."
"You do."
"Do not."
"Do too."
"I am not having this conversation with you," Inuyasha said firmly and walked quickly away from Miroku. "I am not, I am not, I am not, I am not. I do not like Kagome. I never will. She's nothing to me except for a waste of cash."
"Whatever you say, my friend," Miroku sang behind him, a large smile on his face.
Inuyasha almost hated Miroku at that moment.
"Just admit that she's pretty!" Miroku said firmly, his face set in determination. "I'll never forgive you if you tell me my sweet little cousin is ugly."
"I'm not answering that," Inuyasha snarled.
"And since I know you don't care whether I'm friends with you or not," Miroku sang as he trailed after Inuyasha. They exited the sanctity of the changing room and made their way towards the gym. "You not wanting to answer means that you don't want to admit that you think Kagome's hot. Because if you thought she was ugly, you'd just say so."
Girls passing by him gave him small glares. They still remembered the way he'd treated Kagome before. And Miroku was infamous for his perverted ways around girls and their skirts. Inuyasha didn't care that they were glaring daggers at him. He couldn't have cared less, really.
"Fine, she's ugly," Inuyasha said, wishing that Miroku would just let the subject drop so that he could continue on with his life.
"You are such a liar!" Miroku exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of some of their classmates. Inuyasha's frown deepened and he glared daggers at Miroku.
"Stop it."
He turned to walk away towards the boy's group for PE.
"Admit it," Miroku pressed.
He snapped his head around and growled at Miroku. "Will you just drop it, for God's sake? Does everything have to be about sex with you?"
"I've got eyes, Inuyasha," Miroku said, looking up at the taller boy and grinning.
Inuyasha decided he hated Miroku at that moment.
Rin fell to the ground again and cried out, feeling her face clench in her pain. Her backside throbbed from where she'd hit the chained fence and then the puddle of mud. Her bottom lip quivered as she clenched her hands against her knees.
"Where's our money?" the first boy demanded, his face set in determination. The three boys were relying heavily on that money for their food and for junk that they didn't really need, and finding this little girl after school each day was starting to become a favorite routine.
Rin knew where the money was. It was in her pocket, but she didn't want to give it to them. She didn't want to make Inuyasha disappointed in her. And she knew that, the reason he hadn't saved her yet was because she hadn't stood up to herself enough, and she hadn't fought well enough against them. She wanted to make her cousin proud, and she would do anything for him at all costs.
"I don't have any," Rin said firmly, standing up with shaking legs. She was knocked back down into the mud.
"I thought," the first boy said, "I made it perfectly clear that you were to have money for us every day after school. So, where is it?"
"I don't have any," Rin repeated and clenched the chains in the fence to try and stand up. The boy pushed her against the metal and his hand wrapped around her throat to prevent any movement.
"I don't think you understand your situation, girl," the second boy said behind the first. The second boy rarely said anything, but he was always smiling manically behind his leader. The third boy, despite his stealing from her, too, was typically the most sympathetic of the three and called off the other two. But today, he kept his eyes down and refused to look at her.
The first boy raised his fist and whispered, "I'll give you one last chance. Where is your money?"
"I don't have any," Rin said, despite the fear trickling in her body. She would not relinquish her hold on her money. She would make Inuyasha proud of her. He'd pay attention to her if she proved her worth.
"Fine then," the first said and raised his fist higher to punch her.
The punch never came. Rin watched in awed horror as a larger, harder hand snapped out and grasped the boy's first before he could throw it and twist his arm behind his back. Rin blinked as the boy cried out in pain and released his hold on her. She thumped down into the dirt and watched as her cousin pinned the boy against the fence, pulling on his arm in a manner that would break it if he pushed against the elbow.
"Haven't you got anything better to do than to torment a helpless little girl?" Inuyasha hissed angrily as he pressed the boy harder against the chained fence.
He heard footsteps behind him and snapped his head around, glaring at the other two boys. They froze in their tracks.
"If you think that I have morals and wouldn't kick a bunch of middle schoolers' asses, then you're very mistaken. Get the fuck away from Rin. Now."
The two boys obeyed and backed quickly away from Inuyasha, their eyes wide with fear. Inuyasha pushed the boy he held harder against the fence.
"So. Why have you been harassing Rin?" Inuyasha questioned, his voice dangerously soft and quiet. Rin shook, afraid of her cousin's expression.
The boy didn't answer. He simply whimpered from the pain.
"Why?" Inuyasha snapped, louder this time. He shoved the boy against the linked fence, grinding the boy's face into the metal. The boy whimpered painfully.
Inuyasha snarled and released the boy. With a shove, he sent the first boy flying towards the other two. The second boy caught him and helped him get to his feet. They shrunk under the deadly shadow of Inuyasha as the boy stalked up to them.
Inuyasha cracked his knuckles advancing on the boys. He continued moving, backing the boys into the fence again. He towered over them, his expression everything they feared he would be. They'd pressed their luck. He was here. He was here to take revenge.
Knuckles popped and Inuyasha growled darkly, his eyes narrowed and his body rigid.
"Ready to get a taste of your own medicine?" Inuyasha snarled angrily.
He felt a tug on his pant leg. He paused and looked down. Rin stared back up at him, her brown eyes large and watery.
Silently, she gazed at him, her eyes silently judging him. For she had such a peculiar way of staring into his eyes as if she were gazing into his very soul and Inuyasha felt uncomfortable under such a heavy gaze. He sighed and turned his attention back towards the three boys, his expression still angered.
"If I ever even hear a whisper about you doing this to Rin again, I will hunt you down. And I will make you suffer. Do you understand me?" Inuyasha said, with his eyes narrowed. The three boys nodded meekly. "Good, now get the fuck out of my sight. If I ever see you again, you'll be sorry."
The boys didn't need a second invitation, realizing that they were, by some miracle, granted a way to escape. As soon as Inuyasha fell silent the boys were scrambling over each other to get away. They knew he would be strong. They knew that it would be their heads if he caught them. He'd let them off easy, they could tell. They would not waste this opportunity to get away.
Once Inuyasha was satisfied they were gone, he stalked up to Rin, who quivered and stared at him with wide eyes. He knelt down and gazed at his cousin.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he said firmly, his face angry. Rin was too young to understand that what she saw in his eyes was not anger.
"I didn't want to… make you worry… about me," Rin stammered out.
Inuyasha sighed and sat back on his haunches, and then on his butt, not caring if they were in the middle of a giant mud puddle. He observed Rin curiously before sighing again and scratching his cheek.
"I worry about you anyway, Rin," Inuyasha sighed. "And all that damned money I gave you. You weren't buying milk."
It wasn't a question, but Rin nodded her head in agreement anyway. She hadn't bought milk. She hated milk. She glanced down at her muddy knees and felt her bottom lip quiver again. He'd saved her. She'd stood up for herself and then he'd saved her.
"How long have they been doing this?" Inuyasha questioned.
Rin shrugged. "I don't know."
"Rin…" Inuyasha said, his eyes narrowing. "How long?"
Rin ducked her head. "Two weeks… I think…"
Inuyasha blew out a long stream of air and ruffled his bangs with his hand. She'd started acting strange two weeks ago, now that he thought about it. And she'd asked for milk money a short time afterwards. And he realized now that he never got change for that money, and he gave her enough money that there would be change.
"They won't bother you again," Inuyasha promised.
Rin lifted her head, her brown eyes glowing and her face splitting into a large smile.
"I know."
Inuyasha rested his hands on his knees, his lips pulled downwards into a frown. He observed his cousin as she stood up from the mud and dusted off as much dirt and grime as she could. Before Inuyasha could say anything, she padded over to him and positioned herself behind him. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her face into the nape of his neck.
"Thank you," she mumbled, feeling tears push against her eyes.
Inuyasha stared at the sky through the chained fence and sighed again, his chest puffing out. He shifted and pulled himself up, dislodging Rin's arms. He turned around and patted her head.
"If it ever happens again, just tell me," he said instead of what he wanted to say.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny. Rin was excited to get to school, now that she knew she wouldn't be beaten up. She jumped around Inuyasha's room, trying to wake the deadweight up. Inuyasha moaned when Rin started jumping on his bed and waved his hand, trying to catch Rin but only catching air.
"Go away…" Inuyasha moaned, feeling light under the heavy weight of his blanket. "Too early."
"No it's not, Inu-oniichan," Rin chirped happily. "You forgot to turn on your alarm last night. We need to leave in ten minutes."
"What?" Inuyasha yelped, shocked, as he whipped up in bed, nearly crashing into Rin, who grinned cheekily at him. Inuyasha snorted and rolled out of bed, searching for his uniform in the messy sanctity of his room.
Ten minutes later, Inuyasha ran from the house with Rin in his arms so that she wouldn't fall behind. He jumped and ran and made it to the kindergarten in record time. It was amazing how fast the boy could go sometimes. People often wanted him to join the track team. But Inuyasha never did.
"Good, you're here and not late," Inuyasha said, checking his watch. He sighed in relief and set Rin down. "There you go."
Parents all around them waved goodbye to their children and watched as the kids trotted inside. Rin made her way towards the door. Inuyasha rested against the fence, watching her go. He knew the likelihood that something would happen to Rin on the way to her classroom was slim, but he decided to stick around, just in case.
Rin moved slowly, her hand grasping the rail lining the steps. As she walked up the steps, she turned around and waved at Inuyasha, her hand fluttering through the air and her mouth grinning widely. Her brown eyes were wide and innocent, just like any child's should be. Inuyasha felt something in his gut wrench and he hated it.
Inuyasha wasn't sure what the feeling within him was. He hadn't felt it in years. It bubbled up inside of him and almost made him feel like he was floating.
His face relaxed and before he could even think to stop himself, his lips curved into a tiny smile. Rin seemed astounded by the look of her cousin smiling—smiling and lacking his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. He looked remarkably younger when he smiled and he almost looked happy.
He hadn't smiled in years. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled. And now, just by a wave and a smile from his little cousin, he felt like smiling for the rest of his life.
With a smile still on his lips, he raised his hand and waved to Rin. Rin's smile only widened and she waved back before disappearing inside of her schoolhouse. Inuyasha watched the spot she'd disappeared from and wondered how it was that just her smile could make him do something he hadn't done in years.
He stood in that spot for only a moment longer before trooping off to his school, his face free of any creased brows, frowns, or narrowed eyes.
"Mr. Shinkanshi? My name is Miss Yaroku and I'm an assistant at your cousin, Rin's, kindergarten. I'm calling on behalf of the entire faculty to apologize for the short notice. However, the school will be closed tomorrow due to teacher planning. I apologize once again for any inconvenience this may cause you," the answer machine message bleeped out as Inuyasha listened. "If you have any questions please call—"
Inuyasha hit the erase button, cutting the message short. He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair.
"So you've got a day off today?" Inuyasha asked Rin as he erased the phone message Rin's teacher had left on his machine. He glanced at Rin and frowned deeply. "I can't have Kagome watch you while I go to school because she needs to go, too. But I have a test in English and Mr. Yuuki will have a cow if I skip another lesson, especially on test day."
"I'm sorry," Rin said slowly, bowing her head. Despite the fact that he'd saved her from the bullies the other day and they had yet to harass her again, she still felt a little uneasy around her cousin.
"It's not your fault," Inuyasha said as he moved past her. "It's not like you have control of it."
He started packing his things. He glanced at his watch. "I've got no time to make a lunch," he muttered. "I'll just mooch off of Miroku, then."
Rin watched him silently.
"You'll have to stay in the house for today, Rin," Inuyasha said firmly. He knelt down and stared at her harshly, trying to convey the importance of what he was about to say. "You're going to stay."
"I'm not a dog," Rin protested, his command sounding like one someone would give a dog.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You're going to stay here in the house and just watch TV. I'll come by during my lunch period if I can sneak away. You'll just stay here and wait for me to come home, okay? Do not open the door for anyone. If for some reason Kagome comes here, she'll just walk in without knocking—because that stupid girl acts like she lives here—and I'll just walk in, too, because I do live here. But do not open the door. Do not answer the phone. Do not leave the house. You got that?"
"Yes," Rin said, looking saddened at the idea of being alone for the day.
"Okay, just watch TV or take a nap. Or something." Inuyasha stood up and picked up his book bag.
"Have a safe trip, Inu-oniichan," Rin told his back, following behind him, her small feet slapping against the floor.
Inuyasha gripped the door handle before turning when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down at Rin, who stared up at him, smiling widely and waving lightly to him. He sighed and ruffled her hair, messing up the perpetually messy hairdo. Hair fell out of her side pony-tail and she made a small squeak-like noise that would have been adorable to anyone other than Inuyasha.
"Be safe," she told her cousin's back as she released her hold on him. He nodded his head and stepped through the doorway.
"See you after school, Rin," he said and closed the door behind him, leaving Rin alone in the house.
The lunch bell rang and Inuyasha sighed, stretching out and turning around to look to see what Miroku had brought for lunch. The boy glanced at his friend suspiciously and pulled his packed lunch away from his lavender eyes.
"I don't have enough to share today," Miroku apologized. "I can give you a bit of my bread, if you'd like."
"Nah, it's fine," Inuyasha waved his hand. "I'm not that hungry anyway."
His stomach growled loudly and Inuyasha frowned.
"I guess I can go to the cafeteria and get some bread," Inuyasha grumbled, standing up. He slouched his way towards the front of the room and to the sliding door. Pushing his way through a bunch of girls, Inuyasha made his way to the cafeteria.
He hadn't been there since his first year, and it was a strange nostalgic experience for him. He'd forgotten that it was first come first serve and that literally shoving people out of the way was necessary. Eventually he was successful as he left the cafeteria with yakisoba bread in between his teeth, his hands stuffed into his pockets.
He climbed the steps and glanced outside towards the direction of his home. He hoped that Rin would be okay. There was food in the house, so she should be fine in that sense. And there was plenty of television shows for her to watch. And she could sleep.
He stopped his mental reassurance—Rin wouldn't leave the house. He'd kill her if she did.
A small voice in his head told him that Rin never listened to him. She was always leaving the schoolyard when he was just a little late. Or very late. Whichever.
"Don't be stupid," he told his bread as he bit into it. "She won't leave."
As he approached his classroom, the thin walls allowed him to hear the conversations going on inside.
"She is just too cute!" a girl squealed and Inuyasha felt his eyes rolling skyward. What was it with girls and cute things?
"So why are you here?"
"Inu-oniichan's a senior… so he's got to be in one of the level three classes," a small voice chirped and the bread fell from Inuyasha's mouth as his jaw dropped. Jesus Christ, he'd told her to stay at the house. "And this is the fourth one I've tried today!"
Inuyasha raced to the door and threw it open. "Rin!"
The class all stopped in their cooing and awing in order to turn around and stare at Inuyasha's dramatic entrance and exclamation. The females looked ready to fling themselves at the little girl in the room, and the boys seemed shocked at the girl's presence and Inuyasha's entrance.
Sure enough, Rin sat on top of a desk, her legs swinging out as she gripped a large bag. She beamed when she saw him and hopped off the desk.
"Inu-oniichan! I found you!" she chirped happily, her brown eyes wide and glowing as she toddled over to him. She offered him the bag and he took it without hesitation, silently yanking it from her grip. "I'm so happy."
"Rin, I told you to stay in the house. What are you doing here?" Inuyasha demanded, conscious of all the eyes on him at the front of the class. He opened the bag and was greeted with a sloppily prepared bagged lunch.
"I made you lunch because I was sad that you didn't have time to make lunch. I wanted to make sure that Inu-oniichan got something to eat. And since you'd be coming home anyway to make sure Rin was okay, Rin wanted to meet you!" Rin beamed proudly, confident in her accomplishment. Her head rose up and her chest puffed out proudly.
Inuyasha sighed and knelt down, scooping her up along with the lunch Rin had made him. His face was a bright red and he whipped his head around to look at his classmates, his eyes narrowing as he gave them all death glares. They continued to stare at him and the girls looked prepared to wet themselves from the amount of restraint they were showing, trying to resist the urge to scream at the adorable little girl and hug her into oblivion.
"Shinkanshi-Kun," a bold girl dared to ask. "Who's she? Your sister?"
"Uh…" Inuyasha faltered.
The girls that he didn't even know rushed up to him and Rin. They encircled him, staring at the little girl who grinned at them, silently pleased with the attention she was receiving. They cooed and awed at the adorable little child, trying to make her laugh in his arms.
"Why were you alone at Shinkanshi-Kun's home?" one girl asked.
"I didn't have school today but Inu-oniichan had to come to school to take a test. So Rin came by to give him a lunch."
"Shinkanshi-Kun, you have to take care of this girl all by yourself?" one girl said. He remembered that just that morning she was one of the many girls that gave him death glares for his rough and rude nature. Now, she was practically slobbering over him just because he was holding Rin. What was wrong with females? They were all phonies, the whole lot of them.
"Uh… yeah…" Inuyasha said hesitantly.
"Who knew that Shinkanshi-Kun had a soft side," one girl said dramatically to her companion.
Inuyasha inched away from them, feeling uncomfortable. He retreated from the front of the class and moved to his desk where Miroku sat stunned. Rin hopped up onto his desk and started humming, swinging her legs around happily.
Inuyasha was sure that the girls in his class were about to have heart attacks. They kept squealing and trying to get Rin's attention, but soon the little girl grew bored and watched as Inuyasha ate the food she made him.
The food was disgusting, but he'd be damned if he let Rin start crying in front of everyone. That would be even more embarrassing than this situation was already turning out to be.
"So, this is the infamous little cousin, eh?" Miroku said, leaning over Inuyasha's shoulder to get a better look at the little girl. Rin beamed up at him and Miroku returned the smile warmly. "Well, aren't you a cutie."
Inuyasha jerked his head around and gave him a glare. "Don't even think about it."
"I'm insulted that you would think so little of me," Miroku said with a pout, but turned his attention back to Rin. "You should let me borrow her sometime, Inuyasha. I mean, did you see all the girls that crowded around you? If I could just walk with Rin sometime, I'd get all these females eating out of the palm of my hand by that afternoon."
Inuyasha swallowed the cookie Rin had packed for him and frowned. "No."
"Ah, come on!" Miroku protested.
"No," Inuyasha said again, his eyes narrowing. He jerked his head towards Miroku and addressed Rin, "Never go anywhere with him, okay?"
"Okay!" Rin chirped, sending another wave of squeals throughout the room. Inuyasha hated his classmates.
"Why not?" Miroku protested. "She's the ultimate babe magnet. Just for a day, that's all I ask."
"Stop it," Inuyasha commanded. "She's not an object."
Miroku sighed and shook his head. Inuyasha frowned and turned his attention back to Rin, feeling his cheeks turn pink with his defensive nature against Rin. He hated being weak.
"Sango!" Miroku sang out, quickly getting over his prohibition of ever touching or going anywhere with Rin, and dancing over to his current obsession. "Can you believe how rude Inuyasha-Chan is being to me?"
"What did you just call me?" Inuyasha demanded, glaring daggers at Miroku's back. The boy ignored him and Inuyasha had to wonder why such an idiot ended up being friends with him.
"Inu-oniichan," Rin whined. "I'm hungry."
"Here," Inuyasha said, offering her the last of his lunch. Rin smiled brightly and took the proffered food and nibbled on it happily. Chirping out a large thank you, Inuyasha merely shrugged and waved her thanks aside, not really wishing to make a display for the frivolous girls of his class.
"Isn't Kagome-Chan in class with you, Inu-oniichan?" Rin questioned after a long moment of silence.
"Huh? Oh yeah, why don't you go say hi to her." Inuyasha said distractingly, watching birds outside his window. The glass was dirty and it was hard for him to see the feathered creatures beyond, but he knew that they were having a better time than he was cooped up in this classroom.
"Kagome-Chan's not here," Rin supplied.
"Eh?" Inuyasha turned his attention towards the occupants of the room. Sure enough, Kagome was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he hadn't seen her since the end of third period. "That's strange."
The lunch bell rang and Inuyasha jerked to attention. "Oh shit, you're not supposed to be here," Inuyasha said, surprised and fearful. He had PE next. "I've got to bring you home."
Inuyasha stood up and scooped Rin up into his arms, taking the bag from her hands and stuffing it into his desk. Rin wrapped her arms around his neck and cushioned her head against his shoulder, making herself comfortable. Inuyasha frowned and contemplated the idea of just making her walk, since she was so darn confident he would carry her home. But he thought better of it. Rin was probably sleepy, since she normally took a nap around this time, anyway.
"Fine," he groaned and rolled his eyes. He jerked his head towards Miroku. "Tell Mr. Nakamichi that I got sick and went to the health room."
"Right-o, captain!" Miroku said with a mock salute. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Rin.
"I'm going to take you home, okay?"
It was remarkable to watch. The girls, who were so fixated on Inuyasha and his charge, had never seen an expression other than annoyance or anger on his face. They'd grown used to seeing his furrowed brow and frowning lips. But now, as he looked at Rin, there was a soft look in his eyes that they never dreamed could appear on his face.
In other words, it had the girls squealing and discussing it for the rest of the day, even after Inuyasha showed up late to PE class and had to run extra laps to make up for the time missed.
"You should have been there, Kagome," Ayame gushed the next day at school as the girls set up their station for their science lab. Ayame watched as Sango and Kagome pulled their hair back into high ponytails to avoid any chemicals or fire to ignite their hair. She sighed wistfully at the memory. "He was just so… cute."
Kagome tutted and rolled her blue eyes heavenward, staring at the ceiling with chipping paint. She plucked a pair of goggles from the countertop and positioned it over her oceanic orbs.
"I see it every time I baby-sit," Kagome said airily.
"Why didn't you tell me that Shinkanshi-Kun was such a sensitive soul underneath his macho exterior," Ayame questioned dramatically, "What kind of friend are you?"
"Ayame, two days ago you hated him," Sango said, ever the pacifist. She leaned over and filled one of their larger beakers with water to boil before placing it over the Bunsen burner.
"Well…" Ayame faltered.
"And don't you have a crush on Yamasaki Kouga from class 3-2?" Kagome supplied, reading over the instructions of the lab before continuing on to instruction number two.
"Well, yes…" Ayame frowned as her two friends giggled. "Stop making fun of me!"
"I told you guys that Inuyasha wasn't nearly as bad as everyone was making him out to be." Kagome brushed a strand of her black hair behind her ear and sighed wistfully.
"But he did make you cry," Ayame ventured slowly, unsure how sensitive Kagome was on the subject.
The said girl seemed unfazed by her red-haired friend's observation. "Yes, but he also saved me." She licked her dry lips. "And there have been occasions when he's been nice."
"Kagome-Chan would know better than anyone," Sango whispered. "She seems to always be around Shinkanshi-Kun."
Kagome jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes at her friend. She looked around, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation. She sighed again, this time in relief, when she discovered that no one was listening. She flushed.
"Sango-Chan," she hissed through her teeth. "Don't say stuff like that."
"I whispered it," Sango protested but fell silent under Kagome's dead stare. "Ayame, pass me the blue solution, will you?"
Kagome glanced up and looked over her shoulder. Three rows back and on the window side of the classroom, Kagome's eyes locked on Inuyasha's. Lavender and blue clashed for one brief moment before they both whipped their heads away, Kagome staring down at her lab book and Inuyasha out the window.
Her face an impossible shade of red, Kagome fidgeted and wrote down a hypothesis, glancing at Sango's every so often to make sure she was going in the right direction with her theory.
She glanced up again at Inuyasha, but he was no longer looking at her. He was working with Miroku, and another boy, Hojo, at their table, pouring the blue solution into the beaker of boiling water.
She bit her lip and forced her attention away from the boys.
"It's amazing though," Ayame said, picking up the conversation they'd trailed away from. "I never knew that Shinkanshi-Kun could be good with kids."
"Yeah, he doesn't seem the type, does he?" Kagome agreed, staring at her pencil like it'd done her personal harm. She gripped it tightly in her hand, her knuckles going white.
"He'd be a great father. And a really great boyfriend," Ayame said bluntly, her smile infectious. Sango gave her a tiny smile and Kagome laughed nervously, her cheeks turning pink.
"He doesn't like it when people think that, though," Kagome said with another nervous laugh. "He hates it when people look at him. I bet you noticed it when Rin came to class. It happens every time he does some spontaneous act of kindness for Rin and I'm around. He gets all flustered, and not because he's embarrassed. Sometimes he's just ashamed or angry. He does that a lot."
"I don't know why he hides it," Ayame huffed. "Sensitive is so much better than rude macho-ness. Don't you think?"
"People will surprise you everyday," Sango said calmly, writing in her lab book. "It's something that makes studying humans so fascinating. Right, Kagome-Chan?"
"That's right, Kagome-Chan wants to be a psychiatrist."
"Maybe," Kagome said uneasily. "I don't think I'd be any good at it." She thought bitterly of Inuyasha. "Who knows? I may end up being something else. I still have a while to decide."
"Not too much time, though," Sango supplied. "This is our senior year, after all."
"Yeah," Ayame sighed dreamily. She pounded her fist into her open palm, releasing a small slapping sound. "My last chance to make a move on Kouga."
"You've known him since diapers, Ayame-Chan," Sango said good-naturedly. "Think you've waited long enough, do you?"
"No," Ayame sighed and laughed. "Kouga-Kun's a good guy, and very kind to me. I've tried time and time again, but sooner or later I'll get 'em." She nodded her head, determined, before a thought struck her. "If all else fails, maybe I can make a move on Shinkanshi-Kun?"
Kagome's pencil snapped and Ayame jumped in surprise as Kagome jerked up, smiling widely.
"Sorry," she explained, laughing uneasily. "That was an old pencil. It was bound to break sooner or later."
Kagome marched away to go find another pencil, walking up to their science teacher, Mrs. Chan, who sat poised at her desk, grading last week's test.
Ayame and Sango watched her go, both girls confused at that sudden display. Ayame, who didn't read too much into it, shrugged it up, and continued writing the last of the procedures in her lab book. Sango, on the other hand, followed her friend with her eyes, understanding the things that Kagome wouldn't say and the things that Kagome wouldn't think.