Fastball

A/N: I swear to you, I had this chapter written up three weeks ago! Cox Internet broke down (!), and I was stranded with no Internet for two weeks. Then it turns out that only the laptops can receive Internet call, and the horrible thing is that I can only save on a CD, so I had no way to figuring out what to do, and just three minutes ago I found out you had to format it. Argh. In other news, Ascension is almost 7,000 words- it was supposed to end at 3,000 (3,500max.), but I don't know what happened... I guess the 'epic' in me had to make this long and twisted and... yeah. Shutting up now.


Chapter Six: First Base

Nghi


As it turns out, Kagome hadn't fainted for no good reason; her left kidney had, in fact, more or less exploded into smithereens. Of course no human mortal can withstand an internal organ detonating and simultaneously stand upright like a pole, and the entire anatomical mess left the poor girl helplessly unconscious in Inuyasha's arms.

At that time, he remembered enjoying it, but not in the way the reader might have construed it. No, he didn't enjoy it- he appreciated what would be his last moment of sanity, when everything was all right, things were like the day before yesterday, and the yakking bubblehead wasn't talking at the speed of light. Then he had realized that she was still passed out, and after shaking her like a poor rag doll, Inuyasha began to dimly, vaguely, slightly, just a bit, a little, insignificantly… worry.

"Ah, crap." He was supposed to say it the way it was supposed to be said: calm, cool, collected, and most importantly, devoid of any emotion, like the situation was not scaring the extreme shit out of an eleven year old boy who hadn't bothered to pay attention in CPR class last year and was now burdened with another person's life. (He remembered kissing and stopped listening after that.)

Luckily, Kagome was about as heavy as air, and, slinging her across his shoulder, he made in the direction of his house. He hoped she wasn't going to die, because it would be a really bad rain cloud across his conscience for the rest of his life. (Not to mention that he will know forever that he touched a dead corpse for about five minutes.)

He was always a fast runner and, in no time, had reached his house. There was Mrs. Higurashi on the front porch, and she was gesticulating wildly with her frizzed hair bouncing crazily everywhere. There was also an ambulance parked in her driveway, and Inuyasha had a very good feeling it was for Lulu- er, Kagome. As he got closer, he noticed Kaoru frowned disapprovingly, and he wondered if a few you-know-what's had slipped out. (And the woman always said his potty mouth came from Daddy.) Nevertheless, he continued for the house, and a few snippets of the conversation rang a little clearer as he neared.

"-Yasha does not buzz around anyone like a— like a fly! Now, I know you are very upset that Kagome is missing-"

"Upset? Upset?" Ayumi repeated incredulously. "You think I am upset?"

"OK, you are a bit frazzled-"

"I am beyond upset, and if Inuyasha does not bring back my daughter-"

Then it was Kaoru's turn to ask incredulously, "What makes you think my son has her at all?"

"He was buzzing all over her yesterday-"

"Inuyasha does not buzz around anyone-"

And so on. It was a nasty, little cycle that would have nearly destroyed their unlikely friendship in later years if the paramedic hadn't noticed him jogging forward. (By now Kagome weighed like an elephant.) "This the 'Kagome' those two were fighting over there?" He jabbed behind him and didn't bother looking back; meanwhile, the two squawking chickens had stopped bickering when the paramedic spoke and were watching as Inuyasha nodded and all but thrust the girl into the man's arms. He was panting heavily and too tired to reply, and as he neared his house where the front porch was where the two glowing women were blocking where the doorway was opening to precious freedom, Inuyasha realized that Kaoru and Mrs. Higurashi did not care for his health or well being; he was going to get shit and then some. He had half a mind to turn around and scamper back to the field to practice some more ball, but then he thought about the nice, cool bed and the ice in the freezer and the air conditioner, and then he thought, Bring it on.

And oh, did they bring it on. Grabbing him by his ear, he winced and struggled as Kaoru marched into the house and into the kitchen with Mrs. Higurashi at heel. Her pearl necklace and unkempt, brown hair were swinging in all directions, and as he passed the coffee pot on the island counter, Inuyasha realized with a sinking feeling that Kaoru had not had her coffee yet and was in a considerably ghastly mood. "Inuyasha Furiko." Her voice was rumbling like a volcano, and he began to tremble in his torn sneakers. Full names were never a good thing. "You tell me why the hell you brought Mrs. Higurashi's daughter… somewhere when Kagome had been specifically ordered to stay home?" She gave a harder yank, and he grunted painfully. Looking over to Mrs. Higurashi, he mentally ESP-ed her to jump in any time and save his sorry ass from the afternoon's beating, but all she gave was a stony glare, and he knew he wasn't going to live to see tomorrow-

"Inuyasha, don't you dare tune me out now!" Kaoru released his ear, and as he gratefully moved away from her, she gave him a good slap on the upside of his head; he would be rubbing the sore spot for the rest of the day.

"Ma-" here he dodged good-naturedly from a grab for his ears. ("Don't you try to bullshit out of this with your 'Ma'ing!") "With respect I can honestly say I wasn't tuning you out; I have been listening to all of your lectures with an alert mind and taking-"

He stopped sugarcoating when her vein began to throb furiously and began to back away slowly instead. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Inuyasha knew that Mrs. Higurashi was probably advancing behind him, and he knew that when that minute came, he would also be sent to the hospital for a missing kidney.

So imagine his surprise when Mrs. Higurashi caught him by the shoulders gently (Not roughly!) and suggested sweetly to Mom, "Kaoru, I don't think this is the best tactic to question his motives." Motives? What motives? He was not a friggin' common criminal! "Why don't we sit down with your cup of coffee and talk this out reasonably?"

Why, the woman was actually on his side! He felt very pleased and happy he would be breathing properly for a few more minutes. Along with Kagome going to be shutting up for some time now, having an adult who would actually listen to him was like icing on the cake: perfect. Since Mrs. Higurashi was already guiding him and his mother towards the table, there was nothing Kaoru could do except follow along; he made sure to sit farthest away from her and with the kind woman by his side… almost like lawyers in a case.

With the caffeine running through her systems, Inuyasha felt somewhat safe. At least Kaoru wouldn't be prone to random smacking anymore, and, keeping that in mind, he started for his defense. "See, the thing is, I didn't drag her anywhere. I was going to the baseball field, just like what I told Mom here."

Kaoru concealed discreet smugness; there was definitely no way that her son would buzz around a girl; if anything, it should be the other way around. But that didn't mean she wasn't angry with him anymore; on the contrary, she was pissed off as hell he managed to drag her into this. "But I did see Kagome at the field. She came there on her own, and now that I think about it, she was having trouble climbing up the baseball mound…." It was true; even though Inuyasha was trying to prep for his plan (He didn't lose nerve or anything silly like that.), he hadn't missed the way she was clutching at her lower stomach nervously.

Then something hard connected with the back of his head, and he winced and looked upwards to see Mrs. Higurashi standing up with tears in her eyes. "Then why didn't you say anything?" Face it- the woman really was frazzled. "Why didn't you tell her to go home or get off the field? Why is it that every time a boy knows something is wrong with a girl, he leaves her alone?"

"What! But you guys told me to share the field with her! And you guys told me and her to mind our own businesses! And I thought she was having her-"

Another fwap to the head, and Inuyasha sat down again, rubbing and 'ow'ing really loudly. Mrs. Higurashi looked like she needed her own cup of coffee. "Don't give excuses- Kagome could have died! Isn't that enough to help people?"

Kaoru agreed vigorously; she had tear ducts the size of the bath tub, and in no time, an uncomfortable Inuyasha was squirming in his seat while the two women consoled each other with sympathetic words. For crying out loud, they didn't even know each other that long….

Then the sniffling gradually died down, and just when he thought he was off the hook for making him sit through twenty, torturous minutes of a sob fest, Kaoru pulled him to his feet. "Get your shoes- we're going to the hospital."

What!

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