A/N: Shock! I've decided to write Fastball! What is the world coming to? In other news, I'm starting on a new story, but no worries- I won't be doing anything until I get all the planning done. And even then, I expect to finish a story. Yeah, THAT long, people.

Oh, and by the way, this story isn't done. It's just the end of First Base; Chapter 8 will be Second Base. I repeat: This is not the end of the story.

Disclaimer: My Inuyasha fanfiction is created solely for me to be able to sleep at night.


Chapter 7: First Base

Nghi


To put it simply: it was a long ride.

Really long, and unpleasant, to say the least. They had told him he was going to visit the troublemaker whether he wanted to or not, and naturally, he had refused; after all, his punishment of sitting between two, menopausing women with lack of willpower over tear ducts had been more than what he had bargained for. There was no need to inflict further pain upon his heavy soul by forcing him to see the girl! She had brought it on herself by deciding to run away to his baseball field... again! (He refused to acknowledge the losing end of the bet.) Inuyasha had decided to save her, and what did he get? A cuff to the ear, and a pool of tears! Well, they could shove it, because he was in no way getting into the damn minivan.

"Stop- fighting!" Kaoru huffed, gripping her son by his elbows. He gave another yelp and wriggled like a spastic, and his left knuckles knocked against her cheek painfully. "You are going to pay for that," she muttered darkly, still wrestling with him. For Inuyasha's part, he was still trying to free himself, so he ignored the blunt threat. It would be so much easier if Kagome's mom wasn't holding him by his feet!

"Argh!" he roared in frustration, trying to kick the woman away. Just one leg- one leg! -, and he'd be in the field faster than a mouse caught on fire. "Leggo of me-!" Kick, kick, kick, kick- oh, look at that! He had managed to actually connect his sneakers with Ayumi's shin, and she somewhat doubled over, wincing slightly.

"You've- got a- nice son," she lied blatantly, trying not to drop the boy altogether and search for an icepack. Kaoru's hair was falling out of its usual pins, and she huffed and puffed as Inuyasha tried to bring his mother's hand down to his mouth. It was becoming desperate if he was resorting to biting. "For God's sakes, I thought we passed the teething stages," she said, using her left knee to knock the back of his head. He promptly gave up and yelped instead, momentarily distracted by the spinning, yellow stars.

Ayumi was resourceful and used this opportunity to finally accomplish what the two had been setting out to do for the past hour. "Quick, get him to the car!" she hissed, and Kaoru only needed to be told once before the pair were off, clamboring down the porch stairs, and actually halfway across the driveway. Then Inuyasha stopped seeing constellations and started recognizing where they were heading, and he began to kick and scream and punch and slap and bite and do anything to get himself out of this one. "Let me go!" he screamed again. They say a man's pride was worth everything, but it was easily adjustable when you're only eleven.

And that included being manhandled by two women.

"I don't wanna see her!" Inuyasha began another tirade, and the two women rolled their eyes heavenwards. Why can't he just shut up for once? "I don't wanna see her fat, ugly, stupid-" In the time it took him to finish that sentence, Kaoru had managed to free a hand to open the backseat door before all but gladly throwing him in. He scrambled back up just as quickly, ready to spring headfirst out of the car when a clear window smacked in front of his face. "I swear to God I will throw a table at her if I see her!" Inuyasha yelled, his throat hoarse. He jiggled the door handle, desperately wishing it would fling open. He played with the lock/unlock button, but either way, it was like--

"I installed child lock two days ago," Kaoru said with a smirk as she climbed onto the driver's seat. Ayumi was right beside her, still breathing heavily. Yes, getting a child into a car was supposed to be a simple task... but this boy could make a run for her money. Inuyasha roared angrily and tried to open the door. "For crying out loud, I'm eleven, Mom" he snapped. "I think I would know the difference between a closed and open door!" Really, to insult him like that-!

The car engine rumbled to life, and he began to tug at the handle harder. There was no way she would get the satisfaction of him publicly apologizing. Never was his motto! "Oh, it's not because I think you're stupid," she answered, checking her nails a little bit. Ayumi was still beside her, trying to even her breathing.

"Then why the hell did you install child lock?"

"So you won't jump out of the car." At this, the vehicle began backing up, and Kaoru turned on the radio. Loudly. The hospital was about an hour and a half the entire way, so there had to be something to drown out her son's vocal chords. She shook her head; he should try out for the men's choir some time.

Speaking of which, a moment later, as the van was completely backed out, there was a great amount of voiceless howling.

-

After arriving at the hospital and spending another good half hour jostling the poor boy again, the two women had managed to end up on the fifth floor and in room 37C. Ayumi quickly shut the door behind her once he was settled onto the floor, and she exhaled a huge sigh of relief. Thank God the hellish workout was done...

Meanwhile, Kaoru stood beside Inuyasha, a nice, warm smile spreading across her features. "Hello, Kagome."

"Mm... hi," the girl responded, her half-lidded eyes crinkling into a poor attempt of a grin. Inuyasha thought she smiled like a drug addict.

But of course, no one else could see that, and his mother, he was disgusted to say, continued to coo over her for a good five minutes before stopping; it was by far the most gag-inducing thing anyone in his family had ever done. "Inuyasha," Kaoru said suddenly, and he stiffened at the sound of his name. Dammit- he was hoping she would go on for at least another ten minutes!

"What?"

There it was- the traditional Kaoru glare. It had been perfected since he was a wee, little boy, and no matter how often she used it, the little glint in her eyes that promised pain once they were inside the safe walls of his home scared the crap out of him. Inuyasha shrunk back a little bit; he didn't want to look like a weakling in front of a girl. (Contrary to popular belief, the ultimate blow in pride was being yelled at by your mother in front of a girl, not throwing a tantrum and being manhandled by two women in front of public.)

"Don't you have something to say to her?" she asked, but this time the saccharine tone was forced, and he didn't like forced sweetness down his throat. It felt very fake and very dangerous, and he could safely bet the woman would open a can of whoop-ass on him tonight. Not that he was thinking of the term whoop-ass...

"Um... no?"

"Oh, I think you do." She was giving him no way out, watching for his next move: he either defied her and receive punishment later, or he obeyed her and accept a bruised ego. Both seemed unappealing and extremely humiliating (and not to mention painful), and Kaoru watched as Inuyasha shifted from foot to foot, looking both ways and that, scratching at a mosquito bite on his left arm, anything to delay the inevitable, and then she leaned forward in a predatory manner, waiting and watching as he finally opened his mouth--

and coughed politely.

Of all the...! Kaoru knew he had avoided the question, and she classified it as insubordination. Her right eye twitched once, and Inuyasha gulped as her fists clenched and her shoulders tensed way too much for a 38 year old. (But no one was supposed to know!) It was all over, and he watched his life flash rather quickly before his eyes- there was the action figure he had wanted yesterday, there was the baseball card he had gotten yesterday, there was the breakfast he had never managed to completely eat yesterday...

Then, of all people, Ayumi stepped in, privately intervening on his behalf. "It's all right," she said earnestly, contriving for an understanding tone. "Children are like this. We shouldn't pressure them into this kind of thing." Being a single parent was tough, and the best advice she could offer to newbies in that area was to buy a lot of parenting books. Magazines, even.

Kaoru still looked aggravated at his exacerbating behavior, but regardless, she forced herself to relax her shoulders. "You're right," she replied after a few moments of deep breathing. "I think a little bit of coffee will do us both a favor." Ayumi nodded, apparently pleased that an advice from a book could work so well. "I'll go away for... five minutes. That's pretty appropriate, don't you think?" There was another nod, and she slung a casual arm over the woman's shoulder, beginning to lead her out of the room. Inuyasha watched, half-relieved at not having to sucker punch his ego in return of not being sucker punched that night (exaggeratedly, of course), and half-perturbed at his mom's new friend. They were getting along too well, and he could smell a certain 'Danger Duo' coming up in future events.

"And when I come back, I think I'll be pretty happy to know that my son has apologized. Because you know, he will do it within that time slot. All by himself." Kaoru looked back once, her eyes pointed and sharp, before turning back to a gaping Ayumi. "Oh, don't look so slack-jawed. It does terrible things to your jaw..." The door closed, engulfing the two with complete, utter silence.

That was, until Kagome spoke up. "Your mom likes to glare, doesn't she," she stated. Drowsiness had flown out the window ever since she woke up half an hour ago, but the tiredness of it all was still harboring there, and she felt like a dormant vegetable.

Inuyasha snorted, giving her an deadpan look. "Oh, golly gee, what makes you say that?" he asked asked sarcastically before mooching over onto the sofa. "She probably practices it in the mirror all the time to make sure she doesn't lose the fear factor." God, what the hell was this thing made out of? He shifted uncomfortable, unable to slouch; it was like trying to sleep with a rock digging up your back.

"She's really scary," the girl murmured, turning her head away, and he didn't say anything except pick up an ancient-looking remote and flipping on an even more ancient-looking T.V. The hospital needed to invest in technology. Like, now. The next few minutes were peaceful as Kagome had managed to shut her trap; it was relaxing in a mind-numbing way, just channel surfing. He finally settled on some cartoon oldies when she opened her mouth again. "I think your mom wants you to apologize to me."

Of course, anything as golden as this was bound to be chased away by Stupid and her Troublesome Lips, and he growled softly. "Like hell I'm gonna do that." Inuyasha kept his eyes trained on the blurring screen, but he could see her head turning to look. Dang, he could feel her stare, and it pretty much sent him breaking out into a cold sweat. He could do without that, thank you very much. "What?" Inuyasha demanded, breaking under the pressure and turning his own head to glare vehemently back. "Is there something on my face?" he pawed at his cheek in an exaggerating manner.

Kagome said nothing, but she had averted her gaze, much to his joy. He didn't feel bad- nope, not at all. This was the girl who had managed to appear on his field out of nowhere and tried to show him up (He bristled slightly.), and then just after formally introducing themselves, she had decided the best way to get on his good side was to rupture a spleen. Of course, this inadvertently causes all the adults to point their finger at little, ol' him, accusing him of dragging her to his field. As if it wasn't enough, there was the whole cherry on top, what with Ayumi and Kaoru practically swinging him along to her room. So no, he didn't feel bad that he wasn't giving her an apology. What for? He did absolutely nothing, so he was in no way to blame for this. And by logical conclusion, he did not have to say sorry or feel bad if it wasn't his fault. And he didn't, either!

OK... maybe a little. Inuyasha heartily blamed his soft spot for his invalid of a grandmother. She was going to kick the bucket any day now, but that didn't mean he hated her. As he eyed Kagome out of the corner of his eye, the skinny, little girl on top of a big, white bed that was about as remotely comfortable as this couch, and with the IV needle jammed up her too thin arm, he felt his resolve melt until eventually, Inuyasha convinced himself that a small 'sorry' wouldn't be a big blow to his already battered pride. This was the good deed for the year, and he silently prayed to God that it would earn him a sparing from Kaoru's fit later that night.

He took a deep breath, psyching himself mentally, and opened his mouth once more, ready to speak. Running a mile wasn't a big deal- he could do it. Two hours of swinging practice was easy. But trying to apologize was a different story altogether. "I-"

"I thought you would've been more manly about it," Kagome said lightly, still not looking at him, and instantly all thoughts of redeeming himself went flying out the windows. Inuyasha gaped at her, his mouth waiting to catch flies as he tried to process what she had just said. Did she- did he-?

It took a few moments, but the impact of the words finally hit him, and his comical expression of shock changed to indignant outrage. "Did you just call me what I think you called me?" he asked... no, demanded, shutting off the T.V. and hopping onto the floor with an ominous glare.

She moved into a sitting position now, and he barely suppressed a twitch as she stuck her nose in the air and replied snootily, "If you mean I called you wussy about your feelings, then yes, you are very unmanly."

"Take. That. Back," Inuyasha said through clenched teeth, and he was trying very hard not to pounce on top of the girl and throw her out the window. The thick-headed, ugly cow... how dare she! The only restraint was the thought of being skinned alive tonight by Kaoru, and there was no way a small exacerbation--

"No," Kagome answered just as forcefully, and she kept her gaze on him, her chin jutted out stubbornly. "It also doesn't help that you have long hair, either."

"I'm a man," he ground out, his feathers severely ruffled. "So therefore, I'm manly." Look at his biceps! Clearely not like some scrawny girl's! Look at his clothes! They certainly do not scream effeminate!

"Well, you look like a girl to me."

Inuyasha snapped. "That is it," he yelled, stomping towards the bed. "I'm gonna make you eat--" His fingers curled on the steel railing, and Kagome jerked back in alarm- oh no, he was going to strangle her to death! But instead of hopping onto the mattress and proceeding to cram a flower vase down her throat, the thought of an invalid- like his grandmother -not being able to defend himself (or herself, in this case) while he was being pounded into the ground came into sight, and an unfamiliar feeling rushed into his systems, smothering the previous aggression. In later years, Inuyasha would realize it was the feeling of sympathy and of his conscience at work, but right then, he felt... deflated.

The adrenaline wasn't egging him on anymore, and he gripped the railing tigher, absolutely furious that his body refused to kick Bubblehead in the skull. Just a little bit, he coaxed, a little pinch, and he'd be satisfied! It was no good, and he turned away with a livid snarl, kicking the bottom of the bed instead. Kagome watched, his back facing her; he hadn't hit her... She quickly ruled out that he was afraid to smack girls, because he had all but tackled her to the ground last time. So what made it different this time?

Then it slowly dawned on her when he didn't snap back so quickly, and a small, triumphant grin made its way to her face. "Oh, you're afraid I'll beat you up again, aren't you?" Oh, who knew a broken organ could cause so much fun?

Inuyasha's fume was literally nonexistent, and the girl's horribly wrong assumption pushed him even more, if not over the edge already. "Don't get so big-headed," he replied arrogantly, looking over his shoulder disdainfully. "You're not worth my time, that's all."

It was her turn to leave her mouth wide open, looking madly incredulous, and she saw that it had the intended effect he wanted. "Oh, don't look like that. It does terrible things to your jaw," he mocked Kaoru before turning his head and mooching over to the sofa again.

But Kagome would be damned if he had the last word. "I'll make it worth your time," she hissed angrily, and without thinking, her hand lashed out and pushed the IV needle stand; the metal balanced precariously on its hind legs before toppling backwards.

And clashed with Inuyasha's head.

He couldn't do anything, other than the feel of sharp, cool metal connected to the top of his skull. Then it clattered beside him, but he was too busy clutching his head to notice; it was thrumming quite nicely, and then it decided to head on over to a full-time throb. A panicked, muffled voice was behind him, and he paid no attention other than the fact that some pretty-looking stars were waltzing and hovering in front of his eyes. His fingers were slick with something wet, and he pulled back his right hand dimly to see it was blood. And boy, was there a lot of it. The voice was beginning to gain definition, taking on the high octave of a girl, and it took a few moments for Inuyasha to realize it was Kagome.

As quickly as they had come, the stars were waving goodbye to him sadly before disappearing into the confines of the hospital room, and then her voice was clear and ringing now, the throbbing settling back into a nice, little ache so he could actually hear correctly instead of a rush of blood. "-God, don't die," he heard Kagome say frantically, "You're too thick-headed to die from that." Inuyasha glanced over to the pole, still holding his bleeding skull, and he made a connection. Bubblehead. His remark. Angry. Pole falling. A lot of pain.

Then he attacked, jumping onto the bed and trying to ram her against the wall. "You cow!" Inuyasha screamed violently, trying to pull her hair. For the most part, she was squealing and blocking his attempts rather well. "You are going to wish you had never met me!"

"I already prayed last night!" she spat right back at him, his temper beginning to rub off her. Surprisingly, this did not help the situation, as he changed focus and struggled to wrap his little fingers around her neck, where he would proceed to squeeze as hard as he could. And meanwhile, her last words came back to him, and somewhere in the back of his head, Inuyasha was finally forced to recognize that maybe, just maybe, this girl might be a force to reckon with:

"I'll make it worth your time!"

-

End First Base