A/N: OK. Typed this out really, really fast. No editing at all, so it's gonna be really rough. Going to Connecticut in, what, three seconds? MWAH, will edit this when I get home (Tuesday), and look out for another chapter. Maybe.
Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. But if I sit outside Takahashi's home long enough...
Chapter 9: Second Base
Nghi
Inuyasha sat inside the dug-out, his face pulled into a sulk as always. It was his trademark, one he had developed carefully over the course of his teenage years. His mom was always telling him how much cuter he looked when he had various expressions across his face, which wasn't exactly comforting- hell, he was eighteen now. He didn't need to look cute- he needed to look tough and manly, just like his father and older brother.
Well, OK, Sesshoumaru wasn't really manly... he was really on the verge of feminine and graceful, and it wouldn't surprise him one bit if the girly boy came home wearing toe shoes and a leotard with his hair pulled into a high bun. Inuyasha shook his head, trying to shake the disturbing image away. A picture of his brother squatting up and down wasn't really helping his life. Actually, it made Inuyasha want to laugh, but laughing wouldn't help home, now would it?
Ah, home. Just what he wanted to dwell on at school- his father had given up on his education a long time ago, Sesshoumaru didn't really give a flying fuck either way, and Kaoru only spared a minute or two to remind him to pick up a pencil. He rolled his eyes, still remembering that morning- she had burst out of the door like a spinning tornado of jewelry and perfume, and five minutes later, as he got up from the dining chair, she had blown right back in, telling him to "do his homework" like every, single morning. And every, single day he wouldn't.
Just to spite her, of course.
So why was Inuyasha skulking on top of the benches? Was he sad that his family wasn't the same like during his childhood? Were his parents' demeaning and damaging actions affecting him? Was his father's negligence and his mother's ignorance on his social and educational part causing him to retreat further into himself, making him anti-social? Was Sesshoumaru's unwillingness to contribute as an older mentor and brother and loving family member the reason why Inuyasha could never smile and only frown and growl and glare?
Hell no. He really didn't want his mother to coddling him like a baby- it was plain embarrassing. His father was usually off on those late-night meetings or trips around the world, so it meant more freedom to him. (Although he admitted that sharing a passion of baseball with the old man was pretty cool.) And Inuyasha definitely didn't want Sesshoumaru showing his face around here; he was about as much fun as a rock, and every time they were within the same room, some stupid argument never failed to come up. The last time the loser appeared was during spring break, and they had gotten into a little tiff at the beach concerning personal space.
But perhaps the one thing Sesshoumaru did contribute to the mold was his facial impression-- Inuyasha hated to agree, but God was his brother good at looking aloof. He could barely imagine the reaction when the man would come home for Thanksgiving only to find his younger brother wearing the same face, though, so what Inuyasha did was opt for a slightly more scathing look... and it happened to be sulking. The big advantage of looking cross everyday was that it scared off almost all the stupid people, which was a good thing because there was no way he could wake up to the thought of being surrounded by mindless bubbleheads every, single goddamn day. So it was a win-win situation, with no one to bother him; besides, he already had the ditzy Kagome for a neighbor already...
"Inuyasha!" a voice interrupted his thoughts rather cheerily, and Inuyasha blinked lazily, hardly moving. Instead, his brown eyes slid over towards the jogging man, and he glared half-heartedly, already wishing the stupid team captain would turn around and jog his ass back to his groupies.
"God, you're fuckin' annoying," Inuyasha commented as he reached the dug-out, and Miroku merely smiled complacently before sitting down beside him. "Who said you could sit here?" It wasn't really a matter of property- Inuyasha just wanted to be left alone. In fact, he had been praying everyday that for one lunch period -one!-, the boy would realize what a bother he truly was and leave him with his sulky face by himself.
Of course, Inuyasha wasn't one who had good graces with God.
"I was under the impression that this seat was not reserved for anyone," Miroku said, and he only smiled a little wider as the boy scowled. That idiot knew Inuyasha sat here everyday-- what the hell? Did he not see the deathly look in his eyes? Did he not see the glimmer that promised pain and torture if he didn't move is chatty, little butt elsewhere? Did he not see the hands flexing, waiting for the right moment to encircle his neck and squeeze? Hard? For crying out loud, wasn't his face working properly!
"Do I have something?" Miroku touched his cheek innocently.
"What the hell do you want?" Inuyasha promptly ignored his teammate's question. "You always sit next to me at lunch. Can't you find somewhere else to sit down and babble?"
"Inuyasha, I am sorely offended," Miroku began, and his eyes reflected hurt and wounded feelings. "As the captain of the baseball team, I wholeheartedly believe it is my duty to interact with all of my teammates so we can know each other better and perform more smoothly in later games."
"You don't sit next to anyone else."
"True," he nodded, flashing a smile and waving charmingly at a group of giggling girls. "But then again, none of them put the 'i' in 'team' like you do." He blinked, rather surprised at his last comment. "Oh, that's a pretty good one. Better write that one down..."
Inuyasha watched with slight curiosity as Miroku whipped out a notebook from his bag and a pen from his pocket... and then promptly began to recount everything that had transpired a few seconds ago. "What are you doing?" he couldn't help but blurt out a moment later, and the second it slipped he knew it had been a mistake. Dammit, a whole year of lunch spent with Miroku must have been rubbing off him... The boy's head was still bent down, but there was no way anyone could have missed the mischief dancing in his voice as he replied.
"Why, I didn't know you were interested." Inuyasha merely scowled again, turning his head sharply and rising from the bench. He swiped at the backpack and started quickly out of the dug-out, ignoring the slight rustle of the paper. A few moments later, Miroku called to his back. "I'm trying to start my own religion following!"
"I don't care," was the quick, blase reply. Although it would be funny- he had seen, or rather heard, in the locker room about some of the things his captain had done, and needless to say, the man would make a hell of a strip club manager. As he was halfway across the sand, trudging for the exit, Miroku's voice called out again, echoing clearly:
"I can be your friend, you know!"
There it was, loud and simple and clear: his true intentions. So that was why he had been hanging around with him at lunchtime, and why he made sure to talk to him as much as possible. Aw, the boy was born naturally friendly, and even friendlier with the girls. It was just too bad that he couldn't take the hint at the beginning of the year when Inuyasha said he wanted to be alone. Besides, he probably did the same with everyone else, so it wasn't like it mattered much. If Miroku was expecting him to turn around and come running back to lick his feet and express his 'gratitude', he was wrong.
Inuyasha gave a short, vulgar wave that involved one finger.
-
"Gosh, Kagome," Eri squealed, hopping up and down. "I can't believe we're seniors!"
"Well, believe it- we have been for the past year," Kagome interjected dryly, but the upward quirk in her mouth belied her comment.
"Yeah, but now that graduation's, like, two months away, I just realized it!" Eri paused to flick something off her skirt. "I mean, it just feels like we were up a grade at the beginning of the year, and the work's a little harder than usual, you know?"
She really didn't know, but Kagome nodded her head anyways. Best not get the girl into any sort of tirade, or she might have to listen to it all the way home. Not that she didn't enjoy talking to her friends or anything, but they could be so uptight over the stupidest details and then completely turn around and be so impasse about the big matters, like finals, for instance. And speaking of exams, she really didn't want to take that calculus test on Wednesday- it sounded very mean and tough. Kagome had enough troubles already, and she didn't need some math grade kicking her butt--
"Kagome?" Eri's voice cut in, startling her.
"Yes! Yes, I am listening one hundred percent," she said aloud, hoping her friend hadn't noticed. She had to stop zoning out one of these days...
"Right," Eri nodded confidently before opening her mouth again. (For Kagome's part, she couldn't believe her friends still swallowed that excuse.) "Anyways. I was asking you about how you two lovebirds were doing."
It was out of the pan and into the fire for her, wasn't it? Kagome gave a loud sigh. "Not this again..."
"Hey, it's important!"
"What? No, it's not!" She crossed her arms, looking very irritated. "Come on, just give it a rest, already. We always go into this topic every time we walk home. And every time it's always the same answer. 'We're doing fine. He gives me a lot of presents. We go out once in a while.'"
"But relationships change quickly, my friend," Eri pointed out in her usual level-headed way. "Friendships are like diamonds- they last forever. But that's only if you haven't dropped them into the sink, and if you do that, then you just lost 15,000 yen, my friend. But romance-ships are different. They're like mercury- one day you'll be all in the groove, and the next, your feelings are about as warm as being butt-naked in the middle of winter."
"Thank you so much for the mental image. I'll carry that and your piece of advice around for the rest of my life," Kagome said pleasantly, and her friend beamed. Wow... sincerity and sarcasm were the same for this girl...
"So now that you know, tell me how you two are coming along." She leaned forward, anticipation dancing in her eyes.
She groaned, but it didn't deter Eri's determination, and after a few more minutes of persistence, she caved. "OK, OK, just shut up about the whole diamonds and romances and whatever," she groused. "Here's what's 'going on' between Hojo and me." If possible Eri leaned in even more.
"This week, he's given me a total of five presents: two pink barrettes, a little silver ring, a butterfly necklace, and a bottle of calcium pills."
"Calcium?" She blinked, and Kagome nodded.
"His family runs a pharmacy, and I mentioned to him on one of our dates that I had weak ankles, so... yeah." It had been strange when he presented her the bottle on one of their Sunday walks, beaming with pride. Weak ankles were hereditary in her family, she had added quickly, since an earlier incident had occurred similarly (She had only mentioned of a small headache, and the poor boy went and got her some iron supplements.). But nevertheless, Hojo had decided it was his duty to fill her up with pills of all sorts until she was 'healthy' again.
"Oh, that is so adorable!" Eri squealed a second time, and Kagome arched an eyebrow. How on earth did receiving calcium constitute as 'adorable'? Eri answered her question a moment later when she sighed and shook her head. "Poor Hojo. He's hopelessly giving himself up to you, and you're just so... blah about it. You're so clueless when it comes to love."
What? Had she missed something here? How did the conversation veer off-track so suddenly? "It's not love... it's like-like. And how is he 'giving himself up' to me exactly, anyways?"
"Look at all the presents you received!" her friend pointed out oh-so obviously. "Guys never buy stuff for their girlfriends. And they don't even remember their birthdays, either! Hojo, on the other hand, remembered your one-week anniversary--"
"Well, that's a given."
"Your two-week anniversary--"
"That's also a given."
"Your one-month anniversary--"
"Well- I remembered two days later..."
"And your birthday!" she finished, counting off her fingers. "That's amazing in itself that any male species on earth could do any of that. And to top it off, he's going extra slow with you!"
Kagome shot the bumbling girl an annoyed look. "Extra...? Oh, stop exaggerating. It's not that slow."
"Kagome, have you kissed him yet?"
She burst into a surprised coughing fit, and the two had to stop while she leaned against a wall, trying to even her breath. "E-excuse me?" she managed to choke out.
Eri looked her dead in the eye, and Kagome realized that she was serious about the question, and that her friend knew she had heard perfectly. It wasn't a giggly schoolgirl poking at an overrated subject, but a rather painful jab that hinted at reality; she really was a good friend, Kagome realized. And then she also realized something else- that no, she hadn't kissed Hojo yet, that no, she hadn't felt that weird, tingling sensation when he touched her, that no, her heart didn't race when he held her hands, and that no, all those gifts had barely elicited some form of happiness inside her.
And then an uneasy thought came to her mind, putting a small, doubting black cloud over her head- what if she didn't like her boyfriend?
But a moment later, her senses returned, and she brushed the panic off- she had never been in a relationship before, so she couldn't really tag her lukewarm feelings as not feeling anything for Hojo. He was a nice boy who loved to shower her with attention (and gifts, apparently.)- maybe she was still uncomfortable with the prospect of swimming in presents nearly every other day. Yeah... that was probably it; there was no need to jump to conclusions or anything. Besides, what were the chances that the 'feelings' described in those smutty romance novels were true, anyway?
"Kagome, you're going to have to stop spacing out on me one of these days," Eri sighed. "I swear, it's like you're so ungrateful or something..."
Feeling better at her self-consolation, she ignored the comment and answered merrily, "Nah, I haven't lipped him or anything."
"...You do know 'lipped' isn't a word, right?"
She shrugged, light-hearted again. "Eh. You know what I mean. But I don't think my boyfriend and I have to do inappropriate things to show our affections. We are perfectly content and can find other ways to have fun, too, you know."
Eri shook her head sadly. "That's the most pathetic excuse ever. 'He respects my body' is one thing, but when you've gone and practically put a 'don't-touch-me' sign on top of your head--"
"I didn't say I was off-limits!" Kagome protested indignantly, but it failed to quiet the girl.
"--You're always so stiff every time he tries to approach you intimately--"
"Now wait a minute, it's called personal space for a reason!"
"--So unless you're allergic to your boyfriend, I think it's really because..." Eri trailed off for a moment, and a little gleam worked its way into her eyes. "...because you like someone else." She finished with a sly grin, and it almost sent Kagome back into a coughing fit again. "Ha, I knew it! You've got a crush on another person! Who's not your boyfriend!" she crowed triumphantly. "Oh, Yuka's gonna be so pissed she wasn't here. So tell me, who is it, who is it?"
"Please, you've got to be kidding me. I don't like anyone else," Kagome snapped, regaining her composure. "I'm perfectly fine with Hojo, thank you very much."
"Sure," Eri gave an exaggerated, conspicuous wink, and she was hit with another epiphany for the day: her friends would never get the point, no matter how many times they've been shot down. Kagome gave a loud sigh as Eri proceeded to list off the boys in their grade... no, in the entire school. "Takashi. Tell me it's Takashi!"
Kagome gave up trying to prove to her friends otherwise- it was too much work, and not to mention they were a lost cause. They had been for a long time, actually. As long as she knew the truth, it wouldn't bother her anymore.
"What about Ken? He's got a nice smile, but he's like, two years younger than you, though..."
Nope, she didn't care at all, and Kagome proved it by pretending to tune out the conversation. She had just deemed her friends thick-headed, and no amount of agitated comments could change that. Yes, the boys being listed were fast dwindling in both age and grade, and yes, Eri could go on and on to the point where she was naming third graders, but once again, she didn't care--
"Guri, then!"
--didn't care--
"Yoshioko?"
--didn't care--
"Mayuro!"
--goddammit, didn't care--
"Hey, there's Inuyasha across the street! I bet it's him, right?"
Kagome ditched Eri at a stop sign.
-
