Author's Note: I felt all warm and fuzzy insideyesterday morning when I read all the positive reviews that the last chapter got. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all keep reading this story, because I plan on writing more of it. Oh dear, that sounds so corny. This chapter is a little late because my internet stopped working for some strange reason that is unknown to me and when it got working, the traffic on ffn was to heavy for me to upload this chapter. I apologize profusely for the wait. If I get it written in time, the next chapter may be up later today or earlytomorrow morning, to compensate for the lag in updates yesterday.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Bread Crumbs
Chapter 6: A Pinch of Cinnamon
Her blue eyes followed the bob of red hair as it moved around the store. It went from the magazines to the candy to the drinks, examining items and then putting them back. Kagome watched him carefully; there was no doubt in her mind that the kid was here to shoplift.
It was a sad start to the day. It was almost 10, but already she had trouble makers on her hands. She rarely had a problem with shoplifters, but it did happen on occasion. Still keeping an eye on the boy as he moved to the canned goods section, Kagome turned to help a customer who had waited patiently in line.
No sooner had she finished with the customer than the kid made a dash for the door, hands in his pockets.
"Hey!" She yelled. "Come back here!" It seemed like it was too late, the kid was gaining speed and halfway out the door. She banged her hand on the counter in frustration and went to chase after him.
It was an unnecessary motion. The thief had run right into someone as they entered the store. He fell to the ground with a grunt, the apples he had taken falling out of his pockets and rolling across the store. Kagome looked up to see who the kid had bumped into. It was Inuyasha, coming in to start his shift.
The red-head tried to get up and away but Inuyasha had already picked him up by the collar of his coat and held him in the air. His feet kicked out uselessly against his captor. "Let me go!" he yelled. He balled his fists up and tried to land a punch on Inuyasha, but to no apparent avail.
Kagome gasped. "Put him down Inuyasha!" she yelled, running over to the scene, careful not to tread on the pilfered apples.
"Ya! Put me down." The kid added, finally delivering a swift kick to Inuyasha's gut. The impact caused the taller man to drop him. Seizing his chance, the kid picked up an apple and dashed out the door.
"Ha!" he yelled from across the street. "Once again, I elude my captors." The kid bowed, showing off to the pedestrians passing by. He was standing on top of a bench, a huge grin on his face. He was clearly pleased with himself. To make his point, he took a huge bit of the apple and made a show of chewing it.
"That's what you think, you little brat!" Inuyasha yelled back, having recovered from his injury. His ego was damaged and he now sought to restore it by bring the kid in for justice. "I'm gonna make that kid pay!" he told Kagome before running out after him.
Apple-thief saw the enraged, skinny man coming for him. A look of momentary terror crossed his face. Sensing that standing out in the open was probably not the best position for him to be in, Apple-thief jumped off the bench and ran down the street, Inuyasha close behind.
Kagome watched the situation unfold before her in stunned silence. Inuyasha was chasing the kid up and down the street, the sound of their yelling reaching her ears. Knowing that she needed to take charge of the situation was first and for front on her mind.
"Inuyasha!" she yelled. The man in question had finally caught the shoplifter and held him in a tight headlock. The kid was struggling and kicking, but Inuyasha was prepared to not let himself get harmed again. At her yell, the pair both stopped and looked her way.
"Both of you get back here!" This was unacceptable. They had caused a scene in the streets. A small crowd had begun to form near the store. Kagome was filled with embarrassment and yelled again, in not so nice language, for the two trouble makers to pick up the pace and get inside. What if she lost some of her customer's because of this? What if they associated her store with the kind of teenage violence that she had seen so much of on the news? Oh no, this must be stopped now!
Inuyasha dragged the kid down the street and into the store, both of them grumbling and yelling the whole way. Kagome slammed the door behind them, putting up the 'Closed' sign so that they wouldn't be disturbed. She watched through the window until the crowd dispersed. When she was satisfied that the time was right she turned on the two beings behind her.
"What do you think you're doing!" she yelled. Both Inuyasha and Apple-thief paled in fright. Immediately, Inuyasha loosened his hold on the kid, who in turn stopped trying to bite the hand around his neck.
"That was the most immature display of childish antics I have ever seen!" she continued.
"He was shoplifting from your store!" Inuyasha protested, pointing at the kid who stood a few feet away, out of his reach. The kid glared at him and stuck his tongue out. It took all his willpower for Inuyasha to ignore it.
"I realize that, but if you had waited a moment before trying to beat the crap out of him, you would have seen that I had the situation under control."
"Didn't look like that to me." He muttered.
"Ya, me neither." The boy chimed it. "I mean, honestly woman, I could have easily outrun you." Looking at the length of the boys legs, which were short and stubby, Kagome doubted it.
"You be quiet. You have no right to come in here and steal from me. You have to pay like everyone else!" she scolded him. "Even if you did pay, shouldn't you be in school, like all the other kids your age?"
The boy looked down at the floor. Inuyasha looked at him, waiting for the sob story he was sure the boy would attempt to weave.
"I don't go to school." He said simply. "It was to boring so I stopped going after the first week."
"What did your parents have to say about that?" she asked seriously. He couldn't have been more than 10, way to young to be making decisions like that on his own. Something was up.
"I don't have any parents. Been living on my own for as long as I can remember." He said it as though he was talking about the weather.
Kagome looked up and counted to ten. What had she done to deserve this? Why the sudden increase in homeless people on her stoop? Did she wear a sign on her back that said 'Are you homeless? I can help'?
"So you're homeless?" she asked quietly.
"Hey! I don't know him!" Inuyasha piped in. A horrific thought crossed his mid. If Kagome had thought that he told the squirt about her store, he would loose his job. "I didn't tell him anything."
The kid glared at both of them. The guy was clearly spouting nonsense and the woman was most likely about to give him a boring, dreary speech about his situation.
"I don't need help!" he yelled, making a dash for the door. Kagome caught him in her arms before he could make it out. Defeated, he slunk back to his spot.
"So you are homeless." She stated.
"Yes." He snapped.
There was silence in the store.
Kagome wrinkled her nose, hardly daring to believe that a parent would abandon their child to a life on the streets. What was the world coming to? It wasn't right that a child should have to live without the love and comfort she enjoyed as a child. "I can't let you go back onto the streets…but you can't stay with me."
"Who said I wanted to? You can't assume something like that!" He was almost disgusted that she would suggest such a thing.
"He can stay with me…" Inuyasha said quietly, looking up from the magazine he had picked up off the front counter. Kagome looked at him.
"You'd do that?" she asked, touched by his offer, but relieved that she wouldn't have to take the kid in.
"He's even worse! You can't make me stay with him! I'll runaway, I'll…" Shippo continued but he was ignored.
"It's only temporary right? As long as it's only for a few days, I think I can handle it." He shrugged; Kikyo would probably enjoy the extra company throughout the day.
"You have a place to live?" Kagome asked, a little doubtfully.
Inuyasha glared at her. "I have a place to rest my head! It's not a palace or anything."
"Can't you hear me? I don't want to stay with him! I don't need your help."
Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but Inuyasha beat her to it. "You don't have to stay with me, it's just a suggestion. However, if you want a place to stay when it gets cold, you'd be welcome to crash at my place." He hastily scribbled directions on receipt paper and handed them to the kid. He took them reluctantly and shoved them into his pocket.
"I'm not making any promises." He stated. "May I go now?"
"No." Kagome said. "First you have to tell me your name. Second, you have to pay me back for those apples."
"I didn't take you apples. Your attack dog wouldn't let me!" Shippo shouted in protest. "Why do you want my name? It's not like you'll see me after today."
"Do you want me to call you Apple-thief for the next few hours?" Inuyasha asked.
"No!" He seemed horrified, giving into the demand. "My name is Shippo."
"Now that that is settled, back to the more important issue here. You may not have taken the apples, but you did drop them all over the floor." Kagome picked up one of the apples in question, pointing out each imperfection on it. "They're all full of bruises from the fall. I can't sell these now."
"I don't have any money. I can't pay you back." Shippo hoped this excuse would get her off his case.
"You don't have to pay me in money." She said in a creepy voice. "You can work around the store."
Shippo gulped.
Kagome reopened the store, allowing a stream of customer's in. The day carried on with out interruption. Inuyasha and Shippo were hard at work moving boxes, restocking product, helping out customer's when Kagome was busy. There was the odd fight between the two workers, but it was quickly solved with an icy stare from Kagome.
Although Inuyasha had been forced to share his meals with Shippo, there was still enough pizza at lunch and spaghetti at dinner leftover to take to Kikyo. At 5 Shippo ran out the door, screaming something about freedom. Inuyasha bought another unit of ramen to make up for last night's lack, said good-bye to Kagome and left a few minutes later.
He spotted Shippo outside, leaning up against a wall near the door. "You learn your lesson Squirt? No more shoplifting!" he said in passing.
Shippo glared at him. "I'm not going with you."
"I didn't expect you would. It did get Kagome off your back though didn't it?" He walked past the kid. "You do have the directions though, so if you feel like it, pop on by."
"I won't"
Inuyasha ignored him and continued walking him, a knowing smile on his face.
Inuyasha arrived home safely, to the joy of his wife. He didn't see Shippo the whole way, so he assumed the kid had scrambled off to wherever he spent his time. The sun had gone down and the air was slightly chilly, even Inuyasha and his many layers of clothing was shivering.
He was having a 'moment' with Kikyo before retiring to bed, when a familiar voice interrupted them.
"You two are disgusting with all your mushy talking and kissing. Gross!" Shippo exclaimed from the doorway. Inuyasha groaned, momentarily regretting telling the kid he could drop by any time. Anytime would have been good, anytime but now.
"Who are you?" Kikyo demanded, slightly confused and not at all happy with the interrupted.
"Kikyo, this is Shippo. Shippo this is Kikyo, my wife." He put a bit of emphasis on the last part. He told Kikyo what had happened earlier that day as Shippo made his own nest on the opposite side of the campfire, grumbling something about his normal sleeping space being already occupied.
Later, when Shippo's soft breathing and the crackling of the fire were the only sounds coming from inside the cabin, Kikyo turned to him.
"That was a nice thing you did." She whispered.
"I guess. It's not like Kagome was going to help him."
"Sure, but…" Kikyo coughed. Her frowned, it sounded worse than yesterday.
"You ok?" he asked, slightly concerned.
"I'm fine, just caught a bit of a cold. I was outside all day. What I was trying to say was that a few months ago, you never would have done anything like that." She snuggled closer to him.
"I wasn't the same person I am now a few months ago."
She smiled, but he couldn't see it. "No, no your not." Kikyo said softly before drifting to sleep.
Author's Note II: Ok I really didn't like this chapter. Firstly, I believe that Shippo has way to much attitude. However, I was the only way I could think of that would introduce him,because heis going to be extremely important later on. Well, there probably were other ways, but this is how it turned out. Tell me if this chapter was too different from the feel of the other chapters, I think it was. Anyways, I'll stop complaining. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the wait, and please keep reviewing!
