Bread Crumbs
Chapter 10: The Tangy Explosion of Clementine's
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
Shippo yawned and stretched. As he moved his head back, he was temporarily blinded by the rays of sun that leaked through the open window. Groaning, he grabbed his pillow and rolled over, facing the wall. Why were mornings always so irksome? When he was comfortable and drifting off to a state of unconsciousness, he was disturbed once more. A deep rumbling was coming every so often from the other side of the room. Slightly bothered, Shippo rolled back over to see what was going on.
Inuyasha was curled into a little ball, legs tucked in and arms wrapped around his pillow, hugging it. He hadn't bothered to crawl under the covers on his own bed before falling asleep. Shippo glared daggers at him as he continued to snore. The 12-year-old wrapped his own pillow around his head in an attempt to block out the sound, but it was of little success. Frustrated and now wide-awake, Shippo swung his legs off the bed and stood up.
'As long as I'm up, why not see if breakfast is ready?' he thought as he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. As he padded down the hallway he became aware of a delicious aroma filling his nose. He reached the kitchen and saw Kagome, still in her pyjama's standing in front of the stove, whisk in hand. Shippo sat down at the table, licking his lips in anticipation. The past few days had proven Kagome an exceptional cook.
Kagome turned around. "Oh, good morning Shippo!" she said cheerfully when she saw him. "I'm making scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. You want some?"
"Of course I do!" he said happily, momentarily forgetting the mishap in the bedroom. Kagome handed him a full plate of steaming yellow eggs and a small stack of toast. He eagerly picked up his fork and began to work away at it. A few moments later Kagome sat across from him, with the same spread of food, as well as a cup of black coffee.
"You're up early." She said, taking a bit of toast covered with strawberry jam.
He rolled his eyes and shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Can't get any sleep, the light is too bright and someone snores too loudly."
Kagome giggled, somehow that didn't surprise her. Shippo looked at her quizzically.
"Shouldn't you be down in the store?" he asked.
"No, it's Sunday. The store's closed." She explained.
"Why?" he asked in turn.
"Well, since there is only one real full time employee working at the store, she needs a break every week." The food was almost cleared from their plates. Kagome took the last sip of coffee just as Inuyasha walked in.
He stood in the doorway for a moment, scratching his head, as though trying to recall where he was. Spotting the food however, he quickly grabbed a plate, dished himself a generous portion of breakfast and sat down between Kagome and Shippo at the table. It was after a few bites of eggs that he noticed his two roommates were staring at him.
"What?"
Kagome just smiled and stood, taking her dishes to the sink. Shippo glared at Inuyasha over his plate. "You snore." He was pointing at him with his fork.
Inuyasha looked at him. "So?"
Shippo stood up himself and followed Kagome to the sink. "I'm just saying" he said on the way, sticking his tongue out in Inuyasha general direction. "I don't like being kept awake."
The clock read 7:45am. "Ok guys." Kagome said after she had cleaned up the dishes. "I'm going to have a shower and get dressed, and then we are going out."
"We?" Inuyasha asked, slightly confused.
"Yes 'we'. You can't mope around the apartment all day, so I've taken the initiative to make plans and take you two out and show you around town. I'm sure you both could use some new clothes." Kagome explained, disappearing down the hall before the boys had a chance to respond or protest.
A smile appeared on Shippo's face. "Oh man! This is going to be awesome!" he exclaimed. Ever since moving in with Kagome his attitude had really changed. It was apparent that having something akin to a home life was good for the kid. Kagome really spoiled him with treats and privileges, and the two had formed a close bond ever since the last night at the cabin, in the storm.
Inuyasha sneered. "Since when have you been so excited about shopping and new clothes?" He asked. Personally, he felt that he could deal without the hassle of shopping with two people he barely knew. He was much more open to staying at home and going over Kikyo's autopsy report again. A night's sleep had done nothing to ease his mind, or make him feel any less guilty. It bothered him that he couldn't figure out why his wife had been outside in such nasty weather.
"I've only been wearing the same outfit for days." Shippo said in a sarcastic tone. "Anyways, I'm assuming that Kagome is going to pay for most of it. Why would I pass up a chance to get free stuff?"
"I wouldn't be so sure there kid. Kagome is really iffy about giving away stuff for free, so be prepared to pay her back somehow." Inuyasha lectured from his own experiences and took a deep drink of milk. Shippo barely contained his laughter at the milk moustache that was left on Inuyasha upper lip before Inuyasha wiped it off. "You seem pretty confident that Kagome will let you stay with her for a long time. What about your own parents? Won't they be worried?" It had crossed his mind occasionally that theoretically Shippo should have a family he could stay with.
"Kagome hasn't said anything about making me move out." Shippo said. He had grown attached to the kind young woman over the past. He truly believed that she would let him stay with her for a while. "Besides, my parents were the ones who told me to leave, and they don't live anywhere near here." He looked away, unwilling to say any more.
They were both silent for a moment. Inuyasha was realizing that he wasn't the only one who was dealing with something personal at the moment. What kind of parents told their child to leave and condemned them to a life on the streets? His parents had died when he was 14, but he still remembered them as loving and kind people. He opened his mouth to say something but Shippo beat him to it.
"Don't apologize; it's not your fault that some people just weren't meant to be parents." Shippo looked up at him. For a moment he seemed so much wiser than he should be for someone at his age. "Besides, I turned out fine." A smile broke out across his face.
"Keh, that's what you think." Inuyasha said. He put his glass in the sink and returned to the bedroom he shared with Shippo. From the sounds coming from down the hall, the kid had turned on the TV and was watching cartoons.
The pillow lay on the bed where he had left it. It had been a long time since he had slept with no one by his side, so the pillow comforted him some what, although nothing could replace the gap left by Kikyo. He smeared out the creases left by his sleeping form in the blankets and returned the pillow to the head of the bed.
The room had clearly once belonged to Kagome. The walls were a light pink color, posters of various bands and events still clung to them. Shelves along the wall contained figurines, stuffed teddy bears and picture frames. He slept on a twin-sized bed, and Shippo was sleeping on two mattresses that Kagome had pulled out of the attic. Inuyasha walked over to the dresser and examined the pictures that were framed there. Most of them were of a younger Kagome surrounded by groups of people, presumably her friends. A few were of a young man Kagome had told him was her brother. One was of a man and a woman, both older, sitting on a bench under a huge tree. The smiles on their faces were huge and welcoming. He picked the frame up, studying the picture closer.
"Those were my parents." Kagome said, standing right beside him. He froze and hurriedly putting the picture back. He felt embarrassed for snooping and even more embarrassed for being caught.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he yelled.
She laughed. "It was so funny though. You looked like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar."
"Ya … well … Umm …" He backed up, not sure of what to say. Was she mad at him?
"Don't worry. I'm not mad." She said reading her thoughts. She picked up the picture herself, studying it with a hint of sadness in her face. "This was taken a week before my dad was diagnosed with cancer. He was 43."
"I'm sorry." Realizing how important the photograph must have been he felt even worse. All the guilt was piling up inside of him, the guilt of so many things.
"Don't be. It was a long time ago and you can't change the past." She was fully dressed and was running a hand through her still damp hair. "Ready to go?" she asked.
He scowled. "I'm not coming." He stated simply.
"You're not just going to stay here and feel sorry for yourself are you?" she put her hands on her hips and glared in his direction. "I won't let you. This is my house and you have to listen to my rules."
"So you're going to force me to go shopping with a bossy woman and a snappy kid?" he yelled. "I have better things to do with my time, thank you very much."
"You're impossible!" she exclaimed. "You haven't changed your clothes in days and you're starting to smell. You have to start living a little Inuyasha. Trust me, I've seen it happen, feeling sorry for yourself because someone died is NOT good for you. You are coming." She was talking through her teeth and Inuyasha was starting to feel a little scared.
"You can't make me." He said meekly.
"You want to bet?" she stared him down.
Needless to say, Inuyasha's arguing was pointless and in half and hour the trio was ready to go.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: Another filler chapter! Oh well. Next time: shopping and an upsetting visit.
Some reviewers pointed out that I forgot to explain an important point in the last chapter. (Kikyo's lack of wanting to go to a hospital.) I'll be honest. I forgot. However, it will be explained later, because I have rethought the rest of the ficcy, just to include that point. Also, I haven't decided whether or not to turn this into and InuKag fic for the rest of it. I probably won't be, if I use the ending that I have in my head, however I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thank you so much for all the yummy reviews I have gotten so far. I really would like to hear your thoughts on this story, so please keep reviewing. Also, I apologize for the lack of plot advancement in this chapter.
