Chapter 20

"One two three!" Souta cried as he jumped up from the couch, throwing his hands into the air.

"You didn't hide!" He yelled to Kagome who sat, chin in hand, at the kitchen table. She stared down at her homework that was spread over the table.

"No, Souta. I'm not in the mood. I did really badly on my test and I have homework to do. Besides, don't you think you're a little old for hide and seek?" The miko replied, hardly paying attention to her little brother.

"How'd they get in there?…" Inuyasha murmured to himself as he tapped at the TV screen with one long nail.

"Inuyasha! Won't you play hide and seek with me?" Souta pleaded to the hanyou, far off in his own world.

"Have you taken a shower yet, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, trying to get off the subject of hide and seek. Just then did she realize how motherly she had just sounded and what awkward feelings the thought brought back.

"No..." The hanyou muttered. The tone of his voice exposed feelings about not being too thrilled about the whole thing.
"Well...and stop poking at the TV screen!" Kagome cried to him, seeing the tip of his index finger on the screen.
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." She added
"I'm a dog demon, Kagome..." He retorted rather scornfully as his finger dropped from the screen though he kept a close eye on the little people moving inside.
"Whatever. Curiosity might as kill the dog as well..." She replied, moving her eyes back to the homework completely in Japanese, that lay in front of her.
She let out a deep sigh. She didn't know how to do this. She cursed herself for not studying like a crazy maniac the night of the test.
"What's that mean?" Inuyasha asked, over her shoulder once again, staring at the letters and symbols on the page.
"Don't start this again." Kagome said, dropping her head to the tabletop.
"Five...I think the answer is five..." He said, softly but surely.
"What..." Kagome asked, her voice low and muffled. She slowly lifted her head to look at Inuyasha, who's brows were angled inward in thought.
"What are you talking about, Inuyasha...you don't know how to do my math..." The miko said, still confused and obvious that she didn't have confidence in the hanyou in this.
He looked to, a slight smile on his face as he eyes sparkled. Kagome's eyes widened.
"No...but I do know how to do this. When I was a pup...I used to play ball...and I kept count of score...it was the only thing they'd let me do. Sometimes, not even that…and this was the way we did it." He explained, placing a finger to the paper in front of Kagome.
"It's five.." He stated again, sure of himself. He should be. The answer was correct.
The hanyou drew back, his eyes solemn at the thought of his childhood. How no one would play ball with him because he was a half demon. A mix breed. A half breed. A mutt.
"Wait..." Kagome said, counting something on her fingers really quickly. "You're...right..."
"Told ya." Inuyasha said, stepping back further and turning back to the TV.
"Well...what about this one?" The miko asked, turning around to look at Inuyasha.
Souta grumbled something from over on the couch as he flipped through the channels.
"I ain't your teacher!" He cried, not bothering to turn back around and help her. He heard the miko sigh...and he couldn't resist.
"Thirty-two." He stated, turning back around and stepping to Kagome.

"How do you know? I mean- how do you do it?" She asked, her eyes squinting at the letters, symbols, and numbers on the page.

She heard Inuyasha utter a low moan as she asked for more of his help. She still didn't see how this hanyou from five hundred years ago could possible understand her math.

"Ugh…well…I don't know any of these freak symbols but I know I'm doin' this right. So…listen up 'cause I ain't explainin' it again." He said, crouching to the ground beside Kagome and taking another glance at her text book.

"Thanks…" The miko muttered, actually flattered that he was really going to help her with her homework. It didn't seem like something Inuyasha would do. He was really changing…or had this been the real him all along?

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"Aren't you done yet?" Souta called from the living room. Obviously, he had not given up on his crave to play hide and seek with Kagome.

"Yeah, Yeah, keep your shorts on." Inuyasha called back to the young brother as he watched Kagome write down the answer to her last question.

''Okay! Hide and seek!" Kagome shouted to her little brother, finally in a good mood as she jumped from the chair.

"You mean your actually going to play with him?" The inu demon asked her as she made her way back to the living room.

"YES!" Souta screamed, jumping up once more from the couch and tearing his eyes from the TV screen.

"Why not? You don't have to. While I'm playing with Souta, you can take your shower." Kagome said, turning back around for a moment to look Inuyasha in the eye with a slight mischievous grin.

He grumbled something under his breath as he stood once more and stuffed his arms into his kimono sleeves.

"Fine…but I don't trust that thing." He said and waited a moment. "And if it gets all hot and cold on me, I'm out." He added.

"Fine with me! Don't burn or freeze your hide off!" The miko said, smiling at her own little joke as Inuyasha grumbled again and stomped to the bathroom around the corner.

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Kagome crossed her legs beneath her as she peered down at the book that spread across her sheets.

"Finally. A book without numbers and symbols!" She cried, letting out a low sigh of relief that her homework was finally done.

She could hear the shower going downstairs. Has Inuyasha finally gotten the hang of it? She doubted it. She wouldn't be surprised if he was running around downstairs with suds in his eyes.

As Kagome began to chuckle from the thought, she hear footsteps stop in the doorway. Her eyes slowly raised only to widen at the sight. A pinkish glow sizzled over her cheeks.

"Damn…." Was all the hanyou could say as he stood, water dripping from his completely bare body as he stood in the doorway, exposed, and staring at Kagome.

The miko's eyes locked on him and slowly moved up and down. Her head felt dizzy. She had only seen him like this maybe once before. How many times had he seen her? Tons.

"Inu…yasha?" She said, her voice cracking.

"WELL, DON'T LOOK AT ME!" He cried, thrusting his kimono shirts and pants over his body.

"Don't stand in my doorway, naked, then!" She cried back, jumping from the bed, unable to tear her eyes away.

Another blanket of silence fell over them. This time they just stood there, staring at each other as if they meant to say something but were still trying play over what exactly they were going to say, in their minds.

Finally, the dazed miko snapped back to reality and her brown eyes widened. Her face flushed and her jaw dropped.

"AGH! INUYASHA! GET OUT! GET SOME CLOTHES ON! OH MY GOD!" She cried, rushing back and nearly toppling over her side table.

When the hanyou didn't react and his golden eyes just remained widened at Kagome, the miko knew she had to get out or stop looking at him or something !

"I'm…going to take my shower, then…" Kagome said under her breath as she lowered her eyes and rushed to the door. As she passed Inuyasha, she could smell the shampoo. He had actually taken a shower. He hadn't needed her help after all.

..:----.---.--..--:...

Okay...that makes me SO mad...

The top won't come off of the peanut butter jar!

-struggles-

Eh? Oh. And that also makes me mad! That little chapter right there...yeeeahhh...seriously hadn't seen that episode yet. It sucks, huh? Yeah. Didn't copywrite, I promise.

Just don't sue me.