Chapter 6
"You Can Solve Your Own Damn Math Problems"
Since when did Inuyasha want to talk? She was so tired, and she just wanted to go to bed. And she still had homework!
"Inuyasha, what's the big deal?" She groaned, leaning back in her chair. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Why don't you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"Your day?"
"My—day?" She tilted her head to the side, not breaking his gaze. He leaned forward so that his arms boxed her in against the back of her chair and the desk.
"You said it was bad."
"You want to talk about why my day was bad?" She stared at the half-demon who was studying her intently.
He gave her a small nod.
She frowned. Should she tell him about the weird stuff? There were the dreams, but what was he honestly going to do about those?
She didn't sense anything malevolent around the shrine or when she was out and about for that matter. It was just her gut saying that things were wrong and that she should be afraid. And with the exception of the two men, one of which who didn't even bat an eye at her today, she really didn't have any physical proof. Just hearsay and visions that might be narcotic-ly induced.
"It was just a bad day. I had a fight with my friends, and I'm really, really tired. I just want to finish my homework and go to bed."
"What did you fight about?"
She was going to murder him.
In his sleep.
Or maybe strangling.
She could strangle him.
Smother him with a pillow.
Because the one time—the one time!—that he wanted to talk to her—have an actual conversation!—she was in no mood for it.
She opened her mouth to regale him on the topic, but then she decided against it.
Part of the topic was her relationship with him.
Well, most of it revolved around what they were—supposedly—doing at the shrine behind closed doors.
Not that she minded, but he hadn't moved his arms at all.
"Kagome," he growled, bringing her focus back to the forefront.
"It's not even worth mentioning. It's just stupid high school drama. Don't worry about it. Honestly."
He growled at her, still boxing her in with his arms. Still staring unflinchingly into her face.
She sighed. She really didn't want to fight with him about this. Or fight with him at all. She honestly just wanted to finish her homework and go to bed.
"Inuyasha, please, you know how tired I am. Can't this wait until I get home tomorrow?"
"You're sure that there's nothing wrong?" He asked, leaning back slightly.
She was winning!
Remember: Internalize your happiness or he'll know that something was up.
"You know I'll tell you if there's something wrong." She reached up at patted his bicep gently.
"We'll talk tomorrow?" His eye brow raised as if testing the veracity of her earlier statement.
"We can talk tomorrow after I've finished my homework and I've gotten a good night's sleep."
He watched her for just a moment, and then pulled away from her chair. She smiled up at him and then spun toward her desk to start working on her homework.
"I thought you said that you were tired?"
"I am, but I still have homework to do tonight. It won't take long, promise."
He grumbled something, but settled onto her bed, and she could feel his eyes boring down on her.
She ignored him, as she usually did when it came to school work and focused on getting the work done so she could finally have some sleep.
He stared at the still form slumped over on the desk. She'd leaned her head down to rest on her arm as she worked, and he watched the pencil stop and then droop in her hand.
Idiot.
She should have gone to bed. She said she was tired, and it was painfully obvious that she was.
She shifted, making a noise in her sleep, and he noted that the window was open.
She'd been cold at dinner, and she'd been acting off all day.
Climbing off the bed, he pulled the sheets back and meandered to the window, closing it slowly before standing over the sleeping girl.
He pulled the pencil from her hand and set it on the desk. She was slumped over her school books, which made her position a little awkward.
He looped her arm around his neck before pulling her back against his shoulder, encouraging her to cling to him instead of the book. She mumbled something, but leaned back against him, allowing him to lift her out of her chair with little disturbance.
Settling her down into the bedding, he pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, hesitating as she shifted onto her side. He tucked the blankets around her form, and she nestled into them.
He looked back at her desk and saw the sprawled notes and books covering it. Some closed, others not, but she'd probably want them all in the morning, and she'd probably be flustered like always. Brow furrowing, he closed her books, keeping the papers where they were, though he straightened a couple of them. He closed her notebooks and slowly, and carefully, put them inside her book bag that rested on the floor.
The girl shifted in the bed, and he glanced back at her. Her brow furrowed and nose scrunched up as she gripped the blankets tightly, pulling them closer to herself.
Another nightmare?
He frowned, watching her shift slightly in the bedding.
He knelt down beside her, watching her knuckles turn white with the force she was gripping the blanket. He gently slid his own hand over hers, a finger prying her fingers loose from the blanket. He let his fingers drift over her knuckles, brushing the smooth skin of her hands with his own calloused fingers. She sighed, settling back down into a calm sleep, and he returned to her desk to finish packing her bag before returning to sit down beside her.
Someone shook her shoulder gently.
She groaned lowly as she buried herself further into the warm blankets that created a soft, comfortable haven against the bright and harsh world outside her bed.
"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha growled. "Get up, would ya?"
"It's so early," she moaned, pulling the blankets up further. He pushed them back down and she squinted in the bright sunlight.
"Wow. You look like shit."
"Gee, thanks," she mumbled, pushing the blankets past her knees and then moving to stand up. "It feels like I didn't sleep at all."
She rubbed her eyes trying to get all the gunk out of them. Half her eyelashes felt like they were sticking together.
"Still say you should stay home," he grumbled. Kagome managed a smile, patting his shoulder as he remained seated beside her on the bed.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it."
"Yeah, there is. You could just stay home and get some rest."
She sighed. He just didn't understand. School waited for no man, and she really had to make sure she took advantage of the time she had here. She got her stitches out on Monday, and it was already . . .
God, what day was it?
Wednesday?
Thursday?
She rubbed her temples and pushed herself up to a standing position.
Honestly, she could go for an eight hour nap at this point.
She wandered into the bathroom, going through her motions of preparing for the day ahead.
Shit, did she finish her homework last night?
Toweling her hands off, she darted back into her bedroom, where Inuyasha sat in his usual place on her bed, which had been made up already.
Did he—?
Kagome didn't have time to allow herself to contemplate the notion, instead, opting to continue dressing. She would probably have to skip breakfast in order to finish her homework before school started. She had a limited amount of time, and she needed to spend it wisely. She glanced at her desk, but it was also clean and her bag was in her chair.
She didn't remember doing that last night. She picked up her clean uniform, glancing over at Inuyasha, who hadn't moved from his spot.
"What?" He grumbled.
"Never mind," she said, heading back into the bathroom to change.
Kagome returned to grab her bag, but he was already in her doorway holding it.
"Your mom is almost done with breakfast," he said moving past her down the stairs. He was still holding her bag.
"Inuyasha?"
"Come on Kagome," he called, halfway down the stairs at this point. She hurried after him, catching up to him at the bottom of the stairs.
"Good Morning, dear," her mother greeted.
"I'm going to have to skip breakfast; I fell asleep doing homework, and I have to finish before school starts." She kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll see you this afternoon, okay?"
"Alright, dear, but at least take some toast to eat on the way."
"Sure, Mama," she said with a smile and then grabbed her bag from the empty spot. Her grandfather sipped his tea and she kissed his cheek. "Bye Grandpa!"
"See you later, my dear."
"Oi, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, following after her as she headed out the door with a piece of toast in her hand.
"Oh, sorry, bye Inuyasha!" She gave him a quick wave and continued on her way towards the steps.
"Kagome!" He landed in front of her, and she jumped.
"Inuyasha, I'll be late, and I still have to finish my homework," she said, taking a step around him. He grabbed her wrist, and she sighed. "What is it?"
"Kagome," he started. He opened and shut his mouth a few times, and then looked off to the side.
"Inuyasha," she sighed. Taking the hand that held her wrist into her own, she hesitated for just a moment as she became the focus of that infamous stare. "You're worrying over something."
He scoffed and looked away again.
"I promise that I'm perfectly fine, if that's the concern. I'm just tired, but I'll catch up on sleep this weekend, I promise. And I'm going to get the stitches out on Monday, so we'll be able to go back that afternoon."
"You still can't shoot a bow," he grumbled, not looking at her.
"No, but I can still see the shards, you know." She ran her thumb over his knuckles and held back the giggle at his flushed cheeks. His ears wiggled. "Alright, dog boy, I have to go to school now. I'll be home later, alright? Why don't you go check on the others, make sure that they're okay?"
She let go of his wrist and lightly patted his chest.
"Fine," he grumbled.
"Okay, I'll see you later," she said, heading down the stairs and taking a bite of her toast as she went.
He was still watching her as she went down the street. She gave him a wave and headed for the station.
She made it to school with enough time to look over her homework and finish it. Sitting at her desk, she worked through the last problem, and then skimmed through the reading for literature, and wrote the short response required, finishing right as the first bell rang.
She glanced up as students started filing in and taking their seats.
Her friends came in a little later.
"Morning," she said, but Eri made an obvious display of not looking in her direction. Yuka also ignored her completely. Ayumi just glanced in her direction and let out a soft sigh. Even Hojo didn't say a word to her or about her.
"Fine, I guess we're going to be like that," she muttered under her breath.
She sighed quietly to herself, mostly because no one else was paying her any attention. Not that she needed it and maybe she deserved it after yesterday. But the damage was done, and it was better to just let them be rather than force the issue. She'd give them the weekend. No matter what, they'd always come back around when they'd had a tiff before. Sometimes it took a day or two, but they always apologized and been as good as new before. She glanced over at the three of them, but they were pointedly ignoring her still.
Even the teacher ignored her when she raised her hand.
She knew the answer, but the teacher called on the girl behind her and the girl in front of her, but he skipped right over her, even though her hand was up and waving slightly.
It was the same all the way through each period. Everyone ignored her.
She shifted in her seat and knocked her pencil off her desk. It rolled across the floor, bumping against Eri's shoe.
Eri looked down, frowning at the pencil next to her foot.
"Could you hand me that?" Kagome whispered. Eri leaned over, picked up the pencil, twirling it around her fingers as she looked at the pencil, and then set it down on the edge of her own desk. "Ugh," Kagome groaned. "Really? Are you being that shallow?" She hissed at the girl, who didn't even glance in her direction. She leaned over and snatched the pencil off her desk and continued taking notes.
A moment later, Eri started looking around her desk for something.
"Where did it go?" She whispered.
"Looking for something?" The teacher asked and Eri flushed a little.
"Uh, no sir."
He paused and then turned back to the front of the class.
"Seriously?" Kagome hissed, but Eri paid her no mind, refocused on the teacher now.
Kagome let it drop and continued taking notes.
The bell rang for the end of first period, and Kagome stood from her desk.
"I'm going to the bathroom if anyone cares," Kagome muttered, leaving the classroom. Not that anyone noticed at all.
She went into the stall and tried to figure out what was going on.
Eri was obviously still pissed about yesterday and so was everyone else.
But something just didn't feel right about today. Something deep in her bones said that it was off, and of course, it would be at school when she literally was never here.
Okay, she just had to finish the day and then go home, and maybe have the conversation with Inuyasha she'd been avoiding. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She grimaced at her own statement. It would be bad. He'd overreact, and then she'd do something dumb. Then to outdo her, he'd do something even dumber. And then she'd sit him. She knew it was wrong, but it was like a really, really bad dance that they always did.
Kagome walked back to the classroom and sat down in her desk, prepared to be ignored for the rest of the day.
Lunchtime rolled around and Kagome took her lunch outside to eat in peace and quiet.
She noted her friends were all sitting together, per usual, and she started towards them before hesitating. Why should she sit with them?
Why should she let them dictate where she ate lunch?
Okay, sure, she could have been a little bit more congenial yesterday, but they really had no right to make those assumptions about her life. It wasn't like her life was super easy as it was.
Maybe she could just be the bigger person and apologize. Then it wouldn't be quite so tense and they would stop treating her like she didn't exist.
Diverting her course, she walked purposefully towards the tree that they sat under, waiting for their acknowledgment.
"Look, we were all jerks yesterday. Can we just admit that and move past it?"
Not the best apology, but it would have to do. She wasn't going to take all the blame here; they were at fault too!
God, she really was hanging out with Inuyasha too much.
A high-pitched clicking, like the tapping of a pencil on the edge of a desk, passed over her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Oh hey Kagome!" Ayumi greeted, patting the ground beside her.
"Hey Ayumi," Kagome said, taking a hesitant seat. She sat a little further back from the others.
"How are you feeling today? You look really pale," she pointed out, staring at her.
"I'm fine."
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
"I did, just not really well. And I think I'm still tired from yesterday."
Eri took a bite of her sandwich, making a show of ignoring her.
"Did your boyfriend come over?" Eri asked, finally, finally, making eye contact with her.
Kagome sighed. So much for civility.
"Yes, Inuyasha came over to check up on me. We had dinner with my family."
"What does he do in the Yakuza again? Run drugs? Prostitutes?"
"That is it!" Kagome shouted. "I was ready to forgive and forget, but obviously, you're not." She snapped the lid shut on her bento. She lowered her voice, "I can take my name being dragged through the mud because I know that I can disprove anything that you think is happening. But I will not stand for you slandering him."
Eri glowered at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kagome cut her off.
"If you say one more thing about him, or if I hear that you've spread some rumor about either of us, and you know that they're all fake, I'll—" Kagome took a breath reeling in her anger. Her reiki boiled just under the surface of her skin and was on the verge of detonating, like a bomb ready to go off at any moment, and all she knew was that she had to contain it.
It was—harder than she thought. Her emotions felt all over the place, and she struggled to get her power back under wraps. It wanted out, and it felt like something was nudging it, needling it to make it explode.
She'd never felt this out of control before.
She wished Kaede and Miroku were here, they'd know what to do. At least no one was in danger of getting purified.
"—me?" Yuka's voice crackled in her ears and everything sounded like her head was underwater.
Her reiki vibrated just under the surface of her skin.
Stop it! She forced it back, pulling at each little strand as it slipped between each of her fingers, feeling like she was wrenching her entire body into the action.
The tight rubber band feel of it relaxed, snapping back into her with a force that sent her staggering, even though she was seated on the ground. But at least she was able to breathe.
"Kagome, are you alright?" Hojo asked, and it was probably his hands on her arms as he knelt down behind her.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"Do you think you can walk?" He asked. The fabric of his school uniform shifted behind her.
"Do you need to go to the nurse?" Ayumi asked, wiping Kagome's face with a napkin.
"No, no. I just need a minute. I'm fine."
Not like the school nurse is going to know why her reiki went crazy earlier anyway. They probably wouldn't even know what reiki was. Or worse case scenario: They thought that they were crazy and just finally put her away in the loony bin.
This would be a problem that would be solved with a trip into the feudal era. Maybe she could convince Inuyasha to take a quick trip back this evening.
"I really think that you should go to the nurse, Kagome. I can walk with you," Hojo offered and Kagome shook her head.
"No. I just—" She swallowed. "I just need a minute."
"Maybe we should call her mom," Yuka suggested.
"No!" Kagome shouted, licking her lips as her mouth tingled for some reason. "She'll just worry." She swallowed down the nausea. "Really, I just need a minute."
"You're really pale, Kagome," Eri commented. Kagome looked up at her to see her face shifting from disdain to concern.
"I said, I'm fine!" She snapped. "Don't act like you care so much now! You—" She pushed herself up to her knees and the world tilted for just a moment. "You were accusing me," she grunted as she pushed herself up to her feet, and the world practically gyrated under her. "And—" she put a hand to her head, swatting away Yuka's hands who reached out for her too. "Inuyasha of all those things, so don't act like you care."
She turned to walk away dramatically.
A turn, pivot, that would leave them pondering their life choices, reconsider their words, their accusations. That was the goal.
However, her steps faltered, and suddenly the ground tipped underneath her and she could hear the shouts and gasps behind her, but it was the faceless black figure across the yard that held her attention as she tumbled towards the ground.
"Miss Higurashi," a woman asked, patting her cheeks. "Miss Higurashi."
Kagome let out a low moan.
Her head was throbbing, pulsing in tune with her heartbeat.
She swallowed painfully, noting that her mouth felt like cotton.
Blinking slowly, the light made her eyes water, running down the side of her face into her hair. She brought a shaky hand up to cover her eyes from it.
"I'll dim the lights a bit, hold on," she said, and the rustle of fabric and soft footfalls was the only clue that she'd left. "Alright, that should be better."
Kagome let her hand fall away and blinked again. The room was dimmer, still bright in her opinion, but passable now.
Curtains on all sides of her, which meant she must be in the nurse's office.
"What happened?" She rasped.
"You were eating lunch, and your friends said that you passed out after standing up too quickly."
The cogs in her head jerked and grinded against each other in an effort to remember what had happened before waking up here.
"How do you feel, Miss Higurashi?"
"Headache."
"I can give you some aspirin for that," she said. "I need you to sit up though." She held two small plastic cups and waited. Kagome pushed herself up, slowly, and fought back the wave of nausea that ran over her. The nurse handed her the cups and walked away. Kagome popped the two white tablets and gulped down the water, licking her lips.
How did the water even taste bad?
Better question: Why did it taste bad?
She flexed the fingers of her bandaged arm, which felt really hot under all the wrappings. They'd been really careful about keeping it clean, but maybe it did get infected, after all.
The nurse reappeared in her little living space, taking the cups from her, stacking one inside the other and setting them on a small table.
"Can I call my mother?" She looked up at the nurse. "I think I want to go home."
"You think?" The nurse questioned, raising a brow. "You've only got another hour in the day left. Do you want to finish it up?"
The idea was tempting. She could still get credit for her classes if she stayed.
But the idea of staying versus the idea of curling up in her own bed, in her pajamas, with Inuyasha—she mentally scratched out that last part—that seemed much more appealing to her than going back to class.
"I want to go home," she clarified, and the nurse moved out of her line of sight. Her mother was going to flip, not to mention Inuyasha. He was hovering more than normal, and what was with the attempt at conversation last night?
She groaned as her head throbbed even more.
Surely her mother would have compassion on her and not bring her favorite hanyou along. Though it probably wouldn't be hard to convince him to just carry her home. He'd grumble the entire way, but he'd still carry her.
And that man was always warm.
The nurse reappeared around the curtain, looking almost bored.
"I've called your mother. She said that she's on her way."
"I need to get my book bag from class."
The nurse sighed, as if irritated by her request.
"I'll send an aide for it," she commented, leaving her in the bed.
Hissing as a particular throb made the room spin, she curled up on the cot to wait for her mother to arrive.
"Kagome?"
Someone shook her shoulder and she looked, bleary eyed, up at her mother.
"Hey mom," she mumbled, pushing herself upright with her good arm, rubbing her temple with the other.
"Everything okay, Kagome?" Her mother asked, kneeling in front of her, hands brushing across her face. "You don't feel feverish."
"Can we just go home?" Her arm was starting to throb again.
"Of course, dear. Can you walk?"
"Yeah," she put her legs over the edge, and her mother stood to help her up. "Is Inuyasha here?"
"No, he's waiting for us at the shrine. He was very anxious when I left. We shouldn't keep him waiting."
Kagome looked at the ground around her feet.
"What are you looking for?"
"My bag."
"The nurse has it in her office. We'll get it on the way out."
Kagome nodded, pushing herself up to her feet. Staggering a step, her mother caught her arm, keeping her upright.
"Maybe Inuyasha should have come after all," she mused, and Kagome straightened herself out, rubbing her face with her hands, trying to regain some focus and some balance again. They walked through the curtains, Kagome's mother leading the way with a gentle hand at her back. "We'll get your things and head home, alright?"
Kagome nodded, letting her mother sit her down in a plastic chair, completely aware that the last time her mother came to get her from school was when she was seven. She let her head loll back against the wall, closing her eyes, as her mother talked to the nurse about whatever, she really didn't care at the moment.
Shame Inuyasha didn't come. She could already be asleep now.
"Kagome, let's go," her mother snapped, and Kagome pulled her head away from the wall.
"Sorry," she murmured, standing up, wobbling again on her feet.
Why was she so tired?
"You didn't do anything wrong." Her mother's hands helped her stand, making sure she'd stay upright before ushering them both out of the door. "I'll be making a phone call later."
Kagome hummed in agreement, as her mother guided her out of the school.
"Don't I need to sign out?" She asked.
"Already taken care of. Don't worry about it. Let's just get you to the car."
They walked, well, she more or less shuffled her feet across the concrete entry, as her mother almost had to pull her along.
"I'm really sorry," she mumbled, leaning on her mother's shoulder.
"For what?"
"Making you come get me."
Her mother kissed her temple.
"Don't be. It's my job to worry about you. Make you soup when you feel bad."
Kagome grimaced, sticking her tongue out at the thought of soup.
"No soup."
"No soup? You must be ill. You always like my soup!"
Her mother unlocked the door, pulling open for her. Kagome garnered up enough coordination to flop down into the seat, tucking her legs in as her mother closed the door behind her. She opened the back door and tossed in something, a quick glance showed it to be her bag. By the time her mother made it to the driver's side, Kagome had already curled herself up on the seat, resting her head on her curled up arm on the console.
"Tired?" Her mother asked, hand running over her hair. "It won't take long to get home."
There was a noise of acknowledgment and the inertia of the car taking off, and that was all she remembered.
Her mother shook her awake.
"We're home," she sang as Kagome sat up, already feeling the muscle aches from her awkward positioning. She glanced out the window at the long shrine steps ahead of her.
"Nngh, stairs."
She unbuckled her seatbelt as the door opened for her.
Red, red everywhere.
Oh, right, Inuyasha. She swung her legs to climb out of the car.
"Be careful, she's not steady on her feet," her mother warned.
"Keh, when are you ever?" He said, already leaning in to pull her out of the car.
"Don't be mean, dog boy."
He lifted her out with ease, and she internalized her shout of joy at not having to climb the eight thousand steps to the top of the shrine. Sure, her butt looked great from all the stair climbing, well, not in comparison to Sango's, in all fairness no one's butt looked as great as Sango's. She momentarily understood Miroku's obsession with it. She leaned against Inuyasha, and glanced at the stairs. Not today, Satan Stairs.
She let her head lay against his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs and into the house. She curled against him, because he was warm and surprisingly comfortable. You'd think that someone with absolutely zero body fat would be bony and sharp, but Inuyasha was like the best pillow a girl could ask for.
"Kagome, do you want anything to eat?" Her mother asked as she slid Kagome's shoes off her feet.
"No, just sleep," she mumbled, shifting slightly, grabbing onto his haori, and feeling Inuyasha's grip on her tighten slightly.
"I'll take her upstairs," he said, and Kagome could feel the resonance of his voice under her ear and cheek.
"I'm awake, you know," she mumbled.
"Congrats. Do you want to climb the stairs?" It almost sounded like he was going to put her down, and she curled up tighter against him.
"No," she whined, pulling on the fire rat just a bit for emphasis.
He carried her up the stairs with little effort and into her bedroom. Lowering her feet to the ground, he still kept an arm around her as she stumbled a step in regaining her own balance.
"You're really pale," he commented.
"I just need sleep," she countered. He grunted and urged her to sit back on her bed. 'Urged' implies that there were words. There were not. It was more of him pushing her hips back so that she more or less sort of fell back onto her bed.
He moved to her dresser, digging through her drawers for something.
"What are you doing?"
"You wanna go to sleep, right?" He asked, not looking at her.
"Yeah, but—"
"Here," he said tossing clothes at her before moving beside her to flip the blankets back, so she could climb in easier.
She grabbed his arm before he could walk away.
"Thank you," she whispered, and his ears flattened back as she spotted a familiar but uncommon blush spreading across his face.
"Whatever, just go to bed and get some sleep," he shook his arm free and walked out of her bedroom.
It didn't take any length of time for the weight of the blankets and the quiet of her room to soothe her into sleep.
His ears twisted towards her room, and he saw her mother's eyes dart in the direction of her daughter's doorway.
"She's asleep," he commented, taking another bite of his ramen. She'd shifted around for a minute before settling down, but now, she was deep asleep.
"She was so out of it today," her mother said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter. "I hope that she's not coming down with something."
"She doesn't smell sick." He clicked his chopsticks together as he cut through a mass of noodles. "I told her to stay home and sleep," he muttered, chewing through another bite. "She doesn't listen to me."
"Oh, she does. She's just stubborn."
He snorted into his cup.
"That's an understatement." He finished the cup and threw the trash away into the bin Kagome had pointed out. "I'll go talk to Kaede. See what she says. Maybe she'll know something useful." He moved to the doorway, and paused. "Want me to check on the old man before I go?"
"Please, and let him know that Kagome is home and asleep." He gave a curt nod before walking outside. "Oh, Inuyasha?" She called after him, moving to catch him before he vanished.
He leaned in the doorway, and she jumped at his sudden proximity.
"Will we be seeing you for dinner?"
"Dunno. Depends on Kaede, I guess." He scratched the back of his head.
"Well, if you come back, I'll have a plate for you in the fridge, alright?"
He nodded and leapt across the courtyard to talk with the old man, before heading down the well to the past.
She'd woken up a couple hours ago, when her mother came to retrieve her to have dinner. She insisted, and Kagome couldn't argue, even though she really wanted to sleep a little more.
When Kagome asked about where Inuyasha had gone, she'd explained that he'd gone to check on Kaede.
So after dinner, she'd slipped back to her room in order to start her homework, specifically math. She'd actually attended that course today and had the homework; she really needed to get the assignments for her later courses today, but there was no way that she was calling any of her friends to get them.
Kagome opened up her math book, marking off the problems that were due tomorrow. At least it was Friday tomorrow. Just one more day and then she could sleep through the weekend.
"Kagome? What are you doing?" Her mother asked, and Kagome turned in her desk chair to look at her.
"My homework?"
"No, you're not. You fainted at school! You're taking a bath and then going straight to bed."
"But—"
"No. Go take a bath. I will see you in the morning."
"Yes ma'am," Kagome groaned, accepting her fate and her mother's orders.
Her mother left her door open, and Kagome gathered up her pajamas and went to bathe. When she came out a heavenly amount of time later, she was toweling her hair dry. Her arm still felt hot to the touch, but not as much as before. She sat down in her chair, ready to work on her math homework, except that her book was missing from her desk.
She'd had it out, right?
She dug through her bag, thinking that her mother might have put it away in an effort to encourage her to go to sleep. That was a pipe dream until the weekend.
It wasn't in her bag.
She went down the stairs where her mother was sitting on the couch with her grandfather watching television.
"Mama, did you put my math book somewhere?" Kagome asked.
"I thought you were going to bed," her grandfather stated, not bothering to turn away from what was on the television.
"I am," she insisted at her mother's irritated glance in her direction, "I just wanted to pack my bag for tomorrow. But I can't find it."
"I didn't touch it, dear. And you're sure that you brought it home from school?"
"Yes, I had it on my desk when you came up."
"I haven't seen it at all."
She left and headed towards Souta's room. It would be like him to take her book as a prank.
"Souta!" She called as she threw his door open.
"Sis! What are you doing?" He'd practically jumped out of his seat when she'd barged in.
"Where's my math book?"
"Why would I want your math book?
"I don't know, but it was on my desk and now it's not."
"Well, I don't have it," he stated. "And if I wanted to take something of yours, I'd steal something way better than your math book."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"I dunno. Your diary maybe?"
She snatched a pillow off his bed and thwacked him with it before storming out of the room.
"Ow! What was that for?" Souta shouted after her.
"A down payment if I ever see you snooping in my room!"
She went back through her desk and bag, but the book just wasn't there.
The curtains caught her eye as they moved in the breeze. She walked over and pulled her window closed.
She knelt down back at her bag before hesitating.
Had her window been open earlier?
She looked back at the closed frame.
No, it hadn't been open.
She growled.
Inuyasha.
That was the only conceivable reason that her book had gone missing and why she couldn't find it.
Hurrying down stairs, she slipped on a pair of flip flops, she just needed something to cover her feet when she went outside, and headed towards the well.
"Inuyasha!" She shouted. "Just bring me my book!" There was no reply or movement. "Sit boy!" Nothing. That meant he was on the other side of the well. Great. She hurried into the well house and leapt into the well, allowing the time slip to guide her through. She landed gently in the feudal era and reached for the vines creeping up the side, stopping when she felt the bandages snag on the leaves.
Oh no.
She'd completely forgotten about her stitches.
Maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad? She started to pull herself up, only to immediately let go as a sharp stinging bolted down her arm.
Alright, time for Plan B.
"Inuyasha!" She shouted, waiting for a response. When none came, she continued to shout, but he didn't come running like he was anywhere nearby.
Slumping against the well after a very long time of shouting for the hanyou, who was totally getting sat for stealing her book and disappearing, she tried to figure out a way to at least get back onto the other side.
Climbing one-handed wasn't happening. It wouldn't work even if she was in regular shoes instead of dollar store flip-flops.
She couldn't even get high enough to activate the time slip to get back to her time. At least there was a ladder on that side. Though climbing it one-handed was equally risky.
So how to get out then?
Eventually, Inuyasha would find her. He'd come back through the well at some point, but the temperature was starting to drop, and she was completely unarmed at the moment. And in her pajamas.
So she waited.
For a very long time, with only the stars to pass the time.
"Kagome?" Shippo's voice echoed down at her from the lip of the well. "I thought I smelled you!"
"Shippo!" She grinned as he climbed down the vine wall with relative ease.
"Inuyasha said that you weren't coming back for three more days because of your arm."
A familiar trill came from the top, and she saw the friendly red eyes shining back at her.
"Oh, Kirara!"
"We were out playing before we went to bed." He looked her over. "Why didn't you climb out of well yet?" He sniffed at her. "Did Inuyasha do something stupid and make you mad?"
"No," she chided, glancing back at the top of the well. Kirara had disappeared. "I forgot that I couldn't climb out, and I kinda got stuck here at the bottom."
"I can get you out!" Shippo shouted, as he transformed into his pink bubble underneath her. They floated up to the top, and he paused to allow her to slide off. A soft 'pop,' and he reappeared on the edge of the well.
"Well done, Shippo!" She said, ruffling his hair. He grinned and giggled, puffing out his chest.
"Anything for you, Kagome!" He looked at her bandaged arm. "Is your arm okay?"
"I'm fine, Shippo. Now let's get back to Kaede's so I can find Inuyasha."
Shippo hopped off the well, and they'd made it about three steps before a large swatch of red appeared directly in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" He snapped. "You're supposed to be at home, resting." He glanced down at the little fox and growled. "Go back to Kaede's. I've got it from here."
Shippo looked up at Kagome, as if asking for permission.
"It's fine, Shippo. I'll see you soon, okay? Tell everyone hi for me!"
"Okay Kagome. Hurry back!" He and Kirara ran off together back towards the village.
"Why are you here, Kagome? And how did you get out of the well? You didn't pull any more stitches did you?"
He snatched her arm, bringing it up to his nose and sniffing it.
"Of course I didn't!" She jerked her arm away from him. "Shippo helped me out."
"Keh, guess the fox is good for something," he muttered. "Doesn't explain why you're here and not in bed."
"I'm not bed-ridden, Inuyasha."
"Coulda fooled me since you fucking fainted today! You couldn't even walk straight according to your mother! You should be in bed!" He scooped her up, preparing to leap in the well.
"Don't you dare!" She shouted back, making him pause. "Besides, I need to talk to Kaede about something." She squirmed in his grip, trying to get him to put her down.
"What could you possibly need to talk to Kaede about?" He snapped, gripping her tightly to keep her from escaping. "What's your problem anyway?" He snapped back at her, not putting her down, but not moving either.
"My problem is that you took my math book. My window was open after my bath and my math book was gone. I already asked my mother and Souta and neither one of them had it, so that leaves you dog boy. Where is my math book?"
"Why would I take your math book?" The utter look of confusion and disgust mimicked her own reaction to subject.
"I don't know. I just thought it was your way of forcing me to go to sleep."
His eyes glazed over for just a moment as if realizing that this was an excellent way to get what he wanted.
"Don't you dare. Just give it back so I can go home and do my homework for tomorrow."
"What part of 'you fucking fainted' didn't you understand? You should be sleeping, idiot, not working on your fucking school work."
"Inuyasha, where is my book?" She groaned.
"I told you. I ain't got it."
"Inuyasha—" she growled out in a warning tone.
"I've been here since I left your time this afternoon. Ask Sango. She'll vouch for me."
When she didn't immediately respond, he leapt onto the edge of the well.
"You can put me down. I need to talk to Kaede, remember?"
"You can talk to her later. You need rest."
"Just put me down!" She kicked her feet in frustration.
"No! You're going to rest. You'll see the old hag in a couple days anyway." He shifted to jump in.
"I can climb out on my side," she blurted out.
He snorted.
"Like I'm gonna let you climb out one-handed." He leapt into the well without another word.
"I could do it."
"Yeah, and break something important on the way up. This," he leapt out in a single leap, "is way easier."
"For you, maybe," she grumbled. He carried her back to the house, pausing in the genkan.
"Shoes," he ordered and she kicked off her flip flops, and he moved them through the kitchen and back towards her room.
"Inuyasha!" Her mother called after them. "Is everything okay? Are you hurt?" She asked, looking at Kagome.
"She's fine. Just making sure she actually goes to bed."
"That is probably for the best," her mother admitted. "She's being very stubborn about sleeping today."
"I'm right here, you know!" She scowled, crossing her arms in defiance of their conversation.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, wench. Time for bed." She could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he carried her up the stairs and into her room, setting her down once she was in the doorway and couldn't escape with his own body blocking the exit. "You heard your mother. Go to bed."
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" She asked, and he scoffed. She went to her desk to turn the lamp off but stared at her desk.
Her math book sat on her desk, open to the page that started her homework, her questions clearly circled, and a small detailed flower drawn in the corner.
One that she didn't recall drawing.
"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, coming up behind her. "Isn't that the book that you were looking for?"
"I swear that it wasn't here. I double checked my bag, and I would've seen it if it was here."
"So you made a mistake."
"No, I didn't. I asked everyone if they took it. And I made sure it wasn't here. The window was open, and you're the only one that comes through it, so I thought that you'd taken it."
"Kagome, I haven't been here since this afternoon."
"You said that. So then, who was it?"
His hands on her arms scooted her out of the way, and he sniffed the book and the window.
"There's nothing that shouldn't be here."
"So who took my book?"
"It's just you on the book. And both of us on the window." He turned to look at her. "Kagome, no one's been here."
"That's not possible! Someone had to be here to take it. I checked with Souta and Mama, but they didn't take it."
"Their scents aren't on it. It's just yours."
"How is that possible?" She took a step away from the book, and Inuyasha grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked up at him.
"I don't know. Look, it's late, and you're already tired. Go to bed. I'll do a sweep of the shrine and the roof, okay?"
She nodded and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. He tensed, like he usually did, under her touch.
"Sorry I blamed you."
"It's okay. Just go to bed, would you?" She relinquished him, and he shooed her to bed. He waited until she'd settled in underneath her blankets.
"You'll come tell me if you find something strange?"
He grunted, turned off her lamp, and closed the door behind him.
Her eyes fell on her math book, currently laying on her desk.
God, she really was starting to lose it, wasn't she? She wasn't on painkillers either, so there wasn't anything to blame other than herself.
Maybe they were right. A good night's sleep was what she needed and then the world would make sense again.
Yeah, that's it. Sleep.
And everything would be better in the morning.
A/N: Here you go! Sorry for the long wait. I struggled with this chapter and getting it the way that fits the tone of the previous chapters.