Birthday Presents
They made good time reaching the village. After popping in the old miko's hut to greet her, Kagome began walking towards the Well, her friends trailing her to say good bye. Kagome stopped a few feet short of the Well. She said, "See you all tomorrow!" and hugged Sango and Shippou. She even gave Miroku a brief hug after fixing him with a warning glare first. She patted Kirara and suddenly she heard Inuyasha mutter, "Seeya,"
Looking at him in surprise, she said, "You're coming with me, baka! I thought you knew!" Kagome smiled at him warmly when she saw the slightly confused look on his face and tugged him by his sleeve towards her. His heart suddenly doing another back flip, Inuyasha only had time to nod good bye to Miroku, Sango and Shippou before jumping into the depths of the Bone Eater's Well.
Inuyasha and Kagome had only just walked into the house when her mother hurried out of the kitchen with a broad smile on her face. She hugged Kagome and kissed her on both cheeks and even hugged Inuyasha, who very awkwardly returned the hug.
"I have so much to tell you, Mama," said Kagome, "but only after a bath!"
"Go on, sweetie. Relax and then we can sit down comfortably. Here, Inuyasha, why don't I fix you some Ramen in the meantime."
About fifteen minutes passed rather quickly, with Mrs. Higurashi continuing to potter around, while Inuyasha enjoyed his Ramen. When Kagome came down the steps, she looked at her apologetically before she said, "Mama, I'm afraid we'll have to have our chat later. I thought it would be best to meet Eri, Yuka and Ayumi today instead of being ambushed tomorrow."
"That's alright. In fact, it's just as well, because Souta and Grandpa are out and will only be back a little later. You tell those girls I send my love."
"I will. See you a little later. Bye, Inuyasha!" and with that, Kagome was out of the door.
"Oh, good! I was hoping she'd leave!" exclaimed Mrs. Higurashi.
Inuyasha looked up from his bowl in shock at her words, but relaxed when she went on to add, "I still need to buy some things for her birthday tomorrow and I don't want her to know yet."
She seemed to be thinking of something, and then said, "Inuyasha, would you like to come with me? I'm sure I could use your help and company."
"Uh, okay," agreed Inuyasha.
Once he put on the bandana and some slippers- most reluctantly- Inuyasha and Kagome's mother began walking towards the local market.
"So are birthdays generally a big deal for Kagome?" asked Inuyasha after a while.
"I think so. She just loves them- and so does Souta. I don't know whether either of them will ever grow out of it. I hope not! It's nice to be excited about things."
"Is it important to give a person something on their birthday?"
"No, no. Presents are definitely not the most important part of birthdays, although it is one of the nicer aspects. Why, dear? Did you want to get Kagome something?"
"Keh. I... I don't have anything to give." muttered Inuyasha.
"That's not a problem! We can just get something small at the store! You can pick out whatever you want!"
"No, I couldn't!" he said, shaking his head quickly.
"Nonsense!" rebuked Mrs. Higurashi, looking at Inuyasha fondly. "You do so much for us. You protect Kagome through whatever dangers you face, you help grandpa when you're here and honestly, dear, it's alright!"
Clucking her tongue at Inuyasha's continued refusal, Mrs. Higurashi finally said, "How about this- if you really want to get Kagome something, get it, and I will see to it that you pay me back in kind. The store room needs cleaning again and grandpa needs someone to do his inventories with him. He thinks I like it, but I must confess, it is not one of my favourite jobs. But I must tell you again, dear, it's not necessary to get the person something. And Kagome's not going to mind at all."
"Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi. I'll do the work when we get back to the house. I know it's not necessary to give gifts, but I... Kagome is-"
"I know," said Mrs. Higurashi gently, placing her arm on his shoulder.
Inuyasha nodded gratefully and proceeded to help her with the groceries that she wanted. When she was done buying what she needed, she asked Inuyasha, "What would you like to get Kagome?"
Shaking his head in genuine bewilderment, Inuyasha replied, "I don't know."
"Well, you could get her something that she could use in the Sengoku Jidai, since she spends so much time there anyway. What does she really like doing?"
"Having baths," blurted Inuyasha before he could stop himself. He was sure he could feel his face reddening, but Mrs. Higurashi took it in her stride and said in a businesslike tone, "So, perhaps some nice soap?"
And with that, she led a thoroughly confused Inuyasha to the right aisles.