InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Big Trouble Comes in Small Packages ❯ Milestone ( Chapter 15 )

*Sweatdrops* Wow, I never realized there were so many people out there who have stories about running into walls, windows, and especially poles. I know I should probably try to at least ACT sympathetic, but in reality, I don't think I've ever laughed so much at any of my reviews before! ^_^

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and no small children or perverts were REALLY hurt in the making of this story. The only thing that actually gets hurt here is Inuyasha's ego, but he's used to that…

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Big Trouble Comes in Small Packages

Chapter Fifteen

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"Well, Inuyasha, as of tonight, it seems that you have officially survived a full two weeks with 'the runt', as you so charmingly call her. That means you are halfway through the month!" A cup of tea was raised as if in a toast.

"Oh joy." Inuyasha muttered sarcastically in response to his friend's irritating optimism. "Only two more weeks to suffer through. I can hardly contain myself."

Miroku leveled a flat gaze at his companion. "As if you are the one that should be speaking of suffering. I still haven't healed from the last time you attacked me!" His expression turned injured, trying to earn himself some sympathy. "Your unending cruelty never ceases to amaze me!"

"Keh! Stop whining. You're the one who promised that you'd bring the runt back without a scratch."

"It wasn't a scratch. It was a bloody nose."

It was Inuyasha's turn to turn a burning glare on Miroku, and the other man meekly backed down from the argument, wisely realizing that he'd pushed too far for the moment. If there was one thing he'd learned in all the years he'd known Inuyasha, it was that you should never underestimate the protective instincts of a dog-demon, even if he is only half of one.

When Inuyasha was satisfied that Miroku was going to shut up, he stopped glaring and turned back to stare out the front windows of the café to the darkness outside.

Despite Inuyasha's grumpy attitude about the whole situation, the last couple of weeks since the day Miroku had 'borrowed' Rin hadn't really been all that bad for him. He'd gotten to spend a lot of time with Kagome when she didn't have class, and even Rin had managed to grow on him a little bit. Not that he'd ever admit it, if course.

Overall, things were actually looking up for Inuyasha.

"So, shall we celebrate this milestone by going out and picking up women?" Miroku placed one hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Now that you've felt the joys of fatherhood, the next thing you need to do is have a child of your own."

Inuyasha turned again to glare at Miroku over the café table and didn't even bother to respond.

Miroku's originally playful smile slipped a bit at the look Inuyasha was giving him, and he laughed uneasily. "You do understand that I am joking, right?"

"Yeah, right."

"But I am!" Offense practically radiated off the dark-haired man. "I would never betray my dear Sango when we are practically engaged and deeply in love. How could you think so little of me?"

Inuyasha nearly choked on his soda at the 'engaged and in love' part. "You've gotta be kidding! When she saw you yesterday, she nearly ran over me to get away! You call that 'in love'? I dunno about you, but I'd probably call that 'in hate' instead."

"She was just being shy."

"Shy my ass."

"Forget it, Inuyasha. You obviously know nothing about love or the ways of women." Miroku countered breezily.

'I do, too!' Inuyasha mentally argued with the other man. Out loud, though, he didn't bother to say anything.

"If I know you, my friend, then you probably weren't paying very much attention to her face at the time." Miroku continued on, ignoring Inuyasha's introspective expression. "If you had looked closely, you might have noticed her blushing."

Snapping out of his thoughts about a certain someone, Inuyasha almost argued when he suddenly realized Miroku was telling the truth for once. Sango had been blushing, though he hadn't noticed it at the time. The thought that someone like Sango, whom Inuyasha considered intelligent and sane, might actually like the lecher was somehow very disturbing to the hanyou.

"And I used to think she actually had brains." Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

Miroku leaned back in his chair, looking smug. "You're just jealous."

"I am not!"

"Oh yes, I forgot. You've already gotten Kagome in bed with you, so I suppose I'm the one who should be jeal-"

Poor Miroku didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before a seething Inuyasha threw a very skilled right hook and sent him sprawling to the floor. He was just leaning back and dusting his hands off with a smug expression, when an extremely heavy handbag was sent sailing through the air, right into the back of Inuyasha's head.

"You brute! Would you leave that poor boy alone?"

"You tell him, Yukino-san!"

Inuyasha turned around just in time to see the two old women high-five each other, giggling like schoolgirls. The glare he sent their way could have melted steel.

"Please, ladies, do not worry yourselves so much about me." Miroku rubbed his head, now sitting up on the floor. "I will live, but thank you for your endearing concern for my welfare." The smile he gave them sent them into another fit of childish giggling.

"Isn't it disgusting?" Shippo commented, coming up from behind the hanyou. "That smile of his never fails to turn these normally intelligent women into brainless bimbos. I sometimes worry what Miroku might sink to if he gets really desperate for a woman."

Inuyasha grimaced. "Don't you DARE ever mention anything so disgusting to me again, you little brat!"

Shippo ran back behind the counter, laughing insanely.

"Why did I even agree to come here?" Inuyasha muttered, slumping back in his chair. He watched as the two women fawned over Miroku. "I should have gone with Kagome and the runt instead. Even a children's play would have been more fun than watching Miroku pick up old ladies."

'Actually, it would have been a lot more fun. Even if the play sucked, I could have at least been with Kagome all evening. I'm such an idiot sometimes.'

Inuyasha buried his head in his arms, desperately praying for Kagome to come and rescue him

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"Why did the wolf have such big teeth, Aunt Kagome?" Rin stared up at the older girl expectantly.

"All wolves have big teeth Rin, they need them to eat their food."

"Were his teeth bigger than Uncle Inu's teeth?"

"I'm sure they probably were."

"Were his ears fuzzier than Uncle Inu's ears?"

"I don't know."

"Would Uncle Inu eat me?"

Kagome sweatdropped. "No, Rin, I'm positive your Uncle Inu would never eat you. All he likes to eat is ramen." She was seriously starting to regret taking Rin to see 'Little Red Riding Hood' at the college auditorium.

Rin seemed happy enough with Kagome's answers, probably because she didn't have any real concerns over her Uncle Inu and his eating habits. She hummed a song happily as they walked towards Miroku's café where they planned to meet Inuyasha after the play.

'This is the first time I've really been alone with Rin since she first popped up. I have been wanting to ask her some questions, so maybe now would be a good time.' Kagome glanced down at the little girl thoughtfully.

"Hey Rin, tell me a little bit about your Papa Sess."

Her small eyes brightened over what must be her favorite subject in the entire world. "He's got a fluffy tail!"

Kagome laughed. "I'm sure he does. Tell me more! Is he really nice?"

"The nicest Papa in the world." Rin told her seriously. "He calls Rin a lot so Rin gets to talk to him almost everyday." Her face took on an almost comically contemplative look. "But he doesn't ever want to talk to Uncle Inu. If Uncle Inu takes the phone from Rin and starts yelling at it, Papa Sess always hangs up."

Kagome rolled her eyes at the mental image. Leave it to him to act like a two-year old just because his half-brother wouldn't tell him where he's at. 'I've never heard someone pitch such a fit over something so stupid as hearing disco music playing in the background!'

While Kagome thought about Inuyasha and his obvious annoyance with Sesshoumaru, Rin went back to answering Kagome's earlier question. "I never knew my real Papa, so I was happy when I got another one."

Kagome stopped for a moment to crouch down next to Rin so that she could look her in the face more easily. "Can you tell me what happened to your real parents?"

The little girl frowned, trying to remember. "My daddy went to heaven a really long, long time ago before Rin was even born."

Despite the seriousness of the subject, Kagome wanted to laugh at the way Rin stressed how long ago it was before she was born. Despite this, she managed to smile in encouragement at the little girl. "What about your mommy, Rin?"

"She was lonely without Papa, so she decided to go, too, and left me alone."

Rin's voice was so sad when she said that about her mother, and now Kagome really felt like crying. One tear did manage to escape and roll down her cheek, catching Rin's attention.

A small thumb wiped away the tear accompanied by a sudden bright smile. "Don't cry, Aunt Kagome! Rin isn't sad anymore because of Papa Sess. He loves Rin very much and Rin loves him. He took really good care of me when I was sad."

"I think your Papa Sess sounds very wonderful." Kagome whispered, trying to rid herself of any traces of tears. Just her luck, Inuyasha would probably smell them or something when they got back, and ask her what was wrong.

'I'm sure he'd believe I was crying when the wolf ate grandma.' Kagome smiled ruefully at the stray thought.

"Are you okay now?" Rin stared at her in anxious concern.

"I'm feeling much better now." Kagome hugged the little girl before pulling back and smiling. "I think you are a very brave little girl. I don't think I'd take it half so well if my own mother died."

"Uncle Inu would take care of you if you were sad, too. He loves you a lot, just like my Papa Sess loves me."

Kagome stared at Rin, shocked. "W-what makes you think your Uncle Inu loves me?"

Rin smiled. Sometimes children are much sharper than people give them credit for. "Uncle Inu always acts really happy when he's with you, just like Papa Sess is always nicer to people when Rin is around."

Her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again, but no sound escaped.

Rin giggled. "Silly Aunt Kagome."

Flustered, Kagome took Rin's hand and started walking again at a fast pace down the street, earning curious looks from people as she passed them.

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"Uncle Inu!" Rin shouted, dashing inside the café and jumping on the dog-eared man. He managed to catch her just in time before she could send them both to the floor with her exuberant greeting.

Kagome stayed standing in the doorway, doing a good impression of a tomato.

'Thank God, I'm saved!' Inuyasha mentally shouted. He couldn't remember ever being so happy to see Rin.

"The play was so good, Uncle Inu! There were wolves, and big men with beards, and a little girl with a red coat! Her grandma got eaten by the wolf who had big teeth like yours!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Thrilling."

Rin continued to chatter eagerly about the play, but Inuyasha missed the rest of it when he noticed that Kagome still hadn't bothered to come all the way inside. And she seemed determined to look anywhere but at him.

"Oi, Kagome! What's the matter, you afraid of my teeth?" He grinned at her, bearing the fangs. "Keh, don't tell me a silly little play has got you scared of me!"

If possible, Kagome's face turned redder when he grinned at her, and she started twisting the sleeve of her jacket nervously. "Don't b-be silly, I-I'm not scared of you! What in the world gave you that stupid idea?"

"You look scared to me." He stopped playing around and gave her a dry look.

"Well, I'm not."

Inuyasha was starting to feel concerned now. Something was obviously wrong and it must have to do with him. But what the heck could it be? He couldn't fix it if he didn't know what the problem was!

"You've been hanging around me for a couple of weeks now, Kagome. You know I don't bite." The statement was half-joking, half-serious. He waited for her to respond.

"I know." She nearly whispered, looking down at the ground. A moment later, she looked up with a falsely bright smile. "I think I need to get home and tackle my homework so I won't have to do it later this weekend. I'll see you both tomorrow."

With that, she turned around and dashed out of the café, too embarrassed over her scrambled thoughts to look Inuyasha in the face any longer. If only Rin hadn't said anything! Then she wouldn't be making such a huge fool of herself by running away without giving him a good reason for her actions.

'He probably thinks I've completely lost my mind!' Kagome couldn't help but agree with him, because she most likely had lost it.

Seconds after Kagome ran off, Inuyasha had hastily picked up Rin and ran after Kagome, annoyed and very confused. He didn't even bother to bid Miroku or Shippo goodbye, leaving the bemused pair to stare after his retreating figure.

'That stupid girl! What the hell is her problem? I only let them walk back from the college alone because it's so close to the café. But she shouldn't go running to the apartment by herself while the streets are nearly deserted!' He growled in frustration. 'She'd better tell me what's wrong soon. I don't care what it takes, I'll get her to talk to me!'

Rin watched her Uncle Inu's face as he slowed down enough to safely follow Kagome home. He looked very fierce and determined.

'She probably won't talk to me right now, so I'll give her tonight to get over whatever her damn problem is. But tomorrow, I think she and I are gonna go on a little 'outing,' or whatever those little group things are called, with the runt. She won't dare tell me no if I get Rin excited about it.'

Maybe she'd finally tell him what was wrong.

And then, maybe he could actually do something about it.

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Now aren't you guys curious yet about where I am going with this little misunderstanding? Kagome's embarrassed, Inuyasha thinks she's mad, and now he's plotting against her, lol…^_^