InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Dark Past ❯ Very Addicting ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: -Looks both ways before running up long staircase-
-Alarm goes off-
Curses!
-Turns and runs to woods across the street. Turns around-
So close. . . I was so close to stealing those ownership papers of Inuyasha. . . until then, I don't own him. . . .
-Plans another attack on papers-
A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing, everybody!

AGE:
InuYasha: 19
Kagome: 18
Kouga: 19
Naraku: 19
Miroku: 19
Sango: 18
Keade: 65

A Dark Past

-

-

Chapter Twenty-Four: Very Addicting
-

-

Sango nodded, waved, and left in a way as though she had just been conversing on the weather over a cup of tea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No!”

“C'mon! Please?”

“No.”

“I want to!”

“Why?”

“It's fun!”

Inuyasha gave her a blank stare. “Fun?”

“Very!” Kagome agreed.

Inuyasha didn't respond.

“Please?”

Rolling his eyes, cursing mildly, and flattening the tone of his voice to show her he really wasn't into doing it, he muttered, “Keh, fine.”

Kagome smiled at him, her eyes dancing happily. “I promise you it's addicting,” she warned him.

He huffed. “Keh, I doubt that. Had it been `addicting' I would have bone it before this.”
Kagome rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh.”

Seeing the skeptical look she was giving him, he growled. “I would've.”

Kagome didn't reply as she went and sat by him. “Ready?”

“I think so, it's not like it's gonna be hard.”

“Well, it is harder your first time or so. You need to get the hang of it.”

“Just get ready, wench. Take it out.”

“Fine, fine,” she replied as she opened the small cloth bag she'd brought. She pulled out her target and handed it to him.

He examined it. “You're sure it's actually addicting?”

“Very,” Kagome assured.

“. . . Okay, you'd better be right.” He took a deep breath before opening the book of Sudoku problems, flipped to a random page of easy ones, grabbed the pen Kagome handed him, and started to write down numbers.

*

*

Kagome peeked over Inuyasha's shoulder and smiled. “Not bad. . . for your first time.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Keh, it ain't so addicting.”

“Oh, right, `course not.”

“It ain't! In fact, it's the most stupid game I've ever seen!” the hanyou huffed indignantly.

Kagome tried not to smile.

A sudden thought hit her and she hurriedly checked her watch. She relaxed, however, as she seemed to remember something.

“What's wrong?”

Kagome jumped at Inuyasha's voice as though she had forgotten he was there. “Oh. . . nothin', I was just looking to see what time it was.”

Inuyasha furrowed his brow at her. “Why?”

Kagome shrugged. “I thought it was past time to pick up Ellen from her session.”

“Oh,” he muttered nonchalantly.

“Yeah, but it's not,” Kagome sighed. “I've still got- - -”

She was cut off by a silent knock at the door.

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at each other.

Kagome went over to the door, Inuyasha following, and unlocked it. Inuyasha opened the door before Kagome could even raise her hand.

They were both surprised by who was at the door. . .

Ellen.

Kagome was the first to speak. “What are you doing here?” she sputtered.

Ellen just stood there mutely, smiling like she had seen a mountain of chocolate.

“Ellen. . .?” Kagome gently asked.

“I said I- I had to go to- to the bathroom and th- they let m-me get up. I- I said that m-my nurse was th- there and they s- said I could go w- with her. But wh- when I got to the h- hall, I decided to v- visit Inuyasha, since I knew you'd be here, `cause you're al- always here.” Ellen gave a proud smile. “I really f- fooled them, too.”

Kagome frowned at Inuyasha. “Are you happy?”

“What did I do?” Inuyasha demanded.

“You influenced her! You've probably blackened her soul by now. . . if she grows up to be a serial killer, it so wasn't me.”

“Aren't you optimistic?” he snapped in reply.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “I was joking!” she defended.

Inuyasha huffed. “Just shut up, wench.”

Inuyasha jumped at Ellen's laugh. “How long have you two been a c- couple?”

Her face was innocent. . . she wasn't joking, was she?

Inuyasha reddened as Kagome gave a short, forced laugh. “What makes you think that?”
she managed to ask.

Ellen looked confused. “Well, my mommy's friends used to act like you two. . . so, you're not dating?”

“No, actually, no.” The nurse's cheeks pinkened lightly as the little girl's brows furrowed.

“But you two are in l- love, right?”

Kagome squeaked as Inuyasha hastily said, “How `bout we change the subject?”

“You didn't d- deny it. . .” Ellen persistently continued.

Kagome's eyes widened as the little girl looked from Inuyasha to Kagome, and back.
Inuyasha blurted the first thing that came to his mind. “Why is your name a States name?”

That stopped Ellen. She gazed up at Inuyasha for a long second before replying, slowly, carefully, “My daddy was American and my mommy was Japanese. Th- They got married young and had me. Daddy wan- wanted me to be named after his Aunt that d- died, so mommy agreed. Mommy said my name was som- something I should display proudly.”

Inuyasha blinked twice, nonplussed. “Why?”

Ellen's facial expression became blank. “. . . Because wh- when I turned four, daddy died; m- mommy told me later that d- daddy had something called A- AIDS. He went to the Hospital and I could bar- barely ever see him. When I d- did, though, he looked really awful. When he died, m- mommy got tested for AIDS. Later, sh- she told me it came out positive.

“It didn't take long for her to get as gross looking as daddy. . . Only two years later, my auntie had to come and take care of me while mommy was in the Hospital. S- Six months later, mommy died.”

There was a second pause as Inuyasha tried to figure out what to do. He could fell Kagome icy stare on his cheek, but ignored it. “Did you love your parents?”

The little girl nodded. “A lot. Th- They loved each other, too. But life doesn't like me, a- and I knew it was going to happen.”

Inuyasha deadpanned. “What? You knew? What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome hissed in warning.

Ellen continued. “When daddy died, I knew by the way m- mommy acted th- that she knew she was going to die, too. I didn't want to b- believe it, but wh- when mommy got sick, I- I knew sh- she had been right.”

To Inuyasha's horror, the little girl's eyes glossed over with water, and he smelled salt.
Impulsively, Inuyasha grabbed the small book. “Wanna play Sudoku?”

Ellen blinked, her eyes clearing. “Wh. . . what?”

“Sudoku, the game that's positively addicting.”

Kagome turned to give Inuyasha a stare. `Stupid game, huh?'

“Yeah,” Kagome added, “incredibly addicting.”

Ellen blinked. “It's fun?”

“Yep; so fun you'll be in tears,” Inuyasha told her.

She reached out and took the pad and pen. “. . .Okay. How do you play?”

Inuyasha opened the book to a page of beginner puzzles and slowly taught her how to do it.

Ellen was smiling in no time.

*

*

“Are you done yet?” Inuyasha asked again.

Ellen shook her head as she wrote in another number.

Kagome sighed before leaning back against the wall, settling her legs on Inuyasha's bed.
“I should kill you,” she muttered.

“Why?” he demanded.

“Because she's not going to leave that alone now!”

Inuyasha shrugged. “Hey, she's not crying anymore.”

Kagome gritted her teeth. “She's been at that for two hours!”

Inuyasha shrugged. “Is she crying?”

Kagome sighed. “That's not the point!”

“Mommy used to do things like this. . .”

Inuyasha and Kagome blinked before looking at Ellen.

“What?”

Ellen looked at Inuyasha. “W- When mommy went to visit daddy, she took b- books like these. . . she stayed for hours at the Hospital with h- him. She wouldn't normally g- get home until midnight or so. . .”

Inuyasha stared at the girl for a second. “How old are you?”

“Nine,” she answered simply.

“Who put you in here?”

“My auntie after my mommy died.”

“. . . What did they diagnose you as?”

“Seriously depressed.”

Inuyasha's brow rose. “That's all?”

“No.”

“Then what else?”

Kagome tensed beside Inuyasha.

“Suicidal.”

Inuyasha blinked twice. “Are you?”
Ellen sat for a second, thinking. Finally, she murmured, “No.”

“Did Sango diagnose you?”

“Yeah.”

Inuyasha snorted. “I knew it! That quack needs to see a psychiatrist herself! She doesn't know what's up and what's down!”

Ellen gazed at Inuyasha. “Do you have a family?”

The triumphant smile on the hanyou's face disappeared. “Aren't you random. . .?” he grumbled.

“So you don't have one?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “And blunt, too. Yes, I have one.”

Kagome peeked around Inuyasha to see Ellen. “Why don't we talk about something else now?” she suggested.

Inuyasha shook his head. “No, she told me about her family, it's only right that I tell her about mine.”

Kagome was surprised to hear Inuyasha say that. So much that her mouth fell open.

“Don't gape!” Inuyasha snapped.

Kagome promptly closed her mouth.

Inuyasha turned back to the little girl. “My mother's annoying, my father doesn't care anymore, my brother's a bastard, and Rin, his mate, must have a wheel not turning right for wanting to be with the idiot in the first place.”

Kagome almost groaned. She should have known that was what he was going to say. . .
`Wait.'

Kagome suddenly realized something. “Did you just swear in front of Ellen, again?”
Kagome demanded.

“You have ears. Did you hear me say anything?”

Kagome glared. “You really shouldn't be doing that!”

Inuyasha glared back. “I'll do it anytime I wan- - -”

“It's fine,” Ellen said softly, causing Inuyasha to cut himself off. “Auntie did it all the time.”

Inuyasha looked over. “. . . Why did your aunt send you here?”

Ellen shrugged, impassive. “She didn't want me anymore.”

*

*

“I can't believe you asked her that!” Kagome snapped as she stormed Inuyasha's room.
Inuyasha merely glared.

Right after Ellen had answered his last question, Kagome had hurriedly blurted that it was getting late before taking Ellen to bed.

“She didn't have to answer,” Inuyasha pointed out.

“Yes,” Kagome agreed. “And you didn't have to ask her that.”

Inuyasha grumbled to himself.

Kagome rolled her eyes at his immaturity.

“And you shouldn't be nosing into what Sango thinks, either.”

“You don't think she'd right, either, do you?”

Kagome stiffened. “What makes you think that?”

“I could tell, wench. You got all tense, like you are now.”

“I'm not tense!” Kagome snapped.

“. . . Ri-i-i-i-ight.”

Kagome glared at the hanyou for a second before sighing. “Fine. I don't agree with her, alright?”

“No. Tell me why you don't believe her.”

“What does it matter?”

“Just tell me!”

Knowing that he wasn't going to let the subject die until she had answered him, Kagome gave in. “Well, at first I thought maybe she was right, but then I got to know her, and I don't think she's depressed or suicidal.”

Inuyasha gave Kagome a look. “Then what do you think it is?”

Kagome shrugged. “I just think she wants to belong to somebody - have someone to care about her. . . and I think you want that, too.”

Kagome left with a hurried good-bye soon after she said that.

Inuyasha got ready for bed in silence.

As he lied in bed, he thought about Kagome's words.

`Stupid wench, going and confusing me. . .' With that, he fell asleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------- -- ---------------------------------------------------------
Now Kagome's the shrink. . . At least she's better than Sango. . .

And I don't know why I named this chapter what I did. . . just seemed to be the only thing that came to my mind. . .

R&R

Ja ne!