InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Claimed. ❯ Settling. ( Chapter 2 )

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

Claimed.

Chapter Two: Settling.

Grampa had already set up my new room. He'd started explaining everything about house rules as we pulled up to the property. He ran a shrine; It was basically a small house with a couple other smaller houses, all used for different things. One was the shop, where Grampa sold small trinkets and religious items. Another was the temple, used for praying and blessings, as Grampa himself was a priest. The last was a small, old well house, but, as Grampa explained, he really had no use for it, as the house now had indoor plumbing and the well had dried up ages ago.

The rules were about the same here as they had been in my mother's house. No staying out too late, no leaving dirty dishes in the sink, do your chores, help keep the place clean, no bringing boys over unsupervised...

I snorted at that last one. At seventeen, I had yet to land a single boyfriend.

I doubted that would change just because I had moved to Kyoto.

My first night in this new house wasn't very strange; I tried to settle in as best as I could. My room was upstairs, at the end of the hall. The only pieces of furniture that Grampa had gone ahead and put in it were the bed, the dresser, the nightstand, and the desk, a small swivel chair sitting in front of it. All of these were wooden, stained dark to match the dark wooden flooring that creaked uneasily beneath my feet as I set my bags down.

He'd painted the walls a deep baby blue color that made them clash with the floor and the dark brown trim circling the ceiling. There was a giant, broad window in the wall across the room from the door, and the bed sat, shoved against the wall, next to it, the nightstand sitting just underneath the windowsill. The dresser was to my left, the desk to my immediate right, just inside the door.

I took my time unpacking that night. My laptop came to rest on the desk, my small printer sitting right beside it. Grampa had already made the bed up with baby blue sheets, pillow cases, and a giant, thick, baby blue comforter. The dresser was soon filled to the brim with my shirts and tops, socks and bras; I lined the small upstairs hall closet with my jeans and jackets. Grampa had given me a small tour of the main house when we'd first walked in; his bedroom would be on the first floor, with the kitchen, the living room, and the downstairs bathroom. Upstairs was all mine. I even had my own bathroom, which was a first; Souta and I had had to share everything when I lived with Mom.

I cooked Grampa dinner that night; it wasn't really anything special, just some spicy chicken soup I had made the recipe for when Mom was out late with her boyfriend... sigh, "husband," and I had to cook for myself and Souta. Grampa seemed to like it; I guessed from the looks of his mostly unused kitchen that he wasn't much a chef himself. We sat together in the living room and watched some murder mysteries before going to our separate beds.

The next morning, I awoke from my restless sleep and got up to make myself and Grampa a decent breakfast. Pancakes, fried bacon, and scrambled eggs was what awaited my grandfather as he stumbled out of his room sleepily. He blinked at me, as if he were seeing me for the first time. "Aren't you going to get ready for school?" he asked me, sitting down at the table.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing a pair of white Etnie sneakers, skinny blue jeans, and a white short-sleeve t-shirt. My dark blue American Eagle hoodie lay tossed on the arm of the sofa in the living room, close to the front door.

"I think I look just fine," I declared, sitting with him at the table. We both began our meal, silent.

When we'd finished, I stood and started picking up the table. As I started to wash the dishes, Grampa sighed, looking me up and down. No doubt he was judging me by my attire. "Kagome, you do know that this is a PRIVATE school, right?"

I just gave him a confused look. "And?"

He didn't say anything; he just gestured with his index finger for me to follow him to the downstairs closet. He opened up the door and pulled out a uniform hanging on a hanger before reaching in and grabbing a pair of shoes. I stared at it, my nose scrunching slightly in disgust. "You're kidding," I mumbled. Hearing the disdain in my voice, he smiled and shook his head, chuckling slightly. "No, my dear," he answered, handing me the uniform and the black penny loafers. Scowling, I made my way upstairs to change in my bedroom.

When I was finished, I looked myself over in the mirror. 'Ugh,' I thought as I ran my small hands across my hips. The white, button-down blouse hugged my curves fairly well, and the green-and-white plaid mini skirt bared way more of my long, thin legs than I'd have liked. I absolutely despised the penny loafers; they just weren't my thing.

I trudged down the stairs slowly, embarrassed by my appearance. My grandfather just smiled at me, though, when I reached the bottom and modeled for him. "You look precious, Kagome," he told me, hugging me.

I shrugged him off, not really caring if I hurt his feelings. "I guess I'll be on my way then," I said quietly as I grabbed up my bright yellow backpack, stuffed full of books, and started toward the front door. I turned and forced a smile at Grampa, who was staring at my bag. I followed his gaze and groaned. "Not my backpack, too!"

He chuckled slightly, and I looked back up at him. "No, Kagome, I was just thinking that you would hurt your back carrying around all that stuff. Maybe you'll find a nice boy at school who would carry it for you." His eyes held that unmistakeable sparkle.

I made another face. "Yea, right," I snorted. "I doubt I'll really be making that many friends, Grampa."

He shook his head, a little exasperated by my self-conscious attitude. "It's not like anyone's going to bite you, Kagome. You'll make some friends, and, hopefully, they'll be friends for life."

I just told him goodbye and disappeared out the door.

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Sneak Peek:

Chapter Three: Decipher.

I hadn't even sat down when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, his lip curl back a little, into what seemed like a snarl. But when I turned my head to fully look at him, his gaze had returned to the sensei standing at the front of the room, his face serene, his expression concentrated. I swallowed uncomfortably, all too aware of the seemingly misplaced hostility this boy was feeling toward me.

'What have I done to you?' I asked him mentally, trying to maintain my composure. 'I've never met you before in my life; how could you make such a hateful look at me after knowing me barely a second?'

When I glanced back at him a few seconds later, he was watching me again; his eyes held such anger, such hate...

The bell rang right then, and, like a bullet, he was out the door before I was even on my feet. I seethed silently as I collected my books. 'I guess I'll just have to decipher those hidden looks on my own.'