InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Elemental: A Feudal Soap Opera ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Three days away from the Feudal Era were all Kagome had needed to work herself into a full-fledged panic. Her periods had never been regular, and she couldn't remember when her last one had occurred, no matter how hard she tried. She had thought of buying a home pregnancy test, but none of the ones at the local pharmacy were accurate this early on, and she was horrified at the thought of someone she knew seeing her purchasing it. Logically, she knew it was really too soon to worry about anyway, but logic seemed to play little part in her anxiety.

 

Thankfully, her mother, grandfather, and brother had left for a three-day trip to attend an out-of-town family funeral the day she returned. Not that she was thankful that one of her cousins had passed on, but he was a distant cousin she had never met, and she really didn't think she could act normally in front of her mother right now. Mama would know something was wrong sooner or later...or I'd end up breaking down and blurting it out to her. I can just see it. “Mama, could we discuss how babies are made one more time? I want to make sure I have it right, then I'll leave your supervision to go 500 years into the past to spend time with a strange, half-demon boy you don't really know. By the way, would you mind buying me a pregnancy test before I go?” She snorted. Her mother might be rather liberal, but Kagome didn't think that would go over too well. If Mama knew, she might even hate me. I know she would be terribly disappointed. She gave in to tears at that point, but they didn't last long. She had cried so much in the last three days, she wondered how she had any tears left at all. It's a miracle I haven't caused a water shortage. She gave a short, harsh laugh and scrubbed at her face with her hands. Gods, I'm being so stupid. I might be sitting here working myself up for nothing.

 

Giving up the pretense of watching t.v., Kagome pushed herself up from the sofa to head to the kitchen to fix herself some lunch. Her footsteps seemed unnaturally loud in the empty house. She wasn't used to so much solitude, and wondered wistfully what the others were doing. Shippou is probably driving Inuyasha crazy by now. She closed her eyes briefly at the thought of Inuyasha. She had half expected him to come for her, as he usually did, and the fact that he hadn't just served to increase her stress. Did he finally remember? Is he hoping I'll stay on this side of the well? Heaving a sigh, she opened her eyes and turned towards the kitchen again, only to run into something solid and immobile.

 

Kagome screamed.

 

The thing she ran into jumped back, covering its ears and wincing.

 

Kagome stopped screaming. Inuyasha! He uncovered his ears and looked at her uncertainly. Her heart gave a little leap that had nothing to do with the fright he had just given her, although she was still having trouble getting her breath back. “Inuyasha,” she finally managed to choke out after managing to accumulate enough oxygen in her lungs to speak, “you scared me!” How long has he been here?

 

“Keh.” He folded his arms and fixed his eyes to a point on the wall behind her, but Kagome decided that at least he looked sorry, so she took pity on him.

 

“It's alright, I just didn't see you there,” she said. “I was about to fix lunch. Want some ramen?”

 

Inuyasha's posture had relaxed a bit as she talked, and now he followed her automatically to the kitchen. She had to suppress a nervous smile. Offer him ramen, and he'll follow me anywhere. Sometimes he really does remind me of a puppy. She began fixing them both sandwiches, as well as a cup of instant ramen for Inuyasha, all the while aware of the silent boy sitting at her kitchen table. She was getting his plate from the cabinet when he finally spoke.

 

“Why were you crying?”

 

The plate slipped from her fingers, shattering into dozens of tiny pieces on her mother's floor. Well, I guess that answers my question about how long he was standing there. To her surprise, Inuyasha got up from the table and picked up the broken earthenware, depositing it in the trash can, before sitting back down and repeating his question.

 

“You were crying when I came in. Why?”

 

“I...I...,” Kagome cast around desperately for an excuse, before guiltily remembering the cousin she had nearly forgotten. “My cousin died. Mama, Souta, and Grandpa are at the funeral right now.”

 

He looked at her speculatively. “Why aren't you with them?”

 

Kagome glanced away. “He died while I was gone,” she said. It wasn't really a lie. Her cousin had died while she was gone, but she had still gotten home in time for the funeral. She just hadn't felt like going. Not that I'd tell him that, though. He might actually want to know why I didn't feel like going.

 

Inuyasha dropped his gaze. “I'm sorry.”

 

“It's alright.” Not knowing what else to say, Kagome finished their lunches, handing Inuyasha his food and sitting down at the table across from him. They ate quietly for a few minutes before Inuyasha again broke the silence.

 

“You need to get your stuff after we eat. There are reports of shards near the village.”

 

Kagome stiffened at that. The shards. Of course. He only came for me because of the jewel. Burying her hurt, she simply replied, “Okay.” Kagome finished eating in silence, then gathered her supplies. She began towards the well, not waiting for him to follow.

 

***

 

Three freaking days. The wench has been gone for three freaking days. Screw this. I'm going to get her.

 

Inuyasha swung down from the tree he had been sulking in since Kagome had left. He had left it only to eat and bathe. Now he began pacing the small clearing.

 

...and not because I want to see her, either. The Shikon shards aren't going to find themselves. She has a responsibility here, damn it.

 

Patience gone, Inuyasha had nearly talked himself into entering the well to retrieve Kagome when Miroku conveniently arrived to let him know of a shikon shard rumored to be nearby. Inuyasha had been so grateful for the excuse he had ignored the monk when he commented that Inuyasha should apologize to Kagome if he had offended her, and had only glared when he had suggested a rather...interesting way to apologize. Not that he doesn't deserve to be knocked down again. Who would apologize like that? I swear, something's wrong with his freaking brain. Nosy, perverted bastard.

 

Although...would that even work? Inuyasha's eyes nearly crossed at the images his mind was supplying, causing him to glare even harder at the monk who had caused them. No! Gah! Stupid fucking monk. Stupid fucking girl. Stupid fucking imagination. He chased the unwanted thoughts away with a snarl, then chased a laughing Miroku away in the same fashion.

 

After finally getting rid of the troublesome monk, he wasted little time in jumping down the well and entering the Hagurashi home. He sniffed the air carefully--Kagome was there, but it didn't seem as if anyone else was. He was relieved to discover this. He liked the Higurashi family well enough, but they could be a little overwhelming. Especially the old man. Always slapping those useless scrolls on me. He'd get eaten within a week pulling crap like that where I come from. Wonder what he would think if he ever saw Miroku in action? Smirking at the thought of the old man's shock, he focused on Kagome's scent again, following it to the living room.

 

He saw her before she saw him. She was sitting on the sofa, crying softly into her hands. Inuyasha had to fight the urge to leave the way he had come. He did not do well with a crying Kagome. Even now, he was beginning to feel a vague sense of panic. Oh damn. Please stop crying, Kagome. I don't know how to deal with this. Shuffling his feet, he made as if to go to her, then stopped himself, not knowing what to do when he got there, or if he'd even be welcome. She stopped crying almost immediately after, for which he was exceedingly thankful, and gave a strange little laugh. The hanyou didn't know what to think of that, and he wasn't given much time to consider it, because she was standing up and moving toward him, still apparently lost in thought. She didn't see him standing there, and ended up running right into his chest.

 

She screamed. Loudly.

 

He jumped away from her, covering his sensitive ears. Shit, woman! Deafen me, why don't you?

 

She stopped screaming. Thank the gods. He shook his head a bit to stop the ringing in his ears, then looked at her uncertainly. I hope she's not going to be mad that I'm here. I don't feel like being sat right now. Although I'd rather she yell at me than start crying again.

 

Kagome seemed to be having trouble catching her breath. She was looking at him with a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and gladness, though, so he let himself relax a little. “Inuyasha, you scared me!”

 

“Keh.” That much is obvious. Still, I guess I should have told her I was here sooner. He stared at the wall, feeling vaguely guilty again, and not liking it.

 

“It's alright. I just didn't see you there,” she continued, teeth worrying her lower lip. “I was about to fix lunch. Want some ramen?”

 

Inuyasha's ears perked up. Does the sun rise in the morning? He followed her to the kitchen and sat down at the small table, waiting for her to finish preparing the food. She didn't speak, so neither did he. Instead, he used the time to observe the girl unnoticed. Her body language spoke of tension, and it was obvious that whatever had been bothering her before she left was still on her mind. This is telling me nothing. I'm never going to guess what happened, and it doesn't look like Kagome' s going to come right out and tell me what happened, either. I'm going to have to talk to her. He grimaced at the thought. Whenever he tried to talk to Kagome, he usually muddled it, and wound up making her angry. Still, he had to do something.

 

“Why were you crying?”

 

The question surprised even him, although he quickly covered it up. Kagome didn't do so well at hiding her surprise. The plate she had been holding slipped through her fingers to crash to the floor. Idiot! Why did I have to blurt it out like that? Blushing lightly, he got up and gently pushed Kagome away from the broken pieces littering the floor. He picked them up, careful to leave no tiny shards that might cut her bare feet, and threw them in the trash receptacle before sitting back down to finish their discussion. It's already been said. Might as well see what she has to say about it.

 

He eyed her to make sure she wasn't going to drop anything again, then repeated his question. “You were crying when I came in. Why?”

 

“I...I...,” she began, hesitating for a long moment and refusing to meet his eyes. Finally, a relieved look crossed her face, and she continued, “My cousin died. Mama, Souta, and Grandpa are at the funeral right now.”

 

She's lying again. He gave her a measuring look. That's not why she was crying. Besides, if her cousin died, why isn't she at the funeral with the rest of her family? He decided to ask her. “Why aren't you with them?”

 

She looked away, pain briefly crossing her features. “He died while I was gone,” she said softly.

 

Okay, maybe her cousin did die. Is that really why she's upset? Inuyasha winced, feeling guilty for keeping her away from her family, but still not convinced that she was telling him everything. Still... He stared at the table. “I'm sorry.”

 

“It's alright,” she said, then continued preparing their meal. Inuyasha left her alone, no longer feeling like pursuing his line of questioning. She gave him a sandwich and a cup of ramen, sitting down across from him. They both began eating, neither talking. The silence grew increasingly uncomfortable. It's never been this hard to talk to her. I hate this.

 

Unable to stand it any longer, Inuyasha searched for something to say. Remembering the reason Miroku had found him in the first place, he seized upon it. It would break the silence, and get Kagome back to his time, as well. “You need to get your stuff after we eat. There are reports of shards near the village.”

 

He waited for her to speak, but he was disappointed when she only replied, “Okay.” She didn't even look at him. Appetite gone, he pushed his plate away, watching as she finished eating, then wandered into the living room to wait while she gathered her things. He was completely taken aback when he heard the front door close. He stared at the door for a moment in disbelief. Did she just leave without me? In a few long strides he was at the door, only to see her nearly at the well house already. Damn it, Kagome...

 

He hurried to catch up with the girl, cursing under his breath. She had acted almost normal with him for a moment, but after a few minutes of his oh-so-wonderful conversational skills, she was back to avoiding him. Seeing that she had reached the well, he called for her to wait. She ignored him, and jumped in. Cursing again, he went after her. This has gone on long enough. I'm going to straighten this out right now.

 

Leaping out of the other side of the well, he saw Kagome disappearing into the trees. He sighed in irritation.

 

Okay, I'll straighten this out as soon as I catch up with her. Damn, she moves fast when she wants to. Using his youkai speed, he ran to position himself in front of her, cutting off her path.

 

“Oi, wench. What's with running off and leaving me?” He groaned inwardly at his choice of words, but it was too late to start over.

 

Surprisingly, she didn't get angry. Instead she just looked...sad. She looks sad. “You said we needed to get shards. I'm going to get shards.” Her voice sounded strained, and Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. Her swings in mood were throwing him off balance. He didn't know what else to say, so he let it drop for the moment. This is stupid. After we get the shards, we're sitting down and settling this.

 

He looked up to see Kagome was already several meters away from him again. He rolled his eyes, and bounded after her.

 

Even if I have to tie her to a tree to get her to stay still.

 

-to be continued-