InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Falling for the Baby Sitter ❯ The Most Mature ( Chapter 3 )

By the time Kagome returned to the house, the sun was setting, raking his jagged claws of light across the bleeding sky. Beautiful shades of orange and pink eased the harshness of the crimson sky above the lush green forest canopy. This time she pulled into the driveway, and as far up to the door as she could get, maneuvering expertly around the motorcycle and backing up to the porch. She hopped out of the car and popped her trunk to start digging for her two camo duffel bags. A soft breeze picked up and tossed her hair about her face, the sweet fragrance of the wind was intoxicating, enhancing the giddy feeling from the great escape she'd made from her mother's house. She doubted the woman even noticed she was gone. `This is great,' she thought to herself. `I'm out of that house, I have a job, and I work for a total hottie! Score!' She swung one duffel over her shoulder and shuffled up the stairs. She suddenly felt a pang as she remembered Mayu's face as she left. She'd pressed a small necklace into the girl's hand before she left and pressed her lips to her forehead. Kagome had closed her eyes and held her tight, promising to return and get her too.

The sound of a car had alerted Inu Yasha, and when he heard the door close, he got up from his comfortable spot next to Kouga to peer out the window. That girl really had come back. Somehow he felt a little more than relieved to see her making her way up the stairs. He walked over and opened the door. The look on her face made him double take. For a second he'd thought he'd seen it twist in agony, but he very well might have been mistaken. As he looked at her he realized that as similar as her face was to Kikyou's, there were some very refreshing differences. Her eyes were silver, not brown. Her lips were a fresh petal pink whereas Kikyou's had had a matured persimmon shade to them. Though the facial structure was basically the same, Kikyou's high cheek bones seemed almost sharp against Kagome's softly rounded face. Her face, as pale as it was, still had more color in it than Kikyou's had, and her eyes had a much more playful glint in them as well. A soft smile spread on his face as he found himself much more relaxed in her presence this time around. “Hey, Kags. Come on in.” He opened the door held it so she could carry her stuff in.

Kagome shifted a bit, feeling his eyes on her. When she looked up and saw his smiling face, she immediately found herself able to dislodge the unpleasant memory in all of this and pushed it to the back of her mind. He seemed to be studying her face, and she blushed a bit, unsure of how to react. He finally spoke and motioned her inside but, the nickname he'd used made her feel a little more at home. Like she belonged here. She smiled and arched a brow at him, shaking her head. “Ok, let me go get my stuff,” she giggled, handing the duffel over to his outstretched hand. He took it graciously and offered her a grin. She blushed a bit darker, then turned to bound down the steps and to her care to grab one of her five boxes of stuff.

Kouga cleared his throat, drawing Inu Yasha's attention to his sulking face. “How about you go outside and help her, hmm?” he said to his sultry looking lover.

Kouga turned his eyes up to him that were filled with jealousy, though he dared not to speak on his suspicions at the moment. “Do I gotta?” he whined reluctantly.

Inu Yasha flashed Kouga his sweetest smile possible and looked at him with very convincing eyes. “Go on and help her.”

Kouga's resolve melted at the killer face Inu Yasha was shooting him. He caved and stood up, mumbling something about he must really like this girl to force a smile like that and stalked out side, scooping up the other duffel bag and grabbing a box.

Kagome started at Kouga's sudden appearance by her side but she flashed him a big smile, trying to disperse the puzzling haughty glances he kept shooting at her. “Aww, how sweet.” She shot him a big smile, and took the box from him carefully. “Here, I'll take this one, it's fragile.” She pushed past him and walked over to the porch and up to the door. When she walked through the door she felt her hip brush against Inu Yasha's and she blushed. She hoisted the box up onto her shoulder and swiftly moved to the back of the house to her room. As she turned to cross the threshold, she stumbled and nearly crashed the box into the doorway. She barely caught herself, and found herself looking sheepishly down the hallway and grinning despite herself. “Heh, yea… Fragile.”

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Kagome took her guitar case out of her duffel and dumped the jeans out onto the floor. She'd have to find a good hiding spot for the guitar later from the boys but for now it could sit on her bed. She crouched and began folding the jeans listening to Kouga and Inu Yasha's movie blasting and howling down the hall. The boy's room had been open hadn't it? If they were going to listen to it so loud she might as well close the door. She put the pair of jeans she'd just folded on the bed she'd made with blood red sheets and a black down comforter. She stepped over the mess to stride out of her room and down the hall a few steps.

She looked into the room and saw their little faces scrunched up into irritation at the noise. She balked slightly when she realized she recognized them as the boys from the park on the way into town. So that wasn't a school yard then. That woman must have been their grandmother or something, from the way Inu Yasha looked. She hadn't gotten a very good look at her, but she did seem to notice a resemblance between the woman and what she now assumed was her son. The older boy seemed nearly attached to the teddy bear he was hugging to his chest. She smiled softly and brushed some hair out of his face. She looked up and saw the younger boy with his thumb in his mouth. She stifled a giggle of glee at the pure adorableness of the brothers and pulled the blanket up around his shoulders. She tiptoed quietly out of the room and shut the door with a soft click.

She went back to her room and finished folding the clothes and put them into her closet and her dresser. He was right, it was a small room, but she liked it. It felt like hers. Her pictures were on the dresser, and her DVD's and Manga were on little shelves above her dresser. She'd pulled out some figurines from her favorite animes and used them as bookends. Fushigi Yuugi's Tasuki and Hotohori were there, as was Blue Seeds Kusanagi, and Death Note's Ryuk. Her journal had been tucked away and hidden carefully and all of her sketchpads and notebooks were stacked on the shelf on top of her closet. Everything had a place and a purpose and everything was hers.

A commotion that wasn't the TV caught her attention, and she peered down the hall to find the culprits. Kouga and Inu Yasha were wrestling around on the couch and chuckling. Kouga had Inu Yasha pinned down and his face was buried in his neck.

“Kouga, I swear… quit it!” Inu Yasha gasped through his laughter. He jerked a hand free and punched him in the leg, giving him a muscle cramp.

Kouga yelped and rolled off of him, clutching his thigh. “Damn it, Inu Yasha, I didn't do anything!”

Inu Yasha growled at him. “Be glad I only went as far as your thigh. I told you not now.” He grabbed a pillow and bopped Kouga in the face with it. “Later.”

Kagome shook her head hearing the commotion down the hall and headed toward the living room, after showering and unpacking. "Do you two always fight like this, or is it just for my viewing pleasure?" she asked coyly and folded her hands behind her back and tilted her head to the side, grinning.

Kouga hit Inu Yasha upside the head with an open hand, but not hard, while he was distracted. "It's his way of showing off." Inu Yasha simply stared, unnerved by Kagome's ethereal presence in the TV light. Her wet hair hung in ringlets around her face, and her black tank top and shorts were clinging to her still damp body. The lights from the TV were picking up the beads of moisture on her skin, particularly one who's origin was the crook of her neck and who's destination was… he ripped his eyes away from her when he saw her look to the ground, uncomfortably.

Kagome who'd only really been looking at the floor, decided the best choice of action for her tired body was to stretch out on the floor. She sat down cross legged and leaned forward to put her elbows on the floor. When she stretched she felt a pop at the base of her spine that followed it all the way up to her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed in bliss and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Ahhh…”

Inu Yasha looked down at her and raised a dark eyebrow. “Oh god, she just cut one!” He laughed until Kouga hit him upside the head again.

“Shut up, Inu, and watch TV.”

Inu Yasha rolled his eyes and grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "I was just kidding, ok? … Geez, Kouga you're uptight.” He leaned back into Kouga's arms and closed his eyes.

Kagome looked over her shoulder at the two behind her and arched a brow of her own. "Oh believe me, if I cut one, you would know it." She smirked at them and a wicked gleam shined in her eye.

"See, Inu Yasha, you corrupted the poor girl already," Kouga said with a sigh.

Inu Yasha sat up straight and looked haughtily at him. "I have done no such shit!" He popped Kouga a good one across the chest. "You damn baka!" Inu Yasha said with a pissed off look on his face. Kouga rubbed his chest and didn't say a thing.

Kagome waved her hands in front of her, sweat gathering at her temple. "C'mon boys, I'm supposed to be babysitting toddlers, not grown men."

Kouga smiled roguishly and leaned forwards towards Kagome. "I'm grown, but Inu Yasha is still a teenager."

Inu Yasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you're robbing the damn cradle. So what if I'm still a teenager? I act more mature than most people," Inu Yasha said with a huff and stretched out on the couch with his head in Kouga's lap.

Kagome eyed Inu Yasha then looked up at Kouga skeptically, "Who am I suppose to side with on this one?"

Kouga smirked knowingly. "Side with Inu, if you don't, he will get mad and not say anything the rest of the night."

Inu Yasha laid there pissed off already with his arms folded across his chest again and sulkily staring at the ceiling.

"Never mind, it's already started," Kouga sighed.

Kagome arched a brow, trying to think of something to do to cheer the guy up, "Err... Oh! I have Oreo's and cookies! I'm a chocoholic. Anybody else want some?"

Kouga's went wide in a very real type of fear. "No, no, don't give him sugar! He will get all hyper!"

Inu Yasha smiled wickedly and sat straight up again, suddenly in a curiously good disposition. "Oreos? Where?" He got up and went digging in the fridge.

Kouga laughed and shook his head, standing. "I take that as my cue to get my ass home." He grabbed his keys off of the coffee table and walked over to Inu Yasha, wrapping his arms around his waist, and kissing his cheek. "I will see you my next day off, ok?"

Inu Yasha leaned his head onto Kouga's shoulder, pausing momentarily in his raid of the kitchen. "Alright .....I guess I will see you later then."

Kouga leaned down and gave him a deep kiss that Kagome felt sort of guilty for witnessing, before letting him go and walking towards the door. "Bye, Kagome, don't let Inu stay up all night, he is really mean when he does," Kouga shook his head sadly and walked out and down the drive way.

Inu Yasha stood there the fridge half opened and he licked his lips absent mindedly as he stared after Kouga, before Kagome's voice snapped him out of his little day dream, "ummm .....I'm sorry. What did you say again Kagome? I wasn't paying attention."

Kagome stared at Inu Yasha a little miffed at first, but then doubled over laughing at the look on his face. She could have sworn she'd seen a similar look on a middle school kids face once when they got caught with an erection in gym class. Inu Yasha immediately blushed and dropped a hand in front of him to try and hide it.

“W-what's so damn funny?” he stammered, trying to ignore the tightening sensation in his jeans. He ducked behind the counter and let the fridge swing close on its own. `Nahhh, she didn't see that… I hope,' he thought to himself as he poured himself a glass of juice to drink.

Kagome wiped tears of amusement from her eyes, "Go take a nice cold shower, that's always a good cure."

Inu Yasha choked on his juice, and almost spit it out all over the place, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kagome giggled, "Well, from the way you are about to die of embarrassment and from the extra curve you seemed to have grown. I'm saying you were just having a pretty vivid day dream about Kouga, ne?"

He fought the urge to throw her out the door. "You notice a lot of things, don't ya, Kags?" His face turned bright red from a mixture of being embarrassed and being irritated.

Kagome beamed widely at him from her spot on the floor. "It comes with practice. We older sisters tend to look for things to tease the hell out of our little brothers for. That way when they want to irritate us at inconvenient moments we have black mail." Her laughter caught him slightly off guard as she stood up. Her face bright, her eyes were dancing, and her past seemed a million miles away. She was completely relaxed here for some inexplicable reason, and the freedom on her face sparked a twinge of something in Inu Yasha's chest. Jealousy maybe?

He shrugged and looked away from her smiling face. "Well, I'm gonna go and take a shower. You can do whatever you want ...just don't wreck the place," he turned and stormed off down the hall towards his room. He stopped to grab some things and then stomped into the bathroom and turned the shower temperature to arctic. He stood under the cold water for a long time, letting it cool off his hot skin. “Damn that Kouga and his fucking shit,” he grumbled. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the shower wall, "I need get that damn art project done, too, but that's not gonna be easy," he sighed to himself, getting his mind off of his lover. Some noise from the next room over caught his attention. He scowled in the direction of what was now Kagome's room. What the hell was that woman doing now? What was with this girl who just waltzed right into his life at the right moment and started prodding at him in all of the wrong ways? He sighed again and shook his head, running a hand over his face.

He turned off the water and got out to dry off. His skin was beginning to prune from being in the shower so long. "Damn, it's cold," he pulled on his black boxers and then a pair of black jeans that were tattered and worn in at the knees. He walked out into the hall with a towel across his shoulders and his black hair looking like a tangled mop.

He walked into the boys' room to check on them and noticed Shippou was awake. He smiled and walked over to him, "Well, looks like one runt is awake," He picked him up and carried him into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Kagome stood from her crouched position in the closet where she'd been hiding her guitar from the kids. Now even if they went digging for it, they'd never get to it without alerting her first. She smiled and sat back satisfied for now and stuffed the empty duffels and boxes in a corner, and walked out to the living room seeing Inu Yasha sitting on the couch with the little red head on his knee. She smiled and walked quietly down the hall and then crouched in front of Shippou, just out of Inu Yasha's line of sight to the TV.

“Hello,” she said and smiled warmly at the little boy. “I'm Kagome. I'm gonna be your new babysitter. Do you want a snack or something? Are you hungry? I have some cookies and some milk. Shippou looked at her wide eyed and then turned to look at Inu Yasha.

Inu Yasha turned and shifted so he could see the voice that was speaking, and his towel tumbled from his shoulders showing off his sculpted bare chest. “Yea go ahead and fix something for Shippou, but I'll fix myself something later.” He tore his gaze away from the various dangers that lurked with her crouched there by his knee and refocused it on the TV.

Kagome nodded, flustered by the big reveal, taking an extra moment or two to tear her eyes away. `Get a grip on yourself, Kagome,' she thought to herself furiously. Finally she cleared her throat and focused on the little kid, "What would you like?" she asked softly and smiling gently at Shippou who just looked back at her and smiled.

"He don't really talk much," Inu Yasha said looking at her again, this time his eyes, drifting to her bare collar bone. This was Kouga's fault in his mind for getting him so worked up and then taking off. "I don't know why, but he just doesn't."

Kagome looked at his flushed face with a puzzled gaze. "Alright, well, does he like pizza?"

He smirked and chuckled softly. "Yes, he does, and he loves to put everywhere but in his mouth."

Shippou reached his arms up to her wanting to be picked up. Kagome giggled and held her arms out to him, scooping him up, and resting him on her hip and Eskimo kissed him, "You are just adorable, aren't chya?"

Inu Yasha snorted. "Wait, you will think otherwise, once he has a tantrum." He stood up and stretched causing his knee and back to crack loudly before marching off to the kitchen to dig in the fridge.

Kagome blushed as she watched the muscles of his chest flex and then rolled her eyes at Shippou. "Is he always this cranky?" she looked at Shippou with her eye brow arched. Shippou laughed and reached up to pinch her nose.

Inu Yasha bumped his head on the fridge in the midst of his digging. "Shit, that hurt ...and who are you saying is cranky?" he frowned as he rubbed his head. "I ain't cranky."

Kagome giggled and poked Shippou's tummy, walking into the kitchen, and shaking her head. "Of course, you're not. Go sit down before you hurt yourself." She reached up into the cabinet where she had put the Oreos and tossed them at him. "Knock yourself out." Shippou laughed at her antics so she smiled and combed her fingers through Shippou's hair.

Inu Yasha caught the Oreos and looked at them, a childlike glee coming over his face. "Alright! Cookies!" He cheered and turned around to grab a Coke from the fridge. He kissed Shippou's forehead and ran over to the couch, jumping onto it to watch TV some more.

Shippou laughed at Inu Yasha this time and turn to pull Kagome's hair.

Kagome made a face at him and reached into the freeze to pull out a pizza. She expertly flipped the oven on with one hand, and sliced open the plastic with her nail, then popped it in to cook. Once she had the pizza in the oven she grabbed Shippou with both hands and tossed him up in the air once, and all in one fluid motion, switched him to the other hip and causing him to giggle and squeal as she laughed and started to tickle him. Shippou squirmed against her and started laughing.

"If I was you I wouldn't shake him too much. I would put him in his high chair before he runs for it, too," Inu Yasha said between mouthfuls off Oreos.

Kagome focused solely on Shippou, still trying to blatantly distract herself from Inu Yasha's lack of shirt. "Are you gonna run away from me?" She made a sad face at him and then crossed her eyes. Shippou began to squirm and pull back from her still giggling.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya, Kags," Inu Yasha said with a small laugh and pulled out a sketch book from beside the couch.

Kagome smiled and walked over to put Shippou in his high chair. She poked his nose and handed him an Oreo out of another package, figuring the one in Inu Yasha's hands had a shelf life of about 5 minutes. She lifted her head and looked over to the glutton in question and strode over to the counter, leaning over it trying to get a look at what he was sketching.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

Inu Yasha looked up from his drawing, seeing her leaning across the counter and staring at him. "It's shorter than Kagome...” he muttered and shrugged. “You can call me Inu, if you want. I don't care; everyone else calls me that." He started sketching again and yawned. The lines slowly taking shape in the form of a wolf howling at the moon. Or maybe it was just a really large dog?

Kagome nodded at the picture in his hand. "You draw?"

He glanced up at her and sighed. "Yeah, and I have to get it done in the next few days." He yawned again and stared down at the picture in his hands. "But between work, kids, school and other things, I don't have the time."

She looked at him, her face slightly surprised. “You go to school?"

Inu Yasha arched a brow at her, not sure if he liked that tone in her voice. "Yeah ...don't you?"

Kagome nodded. "But only a few hours a day."

He shrugged and continued to draw sketch out the wolf's haunches. "Same here, I have to work and can't go full time."

Kagome studying his face as he concentrated on each stroke, his arm rippling with muscles she'd never known you could strengthen. It must have been the arm of a true artist. "Interesting. What school do you go to?"

"I go to an art institute, so basically, I draw 4 hours straight, every other day." He yawned a third time and closed his book in frustration. "I'm never gonna get this done if I don't wake up," he grumbled.

Kagome grinned and took off into the kitchen again banging the coffee pot around and another strange bottle that hadn't been in his house before. She paused in her working to check on the pizza and give Shippou a few more cookies and a small sippy of milk. She came back a few minutes later with a coffee mug full of something rather… potent… smelling. "Drink this."

He took the coffee and looked at it suspiciously. "It's drinkable, isn't it?" He sniffed it and took a small sip.

She nodded sheepishly and wagged her finger at him. "Now, don't pussy sip it. Down it all, or it won't work right," she chided him.

He glared up at her defiantly. "I don't pussy anything!" He chugged down the coffee and handed her the cup with a smirk on his face. Then the after taste hit, and he suddenly felt like he could breathe fire. “W- What..” he gasped.

She smirked right back at him. "Good. That was laced with the strongest Scottish Whiskey you'll ever have. It tends to burn a bit when you sip it." She took the cup from him and went to the sink washing it out thoroughly.

He put his hands down and just stared at her in disbelief. "You're joking." He watched her washing the mug in the kitchen, her black shorts starting to brush her legs in a more and more attractive way. "Please, tell me you're kidding."

She looked over at him over her shoulder and smiled sweetly. "You might want to start drawing before I have to drag your unconscious hulk back into your room.”

He opened his book and started sketching again, certainly feeling much more awake, and grumbled about psycho nannies and not enough hours in the day.

Kagome smiled, pretending not to hear. She shook her head, taking the Pizza out of the oven and dishing out two pieces for Shippou, and waving a towel over them so they would cool faster. "When does the other one wake up?"

"He pretty much does what he wants," Inu Yasha shrugged. Working furiously to distract him from the lingering after taste. "So, I don't know".

Just then, Souta stumbled out of the room rubbing his eyes and looking around. Dragging his teddy in tow, he shuffled down the hall to the living room.

"Well there's sleeping beauty now," Inu Yasha said without even looking up from his book.

"Shut up you alien ....go back to the moon," Souta said as he settled himself in front of the TV.

Kagome nearly choked on a pepperoni and started laughing. She tried to duck her head so Inu Yasha wouldn't hear her but to no avail.

"How about I throw you there first, runt? You can tell me how the gravity is there." Inu Yasha laughed too and looked up to shoot a smile at Kagome to assure her that yes this was a normal wake up conversation. Souta just looked at him like he was the biggest idiot known to mankind.

Kagome smiled and peeked around the corner, throwing a towel at Inu Yasha's head, "Don't be mean, you jerk!"

He dodged the towel easily, watching it soar past his head. "Watch it, or I will throw you there instead of the runt!" he warned wagging his pencil at her.

Kagome made a face at him and turned to the little boy on the floor. "Hey Souta, would you like some Pizza?" She smiled at him, remembering how forlornly he had stared at her car as she had passed by.

Souta looked up at her and nodded. "Pepperoni pizza not the kind like, Yash eats with the black things on it" The little boy made a nasty face and then looked at the girl confused.

Kagome smiled at him as her eyes drifted once again to Inu Yasha's bare chest. "Good, coz that's all that's on it." She tore her eyes away reluctantly and winked at the kid then turn to grab a few slices of pizza and slap them on a plate for him. She looked up at Inu Yasha and walked back to where Shippou was finger painting with the pizza. "You want some too?"

Souta took the pizza and started to tuck it in.

Inu Yasha finished with his drawing and closed his book. "No, I prefer mine with the black things on it," then he stuck his tongue out at Souta, for which Souta decided to return the favor.

Kagome shook her head at Shippou exasperatedly and sighed. "I think you are the most mature out of all of them!" She threw her hands into the air, and made him giggle and throw a piece of pepperoni at him.