InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Father Figure ❯ A Waste of Time ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: RozeFire 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.15.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 2.2K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.15.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 2.2K | Status: Completed
AN: You wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to get this chapter out... My computer died - officially - and I LOST all of my work and programs due to some sneaky little virus that crept up in it's dying days. Which is annoying because I had several chapters that were just waiting to be finished off for posting soon... now I have to find time to rewrite them all.
But good news: I'm now sorted with a brand new computer (ish) and it no longer crashes! (though no one warned me Windows XP is so bloody bright coloured! I go blind every time I turn the thing on...) But hurray anyway! Maybe I won't take so long to update now ^_^ I hope.
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Fathe r Figure
A Waste of Time
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"Bye Mom! See you later!" Kagome called as she hurriedly shoved her shoes on and trotted out of the door.
"Kagome - wait!" Her mother appeared in the door frame after her. "Aren't you going to wait for Souta to take him to school?"
"Uh - no - I don't want to be late!" Kagome called back lamely, even though she was twenty minutes early. She waved quickly and headed towards the shrine steps, as though she was going on her average school day way. When she reached the top step she looked back casually, scanning the area around her carefully.
Her mother had gone back inside and Grandpa was around the back of the house burning leaves. Neither were in a position to see her. Kagome carefully looked around again, trying to spot if Souta was around, hiding in the bushes or something... but no... he didn't seem to be around.
Kagome put her mind at ease and took a step in the direction of the well house... but froze instantly when her gaze stopped on Denji, standing in the kitchen window, looking out at her. He was simply watching her with a glass of water in his hand.
Those few seconds she stared back seemed to last an eternity until she snapped out of her daze as Denji took a sip of water. She smiled sheepishly and turned to head down the steps of the shrine, trying to work out an alternative route to the well house... one which Denji wouldn't see.
Still, Kagome felt she'd been effectively creeped out for the rest of the morning. Slimy, blood-sucking monsters were no match against the penetrating glare of her new 'Daddy'.
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Inuyasha growled in annoyance as he cast another look at the shadows beneath the trees around him. It had been thirty minutes later than what she'd promised... she was late AGAIN. He'd been standing here for over an hour, forcing himself to be patient.
He turned with a sullen air and glared down at the well before him, just daring it to spit out Kagome right that moment. But he was greeted by nothing but silence, much to his further annoyance. Just to eat up time he crouched down beside the old wooden structure and scraped a claw against the side, leaving a small mark ingrained there. He leaned back to take a look at the total marks that had scratched out.
Fifteen days without Kagome... he was going to go insane if she didn't turn up within the next five minutes.
Someone up there must have been keen on him keeping his sanity, as only moments later he heard a scuffle down in the well as a soft body landed on the bottom. He straightened and peered down with a frown.
"Tadaa!" Kagome flung her arms up and out like she'd completed an amazing trick. She smiled up at him and gave a cheerful little wave. "Good morning!"
His scowl deepened, but he had to admit that some of the tension left his body as soon as he'd seen her stupid smiling face. Instead of show his relief and pleasure at her return, he decided to keep her on her toes. "Where the hell's that 'bike' thing of yours?"
Kagome sighed, hearing his irritable voice and discovering he wasn't as pleased to see her as she was to see him. "I had to sneak here you know. I can't sneak well whilst carrying a metal contraption that weighs as much as Buyo."
"And what the hell happened to your clothes?" he demanded again. "You look like you've already fought with demons today."
"Oh... well..." Kagome self-consciously looked down at her scruffy, dirty clothes and mud streaked arms and legs. She dreaded what her hair and face looked like. "Like I said, I had to sneak here. Through the rhododendron bushes behind the well house. All that to avoid Denji."
"Well then what are you messing around for? We have to start off right now if we want to get anywhere." He reached down and pulled her gently out of the well by her backpack.
"You couldn't just hold my hand could you..." she said flatly as he set her down.
"And risk getting as dirty as you?" he snorted and turned heel to start stalking in the direction of Kaede's village. "Six hours right?"
"Yeah." Kagome dusted off her clothes absently as she obediently toddled after him.
"Sango says there's a rumour of a strong demon in a hamlet in the East. Probably a Shikon shard involved somewhere." He said shortly.
"Right." Kagome hefted her bag decisively and took a purposeful step. Though she nearly crashed into Inuyasha when he stopped because she was walking so close. He turned around suddenly and took her back. "Hey!"
"We'll travel faster if I take that." Was the only explanation he offered as he turned around again and walked off. Kagome could sense he was in some kind of bad mood... she reckoned it was because of their little six hour arrangement. Well, it didn't exactly put Kagome in a great mood either.
She decided not to comment on it anyway. Kagome knew well enough now, that if she ever pointed out he was in a bad mood, he would only get huffy and defensive and work himself into an even uglier mood. The best cure for bad mood syndrome was to just let him work it out of his system. At least... that was the fastest way to make him a more civilised person.
So she just kept her moth shut as she traipsed after him on their way to the village.
Miroku and Sango were already sitting on the porch of Kaede's home, geared up and eager to get moving. Kirara and Shippo were happily grooming each other's tails.
Inuyasha didn't even pause as he strode past the house towards the forest. "Let's go!" he snapped abruptly as he walked by. Shippo looked up from Kirara's tail at the irritated Hanyou.
"What crawled up his butt?" The small Kitsune wondered aloud.
Inuyasha's reaction to this was to march right back to the house and all but kick Shippo into action. "I said move it pip-squeak or else I'll use your bones as tooth picks! And that's after I pull out your insides and stuff you full of fluff to use as a pillow!"
"Holy cattle!" Shippo dodged another well aimed kick and skittered off ahead of the troop. Kagome just sighed at the pairs antics and glanced at her watch as she took her position behind Sango and Miroku as they started on their trail.
She only had six hours to find and kill this demon and check if it had a Shikon shard... Man, she was gonna be pressed for time.
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"Inuyasha..."
He ignored her soft call. If he turned around and asked what she wanted then she'd ask to turn back now. To turn back would mean they'd have to call it a day. They hadn't even gotten close to the hamlet with the demon... they'd just have wasted a pointless day of walking around.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called again with another pointed glance at her watch. "Inuyasha - I really have to go back now."
He stopped suddenly, causing Shippo to smack into his leg from behind. He turned angrily and waved a hand vaguely at the sun. "What the hell for? It's only midday!"
"Yeah - well it took us three hours to get here - it's gonna take me three hours to get back. And if I don't get back home in time then my Mom will know I was here!" Kagome argued. "Come on, Inuyasha, I thought we'd already settled this!"
Yeah, he knew that, he just wanted to see if he could change her mind at all. "But we haven't even got anywhere today! All we've done is walk!"
"Well that's different." Miroku commented dryly.
Kagome shook her head and turned without warning to start walking back the way they'd just come. "Sorry, but I have to go. I'll come back tomorrow morning and maybe we should try and make better time then?"
"This is fucking ridiculous!" Inuyasha growled more to himself than anyone else. He turned away from Kagome's departing form to the path ahead of them, as if maybe he would be able to see the hamlet village if he squinted hard enough. But no... they were too far away.
"Maybe we can go on ahead and slay the Youkai anyway?" Sango suggested reasonably.
"Then what? Drag it's rotten corpse back to Kaede's village so Kagome can take a look at it tomorrow to see if it's got any shards?" Shippo pointed out.
"Well, either that, or we could dissect piece by piece and sift through its guts to find that little slither of glass." Miroku shrugged.
"It's a big demon." Sango glanced at him.
"It's a long boring day ahead. We have the time." Miroku turned back to where Kagome was walking away down the beaten down dirt road. "Maybe someone should accompany her... even in the middle of the day, it's not safe for a young girl to go wandering around the countryside. There could be all kinds of bandits and rogue samurai lurking in the bushes."
Both he, Sango and Shippo slanted pointed looks to where Inuyasha was quietly steaming away to himself, obvious at the end of his very short fuse and about to go stark raving mad. He caught their looks but didn't know what they wanted, seeing as he'd completely missed that conversation.
"What?"
Miroku rolled his eyes and clapped him over the shoulder with his staff, to get him staggering in Kagome's direction. "Go accompany her, you pathetic love sick fool."
"Who's love sick?!" Inuyasha exploded, turning, fists raised, and ready to beat that statement back into the monk's mouth.
"Just go back with her or else she'll get mugged!" Sango broke in, pointing after Kagome whilst glaring at Inuyasha, like an angry mother who was sending a child to bed.
Inuyasha clenched his fists and exhaled deeply, trying valiantly to keep a hold of his anger. He shot one last murderous glare at Miroku before turning and stomping after Kagome.
Once he was out of ear shot Shippo scrambled up Miroku's robes to perch on his shoulder. "Inuyasha really needs to put his foot down with Kagome. He's really letting her get away with too much these days."
"Here, here." Sango echoed.
"Best to just let her be. It appears she has problems with her family from what Inuyasha tells." Miroku turned and started along their path again, Sango walking alongside him. "It can't be easy for her to juggle two lives like this."
"I suppose..." Shippo sighed. "But can't she just give up her world and come and stay here for good? Doesn't she like it here? Is Inuyasha putting her off the idea?"
Sango shook her head at the boy. "In the future there are no warlords or wars... it must be much safer over there. She must want to stay there."
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"Hey!"
Kagome turned at Inuyasha's voice and waited patiently for him to catch up, secretly pleased he was the only one to accompany her. At least now she'd have some alone time with him. Even if it was only for three hours. "You come to protect the helpless human girl? Or to try and convince me to stay here again?"
"Both." He shrugged as he arrived beside her.
Kagome sighed and started down the path again. "You can't change my mind... I can't change my mind... I'd like to, but I can't. It's as simple as that."
Inuyasha followed her with a stormy expression. "I don't get it. You dislike the guy, but you're doing everything you can to please him!"
"I'm not pleasing him - I'm pleasing my mother!" Kagome protested. "Denji can go rot in hell and - no - I don't mean that..." she lapsed into silence and mentally kicked herself for being so horrible. Denji had done nothing to deserve her malice.
Inuyasha gave a sound of disgust. "You're so nice it's sickening. Why can't you be nasty for once and go tell this 'father' to go stick his head where the sun doesn't shine."
"Because that would upset my mother." Kagome explained. "Besides... I'm not TOO nice."
"Sure, you keep telling yourself that. Being too nice is how we acquired Miroku, remember? And Shippo." Inuyasha folded his arms into his sleeves. "But I guess you have to honour your new father. It isn't everyday people live in complete family units. It must be nice..."
Kagome darted him a surprised look, but he seemed a little distant all of a sudden. All of a sudden she felt incredibly guilty and ungrateful. Here she was complaining about her new step father when Inuyasha didn't even have one... he didn't have a mother either. In fact his own family would be his brother - and Sesshomaru was out to kill him most of the time. She had no right to complain in front of him.
"You look wiped out." Inuyasha observed as she shook herself out of her musings. He suddenly overtook her and crouched down. "Get on."
Kagome obeyed with little protest, quietly slipping onto his back and feeling his strong arms lock around her thighs. As they rose she slid her arms around his neck automatically and rested her head against his soft cushion of hair. When was the last time he'd been generous enough to offer to carry her? When was the last time they'd had the chance to be in a position for him to carry her?
A month maybe...
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, in complete trust of his capable strength, knowing he wouldn't drop her or jar her in any way. But how many more months would it be before they could really hang around together like they used to?
"Hey..." Inuyasha said quietly, causing Kagome to open her eyes slowly. "This isn't going to work is it?"
She knew what he was talking about, and she realised that he knew just as well as she did that this whole charade would be fruitless. "No... it isn't..."
She waited for him to come up with a brilliant idea that would solve their problems, but he just remained silent. He gave an almost imperceptible sigh and shifted his hands under her knees, squeezing slightly.
Kagome closed her eyes miserably. Even though she was pressed right against his back at that moment... she missed Inuyasha. And that feeling wasn't about to go away any time soon.
She had the next few months to please her mother and Denji, welcoming her new step father into the family and hoping everything would turn out ok in the end. And just as Inuyasha said...
She'd make the most of what she had given to her.
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"I'm home!" Kagome slung her pack down next to the shoe rack and absently stepped out of her muddy school shoes. She hesitated to step into the house when she was greeted by nothing but silence. "Hello? Anyone home?"
There was still no answer. Grandpa and her mother were usually the only ones home at this time of the day. Souta would undoubtedly be on his way home from school right then, and perhaps her mother was out shopping for food, with or without Denji, she didn't know. Grandpa was either down at the library researching new and exotic illnesses for her to catch, or down playing chess with the old lads in the park.
That would leave just Kagome.
Kagome just shrugged to herself and headed into the kitchen to pour herself a needed drink of water, seeing as she'd forgotten to bring some with her that morning and she'd been marching on an empty stomach all day.
She went over to the sink and picked up one of the freshly washed glasses that sat on the draining board and proceeded to fill it with water. Then she greedily began gulping down the cold liquid.
"Where were you today?"
Denji's voice sounded so close behind her, Kagome jolted massively and the glass slipped from her wet fingers. It shattered with a dull sound on the tiled floor and the contents sloshed over her socks. She stared at the mess for a moment before whipping back to face the Math's teacher.
"Sorry?" she tried to remember what he'd asked her.
He seemed to pay no attention to the fact she'd just smashed one of her mother's best glasses and continued to bore a gaze into her. "Your form tutor called here today... he said you failed to turn up to class. Again."
Kagome's insides turning to rock, making her stomach drop and her limbs feel very heavy all of a sudden. Her heart began thudding inside her rib cage as though it was trying to break free. "Uh..."
"In fact he says you've not turned up to school for the past six weeks... care to tell me what is going on?" he raised one eyebrow. "Or should I go tell your mother that you've been getting up for school every morning but failing to arrive there?"
"Uh..." Kagome murmured again, in a rather unintelligent way. For once her head was blank of all plausible reasons. She couldn't tell him she was usually out prancing around the feudal era with a dog demon, a corrupt priest, a demon exterminator and a child fox-boy. That wouldn't go down well... plus she didn't fancy trusting him with such knowledge yet.
However, a few good excuses for her absences popped up. Mostly along the lines of gangs, drugs, boyfriends, teenage pregnancies and so on... Well, those were the reasons Denji was probably thinking of.
She had to answer soon or whatever excuse she came up with would seem contrived. "Uh... I have a friend... she's been in hospital for the last few months with a serious illness..." was she turning into her Grandfather already. "She has Neuralgia." Yes, she was turning into her grandfather. "I didn't tell my mother I was going to see her because she doesn't like... uh... Kikyo..."
Why did she have to come up with that name above all others...?
"I see." Denji seemed no more agreeable than before, seeing as he was still glaring at her.
"Yeah... and... seeing as she's missing a lot of work from school, my head of year wanted me to go over there and help her catch up on her missed work during the day - my form tutors new so maybe he didn't know that. But I'm not missing any work or anything..."
"Why haven't you told Ayumi this?" Denji asked, referring to his fiancée.
"Because... I told you... she doesn't like K-Kikyo." Kagome found herself stuttering under his intense glare. Either that or she just couldn't pretend Kikyo was a friend of hers.
For a long time he just stared at her, until she felt the fine hairs at the back of her neck prickling with warning. He wasn't being friendly... and that wasn't natural. There was something seriously wrong with this picture.
All of a sudden he broke into a confiding smile and reached out to squeeze her shoulder, the contact so unexpected that Kagome flinched and looked down at his hand.
"Ok. This'll just be our little secret." He said quietly, giving her a meaningful look before turning and walking out of the kitchen.
Kagome couldn't suppress her shudder... what he'd said sounded rather like what a paedophile might say...
She waited until he was gone, and only then did she realise she'd been holding her breath when she let it out in a rush. She turned back to the sink and suddenly let out a scream.
Pain streaked through her foot and up her leg as she staggered back and collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs. Instinctively she pulled her foot up and squeezed it as she clenched her teeth in agony. She was almost too freaked out to take a look, but she peeked down and grimaced as she found a shard of the broken glass had sliced right through her sock and disappeared half into the pads of her left foot.
"Oh crud..." she hissed as she took the glass poking out her flesh. Warily she glanced over her shoulder to see if Denji would come rushing to her aid... but no... he was sat in the living room watching TV like her scream hadn't just echoed around the lower floor of the house at all.
She was half relieved that he hadn't come... but her wariness of him only increased. She'd just screamed rather loudly and all he did was ignore it and carry on watching TV. What kind of parent did that? She could have been hacked in half by a mad axe man for all he knew, and he'd have just sat right through it.
Kagome turned back to her foot and firmed up her resolve as she began to pull the glass out of her foot, trying to ignore the blood that blossomed out along with the shard.
Something dodgy was going on... and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She was going to figure out Denji and somehow convince her mother she was making a mistake. She just knew her mother could do better than a Math teacher.
Well one thing was for sure... with her foot busted like this, she wasn't going to be doing any long distance walking. Which meant she wouldn't be going to see Inuyasha tomorrow... in fact she didn't even think she'd be able to go to school for real.
Inuyasha was going to flip when he found out...
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AN: Well, I had to rewrite it, so it might seem a little rushed and skimpy on the details. Sorry, but I shouldn't have any more computer problems from now on ^_^ *the hallelujah ballad starts playing*
But good news: I'm now sorted with a brand new computer (ish) and it no longer crashes! (though no one warned me Windows XP is so bloody bright coloured! I go blind every time I turn the thing on...) But hurray anyway! Maybe I won't take so long to update now ^_^ I hope.
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Fathe r Figure
A Waste of Time
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"Bye Mom! See you later!" Kagome called as she hurriedly shoved her shoes on and trotted out of the door.
"Kagome - wait!" Her mother appeared in the door frame after her. "Aren't you going to wait for Souta to take him to school?"
"Uh - no - I don't want to be late!" Kagome called back lamely, even though she was twenty minutes early. She waved quickly and headed towards the shrine steps, as though she was going on her average school day way. When she reached the top step she looked back casually, scanning the area around her carefully.
Her mother had gone back inside and Grandpa was around the back of the house burning leaves. Neither were in a position to see her. Kagome carefully looked around again, trying to spot if Souta was around, hiding in the bushes or something... but no... he didn't seem to be around.
Kagome put her mind at ease and took a step in the direction of the well house... but froze instantly when her gaze stopped on Denji, standing in the kitchen window, looking out at her. He was simply watching her with a glass of water in his hand.
Those few seconds she stared back seemed to last an eternity until she snapped out of her daze as Denji took a sip of water. She smiled sheepishly and turned to head down the steps of the shrine, trying to work out an alternative route to the well house... one which Denji wouldn't see.
Still, Kagome felt she'd been effectively creeped out for the rest of the morning. Slimy, blood-sucking monsters were no match against the penetrating glare of her new 'Daddy'.
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Inuyasha growled in annoyance as he cast another look at the shadows beneath the trees around him. It had been thirty minutes later than what she'd promised... she was late AGAIN. He'd been standing here for over an hour, forcing himself to be patient.
He turned with a sullen air and glared down at the well before him, just daring it to spit out Kagome right that moment. But he was greeted by nothing but silence, much to his further annoyance. Just to eat up time he crouched down beside the old wooden structure and scraped a claw against the side, leaving a small mark ingrained there. He leaned back to take a look at the total marks that had scratched out.
Fifteen days without Kagome... he was going to go insane if she didn't turn up within the next five minutes.
Someone up there must have been keen on him keeping his sanity, as only moments later he heard a scuffle down in the well as a soft body landed on the bottom. He straightened and peered down with a frown.
"Tadaa!" Kagome flung her arms up and out like she'd completed an amazing trick. She smiled up at him and gave a cheerful little wave. "Good morning!"
His scowl deepened, but he had to admit that some of the tension left his body as soon as he'd seen her stupid smiling face. Instead of show his relief and pleasure at her return, he decided to keep her on her toes. "Where the hell's that 'bike' thing of yours?"
Kagome sighed, hearing his irritable voice and discovering he wasn't as pleased to see her as she was to see him. "I had to sneak here you know. I can't sneak well whilst carrying a metal contraption that weighs as much as Buyo."
"And what the hell happened to your clothes?" he demanded again. "You look like you've already fought with demons today."
"Oh... well..." Kagome self-consciously looked down at her scruffy, dirty clothes and mud streaked arms and legs. She dreaded what her hair and face looked like. "Like I said, I had to sneak here. Through the rhododendron bushes behind the well house. All that to avoid Denji."
"Well then what are you messing around for? We have to start off right now if we want to get anywhere." He reached down and pulled her gently out of the well by her backpack.
"You couldn't just hold my hand could you..." she said flatly as he set her down.
"And risk getting as dirty as you?" he snorted and turned heel to start stalking in the direction of Kaede's village. "Six hours right?"
"Yeah." Kagome dusted off her clothes absently as she obediently toddled after him.
"Sango says there's a rumour of a strong demon in a hamlet in the East. Probably a Shikon shard involved somewhere." He said shortly.
"Right." Kagome hefted her bag decisively and took a purposeful step. Though she nearly crashed into Inuyasha when he stopped because she was walking so close. He turned around suddenly and took her back. "Hey!"
"We'll travel faster if I take that." Was the only explanation he offered as he turned around again and walked off. Kagome could sense he was in some kind of bad mood... she reckoned it was because of their little six hour arrangement. Well, it didn't exactly put Kagome in a great mood either.
She decided not to comment on it anyway. Kagome knew well enough now, that if she ever pointed out he was in a bad mood, he would only get huffy and defensive and work himself into an even uglier mood. The best cure for bad mood syndrome was to just let him work it out of his system. At least... that was the fastest way to make him a more civilised person.
So she just kept her moth shut as she traipsed after him on their way to the village.
Miroku and Sango were already sitting on the porch of Kaede's home, geared up and eager to get moving. Kirara and Shippo were happily grooming each other's tails.
Inuyasha didn't even pause as he strode past the house towards the forest. "Let's go!" he snapped abruptly as he walked by. Shippo looked up from Kirara's tail at the irritated Hanyou.
"What crawled up his butt?" The small Kitsune wondered aloud.
Inuyasha's reaction to this was to march right back to the house and all but kick Shippo into action. "I said move it pip-squeak or else I'll use your bones as tooth picks! And that's after I pull out your insides and stuff you full of fluff to use as a pillow!"
"Holy cattle!" Shippo dodged another well aimed kick and skittered off ahead of the troop. Kagome just sighed at the pairs antics and glanced at her watch as she took her position behind Sango and Miroku as they started on their trail.
She only had six hours to find and kill this demon and check if it had a Shikon shard... Man, she was gonna be pressed for time.
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"Inuyasha..."
He ignored her soft call. If he turned around and asked what she wanted then she'd ask to turn back now. To turn back would mean they'd have to call it a day. They hadn't even gotten close to the hamlet with the demon... they'd just have wasted a pointless day of walking around.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called again with another pointed glance at her watch. "Inuyasha - I really have to go back now."
He stopped suddenly, causing Shippo to smack into his leg from behind. He turned angrily and waved a hand vaguely at the sun. "What the hell for? It's only midday!"
"Yeah - well it took us three hours to get here - it's gonna take me three hours to get back. And if I don't get back home in time then my Mom will know I was here!" Kagome argued. "Come on, Inuyasha, I thought we'd already settled this!"
Yeah, he knew that, he just wanted to see if he could change her mind at all. "But we haven't even got anywhere today! All we've done is walk!"
"Well that's different." Miroku commented dryly.
Kagome shook her head and turned without warning to start walking back the way they'd just come. "Sorry, but I have to go. I'll come back tomorrow morning and maybe we should try and make better time then?"
"This is fucking ridiculous!" Inuyasha growled more to himself than anyone else. He turned away from Kagome's departing form to the path ahead of them, as if maybe he would be able to see the hamlet village if he squinted hard enough. But no... they were too far away.
"Maybe we can go on ahead and slay the Youkai anyway?" Sango suggested reasonably.
"Then what? Drag it's rotten corpse back to Kaede's village so Kagome can take a look at it tomorrow to see if it's got any shards?" Shippo pointed out.
"Well, either that, or we could dissect piece by piece and sift through its guts to find that little slither of glass." Miroku shrugged.
"It's a big demon." Sango glanced at him.
"It's a long boring day ahead. We have the time." Miroku turned back to where Kagome was walking away down the beaten down dirt road. "Maybe someone should accompany her... even in the middle of the day, it's not safe for a young girl to go wandering around the countryside. There could be all kinds of bandits and rogue samurai lurking in the bushes."
Both he, Sango and Shippo slanted pointed looks to where Inuyasha was quietly steaming away to himself, obvious at the end of his very short fuse and about to go stark raving mad. He caught their looks but didn't know what they wanted, seeing as he'd completely missed that conversation.
"What?"
Miroku rolled his eyes and clapped him over the shoulder with his staff, to get him staggering in Kagome's direction. "Go accompany her, you pathetic love sick fool."
"Who's love sick?!" Inuyasha exploded, turning, fists raised, and ready to beat that statement back into the monk's mouth.
"Just go back with her or else she'll get mugged!" Sango broke in, pointing after Kagome whilst glaring at Inuyasha, like an angry mother who was sending a child to bed.
Inuyasha clenched his fists and exhaled deeply, trying valiantly to keep a hold of his anger. He shot one last murderous glare at Miroku before turning and stomping after Kagome.
Once he was out of ear shot Shippo scrambled up Miroku's robes to perch on his shoulder. "Inuyasha really needs to put his foot down with Kagome. He's really letting her get away with too much these days."
"Here, here." Sango echoed.
"Best to just let her be. It appears she has problems with her family from what Inuyasha tells." Miroku turned and started along their path again, Sango walking alongside him. "It can't be easy for her to juggle two lives like this."
"I suppose..." Shippo sighed. "But can't she just give up her world and come and stay here for good? Doesn't she like it here? Is Inuyasha putting her off the idea?"
Sango shook her head at the boy. "In the future there are no warlords or wars... it must be much safer over there. She must want to stay there."
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"Hey!"
Kagome turned at Inuyasha's voice and waited patiently for him to catch up, secretly pleased he was the only one to accompany her. At least now she'd have some alone time with him. Even if it was only for three hours. "You come to protect the helpless human girl? Or to try and convince me to stay here again?"
"Both." He shrugged as he arrived beside her.
Kagome sighed and started down the path again. "You can't change my mind... I can't change my mind... I'd like to, but I can't. It's as simple as that."
Inuyasha followed her with a stormy expression. "I don't get it. You dislike the guy, but you're doing everything you can to please him!"
"I'm not pleasing him - I'm pleasing my mother!" Kagome protested. "Denji can go rot in hell and - no - I don't mean that..." she lapsed into silence and mentally kicked herself for being so horrible. Denji had done nothing to deserve her malice.
Inuyasha gave a sound of disgust. "You're so nice it's sickening. Why can't you be nasty for once and go tell this 'father' to go stick his head where the sun doesn't shine."
"Because that would upset my mother." Kagome explained. "Besides... I'm not TOO nice."
"Sure, you keep telling yourself that. Being too nice is how we acquired Miroku, remember? And Shippo." Inuyasha folded his arms into his sleeves. "But I guess you have to honour your new father. It isn't everyday people live in complete family units. It must be nice..."
Kagome darted him a surprised look, but he seemed a little distant all of a sudden. All of a sudden she felt incredibly guilty and ungrateful. Here she was complaining about her new step father when Inuyasha didn't even have one... he didn't have a mother either. In fact his own family would be his brother - and Sesshomaru was out to kill him most of the time. She had no right to complain in front of him.
"You look wiped out." Inuyasha observed as she shook herself out of her musings. He suddenly overtook her and crouched down. "Get on."
Kagome obeyed with little protest, quietly slipping onto his back and feeling his strong arms lock around her thighs. As they rose she slid her arms around his neck automatically and rested her head against his soft cushion of hair. When was the last time he'd been generous enough to offer to carry her? When was the last time they'd had the chance to be in a position for him to carry her?
A month maybe...
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, in complete trust of his capable strength, knowing he wouldn't drop her or jar her in any way. But how many more months would it be before they could really hang around together like they used to?
"Hey..." Inuyasha said quietly, causing Kagome to open her eyes slowly. "This isn't going to work is it?"
She knew what he was talking about, and she realised that he knew just as well as she did that this whole charade would be fruitless. "No... it isn't..."
She waited for him to come up with a brilliant idea that would solve their problems, but he just remained silent. He gave an almost imperceptible sigh and shifted his hands under her knees, squeezing slightly.
Kagome closed her eyes miserably. Even though she was pressed right against his back at that moment... she missed Inuyasha. And that feeling wasn't about to go away any time soon.
She had the next few months to please her mother and Denji, welcoming her new step father into the family and hoping everything would turn out ok in the end. And just as Inuyasha said...
She'd make the most of what she had given to her.
*
^_^
*
"I'm home!" Kagome slung her pack down next to the shoe rack and absently stepped out of her muddy school shoes. She hesitated to step into the house when she was greeted by nothing but silence. "Hello? Anyone home?"
There was still no answer. Grandpa and her mother were usually the only ones home at this time of the day. Souta would undoubtedly be on his way home from school right then, and perhaps her mother was out shopping for food, with or without Denji, she didn't know. Grandpa was either down at the library researching new and exotic illnesses for her to catch, or down playing chess with the old lads in the park.
That would leave just Kagome.
Kagome just shrugged to herself and headed into the kitchen to pour herself a needed drink of water, seeing as she'd forgotten to bring some with her that morning and she'd been marching on an empty stomach all day.
She went over to the sink and picked up one of the freshly washed glasses that sat on the draining board and proceeded to fill it with water. Then she greedily began gulping down the cold liquid.
"Where were you today?"
Denji's voice sounded so close behind her, Kagome jolted massively and the glass slipped from her wet fingers. It shattered with a dull sound on the tiled floor and the contents sloshed over her socks. She stared at the mess for a moment before whipping back to face the Math's teacher.
"Sorry?" she tried to remember what he'd asked her.
He seemed to pay no attention to the fact she'd just smashed one of her mother's best glasses and continued to bore a gaze into her. "Your form tutor called here today... he said you failed to turn up to class. Again."
Kagome's insides turning to rock, making her stomach drop and her limbs feel very heavy all of a sudden. Her heart began thudding inside her rib cage as though it was trying to break free. "Uh..."
"In fact he says you've not turned up to school for the past six weeks... care to tell me what is going on?" he raised one eyebrow. "Or should I go tell your mother that you've been getting up for school every morning but failing to arrive there?"
"Uh..." Kagome murmured again, in a rather unintelligent way. For once her head was blank of all plausible reasons. She couldn't tell him she was usually out prancing around the feudal era with a dog demon, a corrupt priest, a demon exterminator and a child fox-boy. That wouldn't go down well... plus she didn't fancy trusting him with such knowledge yet.
However, a few good excuses for her absences popped up. Mostly along the lines of gangs, drugs, boyfriends, teenage pregnancies and so on... Well, those were the reasons Denji was probably thinking of.
She had to answer soon or whatever excuse she came up with would seem contrived. "Uh... I have a friend... she's been in hospital for the last few months with a serious illness..." was she turning into her Grandfather already. "She has Neuralgia." Yes, she was turning into her grandfather. "I didn't tell my mother I was going to see her because she doesn't like... uh... Kikyo..."
Why did she have to come up with that name above all others...?
"I see." Denji seemed no more agreeable than before, seeing as he was still glaring at her.
"Yeah... and... seeing as she's missing a lot of work from school, my head of year wanted me to go over there and help her catch up on her missed work during the day - my form tutors new so maybe he didn't know that. But I'm not missing any work or anything..."
"Why haven't you told Ayumi this?" Denji asked, referring to his fiancée.
"Because... I told you... she doesn't like K-Kikyo." Kagome found herself stuttering under his intense glare. Either that or she just couldn't pretend Kikyo was a friend of hers.
For a long time he just stared at her, until she felt the fine hairs at the back of her neck prickling with warning. He wasn't being friendly... and that wasn't natural. There was something seriously wrong with this picture.
All of a sudden he broke into a confiding smile and reached out to squeeze her shoulder, the contact so unexpected that Kagome flinched and looked down at his hand.
"Ok. This'll just be our little secret." He said quietly, giving her a meaningful look before turning and walking out of the kitchen.
Kagome couldn't suppress her shudder... what he'd said sounded rather like what a paedophile might say...
She waited until he was gone, and only then did she realise she'd been holding her breath when she let it out in a rush. She turned back to the sink and suddenly let out a scream.
Pain streaked through her foot and up her leg as she staggered back and collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs. Instinctively she pulled her foot up and squeezed it as she clenched her teeth in agony. She was almost too freaked out to take a look, but she peeked down and grimaced as she found a shard of the broken glass had sliced right through her sock and disappeared half into the pads of her left foot.
"Oh crud..." she hissed as she took the glass poking out her flesh. Warily she glanced over her shoulder to see if Denji would come rushing to her aid... but no... he was sat in the living room watching TV like her scream hadn't just echoed around the lower floor of the house at all.
She was half relieved that he hadn't come... but her wariness of him only increased. She'd just screamed rather loudly and all he did was ignore it and carry on watching TV. What kind of parent did that? She could have been hacked in half by a mad axe man for all he knew, and he'd have just sat right through it.
Kagome turned back to her foot and firmed up her resolve as she began to pull the glass out of her foot, trying to ignore the blood that blossomed out along with the shard.
Something dodgy was going on... and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She was going to figure out Denji and somehow convince her mother she was making a mistake. She just knew her mother could do better than a Math teacher.
Well one thing was for sure... with her foot busted like this, she wasn't going to be doing any long distance walking. Which meant she wouldn't be going to see Inuyasha tomorrow... in fact she didn't even think she'd be able to go to school for real.
Inuyasha was going to flip when he found out...
*
*
*
AN: Well, I had to rewrite it, so it might seem a little rushed and skimpy on the details. Sorry, but I shouldn't have any more computer problems from now on ^_^ *the hallelujah ballad starts playing*