InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Future Beginnings ❯ Ch 3: School Daze ( Chapter 3 )

Ch 3: School Daze

 

 

This certainly didn't look like any “school” Inuyasha had ever seen before. Instead of one big building there were several big ones and a few smaller buildings, more like a village than what he'd come to think of as a “school.” And like a village, it was surrounded by trees and greenery.

 

Inuyasha hopped off the roof of the car as it drove slowly by the school. He felt much more comfortable following from a distance. It was late summer and the trees were thick with leaves. Inuyasha took a deep breath, tasting the air. It was an interesting mix of flowers, trees, grass and what he'd come to think of as car-smell. He sprang from branch to branch, one eye on Kagome's car to be sure she didn't step out of it without him noticing.

 

The car drove right past the school buildings and across a few large roads before it turned into another tree-lined lane. A red brick building was to the left. From there a small path led to an almost hidden wooden structure. Trees and flowering shrubs grew around the building, which actually was a series of wooden houses, or so Inuyasha's discerning nose told him.

 

“Your dorm is right through there,” said the driver as Kagome got out of the van. He indicated that Kagome should take the path to the right. “It's number 24.” He handed her a set of keys.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome told him shyly in English.

 

“No problem. Anything you need, knock on #21—that's the RA for the Women's campus. Ask for Anne. She will be able to help you.”

 

It took Kagome a moment to digest what the driver had said. Learning English in school and speaking it as your only means of communication were two different matters. To Inuyasha, listening from his perch in a tree, it was all gibberish.

 

“O-ok,” stammered Kagome with a smile and a polite bow. She picked up her bag and dragged her big suitcase behind her. “24. Okay.”

 

Inuyasha jumped from the branch he was on to another branch right in front of the wood building. He watched her struggle down a series of steps and unlock a gate to an inner courtyard. The houses, it seemed, were all connected in a big square. Inuyasha's tree looked over the upper level.

 

He hopped up to the flat roof and peered cautiously over the other side so he could see Kagome as she came through the gate. Should he jump down and reveal himself? He wanted to. It was his whole purpose in coming, after all. But what would she do? What if she “sat” him into oblivion? Maybe he should wait a little longer.

 

He watched Kagome unlock one of the doors and go inside. He felt more than saw her move up the stairs and into a room on the second level. So he sprang back over to the other side and found a tree that faced her bedroom window. He could see her moving around inside. It was like old times.

 

Inuyasha got comfortable in his tree and stretched his arms behind his head. Tomorrow was another day. He breathed in the heavy perfume of the summer foliage and felt content. Kagome was here. She was safe. That was enough for the moment.

 

 

Kagome froze in the middle of putting her clothes away. Something felt . . . wrong. It was almost as if she could sense an otherworldly aura. But she never felt like this in her time, only when Inuyasha - suddenly she stomped over to the window and threw it open. Nothing. She shook her head. Probably she was overtired from her long trip. She did feel a little guilty for running out on - ok, running away from - Inuyasha, but it was only for a few months, not forever. She must be feeling guilty, because she could have sworn she felt his presence at odd moments since she left, on the bus, in the airport, even on the plane, impossible as it seemed. She shook her head again and went back to unpacking. “Inuyasha,” she sighed.

 

 

Inuyasha jumped back on to the roof when he heard her move towards the window. Her scent wafted out to him as she stuck her head outside and he heard her softly whisper his name. He smiled.

 

This looked like a good time to show himself. He had no illusions that she would meekly give up this new “school” and follow him back to his time, but he could stay with her and protect her here until December. Then they would go back for good and forget this nonsense.

 

Inuyasha blinked, startled at his own thoughts. When had he started thinking in terms of “for good?” But he knew exactly when. It was when Kagome had told him she was going away. That was not acceptable.

 

He was just about to tap on her window and announce his presence when he heard a knock on Kagome's inner door. A group of people came in, all babbling in that strange language. From what he could see, Kagome looked almost as confused as he was. He settled back on his branch, content to watch. He'd surprise Kagome later.

 

 

Later turned out to be a matter of days, not hours, as Kagome slowly became acclimated to her new environment. Inuyasha figured out that two of the girls who had come to meet Kagome also lived with her. Their rooms were on the lower level along with the bathroom. Kagome's room was upstairs as was the sitting area and a small cooking area. They all seemed to come and go at different times, so Inuyasha continued to wait.

 

Occasionally Kagome took a small bus back to the school village. The first time she did it Inuyasha worried that she might be going back to those big bird-cars, so he ran alongside the bus, keeping to the trees and bushes for cover. If it looked like it was going towards the open road, he was prepared to jump on top of it again. But it stopped at the school village, and Kagome got out and went into one of the buildings.

 

Inuyasha could see no rhyme or reason to her trips to the school village. She took the bus at different times and stopped at different buildings. It was exasperating. There never seemed a good time to reveal his presence to her.

 

In the meantime, he was getting hungry. Before he met Kagome, before he knew Kikyo, he'd fended for himself in the forest. Truthfully, he preferred his meat fresh. For all his time among humans, he really wasn't quite human. However, in deference to the sensibilities of his human companions, he had grown used to cooking his food. Now, however, he couldn't very well light a campfire here without drawing unwanted attention to himself. So he hunted in the forests and streams of the school village and its surrounds and ate his prey the way nature intended - raw.

 

Kagome seemed to have no problem obtaining food. She and her two friends stocked their tiny cooking area with all sorts of goodies he remembered from when she used to bring them all treats back in the past. His mouth watered the few times she made ramen noodles for her new friends. The tiny grey animals were tasty enough, once he got past the tail. He caught a few fish in the little stream that ran through the school village, though they were generally on the small side and he tended to swallow them whole. But he missed the ramen.

 

It was the ramen that was his eventual downfall. He waited one morning until all three girls had left their little house, then he wedged his claws under Kagome's windowsill and pushed up. The window slid open enough for Inuyasha to crawl through and into Kagome's bedroom.

 

He took a deep breath, taking in her scent. He flopped down on her bed. It wasn't as soft as the one in Tokyo. He expertly flicked on her lamp and gazed around at the small space. Bed, desk, books, lots of books. Clothes. Dirty clothes. No TV. Time to move on.

 

He switched off the light as he left Kagome's room and entered the living area/cooking area. In a moment he had located the instant ramen noodles in their styrofoam package. From Kagome's house in Tokyo he recognized a kettle that had a long rope attached to it. He carefully filled the kettle with water from the sink, remembering not to turn the handles too hard. He took the rope and stuck the metal ends of it into the special holes in the wall. Then he waited. After a little while the kettle started to steam. Inuyasha pulled the rope back out of the wall, poured the boiling water into the cup, and prepared to enjoy his ramen.

 

He was so absorbed in this task that he didn't notice the front door swing open. He did hear the footsteps on the stairs, and he knew immediately it was Kagome. Not wanting to spill his ramen, and not sure if this was how he wanted to finally make his presence known to her, he hesitated.

 

He heard the huge intake of breath. He saw and smelled the blood rushing to her face. He waited, not quite cringing, cup held in front of him like a peace offering.

 

“INUYASHA!” Another huge breath. “SIT!”