InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I'm Sorry ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: I don't own, didn't create, but I sure do love it.

Author's Note: Thanks for the kind reviews, I'll update soon.

 

Chapter 12

 

The next morning, Kagome was awakened by her new alarm clock, which she had placed on the floor, next to her night table, rather than on top of it. The wisdom of her choice was obvious when she was unable to find it before she was completely awake, thus saving the poor clock from an untimely demise.

 

“Ohhh. I hate Mondays.” Groaning softly, she got up, made her bed and dressed for another day at school. Walking into the bathroom, she washed her face, brushed her hair and teeth, and decided that she could face the world at last. Leaving the bathroom, she passed Sota as she went down to breakfast.

 

To her surprise, Inuyasha was already at the table, dressed in a different set of modern clothes. “Good morning, everyone,” Kagome said as she sat down to start her breakfast.

 

“Good morning, my dear, did you sleep well?” Her mother asked, as she handed her a plate filled with food.

 

“Yes, I did,” looking over at Inuyasha, Kagome asked, “Why are you dressed in these clothes, Inuyasha?”

 

“What? Did I get it wrong?” he asked, looking down at his clothes worriedly.

 

“No, not at all. Everything's fine, I was just curious as to why, that's all,” she answered the hanyou.

 

“Feh.”

 

Realizing that he didn't plan on answering her, Kagome just shrugged and went on with her breakfast. While eating her breakfast, Kagome listened to Jii-chan's plans to visit an old friend at an outlying temple and her mother's plan to go to the dentist with Sota, happy that she didn't have to go for another three months.

 

After clearing the breakfast dishes, Sota and her mother left for the dentist's office, and Kagome picked up her book bag and headed for the door.

 

“Bye, I'm going now, grandpa. Inuy…” Kagome broke off as she saw Inuyasha right behind her, putting on his hat. “Umm, what are you doing?” she asked.

 

“Keh. I'm coming with you, of course,” was his reply.

 

“But, you can't come to school with me, you know. You're not allowed,” Kagome said in surprise.

 

“Keh, I know that! I'm just going with you, that's all. Besides, I want to see where everything is around here. I like knowing the territory.” `I keep getting an occasional faint scent of youkai…not near here, but still, I want to be sure its safe here in her time.'

 

Kagome looked at Inuyasha for a moment, and then said, “Okay, let's go.” With that, she headed out the door, and across the shrine towards the street with Inuyasha right next to her.

 

Reaching the street, they turned and started walking towards her middle school. Within a few steps, Eri called out Kagome's name and ran up to join them, giving Inuyasha a very curious look, but she refrained from saying anything to him. For the moment.

 

As they walked down the street, Kagome and Eri talked about school, although it was mostly Eri filling her in with the gossip she had missed, and Kagome asking about some things she had missed. As they approached a large cross-street, Inuyasha spotted Kagome's other two friends waiting at the corner, obviously looking for Kagome and her friend. Suppressing a sigh, he rolled his eyes at Kagome, who just smiled at his antics.

 

When they had joined up, one of them said, “Hi, my name is Yuka, and you're Inuyasha, right?”

 

Inuyasha looked at her, then grunted “Keh”

 

Undaunted, Yuka persisted, “Are you going to be attending school with Kagome? You'll need to get the proper uniform from the main office, but they should be able to fit you, no problem. Are you in the ninth grade like Kagome, or are you older than her? You look like you're a little older.” Pausing to take a quick look at his face, she went on “How long have you been going out together? Did you just move here, or are you just transferring to our school?…”

 

“Baka wench! Why are you asking so many questions? Do you even breath?!” Inuyasha burst out, cutting off her string of questions.

 

The other girls started laughing as Yuka blushed and stammered an apology. “I'm sorry, I sometimes just say what's in my head, without thinking first.”

 

Inuyasha just looked at her, and said, “Feh.”

 

Kagome smiled, and slid her arm into his and said, “Yuka, I already told you as much as you need to know. Don't pester Inuyasha, please.” Adroitly changing the subject, Eri soon had everyone talking about their new biology section, which included dissection of worms and frogs. At the mention of dissecting frogs both Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other and Kagome whispered, “Remember the Toad Prince?”

 

Inuyasha just snorted and shook his head at her, as he remembered how she had driven the toad out with fire from one of her modern things, and what an idiot Nobunaga had been.

 

Pretty soon, they reached the entrance to the school grounds, but as they turned to enter the school, Kagome stopped with Inuyasha and said, “I'll catch up in a second, okay?” and waved her friends on their way, pausing only until they were out of earshot, she went on, “Inuyasha, will you be okay today?”

 

“I'll be fine, wench. I'm just going to do some walking around, that's all. Besides, there's something odd around here, and I want to see if I can pin it down.”

 

“Odd? Odd how?” she asked curiously.

 

“If I knew that, it wouldn't be `Odd', now would it?” He grinned at her, and added, “I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to come home, this afternoon.”

 

Kagome looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled and said, “I'd like that. I get out of school at about 2:45, and I'll look for you here, okay?”

 

“Keh.”

 

Kagome turned and ran to catch up with her friends, looking back over her shoulder just before she went through the door to see Inuyasha still watching her.

 

“So, Kagome, is he going to be walking you to school all the time now?” Ayumi asked, a look of frank curiosity on her face.

 

Kagome shrugged and said, “I doubt it. He has other responsibilities, and really can't be here all the time.”

 

Together, the girls entered their classroom, and sat down for their first class. Kagome tried to concentrate on her sensei, but her mind kept wandering to where Inuyasha was, and every time it did, she once again became aware of his presence in her head.

 

During Biology, she turned in her extra credit essay on Wolf Packs and a thick packet of papers on the material she had missed. Kagome smiled, thanked her sensei and started to leave when her sensei stopped her and asked, “How did you like the topic I assigned you?”

 

“Very much, Takashi-sensei, at first, it seemed like a very unusual subject, but the more I read and thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. And I found that some of the concepts could even be applied to people.” Kagome answered with enthusiasm.

 

Her teacher smiled back at her and said, “I'm glad you enjoyed it, and even more that it was helpful to you. Tomorrow I plan to give you some more material for the next extra credit assignment; it will be a different topic, but related, alright?”

 

“Of course, sensei. I look forward to getting them,” was all Kagome could say.

 

The next class she had, right before lunch, was PE. Oddly enough, even with all her `illnesses' Kagome usually did well at PE, especially the individual sports. Today however was a surprise for everyone. After changing clothes and taking attendance, they were led outside to the large playing field, where a dozen targets had been set up.

 

“I wonder what we'll be doing today?” Ayumi asked excitedly.

 

“I don't know,” answered Eri, while Yuka just shrugged.

 

“Archery.” Kagome said. “Has to be archery, why else would they have targets set up like that. No way would we be using guns in the city, and I don't think anyone could throw something all the way to those targets. It's archery.”

 

Her friends looked at the targets, then back at Kagome and nodded in unison. “We're doomed. Totally doomed,” was the sentence pronounced by Eri.

 

“Why are we doomed?” Kagome asked, mystified at their gloomy faces. “What's wrong?”

 

“I heard a rumor last week, that a new competition was starting, and that failure, or even low scores in the competition would mean a lot of extra time here at school.” Eri explained.

 

Kagome just looked at her, and said, “So, what's the problem? They have to teach us how first, right?” But Eri just shook her head and said, “No, each group has to get a minimum collective score or …” she drew her finger across her throat dramatically.

 

Kagome looked at her, then at her friends and asked, “So, can I be in your group, or have they already been formed?”

 

“Umm, you're already in our group. The coaches did that last week,” Yuka explained.

 

Kagome just smiled and said, “Feh. Piece of cake.” After that, no matter how much her friends asked and begged, she refused to say anything else. At last it was their group's turn to use the bows. Kagome was very pleased to see that both modern and traditional bows were available for the students' use, and she kept silent while the coach explained the safety rules and the basics of using a bow.

 

Finally, Eri tried first. Kagome watched as she followed the coach's directions, and managed to hit the target with only one of her 6 arrows. Ayumi and Yuka did no better with their attempts, and Kagome realized that none of the girls in her class had managed to get more than two arrows into the target, and only one girl managed to hit close to the center of the target.

 

When Kagome's turn came, she quickly checked out the traditional bows, until she found one that wasn't TOO light, although the coach was beginning to look a little annoyed at her delays.

 

Smiling, she stepped up to the line drawn on the grass, slipped the quiver over her shoulder into a comfortable position, and nodded at the coach. Sighing dramatically, the coach explained what she was to do, and finished by saying “I know you've been ill a lot this year, but please try your best, Higurashi-san.”

 

“Thank you, I will.” With that she slipped an arrow out of the quiver, nocked it, pulled back and released in a single smooth motion. Before the arrow had even hit the target, she had a second one nocked and was starting to pull back. In a deceptively smooth, but fast flow, Kagome sent all six arrows that she had in her quiver into the center of the target in less than 10 seconds.

 

Turning to face the coach, she asked, with an absolutely straight face, “Is that the way I should be doing it, sensei?”

 

The coach looked at her, his mouth open, then finally he shook his head, and walked down to the target in silence. Coming back, he said, “Higurashi-san, each of the arrows is in the exact center of the target, the shafts are actually touching, and…I don't think…I mean, I saw you do it, and I still don't believe it.” He shook his head, and walked over to speak with the head coach, who had been watching the whole thing.

 

Kagome turned to her friends and said, “So, if each teams results are added together, do you think that will be good enough?”

 

“Good enough, oh yeah, I think it'll be good enough,” Eri said shaking her head as she spoke. “Kagome, I had no idea you could do that, why…”

 

She was interrupted by Yuka and Ayumi, who both squealed and hugged Kagome. As they were congratulating her, somewhat incoherently, the head coach came over with the coach who had witnessed their group's attempts.

 

“Higurashi-san, I am somewhat surprised at how well you did that. I had no idea anyone in our school had that level of skill, especially, please forgive me, especially someone who has been as ill as you have been this last year.” He said, a look of concerned admiration crossing his face.

 

Kagome thought to herself `Oh, damn. Think fast girl, he's gonna want to know something, like RIGHT NOW!!'

 

Clearing her throat, Kagome spoke softly, her eyes downcast, “Archery was suggested to me as a form of…physical therapy…that I could practice, at least a little, even when ill. I have had a great deal of time to practice.” Hoping that he would accept her explanation, Kagome held her breath.

 

“I see. Well, it seems that your practice has served you well,” he said, looking at her carefully. “Well, I would have to say that your group has definitely passed the minimum proficiency required, although I don't think that anyone expected such an unusual result. Nonetheless, your group is exempt from mandatory practice daily, although I recommend that your friends spend at least some time practicing, either here or with you. In addition, your group may go to lunch early today. Dismissed.” With that, he turned and left the playing field.

 

Kagome and her friends looked at each other and started smiling. “Yea!!!!” they shouted together and ran off towards the locker room.

 

After changing back into their school uniforms and getting their lunches, they headed back outside to their favorite lunch spot, under a large elm tree in the corner of the schoolyard.

 

After settling down and opening up their lunches, Yuka finally asked, “So, Kagome, when did you learn to use a bow like that, I never knew you did that?”

 

Kagome just laughed and said, “I told the coach the truth; I started using a bow last year, it was recommended as a way of improving my health and strength.” `And that's almost the truth, too. If I hadn't start using a bow, I doubt I'd be nearly this healthy, after all being dead could be considered `unhealthy' right? Going on, she added “And to be honest, I never really considered that skill with a bow would be interesting to anyone. It's not like it's a real useful skill in the modern world, is it?”

 

“I don't know, it was sure useful at keeping us out of an extra hour of school each day, wasn't it?” Eri said, smiling happily.

 

Her friends agreed, smiling as they finished eating their lunches. As they were collecting their trash, the bell for lunch finally rang, causing all four of them to start laughing.

 

“So, now what?” Eri asked, getting to her feet.

 

“Well, I want to do some research in the library,” Kagome said, as she got up also, “so that's where I'm going, anyone coming along?” Eri and Ayumi nodded, but Yuka said, “No, I need to talk to the chorus director. I'll see you in English class.” She waved as she headed off towards the music hall.

 

The three girls chatted about nothing in particular as they walked to the library. Inside, Kagome logged on to one of the Internet PC's and started searching for some more information on social patterns of wolf packs and other canine types. As she found any articles that looked like they might be useful, she hit the print button and kept on looking, rather than getting caught up in reading as she went along. At the end of thirty minutes, just before lunch period ended, Kagome had another stack of print outs, almost two inches thick. Groaning to herself, she straightened them out, put them in a borrowed file folder, and headed to her next class.

 

By the time school was dismissed, she was pleased that everything had been going so smoothly, and that Inuyasha was already waiting for her, just outside school grounds.

 

As they walked down the stairs, Eri asked, “So, do you think Inuyasha is going to come meet you this afternoon, Kagome?”

 

“Hmm? Yes, of course he is. He told me that this morning, and he's already here.”

 

“Already here, why do you think he's already here, Kagome?” asked Ayumi, puzzled by her friends certainty.

 

Kagome started to speak, then realized that she couldn't tell them `Because I can feel him in my head, that's why' so she said instead, “Because he always keeps his word. He might be late, that's certainly possible, but he would certainly come to meet me.”

 

“Wow, you mean that he never lies?” Yuka asked, not quite sure that Kagome had meant it that way.

 

Kagome grinned, “No, I don't mean that he never lies, I mean that he always keeps his word. There is a difference.”

 

Her friends looked at her for a moment, and then just then, as they walked out they saw Inuyasha leaning up against the main gate of the school. As the four of them walked across the schoolyard, Inuyasha watched Kagome intently, standing up straight only when she reached him.

 

“About time,” was all he said.

 

Kagome just shook her head and smiled up at him. “Gracious as ever.”

 

“Keh, if you want grace and smooth speeches, go talk to Sesshomaru.”

 

“Oh sure, he talks real smooth, but I bet he wouldn't catch me if I jumped, would he?” she asked, smirking at him.

 

“Heh, he'd watch you go splat, and then just be pissed because you got blood on his clothes.” Inuyasha smirked back, and stepped up next to her and headed on down the street.

 

“Sesshomaru? Who's Sesshomaru, Kagome?” Eri asked, curious about this person that they clearly both knew well.

 

“Eh? Oh, umm, well he's Inuyasha's older brother, Eri.” Kagome said, startled to realize that she had been talking about someone from the Sengoku Jidai.

 

“Hey, half-brother only, and don't you forget it, wench,” Inuyasha shot back, irritated to be reminded of the presence of the other girls.

 

“Hey, don't talk to Kagome like that!” Yuka said, upset at the boy's rudeness.

 

“Grrrr.” Inuyasha growled at girl who had just chastised him, then his head snapped away, and he was looking across the street at a small group of older teens walking in the opposite direction. `What the hell was that? I'd swear that was the scent of wolf-youkai! And it's coming from those punks over there.'

 

“Inuyasha? What is it?” Kagome asked, worried about his reactions. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Not sure. Just be careful.” Watching the teens walking away for a few seconds, Inuyasha scanned his surroundings carefully, while moving closer to Kagome. “Let's get back to shrine. Now.”

 

Seriously worried now, Kagome just nodded and said, “Okay.” As she headed home, she moved closer to Inuyasha, holding on to his arm tightly. After checking for any visible danger, she closed her eyes and reached out with her inner sense, trying to spot any invisible danger. Walking along with her eyes closed, she couldn't sense any danger, and the only youki she could sense was Inuyasha's.

 

“Uh, Kagome? Why are your eyes closed, are you alright?” Yuka asked worriedly.

 

“Hmm? Yes, Yuka, I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all.” She said. `As if I could tell her what I was really doing. And I am a little tired.'

 

After that, her friends just walked along quietly, not wanting to upset or tire her any more than she already was. Yuka and Ayumi turned off to head home, quietly saying goodbye to Eri, Kagome and Inuyasha.

 

At the shrine steps, Eri finally broke the silence. “Kagome, get some rest, okay? And Inuyasha? Take good care of her, please?” Then she turned and headed home alone.

 

Kagome watched her for a moment, then Inuyasha spoke up. “I like her. She's a good friend to you.”

 

Kagome's mouth dropped to hear Inuyasha say that about any human, especially one he had only seen two or three times. “Thank you, Inuyasha. That means a lot coming from you.” Starting up the steps, she added, “We need to talk.”

 

“Yeah, we do,” he agreed seriously.

 

Entering the house, Kagome called out, “Mama, we're home.” She listened, but didn't hear anything, so she asked, “Inuyasha, is anyone in the house?”

 

He took off his hat and swiveled his ears around a bit, and said, “No, we're alone.”

 

“Good. Let's go up to my room and talk. Sota won't be home for at least half an hour, so we have a little time and privacy.” She went up the stair and into her room, dropping her book bag on her desk and sat down in the chair. Bending over she pulled off her socks, and rubbed her bare foot. “Okay, spill it. What was it that got your attention on the way home? I couldn't sense anything wrong.”

 

He shrugged uncomfortably, “I thought…NO, I'm sure I scented wolf-youkai, a group of them across the street from us. But I couldn't see them; I only saw a group of humans.”

 

Kagome frowned in concentration, “Could you feel their youki? I tried, but yours was the only one I could feel.” He shook his head.

 

“It was just scent, then? Nothing else, right?”

 

“Right, but Kagome, there was no mistaking the scent. It was five different wolf-youkai, not wolves, not hanyou, wolf-youkai. I'm sure of it.” He frowned back at her and continued, “Naraku can hide his youki behind a barrier, and all I can sense is his scent, but this…this felt different somehow.”

 

Kagome nodded in understanding and said thoughtfully, “It wasn't a barrier. I would have felt it, especially if it was as close as across the street. I might miss a barrier if I wasn't looking for it, but there's no way to miss the blank spot a barrier makes, if I'm actually looking for it.” Tapping her lip in thought, she finally went on, “I wonder if it's possible to create a disguise spell of some sort, which would hide youki, as well as visual appearance. That could be pretty convenient for you.”

 

Inuyasha shrugged and said, “Maybe, but what about scent? If a spell like that exists, and youkai are using it to move undetected among humans, why haven't I been able to smell them?”

 

“Maybe you have; didn't you think that you caught a trace of youkai scent when we went to the mall? And you scented the wolf-youkai today. Maybe the problem is that the spell can block scent, and the only times you pick up their scent is if they're careless or make a mistake,” Kagome offered.

 

Inuyasha sighed and agreed, “Maybe. It would make sense. The wolf-youkai today were only pups, just a little older then you. Maybe they were careless with the spell. I just don't like it. It means that it isn't as safe here for you as I thought, and the shards could be at risk too.”

 

Kagome drew in a sharp breath at the thought of youkai coming here to look for Shikon shards. `Mama, Sota, Jii-chan! Nooo! This was supposed to be MY problem, not theirs! If a youkai comes here…” Her pulse raced as she thought about her family being at risk, and she jumped when she felt Inuyasha's hands grip hers.

 

Without her noticing, he had knelt down in front of her and clasped her hands in his. He'd noticed her agitation and fear, and knew what had caused it. “Kagome, the shards are safe here, nobody has come after them so far, right? You keep them here in your room while you're going to school and stuff, and I don't think they can be detected while they're inside the shrine. I know that I can't sense them from outside the shrine. And even here, right next to them, I can barely feel them.” He reached up and pulled her down to his level and hugged her. “Your family is as safe as they've always been. And if something changes, we'll face it together. I'll protect your family like I protect you, Kagome.” Running his hands up and down her back, he tried to comfort and soothe her fears. Slowly, she relaxed in his arms, drawing comfort from them like she always did.

 

After a good twenty minutes of just holding, and being held, Inuyasha heard the sounds of Sota coming in the house. “Hey,” he whispered in her ear, “I think Sota is home.” Loosening his grasp on her, he pulled back enough to look her in the eyes. “Are you going to be okay, now?”

 

Kagome smiled at him and said, “Yes, I am. Thank you. For being here. For protecting me. For caring. For everything. Thank you.” She slowly pulled away and stood up. Looking down on her friend, her dearest friend, she reached down and gently rubbed his ear.

 

As she stood there, she heard Sota running up the stairs and she sighed. “All good things must come to an end. Inuyasha, I have a lot of studying to do before dinner, and I want to tell him another story tonight, any suggestions?”

 

“Why not tell him about the toad prince, that one has a lot of funny stuff in it, Nobunaga was such an idiot, wasn't he?” Inuyasha smirked at his memory of the fool falling off the cliff—twice. “I bet Sota would love hearing that one.”

 

Kagome smiled back at him and said, “Yeah that was pretty funny. Maybe I will tell him that one. But not until after supper. I really do need to study for my tests tomorrow.”

 

“Fine. I'm going outside for a bit,” he paused as she looked up in alarm. “I'm not leaving the shrine, I just want to check around a bit, that's all.”

 

Kagome nodded her understanding, a little ashamed at how frightened she had been at the thought of him not being nearby. Inuyasha left her room, stopping to speak to Sota for a minute before continuing on out of the house.

 

Inuyasha walked all the way around the shrine grounds, checking all approaches carefully for any sign of intrusion, as well as looking for any active wards or seals. During his wanderings, he noticed the old man watching him with a puzzled look on his face.

 

By the time he had finished his tour, he decided that even if the old man had no spiritual power to speak of, his predecessors must have. The shrine was warded, very well warded, and although the wards and seals were old, they were strong and subtle. Until he started searching for them, they had gone unnoticed. They were what were keeping the Shikon shards hidden, and he wondered if that wasn't why they had been cast in the first place. After all, the jewel had been inside Kagome when they first met, and no one had noticed until she went back in time, to a time when the wards didn't exist.

 

At the conclusion of his tour, he climbed to his favorite perch in the Go-Shim-Boku, and settled down to wait for dinner.

 

Dinner that night was subdued, the only excitement coming when Kagome told Sota that after all the dishes were done, provided his homework was complete, she would tell him his second story of the Sengoku Jidai.

 

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter, pleased that whatever had been bothering her; it wasn't enough to cause her to forget her promise to her little brother.

 

“Kagome, you've been pretty quiet tonight, is everything alright?” She asked her daughter, trying to bring her out of her introspection.

 

Putting a smile back on her face, Kagome said, “Everything's just fine, mama. In fact, in PE today, we had a special competition, and I won. The good thing is it means that I won't have to put in an extra hour each day for the next month.” `Not that I plan on being here for most of that time, but still…'

 

“Really, what was it?” Sota asked excitedly.

 

“Gee, I don't know…what could it have possibly have been? I mean, it's not like I'm there enough to be good in most sports, am I?” she said, teasing Sota.

 

“Ka-go-me!! Just tell me, okay?!” he begged, starting to bounce in his seat.

 

Kagome started to laugh at his expression and excitement, and said, “Nope, just guess.”

 

“Ohhh, man!” Creasing his brow in concentration, Sota tried to guess what the answer, not noticing that both his mother and Inuyasha were grinning at him. At last, he smacked his forehead, and said, “Duh!! Archery, of course!”

 

“You got it, pipsqueak. Not that it was actually that hard. It was only about 30 paces, and non-moving targets.” She explained, “The best part was that my group, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, don't have to do the extra PE, either. I did tell them that if I'm not in school, then they probably should go for the extra time, but it's up to them.”

 

Finished with her dinner, Kagome got up and cleared her spot, and started in on the dinner dishes. As everyone else finished, they brought her the dirty dishes, and went on out of the kitchen. When Sota came in, she reminded him about his homework, and told him to come get her when his was finished.

 

A few minutes later, her mother came in and started helping her with the cleanup, not that there was much left to do.

 

Her mother spoke up, “Kagome, when did you plan on going back thru the well?”

 

“Hmm? Tomorrow, after dinner, if that's okay? We don't want to wait too long before teaching Shippo what he needs to know,” she said, while drying the wok, before putting it away in the cupboard.

 

“That sounds fine, dear. Oh, by the way, thank you for remembering Sota's story, I hope it's a interesting as the last one.”

 

Kagome laughed and said, “I don't know if it's as interesting, but it is pretty funny, so I think he'll like it.” Putting away the last of the dishes, Kagome added, “Well, I think that's everything, so I'm going to find Sota and take him out to the Go-Shim-Boku for his story, okay? And you and grandpa are welcome to come along too.”

 

Her mother smiled at her and just said, “We'll see, dear.”

 

Fetching her brother from the living room, Kagome went outside and settled down on the ground with her back against the tree Inuyasha was lounging in.

 

“Alright Sota, I thought about what kind of story I should tell you, and I decided to tell you the one about the Toad Prince.”

 

“Toad Prince? What kind of story is that? Does it have man-eating monsters in it?” He asked hopefully.

 

“Not exactly, the toad didn't eat bodies, he ate young girls' souls. Now this happened quite a while ago, even before we met Shippo. We had left Kaede's village and been on the road for three days when we came across a small pond that was fed from both a hot spring and a little stream, which meant that the water was delightfully warm, and…” She was interrupted by the sound of Inuyasha snorting from the branch above her head.

 

“Feh. You and your baths, woman.”

 

“And what's wrong with them, eh? I like to take hot baths, so what?” Tossing her head disdainfully, Kagome went on with the story.

 

“Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I was taking a bath, when I saw a white blur grab my clothes from the edge of the pond. It turned out to be a little monkey had stolen my clothes and run away with them. Inuyasha and I followed and…”

 

“Naked?!” Sota asked in amazement.

 

“What!? Of course not, I was wearing my bathing suit, you doofus! And if you interrupt one more time, the story is over. Got it?”

 

“Got it. Sorry about that,” he said quickly, obviously not wanting to loose his story.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome went on with the story, taking pains to play up Nobunaga's bumbling determination to rescue the princess, and soon she had Sota laughing so hard that she had to pause periodically to let him calm down and catch his breath. During one of those pauses, she saw that her mother and grandfather had joined them and were also enjoying the story.

 

She drew the story out to the very end, where Nobunaga fell off the same cliff, for the second time, which of course, Sota found hysterical.

 

When Sota had finally stopped laughing, Mrs. Higurashi sent him inside to get ready for bed, and she and Jii-chan went in as well. Kagome stayed where she was, waiting to talk to Inuyasha in private.

 

Finally everyone was out of earshot, and she spoke up, “Have you had any other thoughts about the possibility of youkai in the here and now, Inuyasha?”

 

He dropped down from his branch, and sat cross-legged next to her. “Yeah, I have, but first I want tell you what I discovered about the shrine.”

 

“About the shrine? What did you find?” She asked him, confused by his statement.

 

“I walked around the outer edge of the shrine, looking for any indication that youkai might have been sneaking around, and couldn't find any signs, whatsoever. What I did find, is that this shrine is VERY heavily warded and sealed. I think.”

 

“What!? No way, I'm sure I would have noticed something like that before now!” She exclaimed loudly.

 

He shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not. The wards are very subtle, and designed not to be noticed. I had to look really close to spot even the edges of them.” Standing up, he held out his hand to help her up, and said, “Come on, I want you to take a look at them, and tell me if I'm crazy or not.”

 

Kagome took his hand and stood up. “Okay, let's go take a look at these wards of yours.”

 

Inuyasha led her over to the shrine entrance and pointed at the upright posts. “Right here, feel for the seal. I think it's built into foundations or something. I can't see it, but I can sort of feel it.”

 

Kagome closed her eyes and ran her hands up and down the surface of the post, maybe a half-inch above it. `Okay, let's see if he's crazy or not…' As she concentrated, she felt a gentle heat, and began to see, almost at the edge of her vision, symbols that she didn't recognize. `Oh my god! He's right, and I never even noticed! But, I shouldn't be surprised, it seems like it's trying to prevent people or things that are a danger to the shrine, or those who live here, from coming inside.' “You're right, it is warded. Very, very subtly. Even with you telling me where to look, I almost missed it.” She looked at him and asked, “These wards cover the entire shrine? What about the separate buildings, are they warded as well?”

 

“I don't know, never looked for it, I just checked the outer edges, that's all,” he said, shaking his head.

 

Kagome nodded, and said, “Let's check out the house and other buildings and see if they're warded as well. Starting with the house.” Kagome led the way back to her house, and began carefully checking for any wards there. “Yeah…they're here, too.” Looking up at him, she went on, “The Well next, and then the main shrine. Although, I think that all the buildings will be warded this way, too.”

 

“Uh huh.” Inuyasha followed her as she checked each of the buildings on the shrine grounds, still thinking about who and why had put the wards around the shrine. “Hey, Kagome, can you tell how old these wards are?” he asked.

 

“Not really. I think, no, not think, I feel that they are at least older than me. Why? Does it matter how old they are,” she asked, puzzled at his question.

 

Shrugging, he said, “I guess not, I was just curious about them.”

 

After checking all of the buildings, and the perimeter of the shrine grounds, Kagome decided that Inuyasha was right, the shards had been, and probably would continue to be safe, as long as they stayed on the shrine grounds. And if she had understood how the wards were set up, anyone was free to enter the shrine ground, as long as they meant no harm; but if they did!! they were toast. Either they couldn't enter the grounds at all, or if they did, they would either leave immediately or die. She was pretty sure it worked with humans as well as youkai, too.

 

“Well,” she said finally, “I think you're right, the shrine's warded, and well warded, too.” She shook her head and said, “I never even thought to check for wards, even after I knew what to look for, I always assumed…”

 

Inuyasha smirked at her and said, “Keh, never assume, especially about magic. Hasn't Kaede-baba taught you anything?”

 

“Hey! You never thought to check before tonight, did you!?” She shot back at him, annoyed at his assumption of superiority.

 

“Nope. Course, I didn't live here for 15 years, did I?” He said as he led the way back to the house.

 

“GRRRR!”

 

Turning his head, Inuyasha smiled over his shoulder at Kagome's expression as she realized that she had growled in a very Inuyasha way, at his teasing remark. Deciding not to push her any more at the moment, he just turned back and kept walking towards the house.

 

Entering the house, Kagome told her mother that she had some more studying to do, and then she asked Inuyasha if he would be okay on his own for a while. Inuyasha started to speak, but Sota interrupted.

 

“That's okay, I can show him how to play my new game on PS2! I don't have to go to bed for almost another hour, so would you like to come up to my room for a while? Please?” Sota asked excitedly, bouncing on his toes.

 

Inuyasha looked surprised for a moment, then looked back and forth between Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi, both of whom returned his questioning looks with identical bland looks of their own. Getting no help from the two women, he finally looked at Sota and said, “Keh.”

 

“Cool!!” Sota jumped up and ran up the stairs, calling for Inuyasha to join him in his room. Inuyasha just shrugged at Kagome, and followed the excited boy up stairs.

 

Kagome watched him go up out of sight; a pensive look on her face, until she realized her mother was still standing there, watching her, as she watched Inuyasha. She quickly smiled, and said, “Well, back to the books. I'll see you later, mama.”

 

While Kagome struggled with trying to master a vast amount of information on insects, followed by trinomials and quadratic equations; Inuyasha was learning how to use the PlayStation controller without breaking it, and playing Doom II in deathmatch mode.

 

Eventually, Sota was sent to bed and Inuyasha wandered into Kagome's room and settled down on her bed to watch her study for her tests the next day.

 

Finally, at about 1:00 in the morning, Kagome closed her books, stretched, and turned to look at Inuyasha, who had finally dozed off while watching her. She smiled gently at him, and went to her dresser, got her pajamas and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When she returned to her room, about ten minutes later, she had to decide how she was going to get him out of her bed, and into his own. She sat down on the edge of the bed and softly called his name. “Inuyasha? Hey, time to wakeup, sleepy head.” She smiled at him, as he turned his head and started to snore, very, very softly. Tentatively, she reached her hand out and began to gently rub his ears, something she always wanted to do, but never really had the nerve to do. As she rubbed his ear, then using both hands, both of his ears, she heard a soft rumbling noise. `Is…is he purring? He is, just like a cat! He likes this, I wish I'd known this before, but he never lets anyone get close to him.' Smiling down at the sleeping hanyou, she continued to gently rub his ears, listening to the rumbling purr that came from his chest. `I should stop this, and wake him up…but…he looks so relaxed and peaceful, and he never seems to relax like this when we're back there, looking for shards.'

Finally, she sighed, and pulled her hands away from his ears. Standing up, she gently pulled the comforter up from the bottom of her bed and laid it over the top of the sleeping hanyou. Then she went to her closet and took out an extra pillow and a blanket off the shelf, and lay down on the floor next to her bed, rolled up in the blanket and closed her eyes. Relaxing, she thought to herself, `This isn't any worse than most of the places I sleep, better really…no bugs.' Smiling to herself, she fell asleep, still thinking about the boy who was sleeping in her bed.