Chapter 9: Spilled Milk
At long last, the end! Thanks a whole lot for reading, and, if you please, leave a review telling me what you thought of the story!
Also, this chapter is longer then the others, so that's something, no? Hurrah!
Briiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggg!
The school bell rang, just as loud and pealing as before, signifying the same time as the last… but this time it was not with joyful exuberance that Kagome fled from class. Instead she was weighted down with a turmoil of emotions.
She had to go through the well today and face Inuyasha. But what would she say? She silently contemplated the choices:
Inuyasha you're such a pig for spying on me! SIT!
Inuyasha, you didn't really see me in there being kissed by Hojo… it was really my first cousin…
What the heck were you THINKING confronting Hojo like that! It's my business and MY life! SIT!
Er, Hojo wasn't really kissing me… er, I was eating a banana, and all of the sudden I bit off this huge chunk and it just suddenly went straight down and got lodged in my throat! Well, as you can imagine, I couldn't really breathe, so Hojo did the Heimlich maneuver on me, and then I, er, passed out, and so he was forced to do CPR…
SIT, you dog-breathed jerk! SIT! SIT! SIT!
Inuyasha, I know you may be upset by what you saw, but it's over and done with. Let's just get on with our lives…
She snorted. Yeah right, like he'd buy any of that. On the other hand, she couldn't really think of anything else… Oh well. She'd just have to make an effort not to lose her temper and exert discipline only when needed.
Like the Klingons would with Capt. Picard.
Shippo's foot twitched. He was sprawled out asleep on Sango's lap, jolting whenever she sneezed. Despite the fact that her nose was now positively streaming and her sneezing had turned into hacking coughs, she refused to move.
"Please Sango," Miroku begged for what seemed like the hundredth time, "go back to the village and rest! You're in no condition to be out here like this!"
"I'm not moving, Miroku," Sango replied quite frostily. "Kagome's going to come through that well any moment now, I'm sure of it, and until she does I'm going to stay right here."
Miroku had begged, pleaded, bribed, cried, and finally (very tentatively) threatened, all with the same result. So now he just sat there sullenly, shooting concerned glances at Sango every so often. He was just relieved that he didn't have to hold her Hiraikotsu anymore… his arms still felt numb.
After a while, Sango's prediction proved to be correct; a petite girl in a sailor fuku lugging a 50-pound yellow bag leaped (or rather, dragged herself) over the side of the well and stalked (or rather, staggered, before finally dumping the bag by the well in disgust) off into the forest.
Sango was up in a flash, spilling Shippo off her lap,and moving stealthily through the thick foliage at a surprising rate. "We've got to go after her and find out what's been going on between her and Inuyasha."
Having been awakened from a lovely dream about being buried in a mountain of pocky,Shippo immediately curled up and said irritably, "You can go if you want… I'll just stay here and catch up on my nap… WHAAA!"
Miroku had already started after the demon slayer, but doubled back to snag the young kitsune by the back of his shirt and drag him along. "P-put me down! Let go of me, you big idiot! WHAA!"
Miroku didn't react. His attention was focused wholly on keeping up with Sango… or, Shippo saw sourly, keeping her pert behind in view.
His cries of protest didn't seem to be working. Maybe if he screamed louder… Shippo heaved in a renewed lungful of oxygen.
"AAAAAAA-MMPH!"
A cloth-covered hand clamped itself over his mouth. "Stop screaming, Shippo! If you don't, Inuyasha and Kagome are sure to hear us!"
After which Shippo allowed himself to be hauled along like luggage in stony silence.Praise Buddha, Miroku thought wearily… then stifled a yelp as Shippo bit his hand. Not very hard, but still, the kid had some sharp teeth!
"Are you going to walk or just stare at her all day, idiot!"
He came this way, Kagome thought. No one can leave a trail of bad vibes like that moron can.
She thought she heard a rustling noise in the brush and a muffled cry and turned to look, but couldn't see anything. She dismissed it as probably just being some sort of bird and went on.
She didn't have very far to go, however. After a few more minutes of walking (and a slight, iddy-biddy fear of getting lost), a guy in a red haori suddenly dropped from the tree in front of her.
Kagome screamed. "AAH! What… oh, uh, Inuyasha, it's you…"
His amber eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'Oh it's you!'"
"I just thought that you might be-"
"Might be what?"
"I'm ABOUT to tell you, if you'll just be quiet!"
Surprisingly, he did. That unnerved her; this was the guy who could and would yell for hours with his vocal cords still intact until he got his way. Just like a little kid, Kagome thought sourly.
The silence stretched on. And on.
"Well!" Inuyasha finally broke it irritably.
Kagome blinked. "Huh?"
"What were you going to tell me, wench?"
She frowned and opened her mouth, causing Inuyasha to take an involuntary step backwards. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't say 'it'!"
So she didn't. Instead, she let out her breath in a sigh and said, "Inuyasha, just what did you see?"
"See where?"
"Through the window!"
"I didn't see nothin'! I was just checking up on you, that's all, when you just randomly said 'it' and jumped to conclusions!"
Maybe she would have been convinced, if she hadn't heard this a hundred times before, and if Inuyasha's face didn't bear a striking resemblance to a ripe tomato.
"It's okay, Inuyasha." Kagome's voice was controlled and calm. "He kissed me first. It doesn't mean anything…"
"Yeah, but then you had to go and kiss him back!" He exploded.
To heck with calm and soothing. "No, I didn't! He put the moves on me, then I walked out, and now he's in total disgrace at the school! All because of y…" she stopped.
Inuyasha glared, waiting. "Because of…?"
"…Me," she said in a quiet voice, looking at the ground. "I just realized. I'm the one he liked, I'm the one who blabbed about it to my friends, and now this happens. His reputation's crushed because I…"
Inuyasha grabbed her wrists painfully, forcing her to look up at him. "H-hey! What are you-"
"I'm sick and tired of hearing you babble on like this!" He shouted in her face. "You're a wuss, you know that? Whatever happened back there wasn't your fault, it was Homo's! Just get over it! He won't be bothering you again anyway, so it's no use crying over spilled milk."
This touching speech sparked something in the far reaches of Kagome's memory. "Hey… Inuyasha?"
He noticed her face changing expression. Fearful that he had said completely the wrong thing and angered her, he dropped her hands abruptly and stepped back. "W-what, Kagome?…" He asked in a slightly strangled voice.
"Hojo came up to me-"
"That bastard! I told him-"
"-to apologize and…"
Click!
"…What do you mean, 'you told him'?" she demanded. As his Oh my god, she's gonna kill me look intensified, she demanded, "WELL?"
"I…I… just said to stay the hell away from you or there'd be consequences," he forced out weakly, acting as though his neck was being exposed to a dull axe blade.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I thought so… he said something about my 'biker boyfriend' telling him to leave me alone…"
Tomato Inuyasha made his appearance once more. "Huh! Boyfriend! I never... I mean, who'd want to be your-"
"Hey Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, suddenly quite chipper.
This was so out of the blue that he trailed off, nonplussed. "Er…"
"Do me a favor… and SIT!"
WHAM!
"OWW!" Inuyasha raised his red, dirt-smeared face enough to growl, "You… stupid girl, why'd you do that! I didn't even do anything!"
"You did so! Showing yourself in public like that- to Hojo, no less- and telling him that! I can't believe you!"
Inuyasha was finally free to spring up and yell in her face, "Well, at least I didn't punch him!"
"You would've, since you knew I'd find out!"
"No, I didn't think you would and that's why I did it!"
Kagome stopped. A comprehending look spread over her face. "Ohhhh… I think I see now," she said in a thoughtful voice, tapping her chin with her index finger and gazing up at the hanyou. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"I…I AM NOT!" Our favorite ketchup-producing vegetable proclaimed indignantly. "Me! Jealous? Of that Homo-freak! Ha! You have got to be kidding me!"
She sighed and turned away, her shiny raven-black hair whirling with her and settling into place. Inuyasha stared, then mentally kicked himself. He saw her hair everyday… what was so great about it!
Unless… what if she was right, and he was…
"NO!" Inuyasha yelled. Kagome turned in surprise to see him pulling on his hair as if to rip it out of his skull, wearing the most frightful expression on his face. "I am soooooo not…! ARRRGH!"
"Inuyasha, what…?" Her amazed query was cut short by him suddenly dropping his hair (fortunately, it remained glued to his scalp where it belonged) and springing over to the bushes shouting, "Hey! I know you're in there, Miroku! And that shrimpy fox, too! Come on out before I make you, you hear me!"
As if by use of teleportation, Miroku (with Shippo slung over his shoulder), Sango and Kirara appeared in front of him. The monk raised a quivering hand in greeting. "H-hello, Inuyasha… er, lovely day for a…"
"I'm not buying that! How much did you hear!"
"Enough to know that you really are in love with…" Shippo began smugly.
"SHUT UP! COME 'ERE!" Inuyasha made an enraged lunge at the kitsune, but Miroku swung him out of reach. "Hand him over, monk!"
"Inuyasha really, must you be so rash?" Miroku asked, dancing nimbly aside as Inuyasha made repeated swipes at him and Shippo.
"Just hand over the damn kid!"
Sango joined Kagome and they both exhaled weary sighs as they observed the chaotic scene before them. Suddenly, Sango doubled over, hacking as if she was about to throw up.
"Sango!" Current troubles forgotten, Kagome knelt by the demon slayer as she slumped to her hands and knees, coughing violently. "Sango, you're sick! What happened?"
"I… (cough cough)… in the bushes… (cough cough)… started raining… (HACK)…waiting for y… (HACK HACK cough COUGH HACK)… got a cold…. (HACK HACK HACK COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH)"
Kagome laid a hand on Sango's forehead as she reached a break in her coughing fit. "Oh no… you're burning up! We've got to get you to Kaede! Inuyasha!"
He stopped mid-punch and looked at her irritably. "What!"
"Carry Sango to the village. She's really sick!"
"Feh. Why should I?"
"I just said why!"
"Get the monk to do it."
"No way! His hands will probably 'slip by accident' and…"
"Fine!" Inuyasha growled and walked over to where Sango was standing up shakily. "Get on." He crouched so she could mount and cling to his shoulders.
The group started back to the village; Inuyasha in front with Sango, Kagome, then Miroku and Shippo (who was now sitting in a much more comfortable position on Miroku's shoulder). Kagome, strolling along and staring up at the sky, was lost in her own thoughts, when she heard some excited whispering behind her.
"We did it Shippo!"
"Did what?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten our main objective!"
"Er, well I was too worried about Sango (and then escaping from that psycho with my life) to concentrate on anything else…"
"Agh! Well, we have now determined Inuyasha's true, definite feelings for Kagome. And he pretty much as good as said he loved her, didn't he?"
"Weeell... he was being all loud and angry and stuff with her, so I wouldn't really call that..."
"You should know by now that's Inuyasha's way of showing he cares."
"Oh. Okay, then yes!" Shippo giggled maliciously. "He's such a dope."
"I can hear you, Shippo," Inuyasha called back. The kitsune froze. "Oh no…"
"Just wait until we get to the village," Inuyasha swore. "Then I'll teach you to…"
"Inuyasha, don't!… I'd say 'it,' but for now I'll wait since you're carrying Sango..."
Although his face was hidden from her view, Kagome had the distinct impression that the hanyou had brightened considerably. "Hey Sango, when you're better you can always travel with me from now on!"
"INUYASHAAAA! Just you wait until we get back…"
Well, that's it! I hope you liked it... it didn't really turn out the way I wanted, but hey, learn from your mistakes I guess. :) And besides, hardly anything does... I'm pretty proud anyway, seeing as this is my first completed fanfic ever.
Thank you all who reviewed and gave me the boosts to go on with this! You're the best! And thanks to all of you who even r ead this, whoever you are.
Look for something in the near (don't know how near) future from me.But for now, sayonara!