Summer’s End
Chapter Two
By: Lazuli
lazulidreamer@yahoo.com
Inuyasha sighed as he swept the pathway clear of leaves. It was late fall, and school was getting ready to start. He wondered what Kagome was going to do. She looked like she should be in school—and she was slowly getting used to this time, relaxing around them. She still made her daily vigil to Inuyasha’s grave. It had almost been a month since she came to stay with them, and words she had said to him came back unbidden.
“Fine…I’ll wait a month—then ask you again.” He wondered if she still wanted to die—and why she said a month. Was there something special about that date? He shook his head, leaning the broom against the shrine’s door, picking up the thermos of green tea he set out.
“Kagome?” The girl looked up from the grave, her eyes intent on his. To his relief, there wasn’t the aching sadness that had been there before. There was a kind of weird amusement there, as if she was telling her Inuyasha a funny joke. He held out the tea to her and she smiled, getting up slowly from the ground.
Kagome smiled at the boy in front of her. “You’re getting ready for your school, aren’t you, Inuyasha?” His name came easier to her now—it didn’t hurt so much to say it. He nodded, a surprised look coming over his features. She giggled.
“How’d you know?” He asked, handing her a cup of tea. She blew on the hot liquid, shaking her head.
“I’m not deaf, you know.” She smirked. “I can hear you shouting about the semester, and your classes—“ She frowned slightly. “And talking to your grandfather about how the kids are going to be this semester.”
He looked away from her, but she caught the slight hostility in his movement. “Inuyasha?” She questioned.
Shaking his head, he sipped the tea slowly. “It’s nothing much.” He said softly. “The kids—they don’t really accept me.” Giving her a weird smile, he finished the tea. “Guess we have more in common…”
She glared at him. “Why do you let them? You’re human—you’re…” She paused, flushing, not completing her sentence. “Anyways, if they bother you, I’ll find out.”
He stared at her. She’s being…protective…She noticed the look he was giving her, and glared at him again.
“What? You’re under my protection.” Without another word to him she walked away, jumping into the high branches of the Goshinboku.
~~
Inuyasha wrapped his coat tighter around him as he held his satchel. He was aware that he had a shadow, and he smiled inwardly. Three weeks ago, Kagome avoided him—now she was following him like a bodyguard. She seemed serious about protecting him, and he swallowed a grin as he imagined the look on Keichi’ face if he ever saw Kagome.
The gates of the school loomed up in front of him and he broke into a slight run as the first bell started to ring. He hoped Kagome would keep herself busy during the school day.
~~
Kagome lounged in the branches of a tree outside the school window, high enough up where no one could spot her, but close enough so she could hear what was going on. It sounded boring to her—an older human going over boring facts that had no purpose. She snorted, glad she never went to school.
She listened to the lessons with half of her attention, waiting for Inuyasha to come out. How long did this stupid school last anyways? It seemed to be all day—Inuyasha looked bored there, chin propped up on his hands as the teacher droned on in a monotone voice. She half debated going in and rescuing him, but decided against it. It wasn’t important enough—
She yawned and let herself fall asleep.
~~
Kagome was jerked out of her sleep by shouting beneath the tree she was in, and she stared down with sleepy eyes at the crowd of boys surrounding Inuyasha. She growled low in her throat, and jumped down a couple of branches to better hear the conversation.
~~
Inuyasha glared at Keichi, fist clenched. The moron didn’t even wait to gang up on him…it seemed as soon as the break started, he started in on Inuyasha. And he wasn’t even original…the first topic of the day…his name. He prayed that Kagome wasn’t anywhere nearby for this one.
“What a *stupid* name.” Keichi smirked at Inuyasha’s face. “Why on earth did your parents name you after a dog? That’s right…because you look like one.” The boys around him laughed, as if this was a new line, one that they hadn’t heard before.
“My mother named me that for a good reason, Keichi.” Inuyasha said softly. “It’s an important name for a good person they knew.”
Keichi laughed harder. “What…a stray they took in? Aw, poor little puppy dog! I hear you buried it in the yard. Do you put flowers on its grave?”
A low growling sound was heard above them, and all heads turned up to see an angry girl seated above them.
~~
Kagome’s eyes were narrowed in anger as she heard the boys defile Inuyasha’s name, and she barely remembered to cover her ears before leaping to the ground in front of the leader.
“I would shut my mouth if I were you.” She said softly. The boy smirked down at her.
“Is a pretty little thing like you going to stop me?” He asked. He went to pat her hand, but she swiped out at him, causing several deep gashes to appear in his arm.
“I said shut your mouth.” She smiled sweetly at him as he clutched his arm in pain, and the rest of the crowd looked at her uneasily.
“What the hell are you?” Keichi demanded. Kagome smirked.
“A crazy bitch who doesn’t want Inuyasha bothered.” She said fiercely. “This one or the one he was named for.”
Keichi started to laugh again. “A girl fighting your battles, dog boy?” He didn’t see the fist coming his way, and he doubled over in pain.
Inuyasha glared at the fallen Keichi. “I fight my own battles. Kagome just defends what is her own.” He shook his head in disgust at Keichi, and then looked over at Kagome, who seemed to be debating something inside. He saw anger in her eyes…and something else that would have scared him normally…had he not known the girl like he did.
He bit his lip as he looked at her. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I didn’t want you to hear that.”
She shook her head. “I’m going home. I’ll see you later.”
~~
Inuyasha swore as he made his way home. Kagome was witness to what he never wanted her to know about—he actually cared about her feelings. He wasn’t a totally insensitive person, no matter what she thought of him. He had a high respect for the dead, especially a person that he was named after.
The sun was set completely by the time he made his way back to the temple, and he gazed up at the stars, the quarter moon glowing faintly in the sky.
He expected to find Kagome up in the Goshinboku or at his grave—but there was no sign of her. He sighed, walking through the house.
“Grandpa, have you seen Kagome?” His grandfather shook his head, and Inuyasha sighed as he went back up to his room. She was going to avoid them, then—and he didn’t blame her.
Tossing his satchel on his desk, he flopped back on the bed. He rubbed his temples, wondering why he was so concerned. Something prickled at the back of his mind, like a warning—he needed to find her.
“Kagome?” Grandpa didn’t see him, but maybe she was holed up somewhere, hiding. She often came in her room through the window, avoiding the door altogether. She generally had left him alone, talking to his grandfather of stories that he knew from the past. It was only in the past few days she spoke so much to him…
He knocked quietly on the door of her room, then pushed it open, and his eyes opened wide to see a girl sleeping on the bed, dark hair framing a familiar face, clothes that were his mother’s on her slender frame.
“Kagome?”
~~
Kagome stirred at the sound of Inuyasha’s voice, and she blinked when she couldn’t see him well as she usually could in the dark. Her eyes widened and she stared down at her hands, sighing ruefully. The quarter moon…
“Yes, Inuyasha?” His eyes were surprised as he regarded her, and she smirked. Just like the other Inuyasha…seeing her human side, her more vulnerable side. Would he find her more beautiful this way? More to his liking, to take her around? She shook her head. Why was she thinking like this? He wasn’t Inuyasha.
“You look different. Grandpa said…hanyou’s are half human, half youkai. I guess this is your human night, huh?”
Kagome nodded, startled. He didn’t say she looked better as a human? Most people did…once they saw her like this. Most humans…even Kikyou…when Kikyou didn’t know what she was—said she was a beautiful girl, and wished her well with Inuyasha…
“You look so different…” His hand went to her hair, and he stroked the top of it lightly. “No ears…” She backed away from his touch, glaring at him.
“Leave me alone.” She bit out. He wasn’t allowed to touch her that way. No gentleness…
He flushed, his eyes wide in the dark. “I understand.” He shook his head, as if chasing away some inner thought.
“I’ll leave you alone tonight, Kagome. If you want some food, Grandpa has dinner made downstairs. I’ll be in my room if you want to talk, though.” He smiled at her softly, before closing the door behind him. She stared at where he was in confusion.
~~
Inuyasha was having his own confused thoughts. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something had to be bothering Kagome after what she heard today—but seeing her as a human didn’t surprise him as much as he thought it should. It was like he was expecting it—her form was familiar to him.
“What is wrong with me lately?” He muttered. He rolled over, confused at the shifting emotions inside of him. Seeing Kagome like that—he saw that she was pretty—but he liked her better as a hanyou. Seeing her vulnerable tore his heart—and he was more concerned about her, scared that something was going to happen.
“That’s ridiculous.” He muttered. “She’s a big girl…she’s in a safe, protected, house. Nothing is going to get her.”
Still—again that image of her first meeting him came to mind. Her grief stricken eyes, pleading with him, holding out the ancient arrow. Pleading for him to kill her.
He sat up straight. She was human…of course! It would be possible for her to die today…if she wanted to. He couldn’t let that happen…he was back at the entrance to her room in an instant, and let himself in without knocking, to see her sitting on the edge of the windowsill.
“Don’t do it!”
~~