Neighborly: Chapter 5 (A SessKag fanfic)

~*~ Chapter 5 ~*~

       There was a metallic clatter of pots and pans coming from the kitchen downstairs, muted by the distance. Shippo sighed and looked up from his crayon drawing. If it weren’t for his enhanced hearing, he might not even be able to tell anyone else was there. He would never say that he was ungrateful to be living in such a nice house – almost a mansion, really – but he knew even Kagome had to be at least slightly bothered by the change. It was just too big for them. The first couple of nights they stayed in the house there had been an unspoken truce between the mother and son that they would share the same bed to “comfort” one another, vehemently denying that both parties were too afraid to be alone in the vast, dark emptiness of their new home. It was certainly different from the two-bedroom apartment they had been so accustomed to.

       Rising from his spot on the floor, the young kitsune gathered his collection of worn down crayons into his red pencil box and tucked it under his arm along with his latest unfinished artwork. He just had to get out of the uncomfortable house. While the rest of the home was still growing on him, the spacious backyard was the one part he could definitely say he loved. Some fresh air would do him good, and there would still be enough light for drawing. He knew it was evening, but the sun would still be out for a while yet. Once downstairs, Shippo peeked into the kitchen to see his mother busying herself by the stove.

“I’ll be in the backyard, Mom,” he announced from the arched doorway. She turned and gave him a silent nod and a wave, and he was off.

       Standing in the crisp afternoon air, Shippo inhaled deeply and took in the scent of earth and nearby pine trees, causing a genuine smile to spread across his face. He looked around the garden, strolling casually until he found his favorite spot: a stone bench nestled between two thick shrubs near the iron fence. Smiling with satisfaction, the boy placed his supplies on the bench and took his place on the grass beside it, leaning back against the iron bars. Stone benches were pretty enough, but not nearly as comfortable as they looked, he had learned.

       After a few minutes of drawing, he heard a familiar ‘click’ and stayed his hand, turning expectantly to see the sliding door in the rear of the Taisho house glide open. He returned his tools to the bench and turned excitedly to grab the bars of the fence and wait. He had been hoping Rin would come out again today, though he was a little concerned it was too late in the afternoon at first. However, as expected, the brunette girl skipped outside happily with some long, metallic object in hand. Her father was not far behind, closing the door behind them and taking a seat. All previous enthusiasm was quickly replaced by intense contempt for the silver-haired man. Shippo puffed out his cheeks and was about to turn his back and continue drawing until Rin spotted him and called out.

“Shippo!” she yelled, waving frantically at him while running over. She reached the fence panting but smiling.

“Hey, Rin. I didn’t think your dad would let you come out to play since it’s getting dark and all,” he rolled his eyes and said. “Whatcha got there?” the boy pointed. Rin held up the cylindrical object.

“It’s a pogo stick! My grandpa gave it to me,” she answered cheerfully, showing off the silver and pink contraption. “I just wanted to come try it out for a minute, and Daddy said it was okay. He’s just reading over there, as usual,” she said, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. The auburn-haired boy turned his nose up at the very mention of the man. Rin’s forehead wrinkled as she frowned.

“Hey, Shippo… how come you don’t like my dad so much?” she asked softly. “He is not so bad, you know…”

       On the inside, Shippo’s attitude the few times she had seen him that past week had begun to bother her, though she didn’t want to show it. She had not abandoned her plans for their two parents, but without Shippo on board things would be much more difficult. Shippo only folded his arms angrily.

“I just don’t, okay? I don’t wanna talk about it,” he responded defensively. Rin sighed. Sensing she would not win this particular battle, she chose to move on.

“Do you want to play on my new pogo stick together then? We can take turns,” she offered, and the boy seemed to perk up at the idea. His bushy tail waved side to side as he gave his affirmation, earning a grin from his counterpart.

“I’ll go and tell my mom; then I’ll be right over!” he beamed, gathering his things and running toward the blue house. Rin giggled and bounced off toward her father to give him the news.

~*~*~*~*~*~

       Sesshoumaru watched the impertinent kit saunter past him as if he weren’t even there, setting off a spark of irritation at the child’s audacity. Though they had been in each other’s presence many a time over the week he had been living next door, the fox had still not learned proper manners when it came to the daiyoukai, a rare annoyance for Sesshoumaru. His mother had apologized profusely for the boy’s rudeness, though her chastising of him seemed to have little effect.

“Higurashi,” the golden-eyed man greeted, not allowing the kitsune to ignore his presence.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” the boy ground out, never breaking his stride. Sesshoumaru’s eyebrow twitched.

       ‘This is what happens when you let humans raise youkai,’ he mused. At least it appeared his mother’s repeated scolding had convinced him to start addressing the daiyoukai by his proper title, even if his tone still left much to be desired. The only reason he still tolerated the rude little boy was because he and Rin adored each other so. The two had spent countless hours playing at either of their homes after Rin got out of school, and he could not bear to interfere in one of his dear pup’s admittedly few friendships. The kit may be rude to him in particular, but he was a very well-behaved child otherwise. The man rested, book in his lap, and watched the two bouncing happily on the spring-loaded toy.

~*~*~*~*~*~

       His eyes slid open as her footsteps approached. The light was now gone as star-speckled night blanketed the sky, the children still laughing and playing in the glow of stone lanterns hidden amongst the garden plants. Kagome opened the back gate and greeted Sesshoumaru with a wave upon seeing him sitting quietly in his chair.

“Afternoon, Lord Sesshoumaru. I just came to get Shippo for dinner,” she said, looking off in the direction of the pair. Shippo was chasing a laughing Rin with some slimy-looking object in his grip, causing Kagome to giggle.

“Hn,” he intoned. Standing and putting his book away, he turned to face the human woman. “I do believe the boy will be starting school tomorrow, will he not?” He saw Kagome nod her head.

“His uncle just finished making preparations a few days ago,” she said, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “I hope he gets along alright… but Rin will be there, so at least he has a friend,” she added with a smile. Sesshoumaru watched her watch them for a moment. The adults continued small talk.

~*~*~*~*~*~

       Still giggling, Shippo released the large slug back into a flower bed and wiped his slimy hand on his shorts. Rin, who had learned her lesson not to dare the kitsune ever again, had gone off searching for her dropped pogo stick. Just as he was about to help with her quest, the changing wind brought the scent of his mother to his nose. His sharp eyes spotted her swiftly, standing by Rin’s back door with her father. Shippo quickly angered at their proximity and clenched his small fist. He had had just about enough of Sesshoumaru since the second he laid eyes on him.

‘Who does he think he is?’ Shippo thought angrily. He felt a bolt of possessiveness shoot through him as she smiled at the man. Ever since that moment on the porch had he despised him, Sesshoumaru standing protectively in front of his mother as if to deny him access! If anyone had any right to Kagome, it was him!

‘Guys like him think they can just butt in and take whatever they want… I’m sick of people coming in and changing my life all the time! That is MY mom!’ The boy let out a huff and stormed toward the house.

‘I don’t care if he is some ‘great daiyoukai’… to me he’s just a nobody,’ the kitsune seethed.

       Sesshoumaru passively observed the angry child make his way down the stone-lined path to where he stood, meeting his heated green gaze with icy gold. Choosing to ignore the challenge in the boy’s eyes, he decided to bid his farewells and motioned for Rin to come inside. Shippo grabbed Kagome’s hand protectively as she said her goodbyes and lead her away toward home, throwing one last leer over his shoulder at the emotionless man.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” she asked for the eighth time since breakfast. Shippo groaned aloud.

“Yes, Mom!” he replied. “It’s just a school, so what if it’s a rich kids’ school?”

“I just want to make sure you’re going to be okay. You have your classroom number, right? I wrote it down for you just in case,” she said, stuffing a folded piece of paper into the pocket of his navy blue uniform as he moaned in annoyance.

       The two of them stood in the bustling courtyard of Shikon Private Elementary School. The elegantly designed private school reminded Kagome more of a university than a school for children. It’s gothic architecture and detailed stone carvings and reliefs were almost reminiscent of some famous old cathedral, but the crowds of smartly dressed children exiting limousines and expensive cars said otherwise. Shippo watched the numerous human and youkai children rove about, picking through the throng of people in search of one inuyoukai in particular. He didn’t want to admit to his mother that he was a little intimidated by his surroundings, but unfortunately they could not look for Rin forever. The loud but gentle chime of bells sounded, and many of the students began to dissipate. He felt a tug on his hand as Kagome began walking to one of the entrances, deciding that she was not ready to leave him just yet and would walk him to class. Though his face burned a little with embarrassment, he silently thanked her for staying with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

       The door to room 148 stood slightly ajar before them, and Shippo felt his breath hitch as a shaky nervousness took hold of him. He could hear the clamor inside and straightened his back, preparing to enter the din and quickly find a seat where no one would bother him. His mother patted his shoulder.

“You’ll do great,” she said calmly before bending down to hug him. Hiding his face in her shoulder, the kit smiled.

       Turning down the hall on his way to his classroom, the man noticed a woman and what appeared to be a youkai student locked in an embrace right in front of his door. He was a bit puzzled at first, but soon remembered that he was to be expecting a new student that day. It was odd to get a transfer at the end of the school year, but it did happen on occasion. Just as he approached the pair, the woman released the boy and stood. She turned and then gave a start, not expecting to see someone standing and waiting for them to vacate the entrance. The man was about to laugh the incident off until he caught sight of her face. He stood mouth agape as his eyes squinted to confirm his suspicion, and he saw a similar recognition flood her expression as well. ‘It couldn’t be…’ he thought.

“Kagome…?” the man questioned, still shocked.

“…Hojo?”