&cutness ATTACK!! - Word #109

Title: Little Like I Was
Topic: Inuyasha
Rating: PG-13 *implied drug use*
For 15minuteficlets

Stretching his hands over his head and sighing loudly, Sota paced the waiting room in the hospital yet again. Kagome sat in a chair, watching her younger brother, tapping her fingernails on the table.

“Sota, if you pace anymore you’ll run a hole through the floor.” Kagome stated, annoyed by Sota’s consistent pacing. But he didn’t stop, like she knew he wouldn’t, instead sending her a quick glare and continued his fidgety walk.

Kagome didn’t understand, he couldn’t stop pacing. He couldn’t just sit down and wait, hell she wasn’t even sitting still, racking her fingernails like that; it would slowly drive him insane if he didn’t keep in constant motion.

Kagome had just returned from the past, covered in dirt and leaves, and with no desire to talk about whatever argument Inuyasha and herself had gotten into this time. That’s when the yelling had started…

“Sota, would you stop pacing already, its annoying!” Kagome hissed, banging her fist on the table, the stack of magazines falling over and pooling out on the floor.

“No, I won’t stop, and this is all your fault in the first place!” Kagome froze at Sota’s outburst, staring at him in shock. Sota felt his checks burning, his eyes threatening to spill the tears that were gathering next to his chocolate irises.

“Sota…”

“Shut up, just shut up!” Sota screamed, turning and storming out of the waiting room. Kagome called after him, rising to her feet, but didn’t dare go after him.

Slumping against the wall outside the hospital, Sota heaved in a few short breaths, trying to calm himself.

When this whole thing had started Kagome had been upset about something, Sota wasn’t sure what and didn’t really care. But then their mom had tried to get Kagome to talk about it, nothing much, just a little push to get things going. And Kagome had blown up and stormed out, much like Sota had. Like a bad dream, Sota saw his mother fall to the floor in slow motion, clutching at her blouse and gasping for breath.

He had no idea what was going on, and then somehow they had gotten here.

Sota felt his hand run over something next to him, and looked down to see his fingers tracing a white box with a blue insignia. He tilted his head, cigarette’s… and not to far away a lighter…

He sighed, opening the box and pulling out a cigarette and bringing it to his lips, then flicking the lighter a few times to try and get it started.

Flick flick flick…

‘Dammit…’

Then someone yanked the cigarette from his mouth, and he looked up to see Kagome looking down at him, her disapproval written all over her features.

“I might not kill you, but these defiantly will.”

Sota slumped his shoulders, head falling back against the wall. And surprisingly, even to him, a smile played on his lips.

“I’m not the same dumb kid you used to know Kagome, I’ve grown up.” She hadn’t been there to see him go through girlfriend after girlfriend; mature into the young adult he was today. Kagome hadn’t seen him grow up, hadn’t been there to help, like an older sister should have when a father figure was absent.

“Yeah? Last I checked you were still younger than me.” Kagome said, sitting down next to him, a smile forming on her own lips.