What's in the Water by perphila

Steam

 “This is getting ridiculous!”

He looked around hoping no one heard his outburst then with a sigh took his glasses off, again. He wiped at the lenses with the end of his sleeve wondering idly why he even bothered. There would be streaks of steam and little balls of fluff left behind from his sleeve. His knees twinged at even contemplating the idea getting up to grab his lens cloth. With a sniff he put the offensive but necessary item back on his nose. He blew a puff of air from his mouth directed at his eyes and few of the fluffs flew away to float down to the tables surface.

Turning his attention back to the hot plate he checked the color of the liquid in the pot. This time keeping his head just out of range of the greenish hued steam rising from it.

Thank the Kami's this doesn't smell as bad as this looks.

Within seconds of adding the final ingredient, a piece of bark from the Goshinbuku, the fluid went clear. Now, it looked like harmless tap water. They all thought he was a powerless old crackpot. An old man who made useless sutras and told long boring stories. Good.

Grabbing the plastic water bottle he had funneled the potion into, he left the old store room and walked as swiftly as his old legs would carry him to the kitchen.

“Hey grandpa, your just in time, I was about to leave.”

The elder Higurashi gave Kagome a warm smile and stepped to one side to dodge Souta as he ran out of the room.

“Kagome?”

“Yeah?” Kagome gave her gramps a glance as she hefted her bag onto her shoulder.

He clipped a fake shikon no tama keychain to it.

“Take this. I blessed it so you will have good fortune in your hunt.”

Kagome shared a knowing glance with her mother and brother.

“Yeah, thanks. It's better than a monkey's paw anyway.”

He huffed indignantly then shoved the bottle into her hand.

“You already drank from this so don't spread your germs around. Speaking of infections...”

“Hey! Don't come up with something embarrassing again!”

He nodded and waved her off and watched as she took a drink of “water” before she skipped out the door to head to the well.

This had better work Sesshomaru-sama.