Disclaimer for this drabble series: InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi and Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. The author, punkish furball, makes no profit from this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended.
punkish furball – Hey, ev'rybody! XD
Words to Ponder:
For those of you who may or may not know, there is a Kagome crossover pairing site called Flawless Addiction and they have contests and such. One of the categories for June was a Sai/Kagome pairing. After reading all the entries, I couldn't resist writing one even though it's too late for the contest.
Sai is not that easy of a character for me to write so I hope I do a good job; send me your feedback and I hope you like it!
Drabble One: Determining the Object of Your Desires
Sai tentatively held his hand over the newest addition to the book's section self-help manuals, debating whether it was worth picking up or not. These books haven't provided much insight on how he should proceed in forging bonds with others and building relationships so far. However, trial and error was the only way he knew how to improve and having some guidance was better than having none at all. After a few minutes, Sai removed the text from the shelf and read its title aloud.
"How to Meet the Right Woman: Easy Fool-Proof Steps to Capture the Girl of Your Dreams," Sai read. Curiously, he opened the book and flipped through the pages, quickly scanning each one. It wasn't the type of book he usually read, but, according to Sakura, his etiquette around females could use a bit of work.
While engrossed in the new book, Sai heard a voice speaking behind him. "Got another one, don't you?"
He turned to see Konoha's newest resident smiling brightly in his direction pushing a cart load of books to be stocked and shelved.
"Hello, wench," Sai greeted her with his usual smile. It was still hollow and emotionless but possessed a bit more feeling to it than normal. In response to his greeting, the raven haired young woman rolled her bright blue eyes toward the ceiling and blew a few strands of hair from her heart-shaped face in frustration.
"Is 'Kagome-san' really that hard to say?" Kagome asked exasperatedly but knew there was no breaking Sai from his nicknaming habits. After bypassing the shinobi, Kagome placed a few books on the shelves surrounding them. When she was finished, she wiped her hands on her apron she wore bearing the book store's logo and name.
Little was known about Higurashi Kagome; Tsunade apparently held the young woman in high esteem and allowed her to reside in Konoha without any questions asked. The council of elders and clan leaders allowed it without much debate. No one dared questioned the combined decision of the powerful shinobi and left Kagome be.
Because of her connection with the Hokage, Kagome quickly became acquainted with Naruto. The loud mouth blonde quickly took to the girl and preceded to introduce her to all Konoha had to offer. He introduced Kagome to each and every shinobi and civilian he knew, boasting their newfound friendship.
Kagome's kind attitude and cheerful disposition won over nearly everyone she met, even the most guarded individuals. There wasn't anything particularly special about her, and she was just above average in looks at best. She didn't display any exceptional skill and couldn't perform the most basic jutsu or fighting techniques. But, for some reason, people gravitated toward her, and bonds were formed quickly between her and others. For that reason, Sai observed Kagome quite often. She seemed like the perfect model for making friends or collecting a band of misfits. Sai couldn't tell which.
"I'm almost done stocking, so I'll be ready to check you out in a bit," Kagome declared before giving Sai one final smile and walking to the next section. Once she was gone, Sai opened the book again and began reading the first few pages.
"'Step One: Determining the Object of Your Desires'," Sai read softly, "'Take the time to consider the female companions you have in your life. Is there someone in particular you often find yourself thinking about?'" Sai took a few moments to consider the question. There weren't many people in general on his mind let alone females. He also wasn't on speaking terms with many girls.
There was the blonde girl, whose name who couldn't recall, who constantly pestered him to go out with her. Thankfully, Naruto acted as a good buffer between the two of them. Sai also knew the Hyuga heiress, but other than his interest in her Gentle Fist techniques and the Byakugan, he found her to be a bit boring. Sai thought of Tsunade more those two; she did assign the missions after all.
'Professional relationships count, right?' Sai mused briefly before deciding they probably didn't. Then he thought of his team mate, Sakura. She's a hag but a tad more interesting that the other girls Sai knew. The only other female he thought of was Kagome.
'So I often think of the hag and the wench,' Sai decided and continued reading after he narrowed down his selection.
"'How do you feel when you first see her? Do you enjoying meeting with her more than other girls?'" the next line stated.
Sai felt a bit of apprehension when he thought of Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi was unpredictable and violent; Sai always needed to be on his guard in case he crossed her which, incidentally, was often.
On the other hand, Kagome was always interesting to interact with almost pleasant. She, too, had a fiery temper, but, unlike Sakura, she didn't hit him when he upset her unless you counted their first few meetings. Kagome was also very emotional making being around her very amusing. Sai nearly chuckled when he recalled the image of her puffed up cheeks from before when she blew her hair and the exasperated way she rolled her eyes. He could almost say he looked forward to seeing her.
Sai continued reading and evaluating each question the book presented in his head. Some questions he could easily answer while others were more difficult. Based on his analysis, Kagome seemed like the proper candidate to use this manual's instructions on. He looked around the book store and saw her a few shelves away still stocking books while happily chatting to one of the other customers. After seeing that she was preoccupied, Sai took the book and went up towards the register to purchase it. Knowing Kagome, she would be suspicious if she saw the text he was buying, and that would completely ruin his plans.
Sai quickly paid for the book requesting a book cover instead of a bag to further conceal his purpose. Once the transaction was done, Sai left the book store. He knew Kagome would be bothered that he left without speaking to her, but he would be prepared to handle that once he had done a little reading. He walked down Konoha streets intending to go back to his apartment.
"Hey, Sai!" Naruto shouted from a distance down the street. Sai stopped walking and waited for his teammate to reach him. Once Naruto stood in front of him, he opened his mouth to say something, but it closed when he noticed the book in Sai's hands.
"Another one?" Naruto questioned and ran his fingers through his unruly mop of yellow hair with a sigh, "Those things never going to work, ya know."
"You think so?" Sai countered and smiled his fake smile, knowing that it irritated the blonde.
"Whatever. Do what you want," Naruto replied dryly and continued walking with Sai. Something was up with him, but Naruto couldn't tell what. Whatever self-imposed mission Sai was on with his book, Naruto hoped he didn't get in too much trouble.
'Cause I'll be the one to bail him out!'
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – Hope y'all like it so far. L83RN355!
(revised 06.21.2012)
