Epitome of Distraction: Wow, it has been a while. Years, literally. I'm glad that I'm getting back in the fanfiction game. But first, a few disclaimers. I do not own InuYasha, or related characters, situations, or places. I do not own Halloween, because I do not think that's possible. So, you know, don't sue me.

Second Disclaimer. I have no idea if Halloween is celebrated in Japan, and I don't know how they do celebrate Halloween if they indeed do so. This story is not supposed to be based on realism. I mean...it's fanfiction about a time-traveler who meets a dog-demon. If I had to inform you that this wasn't based on realism, I'd be worried. =D

Bewitched

Chapter 1

Kagome climbed out of the Bone-Eaters well and looked around the grassy expanse of the meadow. She smiled to herself when she thought about the surprise she had in store for her friends. Lifting her backpack higher onto her shoulders, she headed off toward the village. 'Oh boy, this is going to be so much fun,' she thought. Halloween had been one of her favorite holidays growing up in Japan. Once she had started traveling in the Feudal Era, she had all but given up holidays. And bathing. And most normal things. Kagome sighed. Oh well. It would be nice to have a little time off from all the danger that she and the others went through all the time. Just one day of fun and games.

"Kagome!" the voice of Shippo called out from a distance. Kagome could she the kitsuyoukai bounding toward her. After just a few seconds, he was on top of her.

"Hey, Shippo! I've got a surprise for you!" The small demon excitedly responded with, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! What is it? Oh boy!"

Kagome waggled a finger at him. "It's not just for you. We have to wait to get to the village."

Shippo hurried Kagome along. They were soon met by the sight of Miroku and Sango. Miroku was up to his usual trick, a group of young girls surrounded him, occasionally breaking into giggles at something he'd said or done. Sango was a short distance away from him, seemingly ignoring him. She was making a show of cleaning the Hiraikotsu, but from her tense body language it was apparent that she was paying attention to everything that the monk was doing.

Kagome called out to them, "Sango! Miroku! I'm back!" Sango stood up and waved. Miroku said his goodbyes to his fanclub, saying something that made them laugh again, and bowed off to meet Kagome and Shippo. They met at the entrance to the village and started walking to Kaede's hut. Sango and Miroku asked her about visit to the future. Shippo interrupted the small talk, saying excitedly, "Kagome says she has a surprise for us!"

Miroku raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this so, Lady Kagome?" She nodded.

Sango asked, "When will we be getting this surprise, Kagome?"

"Um, well, I guess we can do it whenever we find InuYasha."

Shippo jumped up and down. "Oh! I know where he is! He's in the forest!"

"Why don't you go get him and bring him back to Kaede's hut, okay Shippo?"

"Okay!" Shippo bounded off to find the hanyou.

A short time later, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were sitting in Kaede's hut sipping tea. InuYasha burst into the hut, Shippo in his wake.

"What's this I hear about a surprise, wench?" InuYasha sat down.

Kagome stuck her tongue at him. "Hello to you, InuYasha. Yes, I did have a nice time while I was away. Thank you so much for asking!"

"Yeah, yeah. You were gone, now you're back. You told Shippo you had a surprise. It better be ramen."

Kagome ignored the ramen remark and pulled a large binder out of her backpack.

"What's that?" Shippo asked, sniffing it.

"First let me explain about Halloween. So – Halloween is a holiday – a day where people have fun and do things together. On Halloween, people dress up in costumes, and eat candy, and make jack-o-lanterns, and stuff like that. Sometimes people watch scary movies or do other things to try to be scared, or scare their friends. It's a lot of fun."

Shippo said, "Candy! I don't really understand that other stuff you said, but I like the candy part."

Miroku wore a bemused expression. "What is the point of this 'Halloween' day?"

Kagome thought about it. "I'm not sure there is a point, except to have fun. It's a way to take a break from whatever stuff is going on in your life by dressing up. And people try to scare themselves because it's fun, too. Like getting scared is a way to let yourself trust yourself. Or a way to get closer to someone you like, I guess. People used to only dress up as scary things like monsters or ghosts, but now you can pretty much dress up as anything you want to."

"What kind of things do people choose to dress as?" Sango asked.

Kagome beamed. "I'm glad you asked." She held up the binder. "This is full of pictures of costumes. All of these are available for me to get, so, I was thinking, if you guys were interested in doing this, you could pick out a costume for me to get for you."

She flipped open the book. "Here are pictures of angels." She pointed to the page. "The, um, skirt can be this short or longer. Hehe." She flipped the page. "And here are devils. I don't think the skirt comes longer with this one. But I think the giant high heels are optional. Oh! And here's a devil costume for men."

InuYasha blinked. "What's wrong with his legs?"

Kagome looked at the picture. "He's just wearing black pants. I don't see anything wrong with them."

"That's not his skin! Those pants are so tight, it looks like he's not wearing anything!"

Kagome scowled at the picture. "I guess they are a little tight, yeah. But that's the point." She grinned sheepishly.

Miroku nodded. "I understand now what the reason behind Halloween is. Please leave the binder here with me so I may examine it more thoroughly." He grabbed the binder quickly and started ushering the others out.

"Houshi-sama, what are you doing!?" Sango asked as he tried to pull her out of her sitting position.

"Nothing, nothing. I just want to have some time alone with these pictures of young ladies....and men! Oh yes, there are men there too, aren't there? Haha! It's important that I make sure these pictures are spiritually cleansed, or something. You know, monk business and all that. I'll see you later now!"

InuYasha smacked him upside the head. "Get a grip on yourself you dirty pervert. You're not getting alone time with anything, got that?"

A massive tic in Sango's forehead throbbed as she looked aggressively at the ground. "Houshi-sama. You. Are. Disgusting." She grabbed the binder from his hands, and stormed away.

Kagome angrily put her finger sharply into Miroku's chest. "Great going, hentai! Now Sango's not going to want to participate in my Halloween! And who could blame her! Geez, you're such a frustration!" She stalked off in the direction Sango had gone.

Miroku looked down at Shippo. "I suppose you're mad at me too, are you?"

Shippo crossed his arms. "You're darn right I am. If Sango and Kagome aren't going to do this Halloween thingy, then I won't get any candy at all. And it will be all your fault."

Miroku sighed. "Can I help that I am a man? All men have desires. Why can no one understand?"

InuYasha rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, Miroku. You're just an ordinary man. All men grope women and talk about privately looking at girls in front of other people. Other female people. Yep, just like every other man."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sango? Hey Sango, where are you?" Kagome jogged across the grass, looking for her friend.

"I'm over here, Kagome." Sango was sitting under a tree, twisting the hem of her long skirt between her fingers.

Kagome sat down next to Sango. The schoolgirl hesitated for a minute or two, unsure of what to say. Finally, she turned to Sango. "Miroku is an idiot. But he doesn't mean to do anything to upset you."

Sango gave a unexpected smile. "I know. Houshi-sama is a fool." She looked away. "I don't know why I let these things get to me. It's not as if they're any of my concern."

Kagome looked at the ground. 'Poor Sango,' she thought. 'She won't even admit to herself how much she likes Miroku. That stupid horny monk will ruin everything!' Kagome smiled sheepishly. "I know I sound single-minded, but I hope you won't let this stop you from having fun with Halloween."

The demon-slayer looked at the binder she had snatched from Miroku's hands. "No. It did sound like fun. I didn't really understand a lot of the things you were talking about, like the 'scary movies' you mentioned, but we've all been under a lot of stress lately. I think we're due for a little light-hearted fun."

Kagome smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. Not all of the costumes in that book at quite so....scandalous. And I think you'd have fun carving pumpkins!"

Sango picked up the binder and opened it to a random page. It showed male and female models wearing pirate outfits. "What are these people supposed to be, Kagome?"

"Oh, those are pirates," Kagome said. She pointed to a picture. "That's what I'm going to be. Isn't it cute? I like the boots, and it might be nice to start wearing pants, now that the weather has been getting colder."

"But what is a pirate? I don't recognize anything about them."

"Um, what's a pirate? Let's see." She jumped up and put one hand on her hip, her other hand curled like a hook. "Arr, me mateys! Hoist up the mizzen mast and buckle down the lines! Thar be foul seas ahead! Bring me sword and a swig o' rum, ahoy!"

Sango blinked in confusion. Then she started laughing. "I have no idea what you just said, but that was so fun to watch!"

Kagome covered one eye and waved her hooked hand around. "I lost me hand to a sea turtle that was tryin' ta steal me treasure. And I lost my eye when a sea gull pooped in it!"

Sango giggled, "You can't lose an eye because of that!"

Kagome scowled her meanest pirate scowl and said, "It was me first day with the hook."

Sango erupted with laughter. "Tell me, Kagome, what else can a person dress as?"

The schoolgirl dropped to her knees in front of her friend and the binder. Smiling widely, happy that Sango had been cheered up, she said, "Here, I'll show you."

- - - - - - - - - -

A while later, Kagome went into town, looking for InuYasha and Miroku. She had spent an hour or so looking at costumes with Sango, until the young demon-slayer had decided upon one that she liked. Now she was convinced to get her other friends into the spirit as well. Wandering around the dirt paths of the village, she found Miroku in the garden with Kaede.

"Good afternoon, young time-traveler," the old priestess greeted her. "Miroku told me that ye plan to celebrate a small holiday from your era, is this so?"

Ignoring the opportunity to mention Miroku's previous reaction to her ideas, she nodded. "That's right. I just thought that we all deserved some fun for a change. You know, lighten the mood a little."

Kaede nodded sagely. "I think it is a wonderful idea. Ye are all so young, but do not get to truly enjoy your youth as others do. I'm sure that ye can take a few days off without anything too terrible happening in the world. So, tell of this 'Halloween'."

Kagome gave a small explanation of the holiday to Kaede. "Actually, I was hoping I could borrow Miroku to talk about Halloween."

The monk rested the hoe he'd been using against the fence and followed Kagome out of the garden and down the path. "What was it that you wanted to discuss with me, Lady Kagome?"

Without looking at him, Kagome responded, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. I want to have fun. I do not want any drama, and Sango definitely doesn't want drama. So I'd appreciate it if you would stop being, you know, you for a few days."

Miroku's face didn't change. "I'm not entirely sure to what you are referring."

"Oh don't you play innocent with me. You know exactly what I'm referring to, and you know why it isn't okay. So let's move on from that. What do you want to be for Halloween?"

"Excuse me? What do I want to be? In what manner?"

"The costumes I was showing you earlier. What kind of costume do you want to have?"

Miroku hesitated, looking down at himself. "You know, I've really only worn a monk's garb since I was child. I don't think I'd be comfortable in much anything else."

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport. It's only clothing, and it's only for one day. Sango, InuYasha, and Shippo all really only wear the one outfit as well, but no one else has complained. Sango had a lot of fun picking out her costume."

Miroku gave Kagome a sideways glance, his interest piqued. "Lady Sango has already picked out a costume? Is it the devil's outfit?"

She threw up her hands. "No, you freaking pervert. Gawd!" She crossed her arms. "Sango asked me not to tell anyone what she picked anyway. So you're just going to have to live with the torture." She sighed. "But seriously. What do you want to wear?"

Miroku knew he would have to pick something. He wasn't really that interested in this holiday idea, but if Sango was having fun with it, then he wanted to be a part of it to. "Why don't you show me that book again."

"Not so fast there, boy," Kagome cajoled. "I'll show you the men's clothes, but I'm not just gonna hand the binder over to you." Under her breath, she added, "You're worse than InuYasha, all the trouble we have to go through over you."

"Hmm. Fine then. Please show me my options."

The schoolgirl stealthily rustled through some pages in the book. "Oh! Here's a good one." She flipped the book around to show a picture of a man and woman in ancient Greek clothing.

Miroku leaned in for a closer look. "These clothes are like nothing I've ever seen before. Who are these people, and why are they dress so?"

"Uhh... this is clothing from ancient Rome. They're called togas. Rome was a great civilization thousands of years before my time. They were great thinkers and scientists and philosophers. And great warriors, too, I think." She scratched her head. "I never was very good at world history."

The monk shook his head. "No, I don't think I would enjoy that very much. What else is there?"

Kagome flipped some more pages until she found something else she liked. She showed the page to Miroku. "These men here, they're called policemen. Police are the people that maintain order. They're generally a symbol of structure and goodness. They ride around the city in cars or on bikes and make sure no one is doing anything bad. That's kind of like us, isn't it?" She smiled. "Plus, a lot of people in my time find policemen very sexy."

Miroku was looking at the picture of the policewoman. "I can see why. Do all policewomen wear such revealing tops like that?"

Kagome flipped the binder away from his view again. "Not usually no. A lot of girls like to be a little more risqué than normal for Halloween. But you don't need to see that." She flipped a few more pages. "A firefighter? No, too bulky. You could be something silly like some kind of animal. Wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea." She flipped some more pages. "Hmm. Oh, I know! How about this?" The page she showed him was of two men, one in light green and on in white. Both outfits were very simple. "These men are doctors. Like healers, only what they do is more exact and complicated, and deals only with a person's body, not spirit. Doctor's examine patients' bodies to make sure they are not ill in any way. They are taken very seriously, and are some of the most respected type of people in society because of how hard they have to work to do what they do, and because of how much good they do for people."

"What are those things around the doctor's necks?"

"Those? Those are stethoscopes. Doctors use them to listen to people's heartbeats."

Miroku studied the image closely. "How do they work?"

"You put those parts on this end into your ears, and this end over here goes on the chest of the patient, over their heart. It doesn't seem too complicated, but I have to admit I've never thought about how they work before."

Miroku nodded seriously. "Yes, I'll be a doctor. This outfit is what I want. And it comes with this stethoscope, yes? Good."

Kagome gave him a look. "I don't know if I trust you or not, but I'm glad you found a costume so fast. I'm really getting excited about this! I'm going to go find InuYasha! See you later, Miroku!"

As she ran off, Miroku smiled to himself. Maybe this would turn out to be fun after all.

End chapter 1. My plan is to finish this story before or on Halloween, so you won't have to wait long for updates. Thanks to David Lev, my beta-reader. 3 Love ya, punkin.