So here it is. The beginning of the re-written version of The Half-Demon Toddlers. I think you will all agree this is much improved!
Please read, enjoy, and please please please tell me what you think of the new chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha in any form. If I did...some things would definately be different.
Chapter One- Just Another Day of Travel
It was yet another beautiful day. Cotton candy clouds swept across a brilliant blue sky as a gentle breeze softly toyed with the leaves on the trees, casting a myriad of shadows against the ground. Truly, this was a day to simply smile and enjoy the sheer wonder of life. Philosophers debated while children laughed, crops reached towards the heavens as rivers danced across the land.
"Can we PLEASE take a rest?" Kagome wheezed, pushing a battered pink bike to the top of an especially steep hill. It had been a long day so far. The breeze kept sending her hair in crazy currents around her head and thanks to a certain hanyou who kept stealing her hair ties (though heaven forbid he'd admit it) and then breaking them (probably because his hair was so full and thick and long and freaking perfect even with its lack of maintenance) she could do nothing but deal with tornado hair as it continued to slap her in the face. On top of that, she'd bet anything that not a single inch of her body escaped the vicious sunburn she was sure would pop up later and at this point she'd rather exchange make-up tips with Naraku and have tea parties than take another step forward.
"No! We took a rest a few hours ago! We have to keep searching for jewel shards before Naraku completes the whole thing!" InuYasha scowled back at the wearied Kagome, who in return, pouted with her arms crossed in front of her; and whose glare continued to give a whole new meaning to the phrase: "If looks could kill". InuYasha hoped no one else noticed his wince of fear, nor the fact that he quickly sped up, hoping to either: escape Kagome's visual range, or allow one of the other members of the group to calm her down.
"Calm down InuYasha, I think a rest would do us all some good." Miroku, once again slipping into his role as mediator of the group, said as snuck up next to Sango. "I doubt a single break would cause that much harm. Besides, unlike you, some of us don't have demon blood in our veins and we tend to tire out faster."
It was silent for a moment before a familiar scream and thud echoed betwixt the travelers.
"What was that for?" Miroku whined as he rubbed his, now quite red, cheek.
"I told you not to touch me there!" Sango screeched at the monk, as he played the best innocent face he could with a vibrant handprint glowing against his face.
"Oh boy, here we go again." muttered Shippo from his rather comfy (and strategically safe) perch atop Kagome's shoulder.
"I don't see how those two can have so much energy." Kagome muttered to herself, giving the bike another half-hearted push forward. "It's too hot for this." The bike seemed to rattle and creak in agreement as it was pushed further along, the sounds of Sango's punishment echoing behind them.
"Are you sure we should just leave him to the wrath of Sango?" Shippo asked as he peeked behind them at the near daily scene from Kagome's shoulder.
"The monk keeps asking for it. Eventually he'll learn." InuYasha replied as he turned around and joined up with Kagome, who had continued walking ahead once she was (mostly) certain Sango wouldn't murder the perverted monk.
"Besides, I think maybe that's Sango's way of showing affection." Kagome stated glancing at InuYasha once he caught up to her. "She's flustered, but instead of blushing, she simply bashes Miroku's head in." She shrugged. "Besides, being groped is not among a woman's top ten most romantic things."
Shippo glanced back at the prostrate form of the unconscious monk lying in the middle of the road. He felt a shiver of fear race up his little spine. "If that's how Sango shows affection, then I REALLY wouldn't want to get on her bad side!" The young fox stole a pointed glance at the giant boomerang the demon exterminator always carried with her.
"Can you guys walk ANY slower!" InuYasha whined from the front of the group, clearly impatient.
"Why yes. Yes I can." Kagome sassed back, her stride instantly slowing down to an exaggerated crawl. Sango giggled as she helped the comatose monk on Kilala's back while Shippo flat out laughed at InuYasha's string of cussing, threats, and curses.
"Sorry InuYasha." Sango continued to giggle, jogging to catch up with Kagome. "Pain that Miroku is, we couldn't just leave him behind you know!"
"..." InuYasha was distracted at the thought of the journey without the lecherous monk's company. It would be nice to be able to simply travel and not worry about half his sentences being turned into sexual innuendos ("That's what she said" jokes having become Miroku's favorite form of entertainment recently). Being able to walk into a village without worrying about the headmaster and every father in the small town chasing them out with pitchforks and yelling threats against certain members in the group of the monk variety and what they'd do if said monk even so much as thought about any of the villagers of the female variety in any way. But then again, perverted or not, Miroku also got them lodging on several occasions (maybe not in the most ethical way, but hey, free room and food).
So the group continued on their never ending trek onward to who knows where. Shippo was happily snacking on some sweets he had found, as InuYasha continued yelling impatiently at everyone to hurry up. Kagome effectively ignored the irate hanyou as she told Shippo stories about the future, while Sango stayed as far away from Miroku as possible. Miroku...was still unconscious, unceremoniously thrown across Kilala's back. InuYasha finally gave in and let Kagome hitch a ride on his back while he took a turn pushing her bike she insisted on bringing after she threatened to sit him so far he could say hi to Satan for her.
Things were progressing normally and as Kagome continued to talk about ice cream and her sudden craving for the frozen treat and who she would be willing to kill if she could just have some right this instant, InuYasha resigned himself to another day with no new jewel shard.
Until Kagome abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence and jerked her head to his right, her whole body suddenly tensing up for almost no reason whatsoever. The only things that produced such a reaction out of her were the sudden reminder of a test she had forgotten, or…
"What is it? Do you sense a jewel shard?" InuYasha asked almost desperately, unable to disguise the small note of hope in his voice.
"What makes you say that?" Kagome demanded, now fixing her gaze on the dog demon as she slid off his back and took her bike back from him.
"Well...every time you sense a shard you get this weird look in your eyes. Like you're dazing out or you're possessed or something along those lines."
The clearing was quiet, but Kagome's aura was anything but quiet.
Raging, possibly. Fiery inferno. Instant death. Something like that. Shippo quickly abandoned his perch and clambered up onto Sango's shoulder to escape the soon-to-be war zone.
"And what, exactly, is it you are trying to say?" The sentence came out as barely more than a whisper. But the killing intent behind it was obviously there.
To everyone, that is, except InuYasha.
"Well your eyes kind of glaze over and are all unfocused and, well...you just look weird."
Kagome took a deep breath.
It then (finally) clicks in the poor hanyou's mind that a pissed off Kagome is also a very "sit"-happy Kagome.
"Oh sh-" InuYasha tried to apologize as fast as he could before the inevitable came.
"SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!"
…Why hello dirt…how have YOU been recently? Me? Oh, I've been so-so…right now I'm just wondering if my spine is in place that's all…nothing unusual.
After mumbling a few...choice words... InuYasha was finally able to stumble out of the pit he had created and get back to what was really important.
"So what did you sense Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked, causing everyone to give a small start, having no idea he was even awake yet. (He had actually woken up a while ago, but seeing as how Sango wasn't going to be coming near him any time soon so he could try his patented "pretend-to-be-knocked-out" trick to sneak another grope, he had given up on that and finally "came to").
"How long have you been awake?" Sango shouted, stalking towards the monk.
"Just now, Sango dearest, I swear!"
Shippo sighed. "Idiots."
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