Christmas Special- 2005
Like I said. I was going to do a Christmas short story. Idea from the 4th volume of CardCaptor Sakura, this is about Inu-Tachi at a Fall Festival.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer; I do not own InuYasha
The last days of fall were drawing to a close. So to celebrate the end of fall, Tokyo would put on a Fall Festival. In the earlier days, when the festivals first started, there were only a few stalls, and it was rented out at a small shrine. But nowadays, a group of shrines were hired out at once, with over one hundred different stalls. Thousands of people flocked from all over Tokyo, including tourists.
The day before the Festival…
As the sun rose from the vast city of Tokyo, and shrill cry came from a shrine. A black hared miko was reading a bright yellow flyer, pinned to the lamp post out side her house. She wore her normal school uniform, but it didn't look like she was going to school today… A broad grin was spreading over her face, as she dashed back inside her house, nearly knocking her brother flying as the small boy came out of the house.
"Sorry, Souta!" She called, waving a hand, and pulling her school pack from back.
"Sis, you're going to be late for class." Souta yelled, as he went back inside, watching her writing down a note.
Writing out another note, she tapped the first to the refrigerator. Souta read it; eyebrows raising the further down he read. "You're going away, to the feudal area, but will be back tonight? Oh-" He broke off, as his sister taped the second note on Souta's forehead. "What's this for?"
"Give it to my form teacher." She said breathlessly.
Souta unstuck it, and read out; "Kagome has been called away from class today, because her friend has resonantly passed away. She will be back tomorrow at the latest- You do realise that nobody will believe this, Kagome…. Kagome?" Souta looked round, finding the place quiet empty.
Kagome leaped into the Honekoi no Ido. In the normal flash of brilliant blue light, she landed lightly on the other side. She could hear the bird singing, and could see the old vines crawling down the sides. Her bright brown eyes alight with excitement; she scaled the walls with practised ease.
Popping her head out from the well, she saw her old friends scattered in the clearing. It amazed her that they were this desperate to see her.
A teenaged boy, with a well-developed body, was sitting in a tree, leaning at his ease. He was wearing his traditional red, fire rat robes, and had a shock of silver white hair, reaching passed his back, topped with two white doggy ears. One leg was propped up, and a smaller boy was sitting on top of the hanyou's knee. This boy's hair was brown and was draw in a small bun, and he had a foxes tail and feet. The two were playing paper, scissors, rock.
"Jak, ken, pon!" The hanyou drew rock, while the kitsune youkai drew scissors. Growling with frustration, the kitsune clawed at the bark.
"You're back rather early." Commented InuYasha to Kagome, but not taking his golden eyes off Shippou, who was still attacking the bark.
"That's nothing to be disappointed about." Said a female voice, as another teenaged girl propped her elbows on a huge racoon youkai. The youkai had twin tails, and her fangs were curved like sabors. The girl that had spoken had flowing brown hair, which was tied in a loss ponytail. She wore a pink kimono, with a green skirt. She smiled, as she stroked Kirara, who gave a growl, and shrank back to her normal, small size. Strapped to her back, the girl had a giant boomerang.
A man leapt down from the trees, his short black hair pulled in a small ponytail, and his deep flowing robes snagged at his ringed staff, making him trip in mind leap, and he landed in a heap on the forest floor. The taji-ya gave an angry sigh, and pulled the cursed houshi roughly to his feet. Brushing him self down, Miroku smiled. "Thank you, Sango."
"Baka, houshi." Was the reply, and a turned back.
"Why have you come back, Kagome?" Asked Shippou, who had by this time scaled Kagome, and was sitting on her head.
"You found all the shards?" InuYasha asked, but with out much hope, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You found a way to bet Naraku?" Sango asked, more hopeful than InuYasha.
"We are all going to be quiet, and listen to what she has to say." Miroku said, to which Kagome gave a nod of thanks.
"In Tokyo, there's going to be a Fall Festival. And I want you all to come with me." Kagome said with happiness. "Please?" She added, giving InuYasha huge eyes. InuYasha rolled his own.
"When will it be? And what can you do there?" Asked Sango, sounding eager.
"It's tomorrow night. From five to midnight. It celebrates the end of fall, then welcomes winter. It's a bit like the Sakura Festival, I guess. There's lots of food, games, shops, lottery and there's the Koi ponds and shrines."
One by one, their eyes started to light up. Even InuYasha looked interested now. Any time someone said 'food', you had his attention.
"Ok, we'll go." InuYasha said finally. Kagome clasped her hands together.
"Great, see you tomorrow!" And with that, she leaped back down the well, and disappeared.
The Next Day…
At five exactly, the small group from Feudal area were waiting next to the shrine. Nothing was changed from the group, other than Miroku, who had a red hand mark across his face and a wide grin. Sango was in a bad mood.
So was InuYasha. He stood under Kagome's window, and yelled up. "Are you ready /yet/"
"No!" Came the just as angry voice back. He fumed silently.
By half pasted five, Kagome finally came down. God only knows why women take forever getting dressed, InuYasha thought taking in Kagome's pink kimono, with a large bow at the back. "And about time, too!" He growled. Kagome scowled.
"Your welcome to go back." There was a silence from the hanyou. "I thought not." And with that, she led the way.
The sky was clear, and the galaxy opened up for them, the glittering Milky Way lighting their path. Shippou was on Kagome's head, his eyes big, as he looked round the busy city life, glowing lights surrounding them, casting the group into bright shadows.
Sango and Miroku were side by side. Kirara was in Sango's arms, giving Miroku growls if he came to close.
And wearing a cap, and trailing at the end, was InuYasha. He watched the cars, his breath showing how cold it was.
The glow from the festival lights could be seen from where they were walking. The glow was orange, red and navy blue, almost like an explosion. Strings of Christmas lights were strung over the pop tent stalls; large striped poles were lined here and there, supporting the randomly stung lights. The stalls were made from denim like material, strong and thick, and were propped up by wooden polls. The strong smell of food wafted to InuYasha and Shippou's noses. They could smell candy, fried food, and fresh smelling sparkling fizzy pop. But the noise was starting to grow. InuYasha could here squeaky toys, bells, pinwheels, laughter and conversations. All the noise pounding in on his highly sensitive ears. Cap or no cap, the noise was thumping.
The group walked into the festival. Hundreds of people were milling around, all in kimonos, smiling, and carrying something.
As InuYasha gazed round at all this, he felt fingers snap under his nose, and he looked down at Kagome. "Ok, InuYasha. You and Miroku can give, Sango, Shippou and I drinks."
InuYasha muttered something, at which the words; "Get stuffed." Were audible.
"Sit."
WHAM!
InuYasha felt the charmed rosary glowing round his neck, and he was pulled face first into the ground.
"What flavour?" Asked Miroku, steeping over the fallen hanyou.
"Hn, Strawberry for me, Lemonade for Shippou, and Orange for Sango, please." Kagome said, marking them off her fingers and smiling. Getting to his feet, InuYasha did a great sweeping bow, and said;
"Yes, O great master." Miroku quickly ushered InuYasha away before Kagome would blow again.
"We'll be at the seats over there!" Yelled Shippou, as Sango pulled Kagome down to sit on the bench. Kirara hopped up on the bench with the two girls and one boy.
Sticking close together, the two made there way through the crowd, to the nearest drink stand. The man behind the table, looked at InuYasha with small black eyes. He was a squat man, with the air of someone who lived for the job of serving out chips on a Sunday morning. Handing over the yen InuYasha, with Miroku's help, carried the drinks back to the girls.
They were both laughing, and as they saw the two boys, they stopped. It was clear they were talking about them. "InuYasha." Kagome said. Dreading that one word, he grunted. "We were thinking. We want you two to win us a stuff toys on the ring toss."
"I will do no such thing!" InuYasha ranted.
Two minutes later he was side by side with Miroku, rings in hand. All this for a cruddy fluffy bunny InuYasha thought bitterly, giving the pink rabbit a glare. The ring toss man seemed to be the same guy who had given them their drinks. But that was impossible…
"Three throws." He said in a low, grunting voice.
Miroku tried, but all three bounced off the rabbit's stick. Giving up, and going steadily more broke; he let InuYasha have a go.
Gritting his fangs, and sizing up the stick, he let it fly. It was a bit too powerful. It bounced off the stick, snapping it in two, and hit the main pole that kept the stall up. In a flurry of red and white material, the stand collapsed around InuYasha, and the ring toss guy.
Going the shade of a beetroot, the guy seemed to blow three main veins, as he raged and stormed at InuYasha, telling him to pay up for the damage, or else!
The group wondered through the festival. They stopped a few times. Shippou paid to fish for a water balloon, which was bright orange with white splotches. Sango and Kagome shot down some metal ducks with shotguns, soon making a competition out of it. Sango shot five bullets at once, and scared the worker into fits of high-pitched laughter. Sango also paid for a sparkly pinwheel that Kirara seemed to be entranced by. The little youkai waved the wheel around in her jaws, making squeaks of delight.
Miroku brought a small good luck charm from the shrine, and tried bobbing for apples. It was clear he need the luck for he only succeeded in get very wet, and loosing all his money.
InuYasha tried his luck with a machine with a grapple, and hooked a small key chain with a miniature white dog on it.
"I swear this is mocking me." InuYasha said, dangling the small toy in front of him.
"InuYasha," Kagome said, yet again.
"What, now!" Asked InuYasha, hooking the key chain on his rosary.
"Can you get us some cotton candy?"
InuYasha ground his teeth. "Not this time, you can get it. I'm not your slave."
"Pwease?" Kagome said, gripping him round the arm.
"No."
"Fine, be like that." She said, shoving him in the ribs.
"My, pleasure." He said, turning his back on her, and storming off towards one of the many Koi ponds.
"Kagome." Sango said sternly. "You are going after that hanyou. Go, now!" She said, pushing her gently in the back. Huffing, she shrugged, and walked off to where InuYasha had disappeared.
She looked round the bushes, trailing her hand over the wooden rails of the small bridge she had to take to get to the small island surrounded by the pond. The noise was cut off out here, and the sky was clear, with a sickle moon hanging in the starry sky. A solo tree was on the small island, casting InuYasha into shadows. All round the pond, there were large shrubs.
The silver hared hanyou was twirling a claw moodily in the water. He had taken his cap off, and it was discarded a few metres away from him.
Kagome walked up behind him, and sat down. "What's the problem?"
"You are." Came the stubborn reply. Kagome scowled.
"I'm serious. Why'd you storm off?"
"It's nothing, but the noise is driving me crazy." InuYasha murmured, taking his dripping claws from the water, and hugging his knees.
"That's a pretty weak excuse for walking off." Kagome said, tugging playfully on one of his doggy ears. Smirking, and not seeming to mind as much as he would have done, he glanced at the heavens.
The skies were spangled with winking white stars, and swirling galaxies that were far off, light years maybe. The inky blackness highlighted the swimming Milky Way, outlining its every turn, and showing the moon like a bright light. A few Christmas lights shone in the shrubs.
"It's so beautiful." Kagome whispered, following his gaze, and leaning back on the hill. "It nice, to just forget about everything, and sit under the star-"
KERSPLASH!
InuYasha's rosary glowed suddenly, and he fell face forward into the crystal clear, but black, pond. Fish scattered in alarm, and hid under rocks, as his silver head broke the surface, and he yelled. "Why you-" But he found that she was laughing. Bangs plastered down, he started laughing to.
"I'm sorry, here." She spluttered and held out a hand. It was to greater chance to miss. Taking her hand, he pulled her in. With a small squeak of alarm, she hit the water.
"That was just mean!" She cried as she got back to the surface, water running down her face, as InuYasha burst out laughing again. "I'm freezing in here!" Her teeth chattered.
"Then you know how I feel!" InuYasha said, blinking water from his glowing eyes. "This will warm you." He punched the water, and a wave rolled at Kagome. She dived under, and tacked him round the waist. InuYasha wriggled from her grip, and as she came for air, he dunked her head back under.
This went on for a while, until the two were gasping for air, and shaking like crazy.
Collapsing on the hillside, Kagome hugged InuYasha round the neck, shivering. "I'm cold, but it was fun." She said happily. InuYasha didn't reply, but started fiddling with the plastic white dog. He clicked it back off, and said.
"Here, you can have it. Seeing as I didn't give you the rabbit." She took the dog toy, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you."
Trying not to turn red, he felt something cold on his nose. Looking up, he saw a few crystallised snowflakes tumbling down. "It's snowing." He whispered, holding out a hand to the sky, and a few dripped on to it.
"The first ones of the year." Kagome said, letting go of InuYasha, and catching them in her palms.
As the snow fell more heavily around them, they felt utterly at peace with the world. And the future started to look a little brighter.
The end
Enjoyed it?
-Ixi