Author's Note Hi, everyone! ^^ I hope you all enjoy reading this fanfic! I had intended to post this fanfic up a long time ago, but due my lack of satisfaction with the outcome of the first chapter and to my lack of access to the Internet, here it is NOW and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. So! On with the story…
Disclaimer When you wish upon a star…I guess that stuff really don't work after all 'cuz I still don't own Inuyasha or Ranma ½…~_~ boohoo…They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
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[GIRL MEETS…DOG?!]
"Mr. Higarashi! Your mail!"
"Ah! Arigato, Haru!"
Tears of happiness streamed down his face as Sozen re-read the short message on the crumpled post card:
I will be bringing Inuyasha from China.
-Gen
Like a little child going to the fair, he jumped around the room excitedly, clutching the postcard to his chest. He's finally coming here! After 16 years…Better go call the girls!
Sliding the fragile rice paper doors open quickly (very unaware of the loud crack as the doors threatened to break), he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"KATSUMI! NABIKI! KAGOME! COME DOWN HERE!"
A pretty girl around the age of eighteen or nineteen immediately appeared around the corner of the hallway that led to the kitchen, holding a towel and a bowl.
"Yes, Father?"
Sozen was just about to speak when thundering footsteps caught his attention as a short-haired girl leaned out against the rail of the stair way, a wad of money in her hands. "You called?"
Sozen looked around. "Where's Kagome?" Sozen asked them, and then turned to the girl on the stairs. "And just how many times do I have to tell you not to lean on the rail, Natsumi? You'll loosen it!"
Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Well, you should see what you did with the door, dad!" Still leaning against the rails, she nodded over to the wreck that was once the living room door as Sozen stared open-mouthed at the mess, probably wondering how much the replacement was going to cost him. She looked over at her sister and shook her head, directing to their father.
Katsumi looked innocently at both at both of them, and then went back to wiping the bowl.
"By Kami!" Sozen snapped out of his trance. "Where is that girl Kagome?!"
"I think she went out to jog, Father. She does it every morning." Katsumi spoke softly.
Sozen's face held a look of confusion but then he suddenly laughed "Oh ho ho! Of course! I knew that! How could I not know that?! She's my daughter after all! Ah ha ha ha ha!!!" He walked past Katsumi and went out into the yard with both his daughters staring dumbfounded after him.
"Wait—wasn't there something he was going to tell us?" Katsumi asked her sister, who was busy counting the money (probably for the tenth time) in her hand.
"How the heck should I know?" Natsumi grumbled and walked back up to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Downstairs, Katsumi stared after her and shrugged, making her way back towards the kitchen.
__________
Meanwhile, outside a small shop somewhere near the Higarashi residence…
"DAMN IT POPS! WHY CAN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"
"BARK! BARK! BARK!"
"OH SHUT YOUR YAPPIN' MOUTH, YOU OLD GEEZER!"
"BARK! BARK!"
"WHOA! HEY!"
A black haired girl crashed into the red figure as they both went tumbling down onto the ground.
"OH SH--! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" The girl quickly scrambled up onto her feet and held out her hands to help up the red (slightly squashed) figure…or…boy, rather.
The boy slapped her hand away. "Feh! Stupid girl! Watch where you're going next time!"
The girl stared flabbergasted at him, who stood up quickly, dusting at his clothes and baseball cap, not bothering to take it off. "What the hell did you just say?" She fumed.
Beside them, people turned and stared at them, and the dog next to the boy, which the girl didn't notice was there before, started to bark.
"You heard me, woman! Watch where you're walkin' next time! And shut up, you stupid old dog!" He spat at the creature and prepared to kick it.
"YOU DUMB BAST—don't talk like that to the dog! What the heck did he ever do to you?!" The girl pulled the dog over to her and stood protectively in front of it.
"OH! JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!" The boy screamed at her and then, to her astonishment, he turned away and leapt up onto a nearby building, his red-cladded figure disappearing quickly.
__________
"I'm home!"
"Oh! Ohayo, Kagome-chan! Would you like— oh my! What have we here?" Katsumi walked gently towards the dog that sat licking its paws next to Kagome.
"Ohayo, Nee-chan." Kagome said as she started to take off her running shoes. "I found this poor doggy ready to be kicked by a rather unpleasant person whom I'd rather not talk about right now."
Katsumi smiled and petted the dog's head lovingly. "I see." She knew that when Kagome didn't want to talk about something, it was almost impossible to force it out of her. "Would you like some breakfast?" She spoke, still smiling at the dog.
Kagome made a face. How could Katsumi keep that smile on her face every day? It's like the smile was plastered onto her face or something. "Who? Me or the dog here?" She asked, determined to make a little joke.
"Oh, well. Both of you I guess. But this cute little dog here will have to eat what we eat until we buy some dog food or the other. Come on. I'll prepare some tea for you, Kagome." Katsumi led the dog into the kitchen, not bothering to notice the mud prints that it left behind at every step.
"Alright. I'm gonna go take a bath first. Keep that tea hot for me." Kagome slowly walked towards her room, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed towards the showers.
__________
"Ahhhh….this feels so nice." She smiled and slowly sank herself into the steaming water. After laying there for a few minutes, her mind traveled back to the incident earlier in the morning with the boy…
"Feh! Stupid girl! Watch where you're going next time!"
"What the hell did you just say?"
"You heard me woman! Watch where you're walkin' next time! And shut up, you stupid old dog!"
Kagome grinded her teeth and smacked the water with her fists. How dare that stupid, arrogant asshole talk to her like that?! Even after she apologized, too! Didn't he know any manners?!
And the whole deal about the dog…he was probably one of those people who hurt animals for fun only. Kagome was sure that he didn't have one good trait in him.
Oooohhhhh…she cursed, fists clenched. He makes me so mad I just want to kill—
A small pebble hit softly against her head and she twitched, staring around the bathroom. "What the heck?"
Another pebble hit her against the head. "Over here, stupid." A very familiar red figure clung to the small, wooden window posts of the bathroom that overlooked the backyard.
Kagome froze, recognizing the voice. Fuming and quickly grabbing a towel, she turned towards the person at the window.
"GET YOUR SORRY ASS OFF MY PROPERTY! RIGHT NOW!"
"Whoa! Your face is redder than my shirt! And just to correct you, this isn't— " The boy started to let go of the posts as he watched Kagome get out from the bath, unable to tell whether the steam was coming from the shower itself or from her ears.
"GET THE HELL OUT!!! OUT!!!"
At that instant, Katsumi came rushing into the bathroom, face frantic and pointing towards the kitchen. "H-h-he…the…d-dog…"
Kagome quickly dressed into her clothes and ran towards the kitchen, heart pounding at what she would find.
__________
Natsumi peered into the living room, and finding nothing, started her way towards the kitchen.
What the heck is with all this racket?! Some people are trying to count their money here! She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Kagome also walking towards the kitchen, looking very, very mad.
"Hey, Kagome! Dad said that he h—"Her sentence was cut off by a scream, a very frustrated scream, from Kagome.
Natsumi shrugged and upon walking into the kitchen (while Katsumi also suddenly appeared behind her, with a worried look on her countenance), she immediately noticed: first, her dad, who seems to be crying and laughing at the same time; second, some man that she's sure she knows but can't really remember who, but nevertheless, seems to be either hugging or groping her dad while crying and laughing; third, the arrogant-looking young man who's sitting there glaring at Kagome, and if at all possible, Kagome also looks like she's ready to kill him; and fourth, a kettle of water on the floor.
At last, unable to stand all the crying and laughing and mysteries anymore, Natsumi cleared her throat and the three…no, two strangers plus her dad looked over at them, grinning from ear to ear. The older (stranger) man spoke first:
"My name is Genpaku, and this is my son, Inuyasha. Sorry 'bout all this."
TO BE CONTINUED…
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AN: Yeah, I know this was long and took me practically FOREVER and a day to finish it, but I think it turned out pretty good for a second revision. I really need to learn how to make shorter chapters…oh well! Please r/r! I'd really really really really appreciate it! Thank you!