It was another average day in the feudal era of Japan. No new shard rumors had arisen, and Inuyasha was bored. After the third consecutive hour in his favorite 'sit-and-do-nothing' tree, he had the most original idea. "I wonder what Kagome's up to." Jumping out of the tree, he went through the well, feeling the ages fly by in the blue.
On arrival, he heard some commotion coming from the house. Strolling across the yard, he realized it was music. He jumped up to Kagome's window and saw the strangest thing. Kagome was dancing in the most peculiar way. Well, it was like dancing, with a seizure. Knocking on the window, Kagome jumped and killed the music. Blushing furiously, she opened the window.
"Inuyasha!" She yelled. "What are you doing?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
Inuyasha looked behind her as he entered.
"Hey, Kagome? What's that thing over there?" he asked, pointing to the Kagome's new CD player.
"Oh, that. This is a CD player. I just bought it. It plays music that is coded on Compact Discs, or, CD's. And this-" she held up a CD, "is my newest CD. I ordered it from the U.S. I guess you caught me dancing, huh?"
Inuyasha didn't know weather to laugh at her, or find out more. So he settled for both.
"Kagome, I've seen dances in my life time, and what you were doing, I have no clue what's going on in your brain. However, my natural curiosity has gotten the better of me."
Kagome just stared at him for a moment, then said, "Inuyasha? WHAT THE HECK DID YOU SAY?"
Inuyasha knew that'd get her.
"In short," he said, grinning. "What the hell was that flailing about you were doing? You call that dancing?"
"There's the Inuyasha that I know and hate." Kagome chuckled. "But that dance was the official dance of the song."
Kagome had a field day teaching Inuyasha about American music. She had been learning to do to very famous dances from a pop music sensation from the 1970's, 80's, and '90's: Michael Jackson. As she went through the history of the 'Thriller' dance, Inuyasha was obviously confused. He asked questions like,
"Why would undead corpses meet in the center of town just to dance?" and "What brought the bodies to life?"
Eventually, he got the idea that it was all in fun and not serious. Then came the dance she was doing when he saw her; the 'Smooth Criminal' dance. More questions arose, but he began to get why she liked the sound of Michael's music.
About two hours later, Kagome's mom shouted up the stairs.
"Kagome! Hojo's here! He has something he wants to talk to you about!"
Kagome freaked. "Inuyasha! Outside! Quick! Please!"
Inuyasha hung out just outside the window, listening.
"Hojo. How are you?" Kagome welcomed, letting Hojo in.
Hojo came into here room smiling at her.
"I'm fine." he said. "You?"
"Good. What's up?"
He dug in his pockets for something.
"Well," he started. "I wanted to know-" he pulled out a folded up flyer, "if you would go to the multi-cultural dance with me.
Kagome took the flyer, looking it over.
"Hojo," she said, trying to be nice. "I don't know how to say this without hurting your feelings, so I guess I'll just be blunt. I like you, but not in the way you like me."
Hojo was taken aback.
"Kagome, I don't understand," he said.
She sighed and looked him square in the eyes.
"Hojo. I'd like to be friends, but I can't be anymore than that. Okay? I'll be at the dance, but not with you as a date. I'm sorry."
Hojo just nodded and turned around, showing himself out. Once Hojo was gone, Inuyasha reentered the room.
"So, what's this dance he was talking about, huh?"
Kagome turned and chuckled.
"Inuyasha, it's just a school event. Come on, let me show you the rest of the dance."
As they learned the dances, Inuyasha's ears kept picking up Hojo.
Leaving the house, Hojo looked up at the window to Kagome's room just in time to see someone climb in and Kagome shut the window.
"She-! How could she?!" Hojo was outraged. "How could she have lead me on like this? I'll get her for this. She will be mine."
The days went by and still no shard hunt clues. The dance was tonight and, after hearing that Hojo kid, Inuyasha was taking no chances. He went through the well and met Kagome's mom in the well house.
"Hey there, Inuyasha. I have your suit."
Inuyasha looked at the suit.
"It's perfect. And the hat?"
She pulled it out from a bag at her feet.
"Great. And she still doesn't know, right?"
Mrs. Higurashi just chuckled at him. "Of course she doesn't know. I'm just hoping she won't have to find out you followed her."
"You and me both. I don't want to be forced to save her from anything. Here's hoping."
"Inuyasha," she muttered.
He was just getting the suit out and looked over at her.
"Yeah?"
"You're not honestly going to try and hide from her with all that hair, are you?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, a bit uneasy about where this was going.
She pulled over a wooden chair and an apron.
"Come on. She'll pick you out of crowd in an instant."
He finally sat down and let her cut his hair.
"…For Kagome…" he muttered.
When it was all done, his hair was now more of a classy mullet, hanging just past his shoulders. The hanging clumps of hair that framed his face were trimmed to stop just past his cheeks. After changing into his suit, Mrs. H. checked everything out.
"You look perfect," she said, smiling as she handed him his hat..
Inuyasha was now wearing fancy black shoes, white socks, white dress pants, a blue, silk, long-sleeved shirt with a white tie, white formal jacket, and a white fedora hat with a black band around it.
"Well, aren't you just a smooth criminal?" she joked. "Here."
She handed him a CD case.
"If you do have to protect my daughter, you can at least finish the night in style."
Kagome had picked out was something of a tribute to here new love of classic American music. She was dressed like Joan Jett, hair folded over onto itself to give it kind of a 'poofy-raggedy' effect. Her friends were dressed similarly and said they were her Blackhearts. She'd gotten a ride with her friends to the dance and long the way, there was the usual gossip. When they got there, the dance floor was alive. After about an hour of nonstop party, Hojo showed up, and he wasn't alone.
"Kagome!" Hojo yelled.
She looked at him and his group. Six other young men were with him
"Kagome, why don't you give me a shot on a serious date?" he yelled. "Am I not macho enough? Well, how's this? Huh? How do you like me now?"
She just shook her head, saying, "Hojo, I told you, I just don't feel that way about you. Now just enjoy the music like everyone else."
As she turned to walk away, Hojo grabbed her by the arm.
"Who is he?" he whispered in her ear.
"What are you talking about?" she muttered.
"Don't play dumb! Who was that guy you let come in through your window?"
He saw Inuyasha! She had to go and warn him to stay away for a few days! She tried to shrug Hojo off her, but he just gripped tighter.
"Hojo, let go of me!" she yelled, shoving him with her free hand.
At that, he lost his temper and backhanded her across the face. At this, the music stopped and everyone looked at the two.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" a voice called out.
Hojo looked around for the one telling him what to do. A moment later, Inuyasha came walking out from the crowd. Looking to Kagome, he saw the skin on her cheek turning red.
"Kagome, are you okay?"He asked.
She nodded. Hojo shoved her to the side, glaring at Inuyasha.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
Inuyasha pointed to the DJ without averting his gaze from Hojo.
"Your worst nightmare," he said, barely above a whisper.
The song, 'Smooth Criminal' started. One of the boys in the group charged him, and was kicked in the face as the "Aaow!" came from the speakers and the music joined the track. Two more moved on him, though more cautious. They each took swings and went down. The rest were hesitant.
As he came into the window
Was the sound of a crescendo
He came into her apartment
Left the bloodstains on the carpet
She ran underneath the table
He could see she was unable
So she ran into the bedroom
She was struck down, it was her doom
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay
Are you okay, Annie
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay
Are you okay, Annie
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay,
are you okay Annie?
Annie are you okay?
Would you tell us that you're okay?
There's a sign in the window
That he struck you - a crescendo Annie
He came into your apartment
Left the bloodstains on the carpet
Then you ran into the bedroom
You were struck down
It was your doom
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
The song started getting into full swing and Inuyasha couldn't resist dancing to it, just like he'd learned and practiced. After a minute, the lyrics paused and another boy tried to fight. Inuyasha figured he could have a little fun with this and made his attacks with the beat. Just before the lyrics picked back up, he dropped the kid like a sack of potatoes.
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
You been hit by
You been hit by - a smooth criminal
As another "Aaow!" sounded, Inuyasha grabbed his crotch with one hand and threw the other in air.
So they came into the out way
It was Sunday
What a black day
Every time I tried to find him
He's leaving no clues
Left behind him
And he had no way of knowing
Of the suspect
Or what to expect
Mouth to mouth resuscitation
Sounding heartbeats
Intimidations
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay
Are you okay, Annie
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay
Are you okay, Annie
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
The last two tried trapping him between the two of them. That worked so well, it was like something out of The Matrix the way Inuyasha laid them both out on their backs.
Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay,
are you okay Annie?
Annie are you okay?
Will you tell us that you're okay?
There's a sign in the window
That he struck you - a crescendo Annie
He came into your apartment
Left the bloodstains on the carpet
Then you ran into the bedroom
You were struck down
It was your doom
Annie are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay Annie?
You been hit by
You been struck by - a smooth criminal
Aaow!
Hojo was pissed now that his entire group had been beaten.
"Kagome WILLbe mine!" he yelled at the moon walking Inuyasha.
Hojo pulled out a switch-blade from his back pocket and charged at Inuyasha, stabbing at him. As the tip of the blade came to his chest, Inuyasha grabbed Hojo's wrist and twisted it, forcing the knife from his hands. Once the knife was gone, he pulled Hojo down and kicked him in the gut. Doing a few spins, Inuyasha used the momentum to kick Hojo in the side of the head, knocking him over. With a final "Aaow!" the music was cut off, and Inuyasha just stood there over Hojo, left foot flat, right foot up on the ball, left arm hanging off to the side, right hand on his hat with his face lowered. After a few seconds of everyone just staring at the stranger in white who took on seven guys in fight while dancing, someone in the crowd started clapping (the slow clap). More joined in and soon everyone was hootin' n' hollerin', cheering for the new guy.
Kagome stood there in awe, having been taken away by her friends to the sidelines.
'Did Inuyasha just… Dance fight? …And win?' She thought to herself.
In pure shock and disbelief, she walked over to him and lifted the brim of his hat.
"Inuyasha?" she whispered.
He stared at her and said, "Kagome, are you okay?"
She just stared at him.
"Inuyasha, what… what is all this? What did you do to your hair? Where did you get that suit? What are you doing here? When-"
Inuyasha kissed her soft yet passionately on the mouth, effectively silencing her and putting a halt on her interrogation. When he let her breath, he looked her in the eyes and said,
"You talk too much, you know that?"
Everyone started cheering again, along with a few whistlers. Inuyasha made his way over to the DJ and told him something. A moment later more music came on. Everyone started dancing and Inuyasha came back, whispering to Kagome.
"Though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver, for no mere mortal can resist, the evil of the thriller."
Her eyes lit up and started dance-walking one the floor next to him. When the evil rap came to a close, everyone circled around them, having no idea that's what they were expected to do. Kagome started looking around at all the faces and Inuyasha drifted away from her when she turned her back to him. As she turned to face him, he let his body go limp, just as the fear music played in the background. Backing away, the dance beat picked up and Inuyasha started doing the dance. Twitching his head in time with the music, others around them started to get the idea and joined him. He did all the moves right and soon, the whole floor was alive with 'zombies.'
Kagome was pulled aside by her friends.
"Who is this guy, Kagome?" Yuka asked.
"Where'd he learn to dance like that?" Eri added.
"He's so handsome…" Ayumi chimed in.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Yuka and Eri yelled in unison.
"Sorry," Ayumi muttered.
"Any way," they continued. "Who is that guy out there?"
While Kagome tried to think of a way to tell them, the 'Thriller' was winding to a close, and as soon as the music stopped, everyone was clapping and cheering once again. Just as Kagome was about to respond to her friends' interrogation, Inuyasha grabbed her and took her outside. Some people, including her friends, followed and, when they got outside, Inuyasha jumped on a black and chrome motorcycle and pulled Kagome onto the seat behind him. Starting the engine, he gunned it and took off down the road.
Once they got back to the shrine, Kagome got off the bike and faced Inuyasha.
"Alright!" she shouted. "Where did you get that outfit, what did you do to your hair, where did you get that motorcycle, where did you learn to RIDE that motorcycle, and what were you doing at the multi-cultural dance?!"
After allowing her to catch her breath, Inuyasha gave her the whole truth.
"Your mom, your mom, your mom, your mom, and protecting you." he said. "I heard that Hojo kid talking about 'getting you back' when he left your house the other day. Your mom did too. I went to her with my concerns and she helped me plan this. She got me this suit to blend in, cut my hair so you would have a hard time recognizing me, let me use the motorcycle that she'd been hanging on to since your father died, and taught me how to ride it. I did this all for you, to guarantee your safety."
A few moments later, Kagome broke the awkward silence and muttered, "Thanks."
Inuyasha lifted her chin to make her look into his eyes as he leaned in and- FLASH!
"Inuyasha and Kagome getting' lovey dovey," Sota called in a singsong voice from the top of the steps, lowering a camera.
Kagome started glaring at her younger sibling.
"Sota! Hand that thing over right now!" she yelled.
"Fat chance," he called back, running away.
Kagome gave chase to her brother for half an hour. Sota kept taking random pictures while running away in the hopes that he would soon run out of film and sure enough, he ran out. Turning a corner, he ejected the film just as it finished rewinding, put it in a case, and chucked it under the Sacred Tree.
Later that night, Kagome and Inuyasha were back in the Feudal Era sitting against the well.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome uttered tiredly.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Do you…" she trailed off.
Adjusting his position to look her in the face, he asked, "What is it, Kagome? Is something wrong?"
"N-no," she stuttered.
Taking a deep breath, she let it out. "Inuyasha, do you, love me?"
Inuyasha tightened his grasp around her shoulders.
"Of course I do," he said, more than sure of it. "If I didn't, would I have learned all that stuff from your time to protect you?"
She just sighed and moved closer to him.
'This is it,' he thought as he leaned in and kissed her for the second time that night. Softly at first, but soon they were rolling around in the grass pausing only for air.
Back in the village, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Kaede sat around the small fire in the old woman's hut.
"Where's Inuyasha and Kagome?" Sango wondered aloud.
They all turned their heads toward the forest when they heard a loud, "Aaow!"