Hey peoples! It's me again, Enchanted Pink Jade. Even though my other story isn't finished yet (It's called Reflection, go check it out! ^_^ ), I wrote this one. And this was only a one-shot anyways, where Kagome teaches Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha to read and write in English... Amazing what people can do with the power of knowledge... and what happens afterwards... Hehehe
Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.
I Know My ABC's!
By Enchanted Pink Jade
*~*~*~*~*
What the hell is this? No spells like this exist here... Inuyasha was busy flipping through the pages of a book, he tried to read, but couldn't make heads or tails of the foreign kanji. He wasn't even sure they kanji at all, but were just a bunch of lines put together.
It was a quiet day. Albeit, unusual for this time and place, but it wasn't unwelcome. After traveling for a couple of days, it was time for a rest. But Inuyasha's mind was completely blown away at such writings that he saw before him.
"What do you have there, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked. The little kitsune had been watching him the whole time, and wanted to know what had put such a perplexed expression on Inuyasha's face. He climbed onto his shoulder to take a look.
"I dunno. Don't ask me," he muttered, still trying to read the context. "Oi, Kagome, what the heck is this?" Inuyasha asked, finally giving up. He held up the book and pointed at it.
"Hm?" Kagome looked up at the mention of her name.
"Well, let's see, it has a spine, and looks like it has pages inside. Goodness... Inuyasha, you have just discovered what is called a book! Congratulations!" drawled the monk. Miroku smirked and dodged the hanyou's attacks.
"Stupid monk, I know that! I was asking what the heck it says!" he shouted out.
"Inuyasha, can't you read?" Sango asked.
"Of course I can! I'm not stupid!"
"Could've fooled me," Shippo muttered, but Inuyasha, with his heightened hearing, heard and growled at the little diminutive fox demon. He gave a little squeak and hid behind the safety of Kagome.
"Here, let me see. You took this from by bag, didn't you?" Kagome said accusingly, before glancing at the object she now held.
"So? I was bored. I wanted to know why you always had your face in these things. What you think is so interesting about it."
She only nodded and smiled. "Well, Inuyasha, this isn't Japanese. It's written in English, but it's a story about geishas of the past- err I mean future." Geishas don't exist right now, but in my time, they did. Gosh, this is confusing.
"English?" they all chorused, pronouncing the alien word carefully. And what the heck was a geisha?
"Hai. It's another language spoken in a different area of the world," she stated.
"May I see it, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked. He, along with Sango and Shippo looked on with fascination.
"Of course. It's called Memoirs of a Geisha, written by a man named Arthur Golden. It's a very good book. It tells you about how people had lived at one point in Japan, and the life of a geisha. I had to read it for school. The way you would read is from left to right, horizontally, and not up and down like we write."
"Ah... Kagome, could you teach me how to write in... in E-english?" Shippo asked, and Kagome blinked at the request.
"Oh, yes. I think it would be very interesting," said Miroku. Sango nodded her agreement, and then came a 'keh' from Inuyasha.
Her? Teach them English? It was difficult enough for her to understand some of the words, and they wanted her to teach them? Nope, don't think so, I can barely get my myself, she thought. But when she glanced at Shippo's gaze full of hope... Well, I suppose I can teach them the alphabet... Oh gosh, I don't know what I'm getting myself into.
Kagome nodded, and Shippo yipped in glee.
Thus, their lessons in the alphabets began.
*~*~*~*~*
It was nighttime, and they were gathered around a campfire. One more day of traveling and they would reach Kaede's village.
"Alright Shippo, let's hear what you have written," Kagome said. She already know some of what was going to be said, because she helped, but Shippo made up the rest. I wonder what he wrote....
Shippo, feeling important at the moment, cleared his throat and began to read.
"A is for adventures. (We have them all the time)
B is for books. (Those things that Kagome always read)
C is for cats. (Feline creatures)
D is for dogs. (What Inuyasha is)"
At this, Inuyasha growled.
"E is for emptiness. (Inside Inuyasha's head)"
"Nani?!" Inuyasha was about to pounce on the little brat. How dare he? But before he could even take one swipe...
"Osuwari." Inuyasha fell to the ground, his face buried in the dirt. Shippo snickered. This is so not right, the hanyou thought. "Keep going, Shippo-chan." Kagome smiled her encouragement.
"F is for friendship. (What I share with all of you)
G is for Go-shinboku. (The tree that Inuyasha was pinned to)
H is for hands. (Miroku can't keep his off of women)"
"That is so true," Sango said, giving Miroku one of her coldest glares. Miroku just smiled, but edged away slowly from the lovely youkai exterminator.
"I is for intelligence. (Something I have)
J is for jade. (The color of Sango's kimono)
K is for Kagome and Kouga. (One I really like, the other I don't care about)"
"Nani? Kagome and Kouga?" Inuyasha asked vehemently, finally getting over the 'osuwari' . He hated the name of the stupid wolf prince. Didn't even want to think about the distasteful creature.
Shippo looked at Inuyasha, pleased that he had gotten the reaction he wanted. "What? Kagome says that their names, when translated, would start with a K." I should have put jealousy for J.
"Yes, well, go on. Keep going," Kagome said.
"L is for loneliness. (What I used to feel before we met)
M is for mom. (What Kagome is like to me)"
At this, Kagome smiled warmly. It gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach at the knowledge that he looked at her as something of a mother. Inuyasha said nothing at this, though the thought of Kagome being a mother.....
"N is for nature. (We live in it)
O is for orange. (The color of my hair)
P is for patience. (Something Inuyasha lacks)"
"Okay that it is! What else is there have you written about me, you little asshole." Inuyasha asked, although it sounded more like a threatening demand.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said warningly.
"Keh."
"Q is for questionable. (Miroku's virtues. They make no sense)"
Both Sango and Inuyasha snickered while Miroku's left eyebrow twitched, although he appeared unaffected by the statement.
"R is for revenge. (Revenge for my father)
S is for Shikon no Tama. (Something we're still collecting)
T is for Tessusaiga. (Inuyasha's incredible sword)
U is for understanding. (Sango and Kagome always are)
V is for violent. (Fights can get pretty rough)
W is for wrath. (Sango's anger when Miroku approaches other women)
X is for x-tra. (I always want more chocolate)"
Kagome smiled here. She understood how he had made that mistake, but she wasn't going to say so now. Later, in private. She could almost picture Inuyasha laughing his head off if she'd corrected Shippo then and there.
"Y is for yelling. (Inuyasha always gets yelled at)
Z is for zest. (What life is full of)"
"Ah! Sugoi Shippo-chan! Sugoi! It's very good," Kagome praised. Inuyasha only glared. He had, after all, been put down a couple of times...
"Ano... Miroku. I want to hear yours."
"Hai," he said calmly, but right before he started, a huge grin broke out on his face, and suddenly she didn't want to know what he had written.
"A is for adorable. (Which Kagome finds Shippo to be)
B is for Buddha. (Whose ways I so dutifully follow)
C is for compassion. (What we feel as human beings)
D is for daring. (What we have to be in order to survive)
E is for exorcism. (It's my job)
F is for fair maidens. (I must help those in distress)
G is for Gods. (Those whom others worship)
H is for heavenly. (The voice of an angel. A good friend I know)"
At this point, everyone relaxed. What he read aloud didn't sound so bad. It was actually good and true, and no snide remarks either. This is pretty good, Kagome thought.
"I is for intimate. (Getting closer to Sango)
J is for joined. (What happens when a male and female get together and...)"
Kagome sighed. Spoke too soon.
"Inuyasha, what does he mean... joined?" Shippo asked innocently. Kagome and Sango immediately blushed.
"Keh."
Miroku, thinking that it was high time that Shippo knew, spoke up. "Ah, it's how you are born. It happens by-"
"Houshi-sama! How can you! Shippo is still little and yet you're already giving him ideas!" Sango exclaimed. She grabbed her trusty weapon that never really was far from her and aimed for his head. Not wanting to stay for the onslaught, he dodged her attacks, whilst praying to the Gods for his life.
"Please, as a devoted follower, spare my life. Or I might be joining you up there much more sooner than you'd like," Miroku said.
"Darned right! Come back here and let me do my job properly!"
"Ah! Sango! You are so bold! If you really wanted to be with me, why didn't you just say so?"
"Houshi-sama!" Now her face was taking on a pink hue, and it wasn't because of the exercise she was getting.
Shippo followed the two, asking Miroku what he had meant, while Sango stopped him from answering.
Kagome watched as her friend threw her Hiraikotsu at Miroku. Now that she was busy trying to get back at Miroku, Kagome couldn't hear what Sango wrote. And Miroku didn't get to finish the rest of his... But then again that was a good thing. Which only left one person.
"Inuyasha?"
"Nani?" he asked absentmindedly, watching Miroku getting bashed.
"Can I read yours?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"No."
"Please?" she begged.
"No."
"Fine," she said, giving up. She stood and brushed herself off before heading to her sleeping bag. If Inuyasha didn't want to share, she wouldn't force him to, and besides, the fatigue was finally getting to her. So, she snuggled into the warmth of her bag and closed her eyes, ready for some sleep. Not long afterwards, Miroku and Sango came back, both keeping their distance from each other, before getting settled themselves. Shippo took to his usual place, with Kagome.
Inuyasha sighed and re-read his own list. He watched the sleeping figure, the figure of the one he knew he cared about. Kagome. Spending those time with English lessons, it was just an excuse to be near her, otherwise, he really wouldn't have bothered. He only wished that the others weren't around. At least they had served as a distraction for her. That way, he could watch her to his hearts' content without her knowing.
Every move she made, Her scent, her smile, the sway of her hips when she moved, the way her hair would caress her neck like a lover's hand. All of it drove him crazy. Even now. He was actually jealous of her 'sleeping bag'. It was able to touch and be near Kagome, while he couldn't. It was taunting him
When had he loved her so much? When had he stopped seeing Kikyo's replica, and in its place an ethereal being known as Kagome? Inuyasha didn't know, and didn't care. He loved her, and that's all that mattered.
Inuyasha then smiled to himself, trying to imagine what her reaction would be when she read what he had wrote. He sighed once more before he too, retired for the night,
Slumber soon fell over everyone as the campfire slowly died.
*~*~*~*~*
Kagome was very puzzled. Just when they had arrived at the village, she tentatively approached Inuyasha to ask if she could go home for a bit. But before she could even ask, he thrust a paper in her face and told her to go home and then read it there.
So there she was, at home in her room, after having dinner and a shower. The paper that he had given her was in her hands. She knew that it was probably the alphabet that she had taught them, but what was up with all the secrecy thing? Maybe he didn't want the others to know what he had come up with... She shrugged, still puzzling over it, and then read.
A is for always being there for me, no matter what
B is for bringing me comfort, especially when I needed it the most
C is for coming into my life, and giving it purpose
D is for dreams that I have every night. They are filled with you
Nani? Nani? What's this? He's dreaming of me?
E is for everything that you've done. I'm forever grateful
F is for fate. It's what allowed us to meet
G is for giving me hope when things go wrong
H is for having something sweet to say, even when I'm rude
I is for intense. A feeling I have, that I can't describe
J is for just being you. I wouldn't have you any other way
K is for kindhearted. That is what you are
L is for love. Despite everything that's happened, love is there
Kagome looked up from what she was reading, as she listened to the pounding of her heart.
*B-bump*
*B-Bump*
*B-Bump*
Love is where?
M is for making me realize how much I care
N is for never leaving me during the tough times
O is for ourselves. Us. You and me.
Me and him? What does this mean?
P is for promises. The ones you made and never broke
Q is for question. Why are you so kind, when I don't deserve it all?
R is for risking your life to save mine. It means a lot.
S is for staying by me when I needed you. Never abandoning me.
T is for times that we spent together. I remember every moment
U is for unknowingly stealing my heart when I least expected.
Now that definitely said something.
V is for very stubborn. A trait that I admire and despise
W is for warmth. Always spreading and reaching towards others.
X is for 'X'-tra care that you show to all, including me
Y is for you being you. You're the reason why I am who am today
Z is for zealousness. I've come to look forward to being with you.
This is for someone who has become someone important in my life. Kagome. If only I had the courage to say it in front of you myself, but I don't have it. I'm scared, yes, me scared. I just didn't know exactly how I was supposed to tell you, so I wrote instead the words that I could never bring myself to say.
It took her awhile to realize that he had basically said 'I love you'. And when she did, she smiled softly into the night. The hanyou really did have a soft side.
She crawled into bed, Inuyasha's image flashing through her eyes, and his words of love beneath her pillow.
Kagome fell asleep, still smiling, and dreaming of a certain someone.
Life was good.
*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: *sigh* Not very much, not really something I'm satisfied with... Should I stop it here? It was meant to be a one shot. Depends on you all if you want to see them get together. If so, then the next chapter would be totally full of fluff. ^_^ So tell me what you think in your reviews!
Ja!
~Enchanted Pink Jade
E-mail: Lyricalaznangel@aol.com