Chapter 4
The T.A.A.
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"SQUAWK!"
I jumped back as a caged African Grey attempted to bite my finger in two, and glared at the bird reproachfully. April giggled.
"You have to watch out for Patty," she said, nodding to the bird. "She may act sweet at first, but once you get close-"she made a set of "jaws" with her fingers and snapped them at me.
"Damn," I muttered, inspecting my finger thankfully.
"Come on, let's go look at the cats!" she said excitedly.
We were in the park for the TAA meeting, on that nice, breezy Sunday afternoon. People strolled around idly, playing frisbee with their dogs and lounging lazily under large oak trees eating lunch. April and I were "pet- shopping," as she liked to call it. Cages were set up in rows all around, with tons of dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, gerbils, and even goldfish.
We had been at this for an hour already, because April simply couldn't decide which kitten she wanted. They all looked the same to me. "Just pick one," I told her.
"You don't understand!" she shot back. "If I pick the wrong one, we could have bad karma!"
I rolled my eyes, but ended up smirking. I wondered blandly if she was trying to be cute on purpose.
After a few more moments of cats, cats, and more cats, April finally let out a large gasp.
"Oh my gosh!" she said in English. "No way!!!!"
"What is it?" I asked.
"Ringo! It's Ringo's reincarnation!!!!!"
"*Wha*. . .?"
"Look!" She pointed to a small, mousy-brown colored kitten with black rings around it's tail. "That kitten - it looks just like him!!!"
"So is this the lucky cat?"
"Of course!" she said matter-of-factly, smacking me on the arm with the back of her hand. She leaned over the pen that held the kitten and reached down to pick it up. "Come here," she cooed softly to the tiny creature. It didn't hesitate when she grabbed it up out of the pen and into her arms. She held the kitten up to her face and buried her nose into it's tiny neck, smelling it's fur. She crinkled her nose, then. "You need a bath, little guy," she said to him in a cute voice. She giggled and continued the scratch him behind the ear, while the kitten tried to lick at her nose, it's ringed tail swishing back and forth happily.
I don't know where the thought came from then, but it occurred to me that April and this cat just looked damn right together.
"What are you gonna name it?" I asked.
"Well, first of all, we need to stop calling it, 'it,' and see what 'it's' gender is," she said with an ironic chuckle. Still handling the kitten carefully, she flipped it over in her arms and examined its gender. "Male." she concluded shortly. She then held the kitten up in front of my face. It's little paws hung over her long fingers, and it looked at me awkwardly. "InuYasha," she said, "meet Ringo Starr II!"
I laughed. April was the only person I knew that could get away with naming her cat after one of the Beatles. Twice. I reached up and pet the little creature on *his* head. Ringo licked at my hand playfully, and the action made me smirk.
"He likes you," April said softly.
I looked up at her, and her smile at me was as soft as her voice. The sun was shining down on her hair, making her look radiant, and her eyes an even clearer green then ususal. I gulped, and tried to think of something to say. I was saved by a familiar voice calling my name.
"InuYasha! Hey, man!" I felt a hand clap onto my shoulder, and turned around to see Miroku smiling at me, looking as happy as ususal.
I smiled. "Hey! What brings you here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were into animals."
I shrugged. "This is my friend April," I said, motioning to her. "She invited me."
"We've met!" April said happily. "How you doing, Miroku?" she asked casually.
He smiled. "I'm fine!"
"Sango here?"
"Yeah, she's over there with Randie. He was hungry, so we actually fed him some of your pie!"
April laughed. "You didn't! But that's people food!"
Miroku shrugged. "He didn't seem to mind."
I remembered that Randie was Sango and Miroku's Golden Retriever puppy. I smiled at the thought of the little guy with blueberry pie all over his snout.
Miroku suddenly pointed over to a tree in the middle of the park that was drenched in sunlight. Under the tree was a blue blanket, and on top of that blanket were Sango and Randie. I smiled again, watching her play with the puppy, scratching him behind his ears and chattering sweet little nothings at him.
"You guys want to join us?" Miroku asked.
April and I readily agreed, and we all went over to the tree together. When Sango saw me, her face lit up. "InuYasha! What are you doing here?!"
"He came with me," April said, still cradling Ringo in her arms as she sat down carefully across from Sango. Sango smiled warmly at her, and they began to talk about the kitten.
By this time, little Randie was getting curious. He happily sniffed his way over to me, and barked up at me. He pawed at my lap, begging for my attention. I smiled down at him and mussed the silky fur on his head, and laughed when he tried to enjoy a good scratch and lick my hand at the same time.
"I think he likes you, InuYasha," Miroku said across from me.
I shrugged. "I've been getting that a lot today."
"They can sense that you're a good person, that's all," he replied.
Good person? Was I?
Figuring it had just been an ambiguous remark, I looked up at my long-time friend of almost two years, and saw that he was being completely serious.
"Randie!" Sango sang from her place on the blanket. That one call alone got the pup's attention, and he turned away from me to saunter over to her, panting excitedly as only little pups could.
I watched curiously at what April and Sango were doing. When they didn't explain, I shot April a questioning look.
"We're testing a theory," she said plainly.
"What would that be?" asked Miroku to his wife.
Sango was turning Randie around to face Ringo, whom April was mirroring to the pup. "We're seeing if cats and dogs can get along as babies and stay friends when they're older."
Miroku and I looked at each other, both knowing that this was possible, but we didn't say anything, and agreed silently to let the girls test their "theory." It was amusing, after all.
The pup and the kitten bumped noses a few times, then sniffed at each other around their necks. Ringo licked Randie on the snout, and Sango squealed. "They like each other!"
April clapped her hands together happily, and continued to watch the pets play together.
I just shook my head, then let my thoughts drift away from our spot under the tree. I turned my attention to a laughing middle-aged man playing fetch with his large black terrier. A smiling old woman passed in front of him with her duschound, the squat little dog happily walking as fast as his legs could go to keep up with her. My eyes followed the two until I spotted two teenage girls standing and chattering casually, both of them holding their cats.
Then there was something I realized. All of these people were happy. Their pets made them happy. "You know something?" I said suddenly, interrupting my group's conversation. Everyone turned to look at me expectantly. "I think I would like to get a dog."
April gasped. "That's great! Let's go pick one out right now!" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me up off the blanket, leaving Ringo in the care of a startled Sango and an amused Miroku.
I staggered along behind April as she pulled me excitedly over to the pens and cages of breeders who were selling their puppies. "Wait - do you want a homeless one or a purebred?" she asked, stopping short.
I shrugged. "Which is better?"
"Well, the homeless dogs are free. And besides, I think mutts have more personality," she said with a wink.
"Homeless, then," I decided. I didn't think I could afford a purebred pup, anyway.
She grabbed my wrist once again, and continued down past the purebred puppies and to the larger pens. Puppies were everywhere. All shapes, sizes, mixes and colors. Most of them were a sandy-colored light brown, tawny- looking, with long hair that hung in their eyes. They romped around playfully, nibbling at each other's limbs and growling absently. My eyes scanned the happy little creatures, until they fell on one particular puppy sitting calmly upright in the corner of the pen. He had a short-haired, rich-chocolate-brown colored coat, and amazing jade-green eyes. He stared up at me expectantly, calmly, almost daring me to pick him up and take him home. I never turn down a dare.
I pointed to the puppy. "That one."
April looked up, surprised that I had chosen one so quickly. She looked at the dog, and then at me. "Are you sure? This little guy is going to be your life-long friend. You should choose carefully."
"I'm sure," I said confidently.
"Do you feel an *affinity* with him?" she asked in a mock-mysterious voice.
I nodded. It was true. This pup was like me, in many ways, I could feel it already. April reached down into the pen and picked him up. She held him up in front of her face and smiled. "You're cute," she said to him. "And you sure don't *look* like a mutt. You're also a male," she added, making sure.
I smiled at her as she handed him to me. He sat in my clumsy hands timidly, awkwardly. He seemed a little shy. April watched us closely, biting her lip, anxious to see how the puppy would take to me. He seemed so nervous. I took pity on him, and tried to calm him with a few soft strokes on his back. He looked up into my face and reached up ineptly to lick my cheek.
April's anxious expression melted into a smile. "Good. He likes you. You know, you two kind of compliment each other."
I smiled down at the puppy, my mind now wandering to the next question. What was his name? "I don't know what to call him."
"You'll think of something," April replied.
As we walked back to the tree together, Sango and Miroku watched me intently. "You picked one already?" Sango asked.
I nodded.
"Good for you!" Miroku said. "What his name?"
"I dunno," I told them honestly.
Sango shrugged. "You'll think of something."
I set my new companion down with Randie and Ringo. He wandered over to them, and curious little Randie immediately took to him. Randie tackled the little guy, and growling, the little guy nibbled back. Feeling left out, Ringo sauntered over and jumped on top, causing Randie and my pup to fall on their sides. April giggled. "They're getting along so well!"
"Looks like we'll have to get them together more often!" Sango commented.
I looked up then and noticed Miroku staring off toward the breeder's cages with a huge smile. I turned around to see what was making him so happy and saw off in the distance, Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and Rin standing at the cages of cats. Sesshoumaru was talking with a breeder, and Kagome and Rin were crouched in front of a cage, pointing at every other kitten. If I knew Rin, she wanted to take every one of them home. I smirked grimly at the happy little family, and my eyes lingered on Kagome before I turned back around to face the rest of my group. I knew that seeing all of them together was an inevitable situation, but it still hurt a little. I was really jealous of them.
"I'm gonna go say hi." Miroku got up, and tugged on Sango's sleeve for her to follow. When April and I were alone, she asked, "Who are those three?"
"My brother Sesshoumaru, his wife Kagome, and Rin, my niece."
April stared at me for a moment. "Aren't you gonna go say hi, too?"
I sighed. "Maybe."
I guess she decided not to pry, because she didn't say anything else until Miroku and Sango returned. "We probably need another blanket," Sango was saying to Miroku.
I looked up at her. "They're joining us?"
She looked back at me apologetically, but secretively. "Yeah. . ."
I stared at the ground for a moment, and then decided to be a man and suck it up. I could be good at pretending. And besides, maybe being around Kagome some more would help me get over my feelings for her. Though, inside, I seriously doubted that would happen.
Soon, the family of three joined us. To make room, April volunteered to move off of the blanket with Rin, and they stayed beside me at it's corner. She immediately began to ask about the kitten Rin had brought over with her, and what Rin was going to name it.
Kagome and Sesshoumaru took their places, and soon, everyone was talking to someone, with the exception of myself. I just watched April and Rin play with the kittens and puppies, making sure not to make eye contact with Kagome. I could hear her laugh every now and then, and it sounded just as pleasant as always, but something was different about it. It sounded more mature, even her voice did. I think marriage had really changed her. That wasn't what I had liked about her, I knew. But I still couldn't look at her for some reason. What was my problem?
"InuYasha."
It was Kagome herself. I looked up at her, and found that I had been worrying over nothing. I gazed into her brown eyes easily, evenly. "Yeah?"
"You never got to tell me about America. How was it?"
I shrugged. "It was okay. I couldn't see what all of the fuss is about."
"But the tall buildings!" Rin exclaimed from my right.
Everyone laughed, and I smirked. "Yeah, I guess those were pretty cool," I said to her.
"So what was it that wasn't so cool about America?" April asked, amused at my aloofness.
I gazed back at her sardonically. "New York was no different from Tokyo. It was just as crowded and just as busy."
"But the American customs?"
"What customs? Everyone seemed to do as they pleased."
She sighed. "I guess you're right. Everyone's gotten pretty lazy there."
"When did you come to Tokyo, April?" Sango asked.
"About two years ago. But I'd been plenty of times before, to visit my mother. She was a scientist, studying some of the wild animals of Japan."
"Did she only work in Japan?" Miroku asked.
"No, she traveled around. China, Africa, South America, England. Sometimes she took me with her, sometimes I stayed back in America with Daddy."
Sango leaned forward, interested. "What made you want to move here of all places?" April smiled up at Sango. "Well, I lived here with mom for six months when I was thirteen. Everything just seemed so wonderful here, I can't describe it. I was very happy here. It was the best six months of my life."
Miroku smiled. "So that's why your Japanese is so good."
"Domo arigato, Miroku-san!" April beamed.
I continued to watch everyone, mostly April. She seemed so wise to me, now that I knew about her past. I had a feeling she was a lot smarter than she let on to be. Yet she was so simple. She would carry on full conversations with Rin, and even Ringo. I wondered why she invited me to go with her to the picnic.
Interrupting my thoughts, my own brown puppy approached me silently. He sat down in front of me, and looked up at me expectantly. I looked back at him, not sure what to do. So, I reached out and picked him up, putting him in my lap. He whimpered a little, and I calmed him by stroking the fur on his back. He licked my hand, and I smiled.
"Is he yours?" I heard Sesshoumaru ask.
I turned to face him and saw him with a serene smile. "Yeah. Just got him today."
"Is he a purebred?"
"Nope. He's mixed. Doesn't look like it, though."
"He's beautiful."
I shrugged. "He's kinda quiet, though."
"He's just not used to you yet."
I looked back down at my new pet and tried to rack my brain once more for any possible names. He sat so quietly, so still, watching Randie play with Ringo, and Rin's recently named kitten Rainbou. It occurred to me that all of the other animals' names began with an R. . . so, I wanted my puppy to be different. And then it came to me. "Jeik."
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Heh heh heh heh ^_^;;
"Jeik," pronounced, "Jake."
I just figured, if they were to say Jake in Japan, they would pronounce it "Jak - ay." *giggles* That's also what's up with "Rainbou." I just had to change the spelling so it would make more sense. ^_~
Hope you like where it's going! I look forward to your reviews! C ya soon! Honey Bee
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"SQUAWK!"
I jumped back as a caged African Grey attempted to bite my finger in two, and glared at the bird reproachfully. April giggled.
"You have to watch out for Patty," she said, nodding to the bird. "She may act sweet at first, but once you get close-"she made a set of "jaws" with her fingers and snapped them at me.
"Damn," I muttered, inspecting my finger thankfully.
"Come on, let's go look at the cats!" she said excitedly.
We were in the park for the TAA meeting, on that nice, breezy Sunday afternoon. People strolled around idly, playing frisbee with their dogs and lounging lazily under large oak trees eating lunch. April and I were "pet- shopping," as she liked to call it. Cages were set up in rows all around, with tons of dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, gerbils, and even goldfish.
We had been at this for an hour already, because April simply couldn't decide which kitten she wanted. They all looked the same to me. "Just pick one," I told her.
"You don't understand!" she shot back. "If I pick the wrong one, we could have bad karma!"
I rolled my eyes, but ended up smirking. I wondered blandly if she was trying to be cute on purpose.
After a few more moments of cats, cats, and more cats, April finally let out a large gasp.
"Oh my gosh!" she said in English. "No way!!!!"
"What is it?" I asked.
"Ringo! It's Ringo's reincarnation!!!!!"
"*Wha*. . .?"
"Look!" She pointed to a small, mousy-brown colored kitten with black rings around it's tail. "That kitten - it looks just like him!!!"
"So is this the lucky cat?"
"Of course!" she said matter-of-factly, smacking me on the arm with the back of her hand. She leaned over the pen that held the kitten and reached down to pick it up. "Come here," she cooed softly to the tiny creature. It didn't hesitate when she grabbed it up out of the pen and into her arms. She held the kitten up to her face and buried her nose into it's tiny neck, smelling it's fur. She crinkled her nose, then. "You need a bath, little guy," she said to him in a cute voice. She giggled and continued the scratch him behind the ear, while the kitten tried to lick at her nose, it's ringed tail swishing back and forth happily.
I don't know where the thought came from then, but it occurred to me that April and this cat just looked damn right together.
"What are you gonna name it?" I asked.
"Well, first of all, we need to stop calling it, 'it,' and see what 'it's' gender is," she said with an ironic chuckle. Still handling the kitten carefully, she flipped it over in her arms and examined its gender. "Male." she concluded shortly. She then held the kitten up in front of my face. It's little paws hung over her long fingers, and it looked at me awkwardly. "InuYasha," she said, "meet Ringo Starr II!"
I laughed. April was the only person I knew that could get away with naming her cat after one of the Beatles. Twice. I reached up and pet the little creature on *his* head. Ringo licked at my hand playfully, and the action made me smirk.
"He likes you," April said softly.
I looked up at her, and her smile at me was as soft as her voice. The sun was shining down on her hair, making her look radiant, and her eyes an even clearer green then ususal. I gulped, and tried to think of something to say. I was saved by a familiar voice calling my name.
"InuYasha! Hey, man!" I felt a hand clap onto my shoulder, and turned around to see Miroku smiling at me, looking as happy as ususal.
I smiled. "Hey! What brings you here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were into animals."
I shrugged. "This is my friend April," I said, motioning to her. "She invited me."
"We've met!" April said happily. "How you doing, Miroku?" she asked casually.
He smiled. "I'm fine!"
"Sango here?"
"Yeah, she's over there with Randie. He was hungry, so we actually fed him some of your pie!"
April laughed. "You didn't! But that's people food!"
Miroku shrugged. "He didn't seem to mind."
I remembered that Randie was Sango and Miroku's Golden Retriever puppy. I smiled at the thought of the little guy with blueberry pie all over his snout.
Miroku suddenly pointed over to a tree in the middle of the park that was drenched in sunlight. Under the tree was a blue blanket, and on top of that blanket were Sango and Randie. I smiled again, watching her play with the puppy, scratching him behind his ears and chattering sweet little nothings at him.
"You guys want to join us?" Miroku asked.
April and I readily agreed, and we all went over to the tree together. When Sango saw me, her face lit up. "InuYasha! What are you doing here?!"
"He came with me," April said, still cradling Ringo in her arms as she sat down carefully across from Sango. Sango smiled warmly at her, and they began to talk about the kitten.
By this time, little Randie was getting curious. He happily sniffed his way over to me, and barked up at me. He pawed at my lap, begging for my attention. I smiled down at him and mussed the silky fur on his head, and laughed when he tried to enjoy a good scratch and lick my hand at the same time.
"I think he likes you, InuYasha," Miroku said across from me.
I shrugged. "I've been getting that a lot today."
"They can sense that you're a good person, that's all," he replied.
Good person? Was I?
Figuring it had just been an ambiguous remark, I looked up at my long-time friend of almost two years, and saw that he was being completely serious.
"Randie!" Sango sang from her place on the blanket. That one call alone got the pup's attention, and he turned away from me to saunter over to her, panting excitedly as only little pups could.
I watched curiously at what April and Sango were doing. When they didn't explain, I shot April a questioning look.
"We're testing a theory," she said plainly.
"What would that be?" asked Miroku to his wife.
Sango was turning Randie around to face Ringo, whom April was mirroring to the pup. "We're seeing if cats and dogs can get along as babies and stay friends when they're older."
Miroku and I looked at each other, both knowing that this was possible, but we didn't say anything, and agreed silently to let the girls test their "theory." It was amusing, after all.
The pup and the kitten bumped noses a few times, then sniffed at each other around their necks. Ringo licked Randie on the snout, and Sango squealed. "They like each other!"
April clapped her hands together happily, and continued to watch the pets play together.
I just shook my head, then let my thoughts drift away from our spot under the tree. I turned my attention to a laughing middle-aged man playing fetch with his large black terrier. A smiling old woman passed in front of him with her duschound, the squat little dog happily walking as fast as his legs could go to keep up with her. My eyes followed the two until I spotted two teenage girls standing and chattering casually, both of them holding their cats.
Then there was something I realized. All of these people were happy. Their pets made them happy. "You know something?" I said suddenly, interrupting my group's conversation. Everyone turned to look at me expectantly. "I think I would like to get a dog."
April gasped. "That's great! Let's go pick one out right now!" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me up off the blanket, leaving Ringo in the care of a startled Sango and an amused Miroku.
I staggered along behind April as she pulled me excitedly over to the pens and cages of breeders who were selling their puppies. "Wait - do you want a homeless one or a purebred?" she asked, stopping short.
I shrugged. "Which is better?"
"Well, the homeless dogs are free. And besides, I think mutts have more personality," she said with a wink.
"Homeless, then," I decided. I didn't think I could afford a purebred pup, anyway.
She grabbed my wrist once again, and continued down past the purebred puppies and to the larger pens. Puppies were everywhere. All shapes, sizes, mixes and colors. Most of them were a sandy-colored light brown, tawny- looking, with long hair that hung in their eyes. They romped around playfully, nibbling at each other's limbs and growling absently. My eyes scanned the happy little creatures, until they fell on one particular puppy sitting calmly upright in the corner of the pen. He had a short-haired, rich-chocolate-brown colored coat, and amazing jade-green eyes. He stared up at me expectantly, calmly, almost daring me to pick him up and take him home. I never turn down a dare.
I pointed to the puppy. "That one."
April looked up, surprised that I had chosen one so quickly. She looked at the dog, and then at me. "Are you sure? This little guy is going to be your life-long friend. You should choose carefully."
"I'm sure," I said confidently.
"Do you feel an *affinity* with him?" she asked in a mock-mysterious voice.
I nodded. It was true. This pup was like me, in many ways, I could feel it already. April reached down into the pen and picked him up. She held him up in front of her face and smiled. "You're cute," she said to him. "And you sure don't *look* like a mutt. You're also a male," she added, making sure.
I smiled at her as she handed him to me. He sat in my clumsy hands timidly, awkwardly. He seemed a little shy. April watched us closely, biting her lip, anxious to see how the puppy would take to me. He seemed so nervous. I took pity on him, and tried to calm him with a few soft strokes on his back. He looked up into my face and reached up ineptly to lick my cheek.
April's anxious expression melted into a smile. "Good. He likes you. You know, you two kind of compliment each other."
I smiled down at the puppy, my mind now wandering to the next question. What was his name? "I don't know what to call him."
"You'll think of something," April replied.
As we walked back to the tree together, Sango and Miroku watched me intently. "You picked one already?" Sango asked.
I nodded.
"Good for you!" Miroku said. "What his name?"
"I dunno," I told them honestly.
Sango shrugged. "You'll think of something."
I set my new companion down with Randie and Ringo. He wandered over to them, and curious little Randie immediately took to him. Randie tackled the little guy, and growling, the little guy nibbled back. Feeling left out, Ringo sauntered over and jumped on top, causing Randie and my pup to fall on their sides. April giggled. "They're getting along so well!"
"Looks like we'll have to get them together more often!" Sango commented.
I looked up then and noticed Miroku staring off toward the breeder's cages with a huge smile. I turned around to see what was making him so happy and saw off in the distance, Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and Rin standing at the cages of cats. Sesshoumaru was talking with a breeder, and Kagome and Rin were crouched in front of a cage, pointing at every other kitten. If I knew Rin, she wanted to take every one of them home. I smirked grimly at the happy little family, and my eyes lingered on Kagome before I turned back around to face the rest of my group. I knew that seeing all of them together was an inevitable situation, but it still hurt a little. I was really jealous of them.
"I'm gonna go say hi." Miroku got up, and tugged on Sango's sleeve for her to follow. When April and I were alone, she asked, "Who are those three?"
"My brother Sesshoumaru, his wife Kagome, and Rin, my niece."
April stared at me for a moment. "Aren't you gonna go say hi, too?"
I sighed. "Maybe."
I guess she decided not to pry, because she didn't say anything else until Miroku and Sango returned. "We probably need another blanket," Sango was saying to Miroku.
I looked up at her. "They're joining us?"
She looked back at me apologetically, but secretively. "Yeah. . ."
I stared at the ground for a moment, and then decided to be a man and suck it up. I could be good at pretending. And besides, maybe being around Kagome some more would help me get over my feelings for her. Though, inside, I seriously doubted that would happen.
Soon, the family of three joined us. To make room, April volunteered to move off of the blanket with Rin, and they stayed beside me at it's corner. She immediately began to ask about the kitten Rin had brought over with her, and what Rin was going to name it.
Kagome and Sesshoumaru took their places, and soon, everyone was talking to someone, with the exception of myself. I just watched April and Rin play with the kittens and puppies, making sure not to make eye contact with Kagome. I could hear her laugh every now and then, and it sounded just as pleasant as always, but something was different about it. It sounded more mature, even her voice did. I think marriage had really changed her. That wasn't what I had liked about her, I knew. But I still couldn't look at her for some reason. What was my problem?
"InuYasha."
It was Kagome herself. I looked up at her, and found that I had been worrying over nothing. I gazed into her brown eyes easily, evenly. "Yeah?"
"You never got to tell me about America. How was it?"
I shrugged. "It was okay. I couldn't see what all of the fuss is about."
"But the tall buildings!" Rin exclaimed from my right.
Everyone laughed, and I smirked. "Yeah, I guess those were pretty cool," I said to her.
"So what was it that wasn't so cool about America?" April asked, amused at my aloofness.
I gazed back at her sardonically. "New York was no different from Tokyo. It was just as crowded and just as busy."
"But the American customs?"
"What customs? Everyone seemed to do as they pleased."
She sighed. "I guess you're right. Everyone's gotten pretty lazy there."
"When did you come to Tokyo, April?" Sango asked.
"About two years ago. But I'd been plenty of times before, to visit my mother. She was a scientist, studying some of the wild animals of Japan."
"Did she only work in Japan?" Miroku asked.
"No, she traveled around. China, Africa, South America, England. Sometimes she took me with her, sometimes I stayed back in America with Daddy."
Sango leaned forward, interested. "What made you want to move here of all places?" April smiled up at Sango. "Well, I lived here with mom for six months when I was thirteen. Everything just seemed so wonderful here, I can't describe it. I was very happy here. It was the best six months of my life."
Miroku smiled. "So that's why your Japanese is so good."
"Domo arigato, Miroku-san!" April beamed.
I continued to watch everyone, mostly April. She seemed so wise to me, now that I knew about her past. I had a feeling she was a lot smarter than she let on to be. Yet she was so simple. She would carry on full conversations with Rin, and even Ringo. I wondered why she invited me to go with her to the picnic.
Interrupting my thoughts, my own brown puppy approached me silently. He sat down in front of me, and looked up at me expectantly. I looked back at him, not sure what to do. So, I reached out and picked him up, putting him in my lap. He whimpered a little, and I calmed him by stroking the fur on his back. He licked my hand, and I smiled.
"Is he yours?" I heard Sesshoumaru ask.
I turned to face him and saw him with a serene smile. "Yeah. Just got him today."
"Is he a purebred?"
"Nope. He's mixed. Doesn't look like it, though."
"He's beautiful."
I shrugged. "He's kinda quiet, though."
"He's just not used to you yet."
I looked back down at my new pet and tried to rack my brain once more for any possible names. He sat so quietly, so still, watching Randie play with Ringo, and Rin's recently named kitten Rainbou. It occurred to me that all of the other animals' names began with an R. . . so, I wanted my puppy to be different. And then it came to me. "Jeik."
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Heh heh heh heh ^_^;;
"Jeik," pronounced, "Jake."
I just figured, if they were to say Jake in Japan, they would pronounce it "Jak - ay." *giggles* That's also what's up with "Rainbou." I just had to change the spelling so it would make more sense. ^_~
Hope you like where it's going! I look forward to your reviews! C ya soon! Honey Bee
