Ever since she came to terms with her sentimental admission, Kagome had fallen into a new routine that was becoming easier for her to slip into. Every morning she would ride to school with Inuyasha, and every day at the end of school, whether they sat in the library or decided to stay and help with after school clean up, she would ride home with him. On some days, he'd even escort her to her front door if they were so consumed in their conversation.
She questioned how he had the means to a vehicle, seeing as high school students driving was extremely rare, and he revealed that he was 18, with wealthy parents that paid for his driving courses. That, and the car actually belonged to Sesshomaru, but seeing as he usually stayed over Rin's house, he rode to school on the bus with her every day.
She was also becoming increasingly more confident with speaking in large groups whenever she was asked a question by a teacher, or speaking freely with her other classmates. The only thing she couldn't quite get down was verbal communication over the phone. With Sango and her mother it was simple, but Inuyasha had asked on a few occasions if he could call her, with the excuse that whatever he had wanted to say was something he didn't want to have to type out. Kagome became very nervous in these situations and would make up excuses like helping her mother prepare dinner or doing homework.
Sango usually stayed over Kagome's house during the weekends, so they could catch up on school assignments and attend the occasional Saturday classes together. After a while, even Rin and Ayame would be invited to Kagome's house, where they usually indulged in gossip, silly teenage games, and lots of teasing on Kagome and Ayame's behalf. Ayame would be teased about getting back together with Kouga, and Kagome would be teased about not dating Inuyasha because it was obvious to everyone that they liked each other.
In truth, it's not that Kagome didn't want to date him. However, she'd usually settle on the idea that she only knew him for a month, so it was much too soon to jump into a relationship. Sango and Rin would usually complain that time shouldn't be a measure of how much someone could like someone else, seeing as Rin met Sesshhomaru her first year of high school and started dating him that very same year.
Aside from that, Sango teased Kagome saying that she and Inuyasha were already a couple, without the title. It became apparent to everyone that they'd been spending the morning and after school together. Not to mention, sharing a locker was usually a big step among teenagers, and–unknown to anyone but Inuyasha and Ayame–Inuyasha asked Ayame if she minded switching seats at the lunch table so that he was snug between Kagome and Rin, and Ayame could sit next to Kouga.
No one assumed anything by the change on Inuyasha's part because Kouga had succumbed to an injury in gym that left Ayame attending to him constantly. While playing football in gym, Kouga volunteered to be the goalie, and at one point had the ball kicked in his face so hard that he'd broken his nose. And with Ayame being so worried and protective of him, everyone thought they were dating again but the couple denied it.
The school year was rapidly approaching October, where a lot of students were beginning to prepare for the Sports Day events. Every day students had to perform various stretches and exercises to prepare for the competition. Participating in school events was something that Kagome hadn't done since she was a small child. She was thankful that the student elections were over with, as she found it to be extremely overrated. That, and though Rin had become a very good friend of Kagome's she honestly didn't think her friend was mature enough for such a responsibility. Thankfully though, Kikyo didn't win, either.
Kagome was excited about Sports Day. She discovered that she was actually a pretty good athlete among her peers and had to admit that the gym teacher's weird made-up sports were good practice for running, throwing, jumping, and their daily stretches helped with her flexibility.
During the event, participating teams were dressed in a matching athletic uniform and placed to complete individual and team challenges against others. Kagome was placed into a random team with more Juniors and competed in team challenges like relay races, and tug-of-war. During the relay race, when was it was Kagome's turn to advance, she had to do a certain amount of cartwheels all the way across a safety mat on the ground, which made her head spin, but her team won. Her family had shown up to the event, and cheered Kagome on from the stands.
During the lunch break, Kagome and her mother caught up with Sango's family again, exchanging pleasantries. It'd been a couple months since Kagome and Karori last saw Sango's mother and her little brother, Kohaku. She barely had a chance to spend with any of her friends seeing as the teams were divided randomly and everyone stuck with their families during the free time.
She caught Inuyasha's eye at one point during lunch break. He was standing with Sesshomaru and an attractive middle aged couple who she assumed were their parents. Inuyasha bore a striking resemblance to both adults, especially the woman, who had the longest hair Kagome had ever seen. He was a perfect blend of the two, while Sesshomaru looked like his father to a 'T'. Inuyasha smiled and waved at her before returning to entertaining his family.
At one point in the day, Kagome was very amused to see Inuyasha and Miroku on a cheering squad composed of only boys, as they competed against other male cheering squads for the team win. At the end of the ceremony, medals and trophies were handed out among winning teams and individuals for their victories and all of the students assembled to help clean all the team ribbons and chairs and tents from the events. It honestly had to be one of the single most fun experiences Kagome ever had in her life.
It was the week after the big event, and Kagome sat with her friends during lunch. Due to the change in seasons, students were now required to wear long sleeve shirts with their uniform, and boys had to wear a black military style button up rather than a shirt and vest.
"So I've finally decided on a trip for all of us," Rin said excitedly. "I've done some skulking around and there's a community of college kids that are doing a Siren-remake-horror event!"
"Siren?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah, it's a horror game based on the mysterious village of Hanuda." She grinned wickedly before pulling out a piece of paper and lightly scanning it. "According to the site, the game focuses on an isolated village of people who practiced a strange religion. The village strangely disappeared after an earthquake caused a landslide in the 70's and is no longer found on any map."
"And these facts led to a game? So is this even a real place?" Kouga was staring at Rin with a skeptical expression.
"No one knows for sure. Anyone brave enough to look for it either gave up because of the road being blocked by the landslide, or they were never seen again."
"And where is this Hanuda place?"
Rin blushed. "Err... somewhere by Hokkaido.."
"Hokkaido!" Sango's eyes bulged out. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get there? Not to mention, how much it would cost to get there? You're insane."
"I never said the event was in Hokkaido, you butt! The event is only an hour or two away from here. There's gonna be food, music, scenery, and 3 main events. Admission is 3,800 yen. V.I.P. admission is 5,400 yen."
"V.I.P.?" Kouga asked. "What is it, a club or something?"
"No. V.I.P. Means you have access to all 3 major events, you get a discount on food, and you can cut the lines in half. Say the regular line has 50 people. You can cut 25 of those people." Rin beamed like a small child and Kouga chuckled.
"Okay, so what are these events?"
Rin's smile turned malicious. "Well, seeing as it's a horror theme, there will be three horrific main events." She paused to look at the paper again. "The first one is a haunted hayride, which seats up to 45 people and goes through a remake of the Hanuda village and surrounding forest. The hayride lasts about twenty-five minutes."
"Sounds spooky." Inuyasha grinned.
"The second event is called 'Infection', and it's basically a maze-like obstacle course that you have to get through as quickly as possibly before the Shibito villagers find you."
"Shibito?" Kagome's eyes widened.
"I believe Americans call them zombies?" Rin said and continued. "You'll be given a belt with 3 flags on it and you have to make it all the way through without getting any of your flags ripped off, which clearly means that the actors are allowed to touch you," she shot Kagome a playful glare as she slumped into her seat. Rin laughed.
"Don't wory, Kagome. There's this little thing I call the bitch stick that they give to jittery guests. It's a glow stick that you wear around your neck so actors know that you don't want to be touched. But that doesn't mean they won't try to scared the shit outta you."
Kagome stared at her lunchbox, not saying anything. Rin continued.
"And the final event, which in my opinion will be the most terrifying... They remodeled and old community center to replicate the Saiga Hospital. It's a walk through. You have to find certain objects and solve various puzzles and they take you through and show you various rooms, and Shibito will come out to terrorize us and chase us through until we find our way to the goal!"
Everyone at the table grinned excitedly, exchanging feedback on the event. Kagome was nervous. She appreciated being invited out, but she'd never been a fan of any horror-type of entertainment. She was easily spooked.
"Now my only dilemma with this is finding a vehicle that can support 8 passengers," Rin admitted sheepishly.
"My uncle Mushin has a Totyota Highlander," Miroku said. "Since Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have licenses, one of them can drive."
"Uhh... I'm honestly not so sure I'd be comfortable driving such a large vehicle full of passengers," Inuyasha admitted and Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" he eyed his girlfriend as she made a pouting face at him. He sighed. "Guess I'm driving..." he said and everyone squealed in excitement except Kagome. Rin scowled at her.
"Don't tell me you're going to chicken out."
Kagome gulped and stared into her lap shyly. "Well... to be honest I've never done anything like this."
"So? Inuyasha is your buddy; he'll be right with you if we have to separate our group somehow, though I doubt that'll happen. Infection allows 6 people at a time, and the hospital allows groups of up to 12 people at once."
"So two of us are gonna have to do Infection without the rest of the group?" Ayame said.
"Yeah. Me and Sess will sit out while you guys go in. We'll go with a separate group," Rin said absently. "We're not scared."
"I'm not scared, either!" Kouga said and Rin raised a brow.
"Kouga, close your legs. I can smell your vagina."
"Shouldn't you be having unprotected sex or something?" he muttered.
"Who needs condoms when you have birth control?" Rin countered and turned back to Kagome. "Look, the bitch stick is free if you really want it. They'll give you a glow stick at the front of the line before you go in the attraction if request you one. We can buy our tickets online so we don't have to wait when we get there. And it's not all horror. They have games and food and places to take picture and stuff. Plus, it'll be your first full outing with all of us!"
Kagome avoided eye contact and glanced at her hands in her lap again, biting her lip.
"Please?" Rin asked. "Oh please, oh please, oh please?!"
"Rin," Kagome whined, "even if I wasn't scared to go, how on earth would I get the money to go?"
"I'll pay for you," Inuyasha smiled at her and Kagome shook her head.
"I appreciate it, but I don't want you to have to spend any money on me," she said and Inuyasha frowned deeply.
"Kagome if you don't come I will shave my head." Rin scowled.
"Is that a bet?" Kouga grinned at Rin.
"Bet?" she raised a brow.
"Yeah, she's too chicken to come. I'll bet she'll be a no-show."
"Okay, it's a bet," Rin grinned back at him.
"You two are gonna bet on Kagome showing up at the event? Honestly?" Sango rolled her eyes.
"I hope your boyfriend still loves you when you're bald," Kouga snickered.
"I can be quite persuasive, Kouga," Rin winked. "If I lose, I'll shave my head. If you lose, you have to shave your ass."
Everyone burst into laughter while Kouga gave her a dirty look and crossed his arms.
"And you have to show it to us!" Ayame added.
"Oh my God, yes!" Sango exclaimed. "No, before and after you shave!"
"The hell?" Miroku raised a brow. "I don't wanna see his ass!"
"That's because you're jealous that my ass is manlier than yours," Kouga said to him.
"Big words coming from the man who got his nose broken playing soccer." Sesshomaru snorted. Kouga growled something under his breath while everyone laughed at him.
Inuyasha pulled up in front of the shrine steps and helped Kagome gather her books to escort her up the stairs.
"So you're really not gonna come to the Siren thing?" he asked her. Kagome shrugged. He'd been asking her all day and each time she gave him an indirect answer and it honestly made him upset. He was looking forward to actually hanging out with her outside of school, especially after she agreed to be his buddy, and honestly was considering not going at all if she didn't.
That, and he didn't wanna have to look at his future sister in law with a shaved head.
"Can you please just drop it, Inuyasha?" she sighed. "I don't have the money and I've never gone to something like this before."
"I told you I'd pay for you. If it makes you feel better, I'll even let you pay me back. Please just come with us," he implored her and she looked up at him. "If you're really that scared, I'll sit out with you. You don't have to participate in any of the attractions, but at least come along to hang out."
"Why do you want me to go so badly?"
"Because you're my little buddy, and it wouldn't be the same without you. Honestly, if you don't go, I'm not gonna go either."
They stopped outside of her door and she turned to face him. "I don't have to participate?"
He shook his head. "No. And I'll even sit out with you. It's a buddy's job to look after their partner and stay with them so no one feels left out. Besides, how do you know you wouldn't like it if you've never gone to something like this before? You may have a lot of fun."
"Do you guys always go to horror events for Halloween?" she asked and Inuyasha raised a brow.
"No. This is purely coincidental, given the time of the year," he explained. "We don't celebrate Halloween, though some people dress up for the fun of it. But no going to houses for candy. It's considered to be a nuisance."
"Oh..."
"Did you celebrate Halloween in America?" he asked and she thought for a moment.
"I've never actually dressed up or went trick-or-treating, but Mama took me to the New York City Halloween Parade. It was amazing, and loud."
"Parade?" he raised his brows.
"Yeah. They do a huge parade every year and people show up in costumes and they play music and dance and stuff. Random people can even join the parade if they're in costumes. Me and Mama once lived in an apartment building that was on the route of the parade, and we'd sit on the terrace and watch the parade every year until we moved to the Village in Southern Manhattan."
"Oh, that sounds fun." He gave her a small smile and then sighed. "Well you may also have fun with Siren and... well, do you honestly want Rin to lose to Kouga?"
Kagome made a face. "Choosing between a bald Rin and Kouga's ass... It's honestly a tough one," she giggled and Inuyasha chuckled lightly. "Okay, I'll go. But I haven't decided on whether or not I want to participate, okay?"
He grinned at her. "Okay. I'm really happy you're coming, Kagome. It really would've been dull without you there. Even if you decide you don't wanna participate, I'm happy to be your buddy."
"Oh stop it," Kagome grinned back at him and he handed her backpack and textbooks to her as she opened the door to go inside. "I'm only doing it for Rin's sake. I don't want her going bald."
"Damn, so you don't even wanna go to make me feel better? You think I wouldn't be lonely without my buddy? You have no consideration for my feelings." He put on a pouty face and Kagome giggled.
"Well seeing as you're so desperate to be around me, I'm also doing it for your sake."
"Desperate?"
"I think you have separation anxiety when it comes to me."
"I wouldn't deny it, honestly. You're my favorite person in the group." He gave her a bright smile that reached his eyes.
Her heart stuttered. "Really?"
"Well yeah. Not that I dislike anyone else in the group. Well, maybe Kouga. I don't know." He shook his head as she started giggling again.
"I like everybody in the group... Even Kouga. Though I think by default Sango kinda has to be my favorite."
"Oh please. I've been friends with Miroku, Kouga and Ayame since I was a pre-teen and I still think you're the most pleasant to be around."
"Pleasant? What an odd choice of words."
"Well, you don't use fowl language, you don't complain, you stay out of trouble. You're probably the smartest person in the group aside from Sesshomaru. Let's see..." He thought for a moment. "You're small and shy and adorable–"
"Stop, please." Her face was a deep shade of red. "I don't know if I can handle a confession of love right now." She added jokingly and he raised a brow.
"I wouldn't call it a confession of love, but I do like you," he said.
Kagome giggled at first but stopped when she realized he had a perfectly straight face. He was in no way, shape or form joking and she felt herself starting to choke up.
"Come again?" Her voice was barely audible.
"Uhh, nothing." He quickly covered as he also started to blush strongly. "You should go inside. Your mom is gonna start to wonder where you are."
He held the door open and Kagome stepped inside, not responding. She was in shock. Inuyasha bid her a rather awkward farewell and disappeared through the shrine and down the steps. Kagome closed the door and brought her books up to her room, not knowing what to say or do.
'Inuyasha likes me?'
"So, I've been looking into accommodations in the area that are fit to house all 8 of us, seeing as it will be cheaper."
Everyone at the lunch table listened to Rin as went through the information on their upcoming trip. The trip was to take place the very next weekend since they wouldn't have Saturday classes that weekend. Sesshomaru complained that he didn't wanna have to drive two hours to the event, then back in the middle of the night, so everyone decided to chip in on a place to stay for the night before they drove back to Tokyo. Rin began looking into hotels and the like since they had to make reservations quickly.
"Do you guys wanna do a western style hotel with multiple rooms?"
"That sounds expensive," Sango complained and Rin sighed.
"Well the problem with booking so for many people is that if we wanna aim for cheaper places, we're gonna have to cram and sleep with multiple people in one room, and possibly even one bed."
"I don't mind sleeping on a floor," Ayame said. "If no one else does, we can get a one-bedroom and have 2 or 3 people in the bed and everyone else can sleep in sleeping bags on the floor."
"Or even a two-bedroom," Miroku suggested. "Guys in one room, girls in the other."
"No offense, but I don't wanna share a bed with any of you louche fuckers," Inuyasha complained.
"Yeah, you wanna share a bed with Kagome," Kouga teased and Kagome flushed. She was still shocked about his accidental admission the day before.
He tried to play it off like he didn't mean it, but it was already apparent to everyone, including Kagome that he liked her. She was a bit awkward around him that morning during the ride to school and didn't say much, using being tired as an excuse. Inuyasha noticed but decided not to comment. He didn't wanna make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already did.
Kagome didn't know if it made her feel awkward because she'd never been romantically involved with someone before and didn't know what to do in the situation, or if it was because she actually like him back. Maybe it was both. She was shy and awkward around him again, but she had become quite close with him, and didn't want to hurt his feelings by pushing him away.
"Fuck you." Inuyasha said simply, ignoring him. He turned to Rin. "I think it'd be a better idea to maybe rent a house, instead. Even a small one, with at least two bedrooms. We can do two people to each room, two to a couch, if they have one, and two people on the floor in sleeping bags. Sango and Miroku can share a bed, you and Sess can share a bed, and me, Ayame, Kagome and Kouga can sleep in separate sleeping bags or available futons."
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they considered his idea.
"That's actually really smart," Ayame murmured and everyone agreed.
"And it saves the non-couples from the awkward situation of sharing a bed with someone," Sango added.
"Yeah, and renting a house for a night is cheaper than most hotels. Usually only 15,000 yen per night," Inuyasha said.
"I'll start looking into houses up for rent in the area," Rin said. "Also, my dad already bought all of our tickets online, so just give me the money for you V.I.P. admission whenever you can. But I need everyone's contribution to the house as soon as possible."
"Yeah, well I already asked my uncle about borrowing his highlander." Miroku started. "He said if it's returned in worse condition than it was before it's given to us, he's gonna rip my balls off and force feed them to you guys."
"Oh, speaking of places where the sun doesn't shine," Inuyasha started, smirking at Kouga. "I hope everyone's ready to look at your hairy ass."
"You're going?" Rin gawked at Kagome, who blushed.
"Well I can't guarantee that I'll participate in the scary stuff, but I don't want you going bald..." she trailed off when Rin's smile widened.
"My dad already bought the tickets, so you know what that means?"
Kagome sputtered. "If your dad already bought the tickets, then you were gonna force me into it either way?!"
Kouga's eyes widened. "You cheated on the bet, you little shit."
Rin ignored him.
"It was a test. To see if you loved me enough to prevent me from going bald. And did you really think I'd let you slip away from an opportunity to snuggle against Inuyasha in fear all night?"
Kagome stared incredulously at her friend. "You wanted me to tell you I was going, even though you were gonna force me into it, just so you could feel assured that I really care about you?"
"Yes, and it worked!" Rin surprised everyone by launching out of her chair and across Inuyasha's lap, grabbing and pulling Kagome across him and into a tight hug. "I love you too, you silly, silly girl!"
Sango and Ayame chuckled at the shock on Kagome's face as kids from nearby tables were staring at Rin like she was crazy. Inuyasha awkwardly scooted his chair back away from the two girls.
"Welp," Miroku sighed. "Guess this also means we have to look Kouga's ass."
Sorry this was such a short chapter. I really wanted to go more into the Sports Day thing, but I got sidetracked in my research about it. Anywho, as always please review and let me know what you think!
