Chapter 9: Nadam Fair

Bolded words are spoken in Chinese, non-bolded words are spoken in Chinese


One Week later…

It was a bright morning in the Taishou estate, one of the oldest constructions around in Japan, with its history dating far back to the feudal era. The grounds covered several acres, consisting of pristine gardens, large courtyards for hosting parties and many other opened areas that provided guests and families alike with recreational options. In the center, slightly to the back stood the massive manor which housed the Taishou family for generations and generations. Sunlight could be seen filtering through the thin paper windows, casting bright spots along the ancient hallways and giving it a warm glow.

Izayoi was already up before dawn when a servant informed her of a phone call from China. She grinned secretly as she thought back to the contents of the call whilst heading for her bedroom.

"Honey, we have news," the woman slid aside her bedroom door and quietly approached her sleeping husband, not wanting to startle him. His hair was untied and fanned out across the pillow, casting an eerie silver light whilst it catches the dancing rays of sunlight. His left hand lay behind his head whereas his right hand was slouched across his stomach. Although he was a man in his middle ages, the corner of his mouth was open and a thin sliver of drool could be seen glistening down his chin. Izayoi shook her husband slightly, "Wake up dear, Kaede had just sent a messenger to inform us of important news."

"Huh? What could be that important for you to wake me up in the middle of a Sunday morning?" InuTaishou slurred sleepily, not wanting to wake just yet.

"Our son is getting engaged," Izayoi smiled happily as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest, barely able to contain her excitement. Like any mother, she had always pictured her son with a family of his own, and now it seems that her dreams were coming true.

It was a bright morning in the Taishou estate – that is, until an indignant bellow from InuTaishou ruined it.

"InuYasha!"


On the other side of China, InuYasha awoke with a start. Briefly, he thought he could hear his father shouting his name, but that was ridiculous. He glanced outside the wagon, which was heading towards the Nadam Fair. The week had gone by rapidly and the Fair was here before he knew it. To be honest, he wouldn't even bat an eyelid if an asteroid decided to crash into Earth right then. He was just concerned with getting himself out of his dilemma.

'It's true that she is pretty in her own way,' InuYasha mused as he casted a surreptitious glance over at Kagome, 'but this is still not enough reason for me to be engaged to that woman.' Although a playboy of sorts, when it comes to a long lasting relationship, InuYasha was quite the traditionalist. He believed that his marriage must be based off of love and devotion, a courtesy of his mother, who reiterated over and over to him that love was the key to happiness.

When they arrived, the previously unoccupied lake was already filled with people. Some, like the Higurashis, were shepherds and merchants that came to sell their goods. Others were activity directors that came to set up for the events. One thing in common was that all of them were dressed in brightly colored clothing that denoted the village they came from and the craftsmanship of their particular village. The lake site was currently filled with all sorts of bright banners and flags to attract potential customers or traders, perhaps even a few tourists if any happened to chance by.

The Higarashis stopped in their assigned areas and began unpacking. They had brought along sheep's wool, lengths of dyed fabrics, some smoked meats and little trinkets in hope of making some good trade during the fair. After assigning everyone to their task of setting up the stalls, the group split up.

"Hey, watch it!" A masculine voice cried as something hard bumped into InuYasha, who was struggling to set up the pole for the stall.

"Were you talking to me?" The young businessman-to-be narrowed his eyes at the source of the voice. He saw a man about his age, black long hair tied up in a high ponytail with a band across his forehead. What was startling was that the man had sapphire eyes, a color which was not common amongst the Asian race. And it was hate at first sight.

"You banged into me with that stupid pole of yours," the stranger growled dangerously low, likewise he didn't understand what InuYasha had just said, but he could give a good guess based off the hostile aura that InuYasha was giving him. "And don't give me that arrogant look, or I'll wipe it off your face."

One thing InuYasha knew was that the stranger had said the word 'stupid' to him; another was that the stranger had dared talk to him in such a demeaning tone, and he was not a happy camper. No one dared to talk to him in such a manner. It was only natural that he forgot his manners completely and profanities started flying. "If I were you, I'll keep my trap shut, you son of a bitch."

Not to be talked back, the stranger scoffed, "Did you just glare at me? Because I am going to dig your eyeballs out right now-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as two other males ran up to him and started dragging him back. They were saying something frantically to him, as if trying to soothe him. They glanced back at InuYasha and gave him apologetic nods as they dragged the struggling stranger off.

What in the seven hells was that?


Later in the day when most people have already finished setting up for the fair, they hosted a big picnic lunch. During this time, the three visitors were the center of attention and the target of many questions.

"How long are you going to stay here?"

Miroku took the opportunity to act as translator for his friends, at the same time showing off his knowledge of two language to the girls nearby. "Two months, then we will be going to work in the city."

"What sort of company are you working for?" Another curios person asked.

"Tourism," Miroku replied smoothly. "All three of us are going for an internship there."

All of a sudden, the whole gathering became deathly quiet. People cast nervous glances around before an old man ventured, "Which tourism firm was it?"

InuYasha cocked his head to the side as Miroku once again translated the question over. He didn't register the tension in the air. "Why, you haven't heard of Taishou tourism? We are a big company you know, like huge." He waved his hands in the air in an attempt to show how big and successful his father's company was. "Quite wealthy too," He nodded to himself.

There were a few more chatters between the villagers before they broke into smiles again. "Taishou company is a good company, they don't exploit us like the other tourism firms do. For a moment there we thought you were one of those companies that destroy our culture just to gain a profit for their own benefit."

As Miroku translated, InuYasha frowned. Now why would anyone do that?

"Tourism or not, they are all the same bastards." A collective gasp could be heard from everyone. There stood the blue-eyed stranger, pointing an accusing finger at InuYasha. "If it hadn't been for you guys, we wouldn't need to argue over splitting the lands! You bought our ancestor land out and ruined the sacred grounds! If I have my hatchet now, I'll cleave you into two and feed you back to the sniveling mongrel that you call a father."

Not liking what he hear when Miroku finished translating for him, InuYasha taunted back, "Perhaps your Neanderthal brain hadn't learn what a contract is? It's a paper that we draw up with all the terms and conditions stated clearly. Someone from your side reads and if they agree to the terms and conditions, both of us sign. Then we both shake our merry little hands and get our share of the money. So if you want to complain, go dig out those money-eyed friends of yours that signed the contract and feed them instead to their fathers."

Again, Kouga lunged for InuYasha after Miroku finished with the translation (though he remembered to drop a lot of the profanities from the translated version). Both men tumbled onto the ground and within moments, Kouga was on top of InuYasha with his hands tightly wrapped around InuYasha's neck. Some men attempted to wrestle the two apart whereas others cheered them on.

"Enough!" A voice declared with authority.

Slowly, the crowd parted ways for Kaede to move through. Being one of the oldest people around the fair, she naturally assumed a position of command. Reluctantly, Kouga moved off InuYasha and backed away.

"We don't need a mess before the start of the fair. If you two are so inclined to fight each other, you can do so in the events tomorrow. The one who loses shall have to apologize publicly to the other and admit their faults. Is that clear?" Although Kaede knew that apologizing was a mild punishment, but being the egoistical males that they are, apologizing was tantamount to telling the two of them to dance with pink dresses on.

"Sounds easy enough," Kouga sneered at InuYasha before moving back towards his own group of people.

Not wanting to back down a challenge in public, Inuyasha agreed to the competition.


"Hold your feet apart, stand straight. Now look straight ahead at your target and focus. Keep in mind that the wind will be strong from time to time and thus it will affect the trajectory of the arrow. Now balance the tip carefully on your left finger, lift it up to your ear and pull the string slowly back. How much times must I remind you to focus?" Kaede instructed.

After the first two hours of practicing, InuYasha was sorely tempted to shoot the old woman. That is, if he could successfully fire the arrow at her direction in the first place.

The first event that they were to compete in was archery, one of the three basic skills of men. The event was split into two different categories. The first category was a test of distance to see which man had the strength to shoot the furthest; the second was a test of accuracy where the contestants have to ride a horse whilst shooting at the targets. No need to say, our male protagonist was skilled at neither of the things listed.

"Again! And Again! You are still not there yet, young child, focus more!" Kaede continued to instruct InuYasha, who was nowhere near the expertise of a child yet. Then again, no one really expected him to pick up the art of archery within one day. Those who were proficient practiced for years before they mastered the skill.

InuYasha was well aware that he had no way of winning the event, unless he thought of some other strategies. His hope came in the form of his perverted friend.

"You know, Yash, I have been talking with some of the lady folks over there. They said that the main reason Kouga was targeting you was because he sees you as a potential love rival. After all, you are currently staying under the same roof as Kagome, the girl whom he had been wooing for months."

"What about you? You are also staying at the lodge too!" InuYasha fumed.

"But with my appreciation of all women, I think that Kouga got a pretty clear idea that I was not interested in 'his' woman. On the other hand, someone here had seen-" Miroku was cut off as InuYasha pounced on him.

"Remind me of that situation one more time and Sango's going to become a widow in the future," InuYasha growled threateningly. Miroku nodded once and InuYasha rolled off his friend. "So why are you here now?"

Said friend gave a cunning grin. "We all know you can't win Kouga in archery, however, you do have one advantage. You live with Kagome and you saw her – I mean, you were with her before."

InuYasha cocked an eyebrow. "What does this have to do with me winning the event?"

"Think about it," Miroku thumped his friend on the head, "you can use Kouga's jealousy to your advantage. All you need to do is just spite him a little and make him lose his focus."

By all means, InuYasha was not one to rely on underhanded ways to gain his victory. But after weighing his advantage against Kouga's, he decided that it would be best if he make full use of his little advantage. It wouldn't hurt to be cunning from time to time right?

"All men are given one arrow for the first category. The man who shoots the furthest is the winner of the first category."

As the announcer continued on introducing the rules of the game, InuYasha zoned off. He looked at the row of participants and flinched inwardly. While he was considered muscular in a lean sort of way, compared to the men present, his body could easily pass as a child's. All the other men were tall with muscular bodies that somewhat resembled a bull's, their hands big enough to wrap around his neck and break it like a twig.

On the sidelines, Kagome also winced when she compared InuYasha to the other men. He looked petite standing in the line, holding on to a modern plastic bow whereas others were using traditional bows carved out of the strongest woods. InuYasha had chosen to use this bow because the strings were easier to pull, the bow was lighter, and it had devices on it that helped him aim.

While she did not like InuYasha exactly (especially after that particular intrusion), Kagome was hoping that he would still win against Kouga. She knew that if Kouga won, he would surely think that he had also gain the right to claim her too, which was something she could do without. Kouga's possessiveness was endearing, but sometimes he imposed himself too much on the poor girl.

"Are we clear on the rules?" The announcer asked.

InuYasha planted himself firmly on the ground, legs slightly apart. He tried to recall as many of Kaede's instructions as possible: look-out for the wind direction, focus, look straight…ah, and of course, that.

Kagome blinked in surprise as InuYasha suddenly sauntered over to her with a seductive smirk on his face. She retreated a few steps back, but found herself unable to go back further because of the crowd behind her. By then, a big crowd consisting of tourists and villagers had already gathered around the area of the competition. He cupped her face with one of his hand and stroked it tenderly with his thumb. Then he leaned down, close to her face and with a swift movement, pecked her on the forehead.

"This victory is for you," InuYasha whispered in her ear, but made sure it was loud enough for Kouga – who was standing only a few distances away – to hear. Kagome blushed profusely, wondering what he gotten into him. With that, he straightened up and returned to his post, making sure that he strolled by Kouga with a smug grin.

Once he was back in line, he casted a surreptitious glance in Kouga's direction. Whatever Miroku had taught him to say and do, it was working. The other man was trembling with rage, his knuckles deathly white as he gripped tightly onto his bow.

To say that Kouga was beyond furious was an understatement. Here he was, trying to court Kagome for months by giving her flowers, proclaiming that she was his destined in front of others and chasing away other potential suitors. But never once did he get intimate with her, and in came the stranger, who not only lived in the same house as her, but also kissed her forehead in front of everyone! The worst part was that Kagome had actually blushed.

"Ready!" The announcer raised his hands. "Shoot!"

Just as Kouga let go of his string, he saw InuYasha winking at Kagome from the corner of his eyes. That was enough to let his attention drift, and his arrow ended up traveling the same distance as InuYasha's. Since they were equal, they were given another arrow to attempt a second round. As Kouga was about to shoot the second time, he spied InuYasha smirking at him and mouthing the word 'loser'. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Instead of shooting off into the distance, Kouga turned his arrow and aimed it at InuYasha's back when the other turned around. He fired.

For once, the goddess of luck was on InuYasha's side. The wind picked up and instead of decapitating the young man, the arrow changed its course of direction and sheared off a few strands of his hair.

InuYasha gawked as he watched the few strands floated to the ground. "What the hell?" He whirled around to face Kouga and jumped on the other man. "You were trying to kill me you bastard!" He punched Kouga across the face and drew some blood.

"Keep your hands off my woman!" Kouga roared back, already half-guessing what InuYasha was shouting about. He returned the punch with equal force, knocking InuYasha off balance.

Once again, the crowd had to intervene to stop the two men from fighting each other to the death. After a lot of struggling and cursing, Kouga was ultimately disqualified from the event for trying to wound his opponent, whereas InuYasha won by default.

"It's rather disappointing that you will resort to such a method to win the event." Kaede faced InuYasha. "I hope that you repent and attend the next event fair and square."

InuYasha keh-ed at the old woman. "Fine, I will just attend the contest tomorrow without cheats. Besides, I don't need any sort of cheats to win against him." Perhaps he couldn't win Kouga in archery, but he was convinced that he could win Kouga at the next event.

On the other side, Kouga was cursing nonstop. He was humiliated once again by the stranger in front of public!

"I find it surprising that you will go to that extent just to get Kagome." Kouga looked up to see a red-haired female approach him.

"It's none of your business, Ayame," Kouga growled.

"It is my business when I was supposed to be your fiancée," Ayame countered bitterly. She had an arranged marriage with Kouga when they were young, but that was before Kagome entered the picture. Ever since then, Kouga broke off the engagement.

"But you are no longer one now," Kouga replied casually, making a hand motion as if to shoo the girl off. "My goal is only to get Kagome to be my woman. And trust me when I say that nothing will get in my way from attaining that goal."

A/N:

Trallalalala done with another chapter but not fully edited yet! I was intending to write the whole Nadam Fair in one chapter, but then it would take too long, so I will be splitting it according to the events.

IlonaBliss: Thank you so much! Glad you liked it so far ;D