Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters
A/N- Thanks for all the reviews, I love reviews. Well I have gotten quite a few ideas for what I should do with the next 8 or so chapters. I have decided to use about three of them and the ones that I'm not using still sparked some good ideas so thank you all. Now onto the chapter. Now I almost forgot about the gangs while writing Italy, but an amazing reviewer reminded me about them and I am so grateful to you! A few names will pop up like Shioi (episode 73) so no I am not making up characters they are just not big characters in the series.
Chapter 12- It Was All Started By a Water Balloon"Hey Yash wake up everyone is here." Inuyasha cracked open one eye and glanced over at Miroku who was sitting to his left. Right when Inuyasha got off the plane he had called up a dozen or so of his closest friends, who happened to be in the gang, and asked for them to meet him at his house. They were now all lounging in the basement and all eyes were on him.
"Yea, sorry for dozing off on you guys..." Inuyasha let out a little yawn and noticed the confused look on most of their faces. "What?"
"Well no offense Yash, but you don't usually apologize for anything." Inuyasha glanced over at Shippo with a small smile. Inuyasha was usually tough on Shippo cause he was the youngest one there most of the time but he was feeling generous today.
"Well maybe I'm in a good mood runt." Inuyasha reached over from his place on the couch and hit Shippo lightly on the head.
"Why are you in a good mood?" Shippo rubbed the area where Inuyasha had hit him a little with one hand.
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Inuyasha leaned back into the cushions with a small frown.
"I only asked one question!"
"Well you're getting annoying and fast..."
Shippo was about to say something more when Miroku cut in. "Don't worry Shippo, Inuyasha is just happy cause he finally got a girl." Miroku suddenly heard a loud growl come from beside him and before he had time to react a fist came down hard on his head.
"Miroku, shut up unless you know what you're talking about. Do you want me to accidentally mention that lovely man you met in Italy?" Inuyasha was glaring daggers at his best friend while he heard a couple laughs from around the room.
"Wow Boss, I can't remember the last time you had a real girlfriend and not just a fling." Shiori spoke up. Shiori was fairly young and a girl so Inuyasha had been reluctant to let her in with them but she had proven herself loyal and faithful so she was quickly accepted.
"She is not my girlfriend... she keeps turning me down." Inuyasha let out a little frustrated growl before taking a sip from his soda. He heard a couple more laughs circulate around the room before he tried to regain order in the room. "All right, all right you've had your laughs about my less then fortunate love life now let's get to business. Miroku and I have been gone for two weeks and Shiori and the runt have been in charge so how many people have been killed off?" He smirked a bit at Shiori's and Shippo's little bursts of anger at being called incompetent. He knew that they were capable of handling the gang while he was gone, especially since he knew Naraku was in Italy for a couple of the days.
"Actually Inuyasha it's been quiet around here. Naraku was out of town for a couple days and except for a few fights between some of the newer members from both gangs nothing has happened. I guess Naraku is only interested in you." Kohaku smiled a bit at Inuyasha. Kohaku had become a full-fledged member of the gang when Sango had half joined about a two or three years ago. He really wasn't one to start fights but if you put him in one he came in handy.
"Believe me I noticed. He popped up in Italy." Inuyasha let out a low growl remembering the encounter and how Naraku had almost hurt Kagome just cause she wanted a stupid necklace.
"Seriously what happened?" Inuyasha just shrugged Shippo's question off not really wanting to explain the circumstances. The gang would probably call him a lovesick puppy if they knew how he came running to the rescue and took her on a romantic date the next day. He wasn't about to ruin his reputation for something he did thousands of miles away.
"Oh Naraku tried to kidnap Inuyasha's little girlfriend but of course Inuyasha saved her and they made out in the street afterward as a sign of her gratitude and their eternal love." Miroku was smiling like a little fool, well he was smiling but then Inuyasha leaned over and knocked him out cold.
"That's not how it happened you idiot!" Inuyasha let out a little growl and sent a silent glare to the rest of the gang to get them to stop laughing. In the end it didn't work and he just sat back down and laughed a bit with them. Before he might not have been too easy going with the gang but something about Italy had changed him a bit... just a bit. He thought about Kagome for a second and allowed a small smile grace his lips. She's probably the one that's changing him.
"What's the smile for Boss?" Inuyasha was snapped back from his daydreams by the question but just shrugged it off. He seemed to be shrugging off a lot of their questions today.
Inuyasha leaned back and seemed to be starring off into space but since it looked like he was thinking hard none of the group spoke. Inuyasha got pissed when someone interrupted him whenever he was thinking or talking and everyone knew that. "Why did we start this whole thing? Do we really do it just because we like the fights... there has got to be a reason. I forgot what that reason was."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Inuyasha and never questioned why they did what they did. He never seemed to care before why they got into fights in the streets and skipped out of school or stole from people. He just did it with the rest of them and enjoyed it. He had always enjoyed that certain sense of superiority over everyone else at the school and adored all the attention... but now he seemed seriously bothered. "Well Boss didn't it all start as something between you and Naraku and it escalated into this?"
"Yea I guess I forgot about that... well since I know everyone is still alive and all is well in the world I'm going to bed. Night." Inuyasha pushed himself off the couch and stepped over Miroku before heading to the stairs. He heard the others saying goodbye before he shut the basement door behind him and headed to his room.
"Inuyasha what happened to you?"
Inuyasha turned on the steps to look down at his mother who was standing in the hallway. "What do you mean mom?"
She let out a little frown like she was thinking of the right words to say. "You've been acting strangely since you came back from Italy. For once I don't have to worry about where you are or what you are doing at night... you're actually home." She smiled at him. "Don't get me wrong, I like this much better. But I just want to know what happened."
Inuyasha thought about it for a second. "I got to know this girl, Kagome. While we were there she asked me one simple question and... I couldn't answer it. She asked how I got into this gang mess and I had forgotten why. I really have no reason to be doing this do I? But I do it anyway, I put everyone that knows me and myself into harms way just for a little attention and authority. I like what I'm doing, I enjoy it but... well I don't know it just got me thinking. Well I'm tired mom, good night." He heard his mom mumble a small good night before he finished walking up the flight of stairs and went into his room.
He collapsed unto his bed and closed his eyes. What was that incident Shiori mentioned? He couldn't remember. How long had he been in this gang? He had known the people in that basement forever; he couldn't remember. Why was Kagome's question getting under his skin like this? It was infuriating. All he wanted that girl to do was get Kikyo off his back but it has escalated into this. It seems that every time he tries to solve a small problem he gets landed with a larger one. Maybe sleep would help him now.
Inuyasha was walking down a street. He recognized it as the same street his house was on now but it looked so different yet so familiar. He kept walking down the street and soon reached a small park at the corner. The park had been torn down years ago to build another house but when he was little they used to always play there.
That's when he heard yelling and laughing. He walked to the other side of the park to see himself, a much younger version of himself, and a couple of his friends laughing. They were at that time used to pulling pranks and this time they had pulled one on Naraku who was always telling on them. It served the snitch right. "Inuyasha! I'll get you back for this!" Inuyasha turned his head to see a young Naraku thoroughly soaked with water. It was a small punishment compared to what they did to each other now but back then a water balloon or two was a much bigger deal.
"Hey Inuyasha do you think he is trying to get us back?" Miroku sat down on one of the swing sets and started to go back and forth slowly.
"Nah, that coward is nothing but a snitch. He can't do anything to us!" The young Inuyasha gave a stubborn nod before sitting on the swing next to Miroku.
Inuyasha felt the world around him get fuzzy and suddenly very bright.
He sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He remembered that. They were about nine years old then and had gotten sick of Naraku turning them in for the harmless neighborhood pranks (and by harmless they meant it never caused any fatal injuries) that they had attacked him with the water balloons. They thought it was the biggest triumph of the year back then. But that stupid little incident couldn't have turned into this right? He leaned his head against the pillows and reached over for his cell phone.
He heard two rings on the other side before a have asleep Miroku picked up the phone. "Hey Yash, what do you want this early in the morning. I'm surprised you're up." Inuyasha heard Miroku yawn a little.
"Sorry for waking you up but I forgot something..." Inuyasha was interrupted by Miroku's laughter.
"Inuyasha you're always forgetting something, it's nothing new to me."
"Oh very funny Miroku but seriously, what happened a few years ago after we pulled that prank on Naraku. Do you remember that?" Inuyasha waited for an answer but only got silence for a minute.
"Now that's something I thought you would never forget. But let me enlighten you my oh-so forgetful friend. After we pulled that stupid prank on Naraku he was so bent on getting us back that he kind of forgot what the difference was between a prank and someone actually getting hurt. Of course that is still one of his many problems. Well it was at a school play I think. You had the lead role but Naraku had decided to do backstage stuff. Well during one of your monologues Naraku thought it would be hilarious if he dropped one of the overhead props on you. The teachers were watching the play and not him which is probably how he was able to do it. Well he dropped something on you but it wasn't one of the cardboard stars or anything, He dropped... I think it was the sun that had light bulbs and all this other shit on it to make it look pretty. Apparently it also made it damn heavy too cause when it hit you it knocked you out cold and busted your head open quite a bit. After that you got revenge on him, he got revenge on you and it turned into a gang war. All because of a couple of water balloons, pretty stupid huh?"
Inuyasha heard Miroku's light laughter come from the other side of the phone at the complete idiocy of the whole situation. His laugh was infectious or something because soon Inuyasha was laughing at how stupid it all was too. "Thanks Miroku, I can't believe I forgot."
"No problem man. What are friends for? But next time... don't call before eight o'clock." Inuyasha smiled and promised Miroku he wouldn't do it again before hanging up the phone and tossing it into a beanbag chair. Water balloon? A stupid ass water balloon caused this whole thing? That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life! Naraku was such a baby dropping the sun on him just because of a water balloon...
Inuyasha hadn't been thinking about how stupid the whole situation was for more then five minutes when the abandoned phone started to chime. He reached over and checked the caller id before flipping it open. "Hey baby."
He let out a little laugh when he heard a groan from the other side of the line. "I already told you before don't call me baby!"
"Yea, yea whatever you say sweetheart. What's up?" He flopped down in the beanbag chair that his phone used to occupy.
"Ayame, Rin, Sango, Miroku, and I are going to the mall today. Want to come with us?"
"Didn't you guys do enough shopping in Italy? You can't possible need more junk already!" Inuyasha thought back to the Italy trip. When they had left all the girls had one or two carry on bags and one suitcase. When they came home all the girls had at least three suitcases!
"Inuyasha you can never have to much junk. And it's not junk!" Inuyasha could just picture her frowning at him through the phone when he called her 'precious' stuff junk.
"Kagome... you just called it junk." He let out a little laugh at the growl coming from the other side of the phone. "Well I guess I want to get out of the house today so sure I'll come. Where are we meeting up?"
"Oh just drive over to my house now and we'll wait for the others to pick us up."
"Sounds good baby." He clicked the phone shut as he started to hear her complain about being called baby again. He stood up and looked down at himself. He had forgotten to change out of his clothes yesterday and had collapsed into bed shirt, shoes, jeans, and all. He tore of his clothes and put on some new ones before brushing his long hair quickly and pulling it back into a ponytail.
"Hey mom I'm going to the mall with the girls and Miroku, I'll be back later." He was about to walk into the garage when his mother yelled at him to come back into the living room for a moment.
"Yea mom?" He didn't bother to sit down on the couch considering he wanted to get going as fast as possible.
"Who are the girls?" His mother glanced up at him from her book with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Oh you only met Sango, but there is also Ayame, Rin, and Kagome." He added as an afterthought. "Don't worry Kagome is such a little angel she isn't into the whole gang thing."
His mother suddenly grinned. "Oh so this Kagome girl is an angel? So you've already given her a pet name? You like this one huh?"
Inuyasha blushed a bit. "Mom! I just said she was an angel so you wouldn't think she was in a gang. What is with you?"
"Aww my baby blushed he likes a girl! I can't wait to tell your father." Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and figured it was best to just let his mother do what she wanted. "Oh and Inuyasha don't kill or steal anything while you're out!"
Inuyasha just let out a small laugh before shutting the garage door behind him and heading over to Kagome's house. When he pulled up to her house he noticed that none of the others' cars were there yet. He walked up to the door and banged on it a few times before just deciding to let himself in.
"Hello and who are you?" Inuyasha turned at the sound of the voice and saw and woman, he guessed Kagome's mother, standing near an open door that he figured led to the kitchen. He couldn't quite remember where everything was from his last... visit. Just remembering that incident brought a small perverted smile to his face, which he quickly wiped off remembering who he was talking to.
"My name's Inuyasha, nice to meet you." He extended his hand to her so she could shake it but instead the woman flung her arms around him in a hug. Inuyasha was so surprised by the little burst of affection he couldn't think what to do. All he could think to do was stand there and wait for her to release him.
"So this is the man that my baby girl was talking about! Oh I can't wait for grandchildren!" Korari let go of him before turning her head in surprise at the sound of a timer going off in the kitchen.
"Grandchildren?" Inuyasha just stood there in the front entrance confused and a bit scared to meet any of the other family members. "She was talking about me? What the hell is with the grandchildren deal?" At that moment Kagome decided to make her entrance and spare Inuyasha from having to meet anyone else alone.
"Inuyasha is that you?" Kagome came walking down the stairs while shoving a few items here and there into her purse.
"No I'm his evil twin brother. Who else would it be stupid girl?" Inuyasha gave her a little frown before pulling her into a playful hug. "So how's my baby doing?" He seemed to have forgotten all about Korari in the other room as Kagome let out a little squeal when he grabbed her.
Korari had stepped out of the kitchen again to offer Inuyasha some tea or soda when she saw them hugging... well Inuyasha hugging Kagome and Kagome wrestling to get out of his arms. "Yay grandchildren!"
When Kagome and Inuyasha heard Korari's little exclamation they quickly brook apart from each other and blushed. "Mom how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not having any kids and especially not with him!" Kagome was twenty shades of red but Inuyasha just let out a little laugh.
"Baby I'm hurt I thought you loved me?" He walked up to her and gave her another hug while she just lightly punched him on the shoulder. Korari just let out a little laugh and a smile at the spectacle.
"Mom Sango and the others should be here any second so I'll see you later on tonight." She slipped on her shoes while grabbing Inuyasha's hand so she could drag him out of the house as soon as possible.
"All right honey I'll see you later. Don't have sex in public." Korari just smiled at her blushing daughter before walking back into the kitchen.
"We're not having sex anywhere!" Kagome punched Inuyasha lightly on the arm again to get him to stop laughing at her before dragging him outside just as the others pulled into the driveway.
They ended up splitting into two groups and taking both Inuyasha's and Miroku's car. Sango and Ayame rode with Miroku while Rin and Kagome took Inuyasha's car. The ride to the mall was fairly uneventful except for the time Miroku started to pull out of Kagome's driveway and almost ran over her cat. Besides that no one got seriously injured.
They had been at the mall for a couple of hours before the guys demanded they take a break mainly because the bags the girls were making them carry were so heavy it felt like their arms were falling off. It was as if they were buying stuff for a bomb shelter. Who in the world needed this much crap?
After a bit of arguing and some coin flipping Kagome and Inuyasha had broken off from the rest of the group to go find the food court and get some smoothies for the others. They were passing buy a little toy store when Inuyasha pulled her to a stop and walked inside for a minute. "Inuyasha aren't you a little too old for this shop?"
"Kagome no one is ever too old for a toy store." He winked at her playfully before passing a stand that held bags of balloons. He looked at the little deflated things and thought back to that day in the park. With a smile he picked up a bag and went to buy them.
"Inuyasha seriously... what are you going to do with balloons?" Kagome rolled her eyes at him with a little sigh. Guys could be so childish sometimes couldn't they?
"They're for fun Kagome lighten up and hurry up. The others probably think we died on our way to the food court or something." Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the toy store with a small smile.
They went to the food court and bought the smoothies before meeting back up with everyone else and finishing their little shopping spree. They would be back in school tomorrow and Kagome and Rin's parents had called them up on the cell phones to tell them to be home early. Miroku had decided to drop of three of the girls since they lived closer to each other while Inuyasha decided to drive Kagome home.
Before Kagome stepped out of the car Inuyasha grabbed onto her hand. He pulled her into a light kiss before giving her and little wink and letting her go. She gave him a small smile before he drove off but she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She had hoped that he would have asked her to be his girlfriend but once again she was left in the dust. It would happen soon though right? He was probably just waiting for the perfect moment... at least that's what she hoped.
On the way home Inuyasha pulled over at a gas station and while filling up his car he walked into the convenience store and filled up one of the balloons with water until he was sure it was going to burst if he put one more drop into it. He piled back into his car setting the water balloon down gently in the passenger seat so it wouldn't pop in his car and decided to take the long way home so that he went right through Naraku's turf.
He glanced ahead of him and saw Naraku with two or three of his gang members standing next to the stoplight. As Inuyasha passed he slowed down and rolled down his window and tossed the balloon out of his window hitting Naraku square in the face and soaking him and anyone who was standing near him. He could hear Naraku screaming at home to turn his car around and fight him like a man but he just yelled out the window as he drove away "That was for old time's sake Naraku! See you tomorrow!" He rolled back up his window and leaned back in his chair as he headed home. Doing something that childish made him feel like he was nine again, but it was fun even though it was completely immature.
A/N- All right I know it took me longer then usual to write this chapter and I know it was only a little more the six pages but I thought it was an OK chapter. I decided to make the gangs seem less serious by throwing in something completely childish and kind of stupid like the water balloon incident. Please review I would love it dearly. Oh and I decided that I will be doing the school dance thing! REVIEW. Oh yea I am in New York City from the 4th-9th in July so don't expect anything in-between those dates. Ciao.