Ch 10 – Shooting Lessons

They pulled into the shooting range site, Sango put the car in park "Ready?" She said looking at them

They all looked at each other worried and got out of the car, they walked into the entrance and the counterman recognized Sango immediately "Sango! How is your family?" He said smiling.

"Good Totosai, how have you been?" Sango asked, the old my smiled and shrugged "These are my friends, their names aren't important and no one is to know we were here."

Totosai looked at her skeptically and then nodded "Anything for you Sango. What can I get for you?"

"Four hand guns, bullets, and ear muffs." He handed her the supplies and she lead her friends down to the shooting aisles.

"Alright," She said calling their attention "Make sure your safety is on whenever you are not shooting." She demonstrated how to turn the safety on and off. "Now, when you shoot hold your arm straight and point. Be prepared because the shock can surprise you the first few times." She smiled and they all nodded understanding, "Okay, let's do this"

They all turned around and put their muffs on "FIRE" Sango shouted as the light went from red to green indicating it was safe to shoot. They all began to aim and shoot. Sango walked up and down watching them. She walked up to Miroku who was aiming with one eye, trying to focus. "You'll shoot twice as good with two eyes." He opened his eyes, and continued shooting. She went to Inuyasha "Don't be so tense" She said touching his shoulders, he relaxed and continued shooting. Then to Kagome who hadn't taken a shot yet. Sango nodded at her and she clutched the gun afraid and shut her eyes tight and shot. "Okay, but don't be afraid of the gun. Be afraid of what you're shooting. The gun is your friend, it'll protect you." Kagome looked up and eyed the bull's eye she was trying to hit. Not even close to the center. Sango looked up and signaled for Totosai to change her target from a bull's eye to a silhouette of a man. "Try now."

Kagome looked at the silhouette, she imagined him, she thought about everything he did to her. She raised her gun, she remembered the beatings, the touching. She took aim, she saw him coming at her. BAM! Dead center. Sango smiled at her.

They group continued to practice and then the light went from green to red and they all ceased fire. They took off their ear muffs and smiled at Sango.

"Y'all did really good. Now put it on the safety and let's go." Sango bought the guns and more holsters from Totosai "Remember, we were never here." Totosai nodded and they left. They had been there all day and Sango was confident they would know what to do in the face of danger.

They were cruzing down the road and they came across a few hotels, motels, and inns but they wanted to go as far as they could. Finally it was around 5 in the morning and Sango was getting tired.

"Why don't you pull over and let me drive?" Miroku said

Sango was about to reject but she knew they had to keep moving and she was getting really tired. "Alright," She said pulling over.

Miroku and Sango switched places. Kagome was sitting in the back and looked at Inuyasha who was sleeping. As the car started up again Sango fell asleep and Kagome saw Miroku was also tired. She didn't know how to drive but she could at least try to keep Miroku awake.

"So, you and Inuyasha worked on Sango family's farm?" Kagome asked

Miroku looked in the mirror surprised she was still awake. "Uh, yeah, we've worked for her family for about two years now." Miroku glanced at Sango sleeping and back at the road.

"What about your family?" Kagome asked. She learned about Sango's last night. She told her all about how her mother passed when she was young and she and her brother were all that was left of the family, them and her father.

"Well, my parents travel a lot. When I was fifteen they said they were going to travel the world and left me to live with Inuyasha. I had just started working for Sango's dad and they knew he would help us. I get letters from them from time to time but I don't have a very close relationship with them." Miroku said, he didn't seem upset about his distance with his parents.

"What can you tell me about Inuyasha's family?" Kagome asked looking at him, he was fast asleep.

"Well, his father took off when he was only five. His mother raised him and she passed away a couple years ago. Right around when he started working at the farm. Once she passed he knew that he had to start providing for himself." Miroku looked around for another hotel, the next one he saw he was pulling in.

"That's so sad…" Kagome said looking at Miroku, "His father just left?"

"Yeah, he told me he had a half-brother that was a few years older than him, his dad took him with him when he left. They were never really close, that's all I really know." He said pulling into a small hotel.

Inuyasha woke up when the car stopped "Where are we?" He asked.

"I don't know, but we're all tired and we have to crash." Miroku said getting out. Sango barely opened her eyes and fell back to sleep. "I'll carry Sango, you two go get us our rooms."

Inuyasha and Kagome got out of the car and Inuyasha smiled breathing in the air "Do you smell that?" he asked grinning at her

Kagome smelled around her "I think so…?"

"Salt water, we must be near the beach." Inuyasha said opening the door open for Kagome

"Oh, I wouldn't know, I've never been to the beach." She said walking up to the desk

"Well, we'll have to change that" Inuyasha smiled turning to the woman at the desk, "Do you have two rooms available?"

"No, I'm sorry, we only have one room available but it has two beds." She said looking on her computer

"It'll have to do" He smirked

"Okay, what are the names?" She asked ready to type

"Just put it under Barry" He said

"Okay Mr. Barry, and how will you be paying?"

"Cash" He said giving her the money

"Okay and we do have a two night minimum policy, how long will you be staying?" She said with a smile.

"I guess we'll be staying for two nights" He said with an annoyed grin

They walked out and Inuyasha went up to the car, "We're in 246," he said in an annoyed tone.

"And the girls?" Miroku asked

"246" Inuyasha said looking at him "It's all they had, the girls will take one bed and we'll take the other."

Miroku pulled Sango out of the car gently and carried her up the stairs. He walked carefully and looked at her almost the entire way. They came in the room and he laid her on the bed. The three of them went outside on the porch. Inuyasha could see the ocean barely from their room, he took Kagome's hand and said "That is the beach, that's the ocean" She looked out into the distance and bit her lip, she'd always wanted to see the ocean. Inuyasha looked at her smiling "Miroku will you be okay here if I take Kagome down to the ocean?" Miroku looked inside at Sango and nodded, "Hey, no funny stuff, you hear me?" Inuyasha said with a firm face.

"I know, I know, I'll behave. You two have fun" Miroku said waving his hand.

Inuyasha took her hand and lead her down to the beach shore. Once they got to the sand Kagome froze, she just stood there taking it all in. It was amazing and magical, it was the most majestic thing she had ever seen. "Roll up your jeans and take off your shoes"

She did as he told her, and then he walked her into the water, they were ankle deep and she was bubbling with glee inside. They walked further into the water and began to jump the waves, she was having so much fun. Inuyasha watched her jumping, smiling, and laughing, he was so happy he could bring her joy in this dark time. He could watch her be happy forever.

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Naraku sat down at the top of a sand dune and watched them play in the water. "Did you really think you could escape me?" He said to himself. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you?" he laughed darkly to himself.

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"Let me teach you something my mother taught me when I was a kid," He walked over to were the water was about at their hips "Okay, when the wave comes, push off and ride it down to the shore!" He lifted her up and pushed her down. She made it about halfway to shore and then stood up "That was a good first try!" He said laughing. He then rode a wave all the way to shore as she walked back to the deeper side.

They continued this for a while, then Inuyasha rode one up to shore and stood up "Alright, I think that's enough for tonight" He turned around and didn't see her "Kagome?" He ran into the water "Kagome?!" He turned to search for her some more and a fist was met with his face. Inuyasha fell into the water surprised he looked up and saw Naraku above him, laughing in the moonlight. Inuyasha got up but as he was almost upright he got wacked in the side of the head with a blunt object, it had to be like a baseball bat or a crowbar or something. He looked touched his face and stood, blood covered his hand and his face stung as the salt water ran into his fresh wound. "Damn you" he said swinging a punch, he missed his face but got a good hit on his chest.

Naraku grabbed him by the neck and laughed "What's wrong you were much stronger the last time we fought. Tired from playing in the water?" He then released him under the water harshly and Inuyasha came up grabbing him by the stomach and pushing him into the water

"Where the fuck is Kagome?!" He said punching him in the jaw, just then Inuyasha felt a sharp pain in his side. His eyes got big and he dropped into the water.

Naraku stood up and walked out of the water, and towards Kagome who was tied sitting at the edge of the shore, she was struggling to break free and trying to scream but she had a cloth tied to her mouth. She was trying hard to scream, Naraku got up to her and hit her with the large crowbar she just watched him hit Inuyasha with. She fell over blacking out and he tossed her over his shoulder and continued walking.

Inuyasha saw him hit her with the crow bar and take off, he grabbed onto the knife jabbed into his side and pulled it out. Blood began to run into the water and he streamed out. He could barely move, he put one hand over his side and tried to swim to shore as fast as he could with the other. He finally made it close to shore, but he lost a lot of blood and everything was looking blurry.