Inuyasha Regashi final chapter
I am extremely sorry for the long delay you guys! It's the final stretch and I am putting in overtime (both at school and at my job!)
But nevertheless, I haven't forgotten about you guys!
Enjoy the last chapter ^_^
and dont forget to review!
A month had passed and Inuyasha and the gang still had no rememberence of what happened earlier. They found themselves in strange positions at a campground near the village. Inuyasha was in a tree, Kagome was sitting under that tree with Shippo in her arms. Sango was laying on the ground with Miroku on top of her with Kilala nearby. Around them were empty jugs of sake and an extinguished camp fire. When they woke up, they looked around and did not recognize any of their surroundings. A loud slap echoed throughout the mountainside when Sango realized just who was on top of her. They continued to search for Naraku and the last shikon shard. However, they could not locate it, or Naraku. Everything seemed quiet for the time being. So Inuyasha and his friends decided to take a break. It was late in the afternoon when the group arrived back in Kaede's village. Summer was slowly turning into fall with hot days and cool nights. Cicadas sang their last songs of the summer in the trees that were slowly but surely beginning to change color.
"Hm? Ye are back so soon?" said Kaede when they came in the door.
"We have no leads on the shikon jewel or Naraku. So we came back." Inuyasha said.
"Oh? Are ye taking a rest?" Kaede asked.
"You could say that." Kagome said.
"Well alright then. Ill get supper prepared for you. I am sure ye all are quite hungry." Kaede said starting the evening meal.
"Thank you lady Kaede." Miroku thanked.
"So what should we do now? Wait for something to come up?" Sango said.
"I suppose, there is no sense in looking for trouble." Miroku said.
"But Inuyasha was so cooperative when Kagome suggested that we come back to the village to rest. Why do you think that is?" Sango whispered.
"Most likely because it's the new moon tonight. He probably does not want to run into any danger." Miroku whispered back.
"im glad we get to rest some! I wanted to go play with some of my new friends here in the village!" Shippo said.
"And I can go and get my Hiraikotsu looked at; And you are coming with me, monk." Sango said menacingly.
"Oh okay, its not like I was going to do anything while you were gone, though! Miroku said defensively.
"I've heard that before." Sango said, unconvinced.
"OH!" Kagome exclaimed. Everyone sat up alert and looked to Kagome.
"What is it, Kagome?! Do you sense a demon? A shard?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"No! I just remembered that tonight is the last day of the late summer festival! I have to go!" Kagome said picking up her bags.
"Late summer festival? That sounds like fun!" Shippo said.
"Oh it is! There are games and food and things called roller coaster rides that are super fun!" Kagome explained.
"That does sound like a lot of fun!" Sango said. "I wish we were able to travel with you through the well!"
"Yup! Oh, hey Inuyasha: since its going to be your human night tonight, would you like to come with me?" Kagome offered.
"Why should I?" Inuyasha huffed.
"Come on, Inuyasha! This is your chance to actually have fun on your human night! Give it a try, would you?" Kagome pleaded.
"Hmph. Who said I never had fun on the new moon?!" Inuyasha said, getting flustered.
"Please, Inuyasha!? Just this once? I'll never ask you to do it again, promise." Kagome vowed.
"Go on Inuyasha, in our place." Miroku said.
"Yeah! And bring back some ninja snacks while you're there!" Shippo said.
"Oh fine! But its only for the ninja snacks!" Inuyasha grunted standing up.
"Yaaay!' Kagome cheered. "Come on! Lets go!" Kagome said, grabbing his hand. Inuyasha blushed and followed after her.
"Ahh a festival." Miroku sighed. "A perfect time for two lovers to spend time with each other."
"Aye. I remember a festival when I was about Kagome's age where I met a young lad. He was much like Inuyasha, hard on the outside, but tender and soft on the inside. We stayed the whole night at the festival playing games and eating sweet rice. I wished that night would last forever, but he was a merchant's son and had to leave the next day. I never forgot that lad. I still think of him from time to time. Yes, a festival is a perfect time for two young lovers to enjoy each other's company."Kaede said. When she looked up, she noticed that she was alone and talking to herself…
"Methinks that I should stop wasting my breath…" Kaede sighed.
Across time and through the well…
"Seriously, Kagome! Why do I have to go with you to this silly festival of yours?!"
"Because! I wanted to go this year and today is the last day! And now that we know that your human night is tonight, I saw it as an opportunity to keep you occupied and out of danger!" Kagome said.
"Im fine! I can survive on my own! I've made it this far, haven't I?" Inuyasha spat. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his hair and eyes began to darken. Kagome looked outside and saw that the sun was starting to set.
"Sure you can, now come on!" Kagome said pulling his dulling claws.
"Grrrr…." Inuyasha growled.
"And besides, you've already shown me your world I wanted to show you mine." Kagome said.
"I've already seen your world! Its big, smelly, busy and noisy! Nothing im interested in!" Inuyasha spat.
"But you haven't seen half of it! Its so much more than just the city. Come on, Inuyasha, just let loose for once!" Kagome said.
"Let…loose?" Inuyasha muttered confused. By the time they reached the house, Inuyasha was well transformed into his human form.
"Hey! Kagome is back! And she brought—who are you!?" Sota asked.
"IM INUYASHA, SMART ONE!" Inuyasha spat.
"Hey, I didn't know they had hair dye in the feudal era! It looks so good!" Sota said touching Inuyasha's long ebony hair.
"He didn't dye his hair, Sota…" Kagome said.
"Then what did he do to it?" Sota asked.
" Its complicated." Inuyasha said.
"Not really. Every new moon, Inuyasha loses his demonic qualities and turns into a human." Kagome explained.
"Oh that's so cool!" Sota exclaimed. "now you can walk around without that silly hat!"
"Yeah sure…" Inuyasha mumbled.
"Kagome! Inuyasha! You're back! Are you going to the late summer festival?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.
"Yes! Today is the last day and I had to come! Oh and I brought Inuyasha with me." Kagome said.
"So you both are going? That's great! I can take you if you like." Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Oh no, that's fine." Kagome said walking up to her room. "We just need to get redressed." Kagome said.
"What do you mean 'we'? im going just as I am!" Inuyasha retorted.
"Oh come on, Inuyasha! You know, there is a saying nowadays, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'!" Kagome said.
"Whats a rowman?" Inuyasha asked.
"It just means when you are in a certain place, try to fit in a little." Kagome explained.
"Hmph." Inuyasha said.
When they reached her room, Kagome opened her closet and was torn between a white floral minidress and a pink Kagome was debating what to wear, Inuyasha looked at himself on Kagome's vanity mirror. He touched his long, black hair and thought for a moment. An idea came to his head and walked out of the room. Kagome didn't notice his disappearance and kept looking through her wardrobe. Inuyasha crept downstairs into the kitchen and looked along the countertop and found what he was looking for: a large cutting knife. Inuyasha ran his finger along the blade and it left a small cut where a little bubble of blood oozed. "I guess this will have to do." Inuyasha thought out loud. Inuyasha headed up to the bathroom and slightly closed the door. Inuyasha took a bunch of his thick hair in his hand and lifted the kitchen knife to his hair. it made a small ripping sound and fell to the ground in a big heap.
Back in Kagome's room, she finally picked out the outfit that she decided to wear for that day. she picked the white floral dress , and a pair of red flats. "hey, Inuyasha? How does this—" Kagome turned to see her companion gone. "Inuyasha?" Kagome exited her room and walked down the hallway. She looked and saw that the bathroom light was on and the door slightly open. "Inuyasha are you in here?" Kagome asked. When she opened the door, she saw a huge pile of thick, black hair on the ground and a bobbed Inuyasha at the middle. "oh hey, Kagome. Can you cut the back of my head? I can't reach it too well." Inuyasha asked. Kagome stared in absolute awe of what was before her. She could only make out a squeak.
"hey are you going to help me or not?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.
"I-I-Inu-ya-yashhh-a-a-a…! Y-y-y-our h-h-hair!" Kagome stuttered.
"What about it? You said when at home, do as the rowmen do. Though I still don't know what rowmen have to do with home…" Inuyasha said simply.
"I didn't mean lop off your hair!" Kagome shouted.
"Well, you should have made that clear." Inuyasha said.
Kagome sighed a deep sigh and picked up a pair of scissors. "Hold still…" Kagome huffed. Inuyasha put the knife on the counter and let Kagome cut his hair. She tried to work with it as much as she could, since Inuyasha had so bluntly cut it. She tried to create shaggy layers that would suit his personality and make him not stand out so obviously. When she was done, Inuyasha opened his eyes and grunted. "You did it all wrong! Its supposed to be straight, like this!" Inuyasha tried to grab the scissors from her.
"No! its fine!" Kagome insisted.
"No, its not! It looks like a mess!" Inuyasha shouted.
"That's the style now! No one cuts their hair straight anymore!" Kagome said.
"What!? I look like a beggar!" Inuyasha said.
"Well, that's whats 'in'." said Kagome picking up a comb and combing out the loose hairs that might have fallen back into his hair.
"There! Now you look like a modern teenager!" Kagome said triumphantly.
"I look like a sluggard that just rolled out of bed." Inuyasha said critically.
"Whatever, Inuyasha. You're the one that cut your hair…" Kagome said, leading her companion out of the bathroom.
She went down stairs and looked for her mother in the family room. "Hey mom, do you still have any of dad's old clothes?" Kagome asked.
"Oh? No I don't, but I still have those clothes we bought a month back when your friends came to visit." Mrs. Higurashi said getting up and heading to the closet.
"What friends?" Kagome said.
"Oh you remember! The little ones that looked like Inuyasha with the cute little dog ears? Inuyasha, you remember don't you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.
"I dunno what you're talking about." Inuyasha said.
"Oh but you have to remember! They were the cutest little things! Especially the little girl!" Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Mom, we don't know what you're talking about…" Kagome said honestly.
"Oh…well…I…alright, if you don't remember then you don't remember…" Mrs. Higurashi said. She went into the closet and pulled out a shopping bag.
"I got this outfit for Inuyasha just in case you two wanted to explore the city a little more. I hope it fits, dear." Mrs. Higurashi said handing Inuyasha the shopping bag. Inside was a red zip up hoodie with a picture of a Japanese symbol on the back. Along with that was a white beater and a pair of dark jeans. At the bottom was a pair of sandals.
"What is all this?" Inuyasha asked.
"Its your new clothes! While you go out on the town tonight, I can wash your clothes so they will be nice and clean for you!" Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Feh! It doesn't need to be washed. It keeps itself fresh!" Inuyasha said defensively.
"Well, there is no such thing as too clean." Mrs. Higurashi said pulling off his fire rat robe. Kagome and Inuyasha went back upstairs to her room. They pulled out the articles of clothing and Iaid it out on the bed.
"So how do I put this stuff on?" Inuyasha asked.
"Hold on, I'll help you." Kagome replied.
Inuyasha pulled off his kosode and threw it to the floor. Kagome started with the beater first and motioned for Inuyasha to put his arms above his head so that she could slide the shirt over him. The beater fit him perfectly; not too loose, but tight enough for one to see his perfectly toned muscles. Kagome blushed a little.
"You can take care of the pants, right?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah…" Inuyasha said. Kagome handed over the pair of jeans and turned around.
"You better not look!" Inuyasha said.
"Its not like its anything new…" Kagome sighed.
"WAIT WHAT?!" Inuyasha stuttered.
"Just get dressed, Inuyasha." Kagome sighed.
Inuyasha struggled to pull his legs through the stiff denim fabric. He was finally able to get it through and tried to get the pants to close.
"Kagome? How do I do this darned contraption?!" Inuyasha grunted.
"Hold on, im coming…" Kagome sighed. She knelt down in front of him to get a closer look at the situation.
Then Kagome realized just what she was doing, she began to sweat.
'Oh my god…this will not be good if mom comes in here and sees us like this!'
"Are you done yet?! This is really awkward!" Inuyasha complained.
Kagome was finally able to zip and button on Inuyasha's jeans. She gave a big sigh and got back up. She looked at Inuyasha and he looked away with the brightest blush that she had ever seen on him.
'So that's why his jeans were so hard to fasten….'
"Okay, now for that weird looking kimono…" Inuyasha said.
"You mean the jacket…" Kagome sighed.
"Whatever…" Inuyasha huffed.
Kagome helped Inuyasha with the jacket and zipped it up for him. Inuyasha managed to get his sandals on himself and they both turned toward the long mirror on the wall.
"Wow! You look amazing, Inuyasha! No one would ever know that you were a half demon from the feudal era!" Kagome cheered.
"I still think I look like a beggar…" Inuyasha muttered while running his fingers through his hair.
Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled him out the door and downstairs.
"Are you two ready to go?" mrs. Higurashi asked.
"Yep!" Kagome replied.
"Are you two sure you don't want me to drive you?" mrs. Higurashi offered.
"No, we'll be fine." Kagome said.
"Alright, you two. Have fun!" mrs. Higurashi said.
"Wait! Im coming too!" Sota said, running down the stairs as he struggled to put his jacket on.
"No way, Sota! Mom! Tell Sota he cant go!" Kagome said defensively.
"Im sorry, Sota. But Kagome hasn't had a chance to go to the late summer festival and it's the last day. Besides, you've been already this week. Let them have their fun!" mrs. Higurashi said.
"Oh alright…" Sota said, hanging his head.
"Yes!" Kagome cheered. She dragged Inuyasha out the door before anyone could say anything else. They were halfway down the stairs when Inuyasha said, " I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal out of this, its just a festival…" Inuyasha said.
"Inuyasha, have you ever been to a festival?" Kagome said.
"W-w-welll, of course I have!" Inuyasha stuttered.
"You haven't, have you…." Kagome said skeptically.
"Well…what does it matter if I haven't?! its not detrimental to my survival!" Inuyasha spat.
Kagome stopped for a moment and looked him straight in the eye.
"And that's your problem…I understand that you are in fear for your life, and constantly on guard wherever you go… But that's no way to live! You're surviving sure, but you aren't thriving! Do you get what im saying?" Kagome said.
"Yeah, I get what you're saying…" Inuyasha muttered.
"Inuyasha, can you do this just one time for me? Just…let loose and have fun. Just for one night. Just for one night, enjoy being young and embrace the moment!" Kagome said.
"Oh alright!" Inuyasha huffed.
"Trust me, this wont hurt a bit!"Kagome said, grabbing his hand again and leading him into the brightly lit metropolis of Tokyo.
Kagome looked out from the corner of her eye and saw Inuyasha staring in awe at everything. She saw the expression of sheer wonder, like that of a child at a toy store. The loud sounds of the street and the bright lights from buildings that touched the sky distracted Inuyasha when Kagome tried to call his name.
"Inuyasha!"
"What!?"
"It looks like you're already enjoying yourself!" Kagome giggled.
"Are you sure we're still in Japan!? 'Cause it doesn't look like it to me!" Inuyasha said.
"We're 500 years in the future, Inuyasha. Of course it wont look like the Japan you know!" Kagome said.
It was very small and silent, but Kagome hear a small "woow" escape froI inuyasha's lips.
They finally reached the fairgrounds and paid their way inside. Despite being human, Inuyasha's nose was flooded with a multitude of different scents and smells.
"What is that smell!?" Inuyasha asked.
"You're probably smelling multiple things. What does it smell like?" Kagome asked.
"It smells…salty…and…chicken!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
Kagome turned to see a *yakitori stall right next to them selling hot chicken skewers.
"You must mean the yakitori, you want some?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah! It smells amazing! I don't even need my youkai nose to tell that's good!" Inuyasha said.
They walked up to the stall and asked for two yakitori skewers. Inuyasha took a big bite out of it and gulped loudly. "this is great! I want another!"
"Don't fill your stomach on one thing, Inuyasha! There are plenty of other foods to explore! And besides that, you don't want to be too full, we have to go on the rides yet!" Kagome said.
"Oh fine! But we're coming back!" Inuyasha demanded.
The two stopped at nearly every concession stand in their path. Inuyasha got his first experience with cotton candy. He was shocked and amazed at how the sweet fibrous candy melted in his mouth. Unfortunately, his tastes could not handle the intense sweetness of it, so he left most of it to Kagome. They stopped at a *yakisoba shop and slurped the thick and oily fried noodles. Inuyasha laughed when a noodle whipped Kagome on the nose. They stopped at an *okonomiyaki stand where a girl with long hair tied in a bow served them with a giant spatula.
"So, are you two going out?" said the girl.
"you can say that!" Kagome said.
"how fun! I wish I could enjoy the festival with my fiancé. But he has other things to do. And of course, I have work. " sighed the girl.
"you two will get your chance, I know you will!" Kagome said cheerfully.
"I sure hope so! But he's such a two timer sometimes! He likes to hang out with this other chick that likes to claim that she is his fiancé too!" said the girl.
"boy, doesn't that sound familiar?" Kagome said rolling her eyes landing on Inuyasha.
"seriously, Kagome? Can we not talk about this? You said we're here to have fun." Inuyasha grunted.
"I didn't say a thing, now did I?" Kagome huffed.
"hahaha! Im glad im not alone with the relationship issues!" said the girl.
"It'll work out, I know it will! you just gotta keep positive!" Kagome reassured.
"you're right. All I can do is keep working hard and hope that he will come running!" said the girl determinedly.
"That's the spirit!" Kagome cheered.
"Kagome! Look over there! I want some of that stuff!" Inuyasha said, tugging her arm.
"Well, I gotta go!" Kagome said.
"Good luck! And have fun!" called the girl.
Soon enough, they were at another concession stand with Inuyasha stuffing his face with food. This time, he was eating three sticks of *dango.
"Inuyasha, you really need to slow down! We still have to ride the rides! You'll get sick!" Kagome warned.
"Kagome, you know me! I never get sick! Im healthy as a horse!" Inuyasha declared with a stuffed mouth. "Besides, this food is amazing!"
"It doesn't matter how healthy you are! If you push yourself too much, you will get sick!"
"You don't know what you're talkin about!" he continued.
Kagome sighed in annoyance. 'I don't know what I'm talkin about huh? Well, lets see who doesn't know when someone ends up puking up his guts, shall we?' Kagome thought deviously.
"Alright alright! Enough eating! Lets go on the rides!" Kagome said, pulling his arm. She led him to a rather lengthy rollercoaster ride where there was a moderately long line.
"c'mon! I love this ride!" Kagome exclaimed.
"What the hell is that!?" Inuyasha spat. In just that moment, the rollercoaster roared down the last big hill and came to a complete halt right by the gate where exhausted and winded passengers disembarked.
"There is no way Im getting on that thing!" Inuyasha said backing away.
"No! its okay! Its really fun! Please Inuyasha?" Kagome pleaded.
"No. Way." Inuyasha reiterated.
"Hmph! Fine! I'll go by myself! Who would've thought you would be the cowardly type!" Kagome said, secretly goading him. Kagome started to walk towards the ride by herself when Inuyasha changed his mind.
"Theres no way you're going on that iron snake demon by yourself!" Inuyasha said grabbing her arm.
"Its not an iron snake demon, it's a roller coaster ride. And im going whether you like it or not." Kagome said finally.
"FINE! I'LL GO WITH YOU!" Inuyasha spat, exasperated.
"Yaaay!" Kagome squealed. They ran up to the line and watched and waited for the next load of passengers to get off. They were the first ones in line, so they were at the very front of the roller coaster.
"Oh my goodness! We're at the front!" Kagome said anxiously. Kagome turned to her partner and fastened his safety belt.
"what do I need this for?" he asked.
"so you don't fall out, silly!" Kagome giggled.
"THANK YOU FOR RIDING THE IRON SNAKE DEMON! PLEASE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET INSIDE OF THE RIDE AT ALL TIMES! MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SAFETY BELTS ARE SECURELY FASTENED! ENJOY THE RIDE!" said an automated voice.
"See! I told you it was an iron snake demon!" Inuyasha said triumphantly.
Kagome rolled her eyes. They felt the air brakes on the roller coaster release and the tug of the tracks pull them forward. They were beginning to climb a tall hill and was almost at the top. Kagome could feel her heart beating right out of her chest in suspense.
"OKAY! HERE WE GOOOOOO!"
The rollercoaster nose dived down from 100 ft in the air. It seemed as if they would fall off, but they were held securely by the safety belts. Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs and to her surprise, so did Inuyasha. More out of actual fear than amusement.
"OOOOHHHH MMMYYYYY GOOOOOOOODDDDDSSSSSSSS! WE'RE GONNAA DIIIEEEEEEE!"
The roller coaster did an intensely sharp curve that whipped the car almost vertically. This turn turned into a loop-dee-loop. The wind whipped around them as Kagome cried in delight while Inuyasha cried in terror. Inuyasha grabbed onto Kagome's arm for dear life.
"OOHHHH DEEEAAARRRR KAAAMIIIIIIII! HEEEELLLLPPPPP MEEEEEEEEE!"
Inuyasha screamed the whole way with the rollercoaster taking plenty of dramatic twists and turns at extremely fast speeds. Finally the ride was over and the car came to a stop.
When Kagome looked over to her companion, she saw that he was white as a ghost. His hand still holding onto her arm for dear life. She could see his breath was ragged and undoubtedly his heartbeat was racing as fast as the roller coaster.
"Inuyasha…we can get off now…" Kagome said meekly. Maybe this wasn't the best idea…I probably should have started him off with a smaller one…' Kagome thought.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha slowly turned his head and stared right into her eyes with a frightening stare.
"I-I-inu-yasha…. Im s-sorry! I-I-just thought it would be fun! I didn't—"
"Another one." He hissed.
"W-wh-what?"
"I WANT TO RIDE ANOTHER ONE!" He shouted with a devilish smile on his face.
'Oh Kami, I have made a terrible mistake…'
After getting off of that ride, Inuyasha dragged Kagome to every roller coaster ride that he set his eyes on. They went on a rides that dropped them from a perilously far height. Another swung them in circles. After all of that, they decided on a ride with spinning tea cups.
'This one doesn't look too bad…' Kagome thought with optimism. They sat down and they went around and around. They both laughed with sheer delight. Kagome had never seen Inuyasha so happy. Suddenly Kagome saw Inuyasha's expression of glee turn into the infamous expression of nausea.
'Oh no…..'
"STOP THE RIDE!" Kagome cried out. She stood up to wave to the machine operator, but stumbled back down. The machine operator looked up to see what was happening. He immediately stopped the ride. When he did, Inuyasha jumped right out of the ride with Kagome right behind him.
When he found an inconspicuous place, he vomited just about all of the contents in his stomach.
"See?! What did I tell you about eating too much? That's what you get for not listening!" Kagome scolded. 'though I am really surprised that he lasted this long. Heck, we rode 3 rollercoasters.'
"Would…you…shut..upppp…..*bllleeeccchhhh*"
When Inuyasha was done, she handed him her handkerchief that was in her purse.
"Thanks…" he said
"No problem…" Kagome replied. "what do you say we settle for something less dramatic?"
"That sounds fine to me." Inuyasha said.
They walked around trying to find something interesting to do. They went through a hall of mirrors where they both made fun of their distorted figures. Kagome spotted a stuffed panda at a target game stand. Kagome begged him for it an Inuyasha gave in.
"Step right up folks! You there! You look you got a good pitching arm! Why don't you win a nice prize for ya girlfriend!" said the game host.
"This'll be a piece of cake." Inuyasha said.
"All ya gotta do is throw a ball and hit one of these moving targets. If you knock down 5 you win a prize!" said the game host.
"Sure thing." Inuyasha said picking up a ball while targets started moving along the side of the booth. Inuyasha pulled up his sleeve and threw the little rubber ball. He hit the target and also put a hole in the wall.
"WHOAAAHHH! That was amazing! Are you a major league player or something?"
"Inuyasha! That was a little bit too hard don't you think?" Kagome said *sweatdrop*
"HAH! Hardly! You wanna see hard?! This is hard!" Inuyasha said. He demonstrated, throwing the ball so hard, it made a whistling sound. It took out a whole target, put a hole in the wall behind it and broke something behind the stand. He threw four more pitches just like that. Making five big holes in the wall.
"OKAY OKAY OKAY! YOU WIN! TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT!" cried the game operator.
"You said you wanted this one right?" Inuyasha said, reaching up and grabbing the big stuffed panda.
"Yeah…that's the one…" Kagome said weakly.
When they left, the game operator quickly wrote something on a big posterboard and hung it up in front of the booth. I read: "SORRY, CLOSED FOR REPAIRS"
"Why don't we play a game that doesn't involve throwing things, huh?" Kagome suggested.
"Oh hey, what about that one?" Inuyasha said.
Inuyasha pointed to a man in a top hat next to a long pole with a bell at the top. There was a line of seemingly strong and brawny men swinging and hitting a hammer to try and make the bell ring.
"step right up lads! This is the perfect chance to impress the ladies in your lives! Come one come all! Any strong, buff men around?!" shouted the game operator.
"I want to do that one!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"ummm…." Kagome began.
"C'mon!" Inuyasha said pulling Kagome with him.
Inuyasha was the third person in line. The men in front of him had astonishingly large biceps and thighs to match.
'Oh wow, these guys look like body builders! I bet steroids are a regular part of their diet…' Kagome thought dismally.
The first man stretched and flexed his overly inflated muscles. The women nearby sighed in awe of his strength.
"Oh my goodness! Don't you know who they are?!" said one of the girls
"yeah! Those are the Kibishi brothers! Tsuyoi and Kinkotsu! The national weight lifting champions!" said another.
"National weight lifting champions?!" Kagome thought out loud.
"Hah, champions my ass." Inuyasha mumbled.
Soon a crowd of girls were cheering and screaming their names. The brothers flashed white and cocky grins at their adoring fans.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Well mostly ladies…WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS IS THE MIGHTY AND INFAMOUS KIBISHI BROTHERS AT WORK! WATCH AND BE AMAZED!"
"Hmph." Inuyasha grunted.
"Inuyasha…don't tell me you're jealous of these freaks!" Kagome asked, flashing an incredulous look to her companion.
"Hah! Hardly!"
The first Kibishi brother spat into his hands and rubbed them swiftly together. He grabbed hold of the large mallet and raised it above his head.
"C'mon Tsuyoi! You got this!" said a rather saucy looking woman with makeup artfully painted on her face that seemed to be his girlfriend.
"This one's for you baby!" grunted Tsuyoi. He brought the mallet down and hit the lever with a mighty thud. The puck reached a little bit more than half way up the strength tester scale.
The crowd ooohed and ahhed as Tsuyoi handed the mallet to his brother.
"Good job bro!" said Kinkotsu.
"What the hell are you talking about?! That was terrible! I need some more protein!" said Tsuyoi in disgust.
"Well honey, theres five T-bone steaks with your name on it back home!" said his girlfriend. "And this bouquet of flowers has yours" Tsuyoi said smoothly.
"Oooh!"
"Yeeeaaahhh Kinkotsu! Hit that motherfucker!" said one of his friends.
"HAHA! That's what she said!" said another.
'Ugh! These people are disgusting!' Kagome thought. "Inuyasha, do you really want to do this? There's a lot of people here and…"
"Im gonna do it. I know I can. If I could take on that fat bastard tokajin while human, I can do this!" Inuyasha said pridefully.
"What are you talking about?! You almost DIED getting thrown off the side of a cliff, Inuyasha!" Kagome retorted.
"Well there are no cliffs nearby are there?" Inuyasha quipped.
Kagome decided that silence was her best option.
When the second Kibishi brother, Kinkotsu hit the mallet on the lever, the puck to the strength tester rose about as high as his brother's. Kinkotsu's friends cheered and slapped him on the shoulders.
"Good job, Kinkotsu!"
"Alright! Whose next?! Though I don't blame any of you for not trying, you are all in the presence of legendary greatness right now!"
"Im next." Inuyasha declared.
Everyone turned and stared at them with dubious eyes.
"Are you sure about that, sonny? You look pretty…slim, don't you think?" said the game host.
"Look at this scrawny little beanpole! He's about as thin as my little finger!" said Tsuyoi.
"Hey kid! Here's a word of advice: go home and lift a couple of weights!" said another one of his friends.
Inuyasha's expression remained cold and unresponsive.
'Inuyasha….' Kagome thought
Inuyasha walked calmly up to the platform where the strength tester stood. All the while, the kibishi brother's posse jeered and taunted him. A few even spit at him.
Kagome could only imagine that is reminded Inuyasha of his childhood. 'no…please stop…don't send him back there…! I thought bringing him here would cheer him up, not open old wounds…!' then, overcome with emotion, Kagome called out: "GO INUYASHA!" the Kibishi brother's posse stared.
"YOU CAN DO IT! DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN ALL OF THESE STEROID STUFFED BAFFOONS PUT TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW IT! KNOCK THEIR SOCKS OFF!"
Inuyasha turned to Kagome and stared right into her hopeful eyes. With renewed confidence, he gave her a thumbs up.
He was almost at the platform until he was stopped in his tracks by one of the Kibishi brothers.
"Hey there, kid! I thought you had to be this tall to ride this ride! You barely reach my waist!" said Kinkotsu motioning to show that he had to reach his chest height.
"Y'know, there's a saying back where im from…" Inuyasha said calmly.
"Yeah? Well, lets hear it!" said Kinkotsu.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall…fat ass…" Inuyasha sneered as he walked past his impediment.
"Oooohhh! The shrimp boy thinks he's clever! Well, we'll just see who's the failure after this!"
When he was finally on the platform, he stood in front of the game host with the mallet beside him.
"Young man, I don't mean to sound skeptical…but you do look on the slim side…why don't you come back when you've gained a few pounds! Save your pride for another day!" suggested the game operator.
Inuyasha gave him a cold stare. The game operator backed off and allowed him access to the mallet. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and his neck, and breathed deeply.
"OOOOOOHHHH he's cracking his knuckles! Soooo scarryyy!" jeered one of the bystanders.
"I bet 5000 yen he doesn't even get half way!" said another.
Inuyasha gripped the mallet and inhaled twice.
'you can do it Inuyasha…I believe in you…' Kagome thought hopefully.
Inuyasha grunted loudly and slowly raised the mallet above his head. The whole crowd around them went dead silent. Inuyasha slammed the mallet down with a loud yell and the puck flew up the scale. It reached the top with a loud and resonant 'DING!' and mixed with the chorus of awe struck gasps. They waited for the puck to come back down, but it didn't.
"T-T-THAT…KID!"
"HE HIT IT SO HARD, THE PUCK IS STUCK IN THE BELL!"
"WOOOOOHOOOOOO! YEAH Inuyasha! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Kagome cheered, brushing past the observers and running into his arms. Inuyasha flashed a bright and triumphant smile.
"Grrrr! That little twit!" said Tsuyoi's girlfriend, clenching her fists. "How could you let some little post pubescent boy out-do you like that!? We're through!" she hollered, shoving the bouquet of flowers into his arms and stomped away.
"WAIT! ERIKA!" cried Tsuyoi.
Kagome and Inuyasha was beginning to walk away, arm in arm until they were blocked by a wall of muscles.
"Hold on there! The party is just getting started!" said one of the men.
"Get out of our way. I don't want to have to hurt you." Inuyasha threatened.
"Leave us alone! We won fair and square!"
"Hey guys! Chill out would ya? This guy is a real champ!" said Kinkotsu. He walked up to the two and crouched down to Inuyasha's level.
"You know, for a light weight, you're pretty good! With a little training, you could be the national—No! World-wide weight lifting champion! So whadaya say, kid?"
"Im not interested." Inuyasha said simply.
"what?"
"I said im not interested. Now could you get out of our way?" Inuyasha commanded.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! I just gave you a perfectly good opportunity! Do you have any idea of how much money you could make?! You would be on the cover of every magazine! Women would literally throw themselves at your feet! Hell, you could dump this skinny little bitch and get yourself a real dime piece!"
"Is all that fat clouding your brain? Didnt you hear what I just said? Im. Not. INTERESTED."
"Inuyasha…calm down…" Kagome warned.
"Why you little snotty-assed son of a bitch!" roared Kinkotsu raising his fist to punch. Just in time, Inuyasha grabbed his giant fist.
"Uh sorry to correct you, but my father is the dog, not my mother…"
"WHAT!?" said Kinkotsu in confusion. In that moment, Inuyasha flipped him over onto his back with a loud thud.
"GET HIM!" the Kibishi posse shouted.
"Lets get out of here, Kagome!" Inuyasha said, grabbing her by her hand.
The two weaved in and out of the crowd of carnival goers while the group of body builders followed close behind, knocking over everyone in their path.
"Inuyasha! Why did you provoke them like that!"
"Sorry! Cant talk right now!" Inuyasha huffed. Inuyasha looked for a place to hide and found a spot right behind the funhouse.
They watched the body builders run right past them from the corner. They both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow...that was scarier than any roller coaster…Way to ruin the fun Inuyasha! Always turning everything into a fight" Kagome breathed.
"Hey! Don't blame me! We lost them didn't we?!" Inuyasha said.
"Yeah! But that's not the point! We were—" suddenly, Kagome felt a cold drop on her nose. And then another on her forehead, followed by three others. They looked up to the sky and saw thick looming clouds moving in. soon enough, there was a downpour.
"OOOHHHHH! GREAT! JUST GREAT! WHY DON'T WE ADD THUNDER AND LIGHTNING TO THIS WHOLE CRAP SUNDAE!?" And as if on cue, a flash followed by a roll of thunder echoed.
"You know, Kagome, you shouldn't provoke the gods like that…"
"OH WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UUUPPP!" Kagome started sobbing into her hands.
"Hey hey hey! Don't cry! Why don't we just go to a tea house or something?" Inuyasha suggested.
"Tea..house..?" Kagome mumbled looking up.
"Oh PLEASE don't tell me they don't have them anymore?!" Inuyasha shouted with disappointment.
"No, no…they have them…we just call them cafés now…" Kagome stuttered.
"*PHEW* thanks for telling me! No tea houses? Now that's worth crying over!" Inuyasha sighed.
The two slipped out from the dark alley and out into the main path of the carnival where people were running for cover. Kagome used her small handbag to cover her head. Then Inuyasha took off his hoodie and shoved it her way, leaving him in only his beater.
"here! Keep yourself dry!" Inuyasha said.
Kagome quickly slipped the oversized hoodie that almost completely covered her dress. The rain started to pour harder and another flash of lightning followed by the deep boom of thunder interrupted the sky. They found themselves in the middle of the city where the lights and sounds drowned out most of the evidence of the storm. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand, warning him to not get separated or they would get lost. Kagome found a small café with a warm and inviting atmosphere. They rushed into the door and tried to dry themselves off. Kagome turned to her companion and groaned.
"Oh man, you're soaking wet! Look at you!"
"Im fine, ok? I spend most of my time in worse conditions, remember?" Inuyasha mumbled, trying to wring out his dripping beater. It was so soaked that one could clearly see his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. His bangs were plastered to his forehead, the water dripping from it landed directly into his grey-violet eyes. Kagome tried not to look directly at him, so as not to catch her blushing.
'Oh my goodness…he looks like something out of a magazine!
Kagome wasn't the only one to notice that; When they turned around, nearly every female and even some males looking their way.
'Oh….'
Before they could make another move, they were greeted by an energetic and busty blonde-haired girl in a waitress uniform that was clearly too small for her.
"Hi there! My name is Miyuki, and I will be your waitress this evening!" she said brightly.
Miyuki ushered Inuyasha and Kagome to a corner nook under an elaborate Japanese painting.
"It must be bad out there! You two are soaked to the bone! Here are your menus!" Miyuki said bending over and indiscreetly giving Inuyasha a view of her chest. Kagome caught this and started to feel her ears get hot.
When she finally left, she watched her with a very intimidating expression.
"Kagome…?" Inuyasha said.
"Yeah?" Kagome muttered.
"Whats wrong? You look upset?" Inuyasha said.
"Its nothing…" she mumbled.
"It is something! You were fine just a moment ago!"
"Im fine, ok?! Chill out!" Kagome exclaimed.
"You are not fine!"
"Can we just order something please!?" Kagome demanded.
"FINE!" Inuyasha grabbed one of the menus and scanned the somewhat unfamiliar menu items. He squinted and grunted, "What is this stuff? Han-ba-ga?! HELL, I cant even read half of it!"
Inuyasha impatiently shoved the menu towards Kagome, who was deep in her thoughts.
'This was supposed to be fun…I hoped, that at least for one night he could be human without fearing for his life…I wanted him to enjoy himself like normal people do…I wanted this to be fun…for him!"
"okay okay, I'll order…" Kagome sighed, brushing her hair from her face. She looked over the menu and looked for something that would be familiar for him.
'I don't know why we're ordering more food…he just chucked up his food from earlier….I should probably just get something easy, like tea…"
"Hey, how about tea?"
"Do they have *gyokuro?" Inuyasha said, a tone of nostalgic hopefulness in his voice.
"Gyokuro?"
"Never mind…what ever they got…" Inuyasha sighed, running his hands through his still wet hair.
"Well, I could ask if you want it that bad..?" Kagome offered.
"w\Whatever you wanna do…" Inuyasha said.
"What is with this guy? All silent and passive?'
Kagome waived the waitress Miyuki to them, she smiled brightly at Inuyasha but more or less ignored Kagome.
"Are you ready to order? What would you like? The north country noodles are on special right now!" she beamed.
"We were wondering if you would happen to have Gyokuro tea here?" Kagome asked.
Miyuki gave her a dismissive side glance and said, "Um sorry, we don't have that here. You will just have to have the regular tea."
"Oh…damn…I guess that's fine then…"Inuyasha sighed.
"B-b-but I could always check! I'll be right back!" Miyuki stuttered.
"Hey! You didn't get what she wanted!" Inuyasha called to her.
Miyuki stopped and backtracked. She took out her notepad and made an irritated face.
"What would you like?" she groaned.
"I would like a mocha, heavy on the chocolate…" Kagome said with the same tone of annoyance.
"M'kay." Miyuki murmured and turned on her heels toward the kitchen.
Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha chuckled at her expression.
"And what exactly is so funny?" Kagome snapped.
"You! you look so funny when you're angry!"
"Seriously? Could you do me a favor and shut the fuck up right now?" Kagome spat.
This only made Inuyasha laugh even harder.
"Oh my goodness! Did you just say fuck? Geez, im rubbing off on you more than I thought I was!"
Kagome shoved her face into her hands and breathed in deeply.
"Hey hey…calm down…its okay…this excursion isn't so bad! I mean, we went on those iron snake demons! And I got to embarrass those fat guys!" Inuyasha said reassuringly.
Kagome didn't let him see it, but she began to smile. 'Oh Inuyasha… How is it that you can make me smile even when I really dont fee like it?'
Inuyasha reached his hand out to grab hers and revealed her secret smile.
"There we go! Now was that so bad?" Inuyasha said.
"No, I guess not..." Kagome said smiling.
Kagome looked down at his hands and saw numerous cuts and scars on his hands.
"Inuyasha, did you get hurt? Why is your hands covered in cuts?" Kagome asked, grabbing and examining his hands.
Inuyasha sighed, but gave no answer.
Kagome looked up his arm further and saw even more cuts, some darker and bigger than the others. Some looked old and some looked quite fresh.
"Inuyasha, what is this? How did I not notice this?" Kagome demanded.
"You know how I said that my body is different, and that my wounds heal so quick that it doesn't seem like I got hurt at all?"
"yeah?"
"Well, when im human, all the scars that I've accumulated reveal themselves…"
"Really? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Kagome said more out of curiosity than worry.
"Well, I had no idea that I would be getting half naked in front of you, for one…" Inuyasha began. "And two, the lights are extremely bright here…I actually thought you would have seen them by now..."
" I get it…on the new moon, we have little to no light, so no wonder I would not have noticed!"
"right…"
Kagome's heart started to beat a little faster.
"So, does that mean that scar from when Sesshomaru…." Kagome began.
"Yup…its right here…" Inuyasha said, starting to take his shirt off.
"No no no! don't take off your shirt here! Let me sit next to you and you can show me!" Kagome rushed over to Inuyasha's side of the booth where no one could see what they were doing.
Inuyasha lifted his beater enough for Kagome to see. She gasped as he revealed deep grooves in his abdomen. Some parts were healed more fully than others. But overall, the sight of it was just as gruesome as the original injury itself.
Kagome smiled. 'He could have died…he's lucky that he just escaped with with these scars…"
Kagome went back to her side of the booth and continued to look at his hands. She spotted another scar on his wrist. One that seemed perfectly straight and placed above the vein.
'This seems too perfect to be a battle wound…would Inuyasha..? no, he's not like that…'
"Inuyasha, what is this? Was this a battle wound too?"
"Umm….not really…" Inuyasha mumbled, not wanting to talk about it.
"Then…what is it…?" Kagome pressed.
Inuyasha suddenly took interest in what was going outside. The rain had slowed to a gentle drizzle and the lightning ceased.
"Inuyasha…you know you can tell me anything…" Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha remained silent in deep thought. His dark eyes reflected the storm outside as well as the storm within.
Kagome hung her head and sighed. 'perhaps he's not ready yet…not ready to open up…'
"It was a long time ago…" Inuyasha began. Kagome's head shot up and saw Inuyasha still looking outside at passing pedestrians.
"when I was about 98, that would be the human equivalent of 13…I was in the middle of a terrible snowstorm, probably the worst one I've experienced. I was cold and starving. I found a small village store house and I stayed there for a night or two. Heh, I ate almost all of the food in that place…then, one day, some of the villagers came to get some of their food. I tried to hide, but they had a priest with them. Some of them thought they heard some noises in there and thought it would just be a rodent, but then someone else said they sensed something off about it. So they called the priest because they were too afraid to check it out. So they found me. They dragged me out by my hair, and threw me in the middle of the village. I was so weak from hunger, I couldn't fight them off. They grabbed any weapon they could find, sticks, hoes, pitchforks, shovels…the priest put a sutra on me and paralyzed me. They beat me for what seemed like hours. When they were finally done, they tied me to one of their horses and pushed me down the side of a big hill. Unluckily for me, it was the new moon that night…so my wounds didn't heal very quickly."
Kagome's eyes filled with tears. Her grip around his hand tightened.
"I-I was so tired…I was tired of being beaten…being mistreated…constantly running for my life…then I started feeling sorry for myself. If I wasn't born, my mother would not have died as soon as she did…she could have lived a satisfying life with plenty of children…and my father….he probably could have lived too… and Sesshomaru would not hate me…so I looked for a sharp rock, and I slit my wrists… I watched myself bleed out. I wanted to see my mother again…the only person in the world who loved me. I've had many near death experiences, but I can honestly say I was on the precipice of death that night. But I found myself alive the next morning, with a bandage around my wrist and a bowl of rice and some vegetables beside me."
Kagome grasped his hand even tighter. Inuyasha's fingers curled around hers in response. It took everything within her to not start crying. So she put her forehead on his knuckles and whispered hoarsely, "you're so strong…so much stronger than I ever imagined…"
Inuyasha remained silent , still looking outside.
The waitress Miyuki waltzed up, breaking the serene and intimate moment carrying a tray with two cups.
"Im soooo sorry! We didn't have that tea you were asking for, but we got you the best tea we have in the house!" she apologized, setting the tea in front of him. "Here's your mocha." She said, nearly throwing down Kagome's cup. Kagome was already too upset by Inuyasha's story to be angry with the inconsiderate waitress.
Inuyasha finally turned around to face her and put his hand over hers.
"It was a long time ago, Kagome. everything's fine now. you dont need to cry about it..." Inuyasha reassured.
"I cant help it... I cant stand the thought of you being hurt, past, present or future..."
Kagome raised her head and looked deep into his eyes. "I want nothing but happiness and comfort for you, Inuyasha..." Kagome choked.
They shared a moment of silence, speaking only with their eyes. Then Inuyasha turned to his drink and said nonchalantly, "Well, we better drink start drinking, otherwise it'll get cold!"
Kagome chuckled a little bit, feeling the heaviness of the conversation being lifted. she sipped a little bit from her mocha and sighed. 'at least she made it right...if she didnt, we would have problems.'
"How is you tea?" Kagome asked.
"Its alright." Inuyasha said, taking another sip. "A rather big cup for tea, but thats fine."
Kagome looked down at their mugs and remembered 'thats right, these cups are western style. traditional japanese tea cups are smaller and they dont have handles...'
"Inuyasha, why did you ask for Gyokuro tea? is that your favorite?" Kagome asked.
"you can say that. my mother and I used to drink that a lot." he said, stirring a stirring stick in his cup.
Kagome nodded and smiled. she sipped some more of her mocha and lost herself in her thoughts. Inuyasha cleared his throat to get her attention, and asked, "arent you going to let me have some?" Kagome was about to say yes, but remembered that mocha contained chocolate; and chocolate was poisonous for dogs. and Inuyasha was a dog demon. so Kagome quickly withdrew her drink when Inuyasha tried to reach for it.
"Hey!"
"You cant have any. its mine." Kagome said curtly.
"Now who is the one who is always telling me to share! C'mon! it smells great!" Inuyasha said again trying to reach for her drink.
"I said no." Kagome finalized before downing the whole cup.
"Hey! thats not fair, Kagome!" Inuyasha groaned.
"Oh *cough cough* well!" Kagome choked in between coughs. 'That was a really stupid move, why didnt I just tell him? now I've probably burned my esophagus.'
"Stingy." Inuyasha muttered.
Kagome looked outside to see that the rain had finally ceased. her mood was instantly lifted and stood up smiling.
"The rain stopped! C'mon, lets go!" Kagome said, taking Inuyasha by the hand. remembered that she had to pay the waitress. She asked for the check and quickly paid for their drinks-with no tip.
The couple ran outside into the sea of pedestrians walking to and fro outside.
"Well, the festival is probably shut down for the night. But at least we got to go. What do you say we go to the park or something?"
"Park?" Inuyasha asked.
"Its like a public garden. I'll show you." Kagome said.
The two walked silently together, Kagome's arms wrapped around Inuyasha's and her head on his shoulder.
They finally reached the park and found it to be mostly deserted. they walked along a path that was littered with puddles. Kagome playfully tried to jump over them, and Inuyasha helped by sometimes lifting her up over them. They giggled at their childish antics and soon started poking fun at each other. Eventually, they started a tickle war and started to chase each other. Inuyasha caught Kagome and swept her off of her feet squealing with glee.
"Hey Inuyasha..."
"Yeah?"
"Your father was a demon lord, right?
"Thats what they tell me."
"And your mother was a princess too, right?"
"What about it?" Inuyasha replied, not liking where the conversation was going.
"If both of your parents were of noble birth, then doesn't that make you a prince?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha's breath caught and thought over what she had just said. he had never really thought of it that way before. 'I guess I was too busy surviving after mother died that I didnt even bother to think about my heritage...'
"I guess..."
"Then, if thats the case, why dont you claim whats rightfully yours completely? yeah you have Tetsusaiga, but Im sure thats not all that you're entitled to!"
"I try not to think about it too much. It would make me too upset. Besides, its not that easy. I cant just walk in there and say 'I'm of noble birth'. When my mother had me, she gave up nearly all of her privelages. they made her choose between keeping her title and disposing of me, or keep me and dispose of her title. And she chose me." Inuyasha explained.
"Oh..."
"Besides, I couldnt claim anything even if I wanted to. All of the relatives that knew me or even knew of me on my human side, they're all dead now. its been at least 200 years."
"hmmm..." Kagome thought. "this may be a stupid question, but what about your father's side?"
"HAHA! My father's side?! If I even tried to go to their place, I would be killed on the spot! The only reason they haven't hunted me down is probably because my father begged them to spare my life. Otherwise, we wouldnt even be having this conversation." Inuyasha said with humor.
"I Dunno, the aristocratic pomp and circumstance doesnt suit me. I can't even imagine dressing up like Sesshomaru does!"
kagome giggled at the thought of Inuyasha with a similar outfit as his aristocratic brother.
"Oh... Im sorry to hear that..."
"Whats with all these personal questions, anyways?!" Inuyasha asked.
"I just want to know a little bit more about you, thats all!" Kagome answered.
"how would you feel if I started interrogating you about your family,huh?"
"I wouldn't mind. Im not nearly as secretive as you are." Kagome said matter-of-factly.
"Hmph!" Inuyasha grunted. Kagome smiled until something caught her eye.
They stopped when they noticed that they were not alone. They spotted in a field not far away from them, a group of boys about their age in a circle. Most of them were wearing beanies and thick rimmed glasses and t-shirts. "Hipsters..." Kagome muttered. " I wonder what they're doing?" Inuyasha and Kagome noticed that they were kicking a ball in between them, keeping their hands in their pockets. Inuyasha knew immediately what it was.
"They're playing Kemari..." he said softly.
"You want to go over there and join them?" Kagome offered.
Inuyasha paused and turned away, "No, lets keep going..."
"Oh c'mon, Inuyasha! Dont be such a spoiled sport! I bet you're a real pro!"
'I said no." Inuyasha reiterated.
But his words fell on deaf ears as he watched Kagome run up to the circle of hipsters.
"Excuse me!" Kagome panted. "Do you mind if me and my friend play with you guys?"
"Ummm...we're not playing *football, if thats what you're thinking..." said one of the hipsters.
"Yeah...we're playing kemari, you've probably never heard of it..." said another.
"oh but we have! and its been so long since my friend has played! it would mean the world to him! please?" Kagome begged.
they turned to look at Inuyasha, who was hiding in the shadows, unsure if he should approach.
"well, I guess it cant hurt." said one of the hipsters. "we could use a fifth player..."
"YAAAAAYY!" Kagome cheered. she ran over to her companion and dragged him in the middle of the circle.
"so, what's your name?" asked one of the hipsters, that appeared to be the leader.
"Inuyasha..." Inuyasha mumbled shyly.
"inu-what now?" said the 'leader'.
"Inuyasha." he said with a little louder.
"Inuyasha?! cool name, dude! my name is Yamato, this is Sen, Tsubasa, and Koron. you know how to play right?" Yamato inquired.
"yeah, like the back of my hand!" Inuyasha boasted.
Kagome smiled at Inuyasha's renewed confidence.
Sen lifted and kicked the ball over to Inuyasha, who kicked it right over to Tsubasa, who was not prepared and dropped the ball.
"Great shot, dude!" cheered Koron.
"Heh, not too bad! See if you can catch this!" Tsubasa kicked it back over to Inuyasha, who caught it with his foot and sent it over to to Yamato.
This went on for a couple of minutes, Kagome watching Inuyasha playing with his new acquaintances.
She was mesmerized by the bright smile plastered on Inuyasha's face. His smile seemed to glow; even brighter than the smiles she saw on his face at the festival. This smile was truly happy. He was playing his favorite game with people who did not judge him. Kagome could feel nothing but happiness. When they were finally done, the boys patted Inuyasha on the back.
"Hey, dude! Who taught you how to play so well?" asked Sen.
"Our cook back home..." Inuyasha said.
"You need to come back and play with us! Do you know how hard it is to find someone who knows how to play Kemari in this city?" said Yamato.
"I'll think about it." Inuyasha said meekly, walking over to Kagome.
"Well you think about it! We'll be here if you ever want to play again!" Yamato called to them as they walked away.
The two waved goodbye to the boys as they continued their game.
"Did you have fun?" Kagome asked.
"Y-yeah...I did..." Inuyasha said, smiling to himself.
"Y'know...I've never seen you so happy before..." Kagome said.
"Really? I've been happy plenty of times! You haven't noticed?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Of course I've seen you happy, but not to the extent of what I've seen tonight..." Kagome said. "i've never seen you so...carefree..."
"Well..." Inuyasha mumbled.
"Im just saying, im glad that I could see you smile." Kagome said.
This brought another smile to Inuyasha's face. they found a bench overlooking Tokyo Bay and watched the lights from the city and from incoming boats sparkle on the dark waters. They sat in silence and rested deep in their thoughts. Kagome sighed and leaned her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.
'Such a beautiful night...even after the storm, the beauty of this place never seems to leave...' Kagome thought.
Kagome reflected on all of the events that had transpired since she fell into the bone eaters well and came to the feudal era. 'Its so nice to have a break once in a while. We've been working so hard. And time has flown by so fast. It seems like yesterday that I fell into the Bone Eater's Well and came to the feudal era. I cant believe its almost been a year since then...we all have grown in so many ways. and we're so much closer to completing the Shikon Jewel and defeating Naraku...And most of all, Inuyasha and I have grown closer than either of us anticipated. But, when the jewel is whole, what will we do?' Kagome thought sadly.
she sighed and closed her eyes. Inuyasha softly stroked Kagome's hand in comfort. Kagome smiled to herself. 'I dont know what the future holds for Inuyasha and I, but this I know for certain- whether separated or together, our futures look very bright.'
完成
My sincerest thanks to all of my readers and supporters. Its been challenging to get this story done, but I had fun doing it! I loved reading all of your comments, many of them really made my day! There was even a point where I thought of giving up on the project and say whatever. But I made it through with lots of perserverence! And its all thanks to you guys! From seeing the sheer length of this chapter and kicking it into high gear for exams and work, you can see why it took so long for me to update! But this year is coming to an end! and so is this story!
now to the questions! I know one of you guys asked how old Meimei and Itaru were. I would say that Itaru is a little bit younger than Kohaku (who is 11-14, so lets just say 12.5 ) and Meimei is about a year older than Rin. (who is 8-11, so lets just say 9.5) (Inuyasha wikia is very inprecise _)
Guest (Ami)- "you know how there are no Inuyasha movies for the final act like there were for the original series? Wouldn't it be so cool if this got turned into a movie? This is perfect for that since this kinda takes place during the final act I think."
GOTA- I thought of that as well! as a matter of fact, when all of this is playing in my head, I imagine it as a movie. Complete with title sequences, and battle music.(I know, Im a bit crazy!)I really do wish that either Takahashi-san or Viz media or SOMEBODY would come out with another movie or at least an OVA! I mean, Ranma ½ has like, IDK 12 of them?!okay enough of my ranting...
Ricebunny123- " I just got into this story and I love it so much. A friend told me about it and said I should read it and now I know why. Soooo good!"
GOTA- You have no idea how happy this made me. Seriously...I feel like a legit writer, getting recommendations and ish XD. Again, Thank you and your friend!
Guest- "Wow! What a chapter *thumbs up*! I think in the last chapter you should do the characters from the present and do like a flash forward where Itaru is being born or something to show how time moved since they lost their memory. THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!"
GOTA- you kind of read my mind there!
An announcement I feel should be made, I am sorry to say, but this is going to be my final fanfiction. I need to start focusing on my career goals and getting done with school. It has always been a dream of mine to be a best selling author. Here, Im nowhere near a best seller, but at least I could express a simple portion of my imagination with you guys here on . I dont know what its like for you guys, but when I get a story in my head, it wont go away until I put it on paper (or my computer)! I promise to finish the rest of my fanfictions sooner or later, but dont hold your breath. I just had to finish this one because, in a way, it is my farewell tribute to my favorite anime in the whole world. I doubt I will find a manga/anime with the same character development and plot like Inuyasha. But all good things must come to an end, right?
So this is my swan song for fanfictions. but who knows? You might see me on the New york times best sellers some time. Not under my pen name, but under the name M.J Woodard :)
until then, 再见朋友们！
-GOTA
*yakitori-A Japanese dish of chicken pieces grilled on a skewer.
*yakisoba-Fried Japanese soba (buckwheat noodles).
*okonomiyaki-Okonomiyaki are savory Japanese pancakes that were traditionally cooked to use up left overs in the refrigerator. Due to this tradition — ingredients are flexible. The most popular ingredients are pork, seafood and cheese.
*dango-A Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour). Dango are similar to mochi (there's a common misconception that they are mochi). They're often served with a sauce that's sweet and salty.
gyokuro- a high-grade tea made in Japan from the leaves of shaded bushes and used for domestic consumption
football-soccer. the USA is the only place in the world that calls it soccer. In the rest of the world (including Japan) it is called Football.