I do not own InuYasha or Digimon Adventure in any way!

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'The' – Thoughts

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BEGINNING!

AN: Like I said in the previous chapter's Author's Note, this will be pretty much a filler chapter. It's mostly filled with Kagome's activities during the tournament days as well as a few extra details; so if you don't want to read it, you don't have to. If my mental timeline is correct, there won't be many things connecting back to this chapter, actually…

This one took a bit longer to get out because I had to do a TON of research for certain parts and then the making up designs and the like, that's not something that's done in like three seconds flat or something... That, and I had a little more than just a few things going on so as I'd stated before, my updating will be a bit infrequent due to those matters.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

I'll emphasis this: Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't bother saying anything at all! Heck, don't even bother to review or read this story if you don't like it!

-The Ninth Child-

xX-The Days Away-Xx

-Kyoto; 1st Night-

"What a day!" a girl of sixteen stretched her arms as she stepped into the room followed by Kagome and two other girls.

Karin Yui was a tall 16-year-old with a lightly-tanned complexion, piercing amber eyes, and crimson hair pulled back into a French Braid with her straight-cut bangs splayed across her forehead.

The~Ninth~Child

Sakura Mizushima was a fifteen-year-old that stood to just below Kagome's shoulder. She had a pale complexion, wavy dark-brown locks pulled back into a low ponytail that rested over her shoulder to just above her chest, and a pair of soft hazel eyes.

The~Ninth~Child

Miya Nakano seemed to be a few inches off from Karin's height at sixteen. She had a fair complexion just a shade or two darker than Sakura's, her deep-green shoulder-length hair held back with a white headband, and a pair of calm grey-eyes.

The girls had just gotten back from a trip to the indoor hotspring after a grueling competition with Akimoto High. Surprisingly, Kagome wasn't as focused on the victory, but on something else entirely, not that her teammates knew.

"I can't believe we nearly got creamed by Akimoto!" Karin groaned.

"'Nearly' being the operative word here," Miya pointed out. "We still won because that one idiot couldn't tell a target from a post!"

"But on the bright side," Sakura inserted, "since we don't have any competitions tomorrow, we get to tour around the city!"

'I wonder if they understood the hint I gave them?' Kagome wondered as she took out her D-Terminal to check for any messages while sneaking Kudamon (who'd hidden away in her purse) a few pieces of sushi she'd wrapped up from dinner. She read over one she'd gotten from Kari, pretty much summarizing their trip to the Digital World that afternoon. 'At least Biyomon's safe…I'm glad Sora at least listened to what I told her…'

"So what do you want to do tomorrow, Kagome?" Miya asked.

"I don't know, really," Kagome shrugged, placing her D-Terminal back into her suitcase. "I thought I'd go to the Heian Shrine for a bit, but other than that I didn't really have any plans…"

"Well why don't we go the shrine together?" Karin suggested. "After that, maybe we can check out Maika!"

"Mai-wha?" the other three girls blinked.

"Maica," the magenta-haired girl repeated slower this time, "It's a shop down in Gion. My cousin went there last summer and I've been dying to go!"

"Um," Sakura exchanged wary glance with the other two older girls, "What exactly is Maika anyway?"

"You don't know?" Karin all but shouted. "Maika's one of the more well-known shops that offers any ordinary girl or woman the chance to dress up like a Geisha! And if you go with one of their plans, they even let you go out in Gion looking like a Geisha!"

"But aren't places like that expensive?" Kagome asked. "And aren't you supposed to book at least a few days advance?"

Karin laughed nervously.

"Karin…" the three girls deadpanned.

"Okay! OKAY!" the magenta-haired girl burst out. "Calm down! I got my mum to reserve an appointment for us when she heard we'd be in Kyoto! I'm paying for the trip with all money I got from the extra babysitting and errands I've been running for people in my apartment complex, plus some of my allowance. And it helps that we'll get a discount there since my Aunt Kimiko works there."

"Did you just say that your mother reserved appointments for all of us?" Sakura asked slowly.

"Oh come on, you didn't think I'd go on without you guys," Karin said as if it were obvious, "You three are what keep me sane in this place full of testosterone and peppy girls that are only in this club so they can ogle the captain!"

The girls just laughed at their friend, Karin joining in after pouting for a bit.

-Kyoto; 2nd Day-

"That was really interesting!" Sakura smiled as the quartet left the Heian Shrine. "The history of the shrine, oh and the architecture! Oh it was beautiful!"

"And very peaceful, too," Kagome added, "Despite it being near Zoo, Kaikan, the Library, and the Museum of Modern Arts."

"Okay, that's nice and all," Karin said, hooking her arm through Kagome and Sakura's, "Now let's go to Maika!" She dragged the two girls off, Kagome grabbing onto a chuckling Miya at the very last moment.

"Wh-WOAH! SLOW DOWN!"

The~Ninth~Child

"So this is the place?" Kagome asked warily, looking at the stone walkway that led into what looked like the entrance to a traditional Japanese home.

"Yup!" Karin nodded, all but shoving the across the path and into the building. "Aunt Kimiko! We're here!"

"And just in time, too!" came an amused chuckle.

The girls looked to where a woman in her late-thirties coming their way.

The~Ninth~Child

Kimiko Yui was a kind-looking woman with her skin a shade or two lighter than her niece's with lime-green eyes and shoulder-length crimson hair with half pulled into a messy bun with wisps escaping the piece and framing her face neatly.

She wore a pair of khaki pants that went just past her knees with a teal blouse with short and sheer butterfly sleeves and the torso with a checkered pattern. On her feet was a pair of dark-brown flats, while a pair of black framed glasses was perched upon her nose and a black hairband on her head.

The~Ninth~Child

"Let me guess," Kimiko said amusedly to the three behind her niece, "She dragged you all here?"

The three girls only nodded with bland expressions.

"You'll never change, will you?" Kimiko shook her head fondly. "All right, I'll go in the back and get the photography equipment ready. I'll send Mei and Amaya to get two of you ready at a time, so whoever's coming first, choose carefully!"

And with that, the girls watched as the elder woman walked off through another door, leaving the four girls in at the front.

"So who's going first?" Karin asked excitedly.

"Well, since you wanted to come, why don't you go in?" Miya suggested, prompting the other girls to nod in unison.

"She's right," Kagome nodded. "But who'll go with her?"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Sakura recommended.

Kagome and Miya looked at each other, shrugging. The three girls held out their fists and counted off. "Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

"Looks like you're going in first, Sakura," Kagome grinned at the younger girl who was the only 'Paper' amongst the duo of 'Scissors'.

"YAAAY!" Karin squealed as she drug Sakura off with her when two women dressed in a simple matching set of green sakura-printed yukata came into escort them into the back where they would be made up and dressed in whatever kimonos they chose.

"So you're really gonna go through with this?" Miya asked, looking at Kagome sckeptically.

"I might as well since it's already been paid for and arranged," Kagome shrugged, "But I think I'll forgo the heavy makeup and just choose a kimono…"

"Karin might not be too happy about that," the green-haired girl pointed out.

"Well, I'm not too happy about having who-knows-how-much makeup caked on my face!" the raven-haired girl huffed.

The~Ninth~Child

-A While Later; Maika Garden-

"Where's Kagome?" Karin asked Miya when the green-haired girl came out in her chosen kimono.

Miya snickered. "Uh, let's just say that Kagome's not too fond of a lot of makeup; She should be out in a bit though."

"What happened?" Sakura blinked bemusedly.

Karin wore a two-layered kimono, the inner being a pale-gold with tiny white flowers printed on the fabric. The outer kimono was a magenta hue that dragged along the ground with gold and white vines and flowers spread across the left and right shoulders into the sleeves and the bottom of the kimono. Stark-white cranes could be seen placed delicately in the scenery in different positions. Her Obi was a dual-patterned style with one side embroidered with cranes and different types of flora, while the other was done in an elegant spread-out hexagon pattern with floral designs; this was tied up in a darari knot. On her feet was a pair of white tabi and cream-hued geta with magenta straps.

Her hair was done up in a wareshinbou style with a decorative floral hairpiece and her face was made up in the traditional way of the Maiko.

The~Ninth~Child

Sakura wore a two-layered kimono, the inner being a soft pale-pink. The outer was a pale-blue kimono with large pink and azure lotus blossoms placed along the sleeves, the bottom and the left of the neckline with smaller flowers scattered along the fabric and large blossoms. Her obi was a pale-pink with white lotus blossoms of different sizes scattered beautifully across the fabric; it was tied in a rose knot. She, too, wore a pair of cream geta but with pale-blue straps.

She, much like Miya and Kagome had wanted, didn't go all out. Her hair was done up in a simple messy side bun on the left with wisps escaping to frame her face and a red lotus flower ornament was pinned onto the side of her head at the base of the bun. Her makeup wasn't much more than a little pink lip colour, a hint of very pale pink rouge to accent her cheeks a bit, and her eyes were done in a little eyeliner and a pale-pink eyeshadow.

The~Ninth~Child

Miya wore a two-layered kimono with the inner layer being a plain white with a thin yellow interlocking vine pattern along the neckline. The outer kimono was a dark green with patches dyed in mint-green and large clusters of flowers of different shades placed in different areas of the fabric over the patches of mint. The obi she wore was white with gold and mint flowers printed on the fabric; it was tied into a drum knot. On her feet was a pair of cream-hued geta with

Her hair wasn't tied up, but a little was pulled from the left to the right where then those locks were pinned with a simple hair ornament of a cluster of colored daisies with dangling strands of mint-green and dark-green beads hanging from it. She didn't really have any makeup on save for a little lip gloss.

(AN: Forgot to insert this while describing, but all the outer kimonos will tend to drag along the ground a bit as that's the style Maiko wear.)

"Kagome and I didn't want to go all out," Miya explained, "We just asked if we could pick out kimonos and get our hair done so we could get out pictures taken." Here she snickered once again. "Except when those two got a good look at Kagome, they started squealing about how adorable she was. Before I knew it, they got me done up quick and practically kicked me out!" Miya winced, "I'm kinda getting the feeling that our poor Kagome's getting treated like a doll in there…"

"Poor Kagome," Sakura shook her head sympathetically, "She doesn't like to dress up much as it is and now…Oh boy…"

"What I can't believe is why you two didn't go with the full plan!" Karin complained. "Now we won't match for the picture!"

"First," said a voice from behind the trio, "It was your idea to come here, not ours, so we could get dressed however we saw fit. And Two: Does it really matter if we match? The photo'll come out fine anyway."

The girls whipped around to see their raven-haired friend standing there with a wry smile on her face.

"Kagome!" Karin and Sakura gasped.

"Whoa," Miya's eyes widened, "They sure did a number on you, didn't they?"

"You have no idea," Kagome shook her head, "I'm just glad that I'm out of there!"

The~Ninth~Child

Kagome wore a two-layered kimono just like her friends, with the inner kimono being a plain cream-hue but with violet ruffles along the neckline. The outer kimono faded from indigo at the top to a pale-yellow towards the bottom of the fabric and sleeves which also had violet ruffles protruding from them. A pattern of gold, lavender, and black was etched into the forms of butterflies and floral patterns across the fabric. The obi she wore was black with a single large golden butterfly printed onto the fabric; it was tied into a butterfly knot with an indigo obijime tied around it, the tails of the knot hanging down the right side by her hip. Just like her friends, she wore a pair of cream-hued geta, but with black straps.

Her hair looked like it was curled a bit as it had a sort of wave to it with stronger curls towards the bottom. The raven length was pulled up into a tick high-side-ponytail on the right, leaving her hair to go down loosely to her waist and her bangs brushed neatly to the side, covering half her right eye and shorter black locks were left to frame her face. A long strung cluster of cherry and plum blossoms that trailed down to about a third of the way down her hair length was pinned to the base of the ponytail with an intricate silver comb that had amythests embedded into it. Her makeup wasn't much, but it was enough to make her stand out. She had on a little eyeliner, a pale-pink lip colour, and her eyeshadow was a soft indigo.

(AN: This ended up becoming a bit longer since I didn't have Kagome's outfit and whatnot planned and I was making it up as I went.)

The~Ninth~Child

"They got a little more than carried away, didn't they?" Sakura blinked as she took in Kagome's form. "But you look beautiful anyway, Kagome!"

"I'll thank you for the compliment," the raven-haired teen nodded, "But I'm never doing this again!"

"Is everyone ready?" Kimiko asked as she came out, camera in hand. She was followed by a different woman in the Maika uniform, this one, though, carried was looked like four intricately designed hand fans.

"What're these for?" Miya asked, looking at the printed scenery of the fan given to her.

"They're for an authentic look, right Aunt Kimiko?" Karin piped up, looking over the cherry blossom tree print on her fan.

"They definitely look cute, though!" Sakura smiled, looking at the lotus blossoms on the fan given to her.

"Really?" Kagome raised an eyebrow at the woman after opening. "Again with the frills?"

The woman that gave her the fan only sweat-dropped along with Kimiko. "Well, erm, Mei and Amaya were the ones to pick this out for you…"

"I'm not a bloody doll!" Kagome deadpanned. "Or are they too dim to understand that?"

"T-That was a little harsh, Kagome, don't you think?" Sakura commented as she and her friends sweat-dropped at the raven-haired teen's statement.

Kagome didn't deign them with a verbal answer, only throwing a bland look their way.

Kimiko laughed nervously. "Why don't we get started? Now Karin I want you to…"

The~Ninth~Child

-Kyoto; 2nd Night; Inn-

"Oh these came out great!" Karin squealed, rifling through her copies of the many photos her aunt had taken of them.

"I hope we never have to do that again," Kagome plopped down on her futon, pulling a brush through her now wavy hair.

"I don't know," Miya admitted, "I guess it was kinda fun, dressing up and all, you know?"

"Right," Kagome said wryly, "And that's because you weren't being poked and prodded and shoved around and into things like a doll!"

"You're still hung up on that?" Sakura giggled.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kagome retorted. "I—"

Let it go
Let it go
Can't hold it back anymore

Let it go
Let it go
Turn away and slam the door

I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway

(AN: I couldn't resist using it! I LOVE this song!)

"What was that?" Karin blinked as the tune started over again.

"My cellphone, I think," Kagome frowned in the direction of her purse. Leaning over, she rifled through the white bag she'd brought with her and pulled out her phone. "Sorry, guys, I'll be right back." She stepped out onto the balcony.

"Hello?" the raven-haired girl greeted.

"Kagome!" a voice squealed, though it seemed that the voice was a little dulled.

"Mimi?" Kagome asked, surprised. "What's up with this late-night call?"

"Well, I didn't get to see you today," Kagome could practically hear Mimi pouting, "So I decided to ring you for a bit!"

"So who got the new Digi-Egg?" Kagome asked. She'd gotten a vision earlier that morning and had sent Kari and T.K a message via the D-Terminal asking to relay a bit of advice for Yolei.

"Yolei, actually," Mimi told her, "And I guess, it really did fit her, the Digi-Egg of Sincerity, that is. But boy was I surprised! That little Hawkmon turned into a Samurai!" Mimi then giggled. 'But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Mm, I knew about the Digi-Egg and the new Digimon," Kagome agreed, "But I didn't know who would get the Digi-Egg and which Digimon would Digivolve into the one I saw."

"So what's up with you?" Mimi asked. "I heard from Kari that you're at an archery tournament in Kyoto?"

Kagome made a sound of agreement. "We beat our first two opponents, though Akimoto High nearly got us in the first round."

"Did you do anything exciting?" the other girl asked. "At least on your down time, that is."

"Well, we did a little sightseeing today at one of the temples," Kagome explained, "And then one of my teammates dragged a few of us over to one of the Geisha dress-up stores down in Gion…"

"Ooooh!" Mimi squealed. "So you dressed up like a Geisha with the Kimono and ornaments and stuff? Oh please tell me you've got some pictures to share!"

The raven-haired teen laughed. "Yeah, they got us all dressed up in layered kimonos with makeup and all before we got our photos taken."

"Kagome?" Mimi sounded concerned. "Is everything all right? You sound a little…off?"

"I'm a little annoyed that's all," Kagome assured her friend. "The two women sent to dress us and do our makeup ended up pushing me around like some kind of doll and the next thing I know, I'm in a frilly kimono all dolled up!"

"Oh but I sure you looked just darling in that ensemble!" Mimi cooed.

"Not really," Kagome shook her head, "And I'm definitely never going through that ever again! Anyway, so what's been going on with you?"

"Well, I've got a few new tunes down that I've been wanting your help with," Mimi rattled off, "Then I've also gotten a few new fashion designs made up for once, they're not pink! Mom and Daddy have been gushy as usual and the viewing rates for our songs are going up by the day! And…I guess I've come to a really surprising revelation…"

Kagome perked up as a sly smile spread across her face. "About what?"

"W-Well, you know h-how I've been, uh, turning down d-dates and b-boys, right?" Mimi stuttered out.

"And?" Kagome's smiled grew a bit bigger.

"A-And you remember w-when I came to J-Japan a while back?"

"So?"

"W-Well, J-J—I've been k-kinda getting c-closer to um…"

"Go on, Mimi, who is it?"

"Um, I, uh…"

"Mimi~!"

"Okay! Okay! I l-like J-Joe!"

"Now was that so hard?" Kagome cooed.

"Yes, yes it was!" she could just imagine Mimi's tomato-red face on the other side of the line.

"Are you going to tell him?" Kagome asked.

"…I don't think I will…" Mimi said softly.

"Why not?" Kagome sounded concerned.

"I just—what if he doesn't like me that way? If I don't tell him, I won't get hurt and we can still be friends!" the caramel-haired girl told her friend.

"Mimi…"

"I know you care, but I think I want to handle this my way, okay?"

"All right," Kagome sighed, "But are you sure you won't regret what you're doing?"

"Maybe I will and maybe I won't," the caramel-haired girl spoke quietly, "I guess we'll find out as we go, right?"

"Right," Kagome nodded. "Look, it's getting late and I've got to get to bed for our next round tomorrow and you've got school tomorrow, if I'm correct?"

"Yeah," Mimi sighed. "Oh well, goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Mimi," Kagome smiled softly before hanging up. 'Oh Mimi, keeping something like this hidden won't do you any good…'

With that thought in mind, Kagome turned around and walked back into the room. She made a beeline directly to her purse where she shoved her phone in while checking on Kudamon, finding that he'd dozed off.

"So what's up?" Miya asked.

"One of my best friends," Kagome explained, "She met up with my sister and her friends, but since I'm here, we didn't have a chance to meet up."

"Then why don't you just go visit her?" Karin suggested.

"I would," Kagome conceded, "If she didn't live halfway across the globe. My friend, Mimi, lives in new York, so it's not exactly a simple matter of just going there like it's only a walk across the street or something."

The quartet stayed up for another half hour before heading off to sleep, knowing that they would have to get up early for the next round of this portion of the tournament tomorrow.

'I wonder why I haven't been getting any visions lately?' Kagome wondered as Kudamon cuddled up to her neck under the covers. Moments later, she joined her friends off in the land of dreams.

-Kyoto; 3rd Evening-

Kagome yawned as she came into the room, intending on getting a small nap in before dinner. Although today they didn't another round to participate in, their captain made sure to run training drills until they were up-to-par, at least in his eyes.

Her roommates, on the other hand, had decided to hang out a bit before eating out that night. They'd extended an invitation to Kagome as well, but the raven-haired girl politely refused, saying that she really just wanted to rest.

"Kagome," Kudamon popped his head out of his partner's purse, "I think you have a couple messages on your D-Terminal. It was making a little noise every once in a while…"

Kagome's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I wonder who wants to talk to me so badly?" Kudamon curled up in her lap as she brought out her D-Terminal to check on whatever messages she'd received.

The first message read as such:

Well, not much happened in the Digital World today, except some trouble in a place that looked like an old Japanese village or something. If we weren't so focused on destroying the Control Spires, I think you would've like it.

Uh, anyway, when you get this, can you call me? I really need to talk to someone!

-T.K

The next wasn't too different:

Please call! I'm going out of my mind! And I definitely can't talk to Matt about it!

-T.K

The last was related to first two, but not quite the same:

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm staying over at Matt's for a few days since Mom's gonna be away for an assignment, so just call over there!

-T.K

"Well, he sounds anxious," Kudamon commented.

"Or nervous about something," the raven-haired teen's eyes narrowed, "I wonder what? And why can't he talk to Matt? He couldn't be embarrassed, could he?""

"Are you going to call him?" Kudamon asked.

"You know I will," Kagome nodded, replacing her D-Termnial into her purse before taking out her phone and dialing Matt's home number.

"Hello?"

"Matt? It's Kagome," the raven-haired teen spoke.

"Kagome? Hey, how's everything going?" the blonde asked.

"We've won two rounds so far," Kagome reported, "though the first round was a close one. My roommates and I went out and explored Kyoto a bit yesterday and we had an intense training session put together by our captain today."

"Sounds like you've been busy," Matt commented.

"Yeah," Kagome nodded, "Um, you know I'd love to stay on the line and talk, but could I speak with T.K for bit?"

"Is everything okay?" Matt asked.

"Everything's fine, I just need to talk to him about something," Kagome assured the blonde, all the while not giving away the real reason for her call.

"Sure, I'll go and get him," the blonde told her, placing the phone down gently.

Kagome waited for what seemed to be around a minute or two before she heard any noise from the receiving end.

"Kagome?" T.K said hesitantly.

"That's right," Kagome nodded, "Now out with it: What's got you in such a tizzy?"

"It's, uh, well it's…Kari," the younger blonde said quietly.

"Did something happen to her?" Kagome's eyes widened in worry.

"No! NO!" T.K was quick to quell her fears. "It's nothing like that. It's just that, well, I—"

"T.K?" Kagome asked slowly. 'I get the feeling that this is going somewhere very familiar…'

"Um, do you remember when you and Kari got sucked into that weird dimension?" the young blonde inquired.

"The Dark Realm?" Kagome blinked. "What about it?"

"That day I, uh, kinda said something to Kari," T.K stumbled over his words.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"No, but I mean—I didn't mean to say it and then at the same time, I did and—"

"T.K," Kagome instructed, "Take a deep breath and slowly tell me what you told her." 'Oh yeah, this is definitely heading down the same direction as it did with Mimi, more or less…'

"I said that I cared too much about her to let her go without a fight," T.K muttered.

'Bingo!' "And? Did you mean it?" Kagome asked.

"Of course I do!" T.K spoke loudly. "She's my best friend besides Patamon and my brother!"

"So why do you feel embarrassed about saying something like that?" the raven-haired teen inquired. "After all, no friend would leave another behind no matter what the circumstances."

"Well it's just that," T.K tried speaking, "I mean, it's Kari and—UGH! I just don't get it! I meant what I said, but at the same time, it didn't feel like I was saying them the same way I'd say it to someone like Davis or even Yolei!"

Kagome was silent, hoping T.K would figure out what he was saying. 'Why am I getting involved in romance issues? This is the second since Mimi! And why am I the one they call for matters like that?! I don't even have a boyfriend, so how would I know?!'

"Kagome?" T.K asked. "You still there?"

"I am," Kagome sighed, knowing that he didn't understand, "But what do you want me to tell you?"

"Can't you at least tell me why I feel like this?" T.K pleaded.

"You care about Yolei, right?" Kagome asked out of the blue.

"Yeah…"

"And you care about Kari, yes?"

"…Yeah…"

"So compare how you care about the both of them," Kagome directed.

There was silence.

"…I like her; I like Kari, don't I? More than a friend, I mean," T.K said softly after a few moments.

"I don't know," Kagome shrugged, "Do you?" 'Finally he gets it!'

"Thanks, Kagome," T.K said in relief. "Well, goodnight!"

"Goodnight, T.K," Kagome told the young blonde before hanging up. "That went well…I think…"

"What went well?" a voice asked.

Kagome jumped and Kudamon quickly slithered off back into Kagome's purse. The raven-haired teen looked up to see her friends and teammates coming into the room with curious looks on their faces.

"So," Karin repeated, "What went well?"

"Erm, just something T.K wanted to talk about," Kagome replied.

"T.K?" Sakura piped up. "You mean Matt's younger brother, T.K?"

"Yes," Kagome answered slowly, "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Only that it's unfair that you know two of the cutest guys in our school!" Sakura groaned softly.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked.

"I know!" Karin flopped onto her futon. "T.K's just adorable! And Matt…he's…UGH! There aren't any words for a guy like him!"

"Do I want to know what you're talking about?" Kagome asked weakly.

"You can't be serious," the three girls looked at the raven-haired girl as though she'd gone bananas.

"Does that mean the rumors aren't true?" Miya wondered out loud.

"Rumors?" Kagome parroted. "What rumors?"

"The ones that say that you and Matt are going out," the green-haired teen shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"But we're not!" Kagome sputtered. "What would give people that idea!"

"The fact that you two usually are together if one of you don't have to run off or something," Karin chimed.

"And then there's how he's always concerned about you," Sakura added.

"But—" Kagome tried protesting.

"And of course, let's not forget how you two are always making eyes at each other," Miya added.

"Eyes?" Kagome blinked.

"You know," Karin piped up, "you're always looking at each other when the other's not looking!"

"But—"

"Look," Sakura interjected, "we don't know what the situation between you and Matt is, but what we do know is that you're always there for each other, even when you and all of your friends are together. We're not trying to push you into anything; we only want you to see what everyone else has been for a while."

"Why don't we head off to bed," Karin suggested, sensing the change in atmosphere, "The Katashi Divison's our final opponent tomorrow and then we get to go home!"

Everyone agreed and started changing into their nightclothes before tucking into their futons.

'Matt and I?' Kagome thought as she lay in bed, Kudamon once again curled up against her neck. 'Is that even possible? I mean, we're friends, sure, but we can't be more than that…right?'

Links (remove spaces to view):

Karin's Kimono Design: www . marlamallett k-7797 . htm

Karin's Obi Design: www . marlamallett k-9415 . htm

Karin's Fan: www . dollsofindia images/products/japanese-fans/japanese-fan-EB01_l . jpg

Sakura's Kimono Design: www . marlamallett k-8590 . htm

Sakura's Fan: fs18/f/2007/197/3/f/japanese_fan_number_two_by_angieskateforlife . jpg

Miya Kimono Design: www . marlamallett k-8589 . htm

Miya Obi Design: www . marlamallett k-9459 . htm

Miya's Fan: www . fancircleinternational pics/japf . jpg

Kagome's Kimono Design: image . rakuten . co . jp/k-bridal/cabinet/furiz/101 . jpg

Kagome's Obi Design: kc . kodansha . co . jp/tsubaholi/rou/img2/holic17/ill/03 . jpg (This is the kind of obi I was imagining, though minus the giant butterfly in the back)

Kagome's Fan: thumbs1 . ebaystatic d/l225/m/mDp4RiGmiXYKTF2yjD436JQ . jpg

Source of Geisha/Maiko Hairstyles: www . immortalgeisha hairstyles_maiko . php

Ciao,

TsukiyoTenshi