Letter from the author--
Okay, I know I`m probably going to get a lot of flack for doing this short instead of working on my on-going fic, but, I had the idea for it and I have to get it out of my head before I lose my nerve (or my sugar rush wears off...) and don`t do it at all. Should be light and fluffy and a definite one-shot. It would take a mind greater than mine and a master of words to stretch this out to lengths longer than 2 pages. Hope you enjoy it, though!
notes: I`m writing this because of the sheer and unadulterated love I have for yuki-ichigo daifuku, a piece of heaven that fits in the palm of your hand. I was introduced to them by my friend Satoshi (hontoni arigatou, Satoshi-kun!) about 2 months ago and have become addicted to them. They don`t make `em like this (or at all, unfortuantely...)in America, folks!
Yuki-ichigo daifuku: a thin layer of shortcake in a circle about the size of someone`s palm (but not if your hand is small...) topped with a whole crub-load (my version of cr*p-load) of whipped cream in which there is comfortably and snuggly nestled a nice ripe, not too sweet, and never squishy strawberry. It`s wrapped up in a sheet of mochi (pounded rice that is about the feel and consistancy of unbaked bread dough and sticky as all hell) and topped with powdered sugar. The name means "Snow Strawberry" Daifuku. There isn`t really a translation for daifuku that I can find. [you can also get the little buggers with a layer of "an" on top of the shortcake and green tea on top instead of sugar. "An" is kind of like refried beans with sugar in it in a wierd paste. I`m not too hot on beans, or greentea, for that matter (much to the chagrin of my Japanese friends) so this story will have the conventional brand of Yuki-Ichigo in it. What can I say? I`m predjudiced.]
Also, after a short discussion with my friend, she told me I should tell you when this takes place. It`s from part 24 of the manga (I think--I forget the exact number) and it is an alternate story for last weeks manga in Shonen Sunday. (7/11/01)
Whew! Enjoy the fic.
Yuki-IchiSango (or a Yuki-ichigo for Sango)
Kagome smiled as she loaded the package carefully into her bag. It`d taken quite a bit of money from her allowance to get enough of her favorite snack for everyone, but she thought the exstravegance would be worth it for once. Sango had been feeling especially down lately. After their recent bout with her brother Kohaku and Sesshomaru`s odd interference (why was he taking care of a little kid, anyway?) the group had been left with lots of free time while Naraku nursed his wounds. She didn`t think they had to worry about Sesshomaru for a while, either. The two brothers had almost worked together that last time, much to everyone`s surprise, and he didn`t even make a play for the Tetsusaiga. He just left with no trouble.
They had no leads on new shikon shards and were all just hanging out in Kaede`s village, trying to pass time. With nothing to keep their minds occupied, the gang`s thoughts had turned to that which they wanted to forget. For Inu-Yasha, this was his ongoing struggle for a clear choice between Kagome and Kikyo, for Shippo, it was the fact that after the quest was over, he`d have no more family again, for Miyoga, well, Miyoga was really the least troubled I suppose. Miroku was lamenting over the fact that Sango couldn`t see him as anything but a pervert. Then again, everytime he would make some headway, he would use it to grope her thereby knocking him back again to his previous status. Even so, the priest and Sango had gotten much closer than anyone would have thought and she had begun to confide in him when he could stand to be sincere for more than five minutes. Kirara, in the fashion of animal companions, was feeling his master`s depression himself.
"That`s a group in need of some sugary therapy if I ever saw one," she thought to herself, trying not to let her own problems get to her.
Inu-Yasha was sitting in a tree by the well pondering his current situation, when a familiar head popped out of the opening and produced its gargantuan backpack.
Kagome... he thought and took her arrival as a signal to roll off of the tree branch he was on. "Yo," he said in greeting.
Kagome smiled. "Where is everyone? I have a surprise."
"Nn? Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Asked Inu-Yasha, glad to have something to stimulate his interest.
"If I told you it wouldn`t be a--"
"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" asked Miroku as he walked up.
Inu-Yasha gave him a look. "Thought you were with Sango."
Miroku scratched his head. "She needs a little personal space, I think," he said a little downcast.
"Why, Miroku, that`s positively gentlemanly of you," said Kagome in jest, figuring that Sango had probably booted the pervert off of whatever grassy knoll she`d been residing on.
Inu-Yasha joined in with a thump to Miroku`s head and said, "Yeah. `Dya` hit your head or somethin`?"
Miroku waved the dog-demon`s hand away with a frown. Kagome thought he actually looked offended. "I can behave maturely sometimes, you know--kind of like when you act like you have a modicum of brains."
"WHAT?!?" yelled Inu-Yasha in rage.
Oh, God, thought Kagome, with a roll of her eyes. Here they go. Just what we need-a pissing contest. She sighed.
"Kagome!" came a high pitched squeal of delight. The two "adults" continued their arguement, ignoring the distraction.
Kagome turned. "Shippo-chan!" and caught the leaping Kitsune.
"We`ve been so bored. I`m glad to see you," said the little fox. Myoga-jiji hopped onto his head from somewhere he`d been hiding.
He nodded solemnly. "Would that all days were like this one, M`Lady."
That caught Inu-Yasha`s ear for a moment and he said, "You would, coward," and then went back to his bickering with Miroku.
"I`m gonna` go get Sango," she said putting Shippo and Myoga down on her bag. "Make sure those two don`t kill one another."
Shippo nodded with wide eyes, still a little surprised at having been put down so quickly. Once she`d been aknowledged, she started off to find the girl in question.
"Kuuuuu..."
Sango looked down at Kirara and gently patted the cat creature`s head. It shut its eyes in response and she let out a sigh and looked at the ground as she thought about when everything got so complicated. The boomerang next to her looked so strange sitting on the grass and she felt so infinitely tired when she thought about hefting it onto her shoulders. Lately it had just felt so heavy to her. She knew the weight hadn`t changed and she hadn`t gotten any weaker, but somehow, it just seemed so heavy.
Even Miroku noticed I`m not quite myself today... she thought as she remembered the priest trying to engage her in conversation before he finally gave up and, squeezing her shoulder lightly, he left her there alone. He hadn`t even tried to grope her, much to her surprise. Not that she would have minded. Getting angry at him and pummelling him would be a welcome change over this. She sighed deeply and Kirara looked up at her face with a plaintive "kuuuu". She greeted it with a sad smile.
"Hey!"
The voice had come from behind her and she turned to see Kagome, who smiled brightly despite the morose look on Sango`s face.
"Come on to the well. I have a surprise for you," she said, enthusiastically, hoping to garner a good response.
"What sort of surprise?" she asked.
"Why does everyone ask me that?" Kagome lamented with a shake of her head. "Just come on, would you? You`ll love it, I swear."
Sango shrugged, tried to look halfway interested and gathering her boomerang, followed Kagome`s lead. Kirara fell into step benind them tiptoeing after.
"Are you enjoying having a little break?" asked Kagome, making small-talk.
Sango nodded and faked a smile. "Mm. It`s nice to have some peace and quiet for once..."she lied.
"Miroku seems to think you`re not in the best of spirits," said Kagome with a smile. "I`m glad to see that he`s wrong," and she took to humming as they walked. kagome was no dummy. She knew Sango was lieing, but, she hoped that her surprise would bring the girl out of her funk whereas talking about it might push her deeper into it. She figured it was about Kohaku and there was nothing they could do for him at the moment, so she tried to keep the mood light.
Sango was silent.
"HEY!" came Kagome`s yell, loud and clear. She could see Inu-Yasha by the well, a big pink bag in front of him. She seethed and began a frantic run toward the dog-demon.
Sango followed curiously, glad to have a little excitement back in the day.
Kagome reached the four males. Miroku was standing off to the side, arms behind his back, watching the half-youkai with interest. Shippo was crying and whining, Myouga was hopping up and down and Inu-Yasha had his face covered in white powder and whipped cream on his nose and was greedily eating two yuki-ichigos, one in each hand, alternating bites of each one.
"WHAT in the HELL do you think you`re doing?!?!?" she yelled at him as she came up.
"I...(hic) want one..." Shippo whined, with tears in his eyes.
Kagome stared at the demon until he raised his eyes to hers. She burned with rage.
"Kagome-- these are... the best things I`ve had in my life!" he said with... was that joy? Kagome fell back in surprise and he gave her a smile like a little kid.
Sango sat down again, putting the boomerang to her right and smiled. Inu-Yasha`s face was cute like that. Kirara plunked down beside her and she patted his head with a little enthusiasm as she watched the arguement unfold. She didn`t notice Miroku looking at her or starting to close the gap between them.
"Those were for everyone!" she yelled. The anger that had dissoved when she had seen his adorable kiddie-look came back full force when she noticed that the two he was eating were the last two.
Inu-Yasha looked a bit sheepishly at the half eaten cream-filled balls in his hand and almost looked sorry and a bit pathetic with a dollop of cream on his nose.
"YEAH! Those were for everyone, you big pig!" cried Shippo lunging for the remainder of at least one of the little things that were supposedly the best things on the planet.
That didn`t fly, and Inu-Yasha gave the Kitsune a dry look and taking both halves into one hand, he used his other hand to hold Shippo back and ate the leftovers in front of him.
Kagome was chiding him, Shippo was whining and Myouga was begging him to wipe the cream off of his nose, as it was unbefitting his station.
The fight ended in the inevitable and Inu-Yasha was sat. He promptly taunted Kagome saying all the yuki-ichigo was worth a sit or two. Which, of course, prompted more sits. Sango smiled a genuine smile and let out a laugh.
"Kruuuuuu...." Kirara purred.
"Think it`s funny?" asked Miroku.
"Ah? Houshi-sama." Sango looked at him with wide eyes, wondering when he`d gotten there. "Well... it`s nice to have things back to semi-normal, anyway," she said with a little sigh as she relaxed again.
"Hm." He sat down next to her with a small smile.
She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what his angle was as he cleared his throat and watched more of Inu-Yasha being sat.
After a few minutes, she started to watch the sits as well and when she couldn`t help smiling again, she noticed that Miroku was looking at her.
"What is it?"
Miroku handed her a Yuki-Ichigo that he`d been cleverly concealing in the sleve of his robe and smiled.
She looked at it for a moment. "When did you..."
"Before the pig figured out how good they were."
"Thank you..." she said, a little bewildered and she blushed slightly. He smiled in reply and went back to watching the fight which had started anew when Shippo tried to lick the powdered sugar out of the box. It now consisted of Shippo and Inu-Yasha chasing one another and Kagome disparaging and yelling at them both and calling them children.
Sango took a bite of the daifuku and got powdered sugar on her nose and on her kimono. "It`s Good !" she exclaimed with a her eyes glistening.
Miroku smiled and let out a little chuckle. "I`m glad."
"It is! It really is! No wonder he`s so greedy!" she laughed.
"Wagh! Inu-Yasha, you`re not being fair!"whined the Kitsune as he chased him.
"Nyah, nyah! Ith gooooood!" he said as he licked at the powder in the box, taunting Shippo.
"You two! Inu-Yasha, get your head out of the box! You`re gonna` run into something! Honestly!"she fumed and finally turned away from them in disgust only to see Miroku and Sango laughing together about something. The priest pointed out that she had cream on her nose and she wiped it off with her kimono sleeve. They both laughed and Sango took another bite of the Yuki-Ichigo and let out an "eep!" in surprise as she hit the strawberry. Miroku laughed again.
Kagome smiled. And turned back to the chase between the two demons.
Epilogue
Kagome walked back toward the well. Inu-Yasha hadn`t come back to Kaede`s hut yet and it was already nightfall.
"Where could that dork be?" she wondered hottly, when she heard a groan from a tree.
"Inu-Yasha?" she asked apprehensively.
The groan came again as the voice wailed, "K`gome......"
Kagome looked at the tree Inu-Yasha was in with a wry look on her face. "You have a stomach ache, don`t you? That`s what you get for being so greedy. I`ll leave you here so you can think about what you`ve done." And with that, she headed back to the hut.
From the forrest came another groan and a wavery voice said, "It was still worth it...(hic) Owwww......"
"SIT!"
"Fugya!"
The End.