Author's NOTEs: Hi hi minna chan! I'm back with a new story. Aren't I
silly? I really should try to work on the other ones ^^;;;. Mou…
First, I'd like to apologize to Chris-san for writing this version of Beauty and the Beast because I noticed the other day that he had already begun his own version. However, I thought of this combo on my own and already did a lot of work before I noticed his story, so pwease don't mind this little story ^-^.
Erm, just a side note about this story. It seems people tend to burst randomly into song and there's no warning of it. I used the script of the Disney movie, not the original play, and have included every line from it, though some are…revised. It took me a few hours and quite a bit of rewinding, but I managed to write it all down. Now all I have to do is add a bit of Inu Yasha flavor ^_~. So I hope you enjoy this amusing interpretation, "Beauty and the Hanyou".
**************************************
Once upon a time in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle.
Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away.
But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty…is found within.
And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful miko. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.
The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. For the moment she cast the spell, the rose revealed its true form, a beautiful jewel which would glow brightly until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the jewel lost its pure glow, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast..?
**************************************
A poor provincial town in France…
Kagome sighed happily as she stepped out of her little cottage and walked towards the little village. The little path she took was made of little pieces of gravel. It was just a little bumpy.
A feeling of discontent overcame her as she neared the entrance of the town.
"Little Town…It's a quiet village. Everyday…like the one before. Little Town. Full of little people waking up to say…"
A nearby window bursts open with a familiar smiling face. "Bonjour!"
Kagome waved as she continued on through the bustling street of early morning, smiling as several other villagers said hello.
"There goes the baker with his tray like always. The same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town."
As she passed the bakery, the baker caught her attention with a wave. "Good morning Kagome."
"Good morning Monsieur."
"Where are you off to?"
"The bookshop. I just finished the most wonderful story…about a magic well and a youkai-"
"That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"
Kagome shrugged as her chat with the distracted man was lost. Nearby, several older women were making conversation. Kagome sneezed.
"Look there she goes the girl who's strange no question. Dazed and distracted can't you tell? Never pause at any crowd cause her head's above some cloud. No denying she's a funny girl that Kagome."
Kagome paused in her walk to the bookshop and turned around to look at the group of women. They quickly dispersed in different directions. She narrowed her eyes in slight confusion, but turned and continued on, jumping onto a passing cart for a quick ride. She sighed from boredom, picking up random conversations and barter of the villagers.
"Bonjour!"
"Good day."
"How is your family?"
"Bonjour!"
"Good day."
"How is your wife?"
"I need six eggs!"
"That's too expensive."
Kagome hopped off the cart in frustration. The same little everything! "There must be more than this provincial life!"
As she entered the bookshop, a single bell announced her entrance. An older woman, who she thought of as a mother, the owner of the shop, entered through a back door and smiled at the familiar face.
"Ah Kagome."
"Good morning Mama. I've come to return the book I borrowed."
A surprised expression graced her features. "Finished already?"
Kagome set the book down on a nearby table and began shifting through books on a nearby shelf. "Oh I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"
She chuckled in amusement. "Not since yesterday."
"That's alright." Kagome smiled brightly. "I'll borrow…this one!"
"That one? But you've read it twice!"
"Well it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in the skies…" Kagome sighed dreamily as she clutched the book in her arms.
Mama leaned back and crossed her arms with a tender smile. "If you like it all that much, it's yours."
Kagome's eyes widened. "But Madame!"
Mama lightly pushed Kagome out of the shop with the book still in her hands. "I insist."
Kagome hugged Mama. "Well thank you! Thank you very much." With a grin on her face, Kagome skipped over towards the fountain past another group of nosy villagers. There seem to be quite a few in this little town.
"Look there she goes that girl who's so peculiar. I wonder if she's feeling well… With a dreamy far off look and her nose stuck in a book. A puzzle to the rest of us is Kagome."
Kagome sat on the fountain's edge and quickly flipped the pages to the second chapter. A cat hopped up onto the ledge next to her and pawed at the pages. Kagome smiled and patted him on the head.
"Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because…you'll see. Here's where she meets Prince Charming." Kagome jumped up and stood on the ledge in a burst of happiness. "But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three!" The terrified cat scuttled off before Kagome had a chance to notice. Kagome hopped off the fountain's ledge and makes her way back home with a far off expression on her face.
A woman watched her pass by in the street through a store window. An expression of annoyance was hidden weakly. "Now it's no wonder that her name is beautiful. Her looks have got no parallel."
The woman's attendant nodded in compliance. "But behind the fair façade, I'm afraid she's rather odd. Very different from the rest of us. She's nothing like the rest of us."
The woman sighed as she realized the hat she was trying on did nothing for her features. "Yes different from the rest of us is Kagome."
In a nearby clearing on the edge of the village, several geese fly overheard, oblivious to the danger below them. With the loud explosion of a rifle, an unfortunate victim flopped to the ground with a loud thud. It was quickly scooped into a large, brown potato bag by an ugly little man resembling a toad. The fact that he missed catching the goose went unnoticed. He quickly waddled his way over to the man responsible for the poor goose's demise.
"Wow! You didn't miss a shot Kouga! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!"
Kouga, a tall and handsome, though slightly slow, man gave a large wolfish grin. "I know Jaken." Kouga began striding proudly towards the tavern. He paused as he noticed Kagome walking by on the other side of the street.
Jaken bounded after Kouga with his much shorter legs, oblivious to the fact that Kouga just wasn't that interested in him. "No beast alive stands a chance against you!" He laughed to himself. "No girl for that matter."
Kouga blinked and looked back at Jaken at the mention of a girl. He grinned again when he realized what Jaken had said. "It's true." He pointed Jaken's line of vision in Kagome's direction. "And I've got my sights set on that one."
Jaken's jaw dropped. "The inventor's daughter?"
Kouga smiled proudly, as if this were something to be quite proud of. "She's the one! The lucky girl I'm going to make my woman."
A thoroughly confused Jaken stared up at Kouga. "But she…"
Kouga stepped in front of Jaken and raised a finger to the sky. "The most beautiful girl in town!"
Jaken ran around in front of him. "I know but…"
Kouga frowned and glared down at Jaken. "That makes her the best. And don't I deserve the best?"
Jaken cowered back a bit in Kouga's shadow. "Well of course…"
Kagome walked past the two, sneezing again, and mumbled something about catching a cold.
Kouga was quickly distracted from the argument and began following her like a puppy dog. "Right from the moment when I met her saw her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell. Here in town there's only she who is beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to woo and marry Kagome."
Nearby, a group of tantalizing females resembling each other very much (must be sisters) fawned over Kouga. One fanned herself while another held her hands to her cheek in admiration.
"Look there…he goes…Isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Kouga. Oh he's so cute! Be still my heart. I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall dark strong and handsome prince."
Kouga noticed nothing, his mind set on one goal: Kagome. However, this proved to be a much more difficult task than it first appeared. Not only was Kagome easily weaving her way through the crowd of shoppers with her attention completely focused on her book, but it almost seemed that the villagers were trying to block him. At least that was how Kouga saw it. They were really just focused on getting back to their homes and were willing to be pushy to get there.
"Bonjour!"
"Pardon."
"Good day."
"Me oui."
"You call this fresh?"
"Cut me some grit!"
"Some cheese?"
"Ten yards."
"One pound."
"Excuse me!"
"I'll get the knife."
Kouga growled in irritation. "Please let me through!"
"This bread…"
"Those snails…"
"It's stale!"
"They smell."
Kagome paused in the middle of the chaos and stared at the sky, feeling a revelation coming on. "There must be more than this provincial life…"
Kouga pushed another villager out of his way and raised his head to see Kagome. "Just watch I'm going to make Kagome my wife!"
The crowd thickened and pressed Kouga further away from Kagome. "Look there she goes the girl who's strange but special. A most peculiar mademoiselle. It's a pity and a sin she doesn't quite fit in." Desperation hit Kouga. Suddenly, he saw his chance. The roof! He climbed up over the nearest house. "But she really is a funny girl…a beauty but a funny girl. She really is a funny girl. That Kagome…"
Kagome stopped again and quickly turned her head back to the village. Everyone was continuing on as if nothing had happened. The baker was baking, the tailor sewing…A slight frown passed over her face. After a quick eventless moment, she shrugged and turned around, humming. To her surprise, she was face to face with Kouga.
"Hello Kagome." He took her hand in his.
Kagome forced a smile as she smoothly removed it. "Bonjour Kouga." She tried to go around him while reading her book again. He was too quick though, grabbing the book and inspecting it with curiosity. Kagome sighed. "Kouga, may I have my book please?"
Kouga was obviously in another world. His indigent expression caused a small smile to appear on Kagome's face. "How can you read this?? There's no pictures!"
Kagome sighed and reached for her book. "Well some people use their imaginations."
Kouga let out a puff of air, apparently disapproving of Kagome's response. "Kagome, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things," he paused for dramatic effect, "like me." The group of girls from before gave a large dreamy sigh of approval. Kouga tossed the book aside. "The whole town's talking about it." Kagome walked around Kouga, very annoyed, and picked up her book from the mud. "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas…and thinking…" Kouga continued ticking off reasons on his fingers, slowly. Kagome wiped off the mud on her book on his sleeve.
"Kouga, you are positively prime evil."
Kouga chuckled, taking this as a compliment, completely unaware of the dirt on the sleeve of his freshly pressed shirt. "Why thank you Kagome." He walked up to her side and hung his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say we go over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies?"
Kagome lifted his arm off her shoulder and turned around. "Maybe some other time…"
The girls gasped as Kagome began walking down the path towards her house.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's crazy!"
"He's gorgeous…" The three sighed in union.
Kouga didn't give up easily. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. Kagome frowned and struggled to take a step back. "Please Kouga, I can't. I have to get home to help my grandfather."
Jaken laughed next to Kouga. "That crazy old loon! He needs all the help he can get!"
Kouga and Jaken laughed at the joke, simple as it was.
Kagome whirled around angrily and put her hands on her hips. "Don't talk about my grandfather that way!"
Kouga quickly stopped and straightened up, hitting Jaken on the head. "Yeah! Don't talk about her grandfather that way!"
Kagome stomped up to Kouga and stared straight at his eyes. "My grandfather is not crazy, he's a genius!"
A sudden loud explosion coming from Kagome's house startled all three. The boys burst into another fit of laughter. Kagome decided against reprimanding them, running to the cellar of her cottage. Throwing the doors open, she was greeted by a cloud of black smoke. "Grandpa?" She coughed as she waved more smoke out of her way in an attempt to clear her vision.
After a moment, her grandfather came into sight. He was lying on the floor in a heap of random pieces of wood and tools. "How on earth did…?"
Kagome quickly ran up to him and helped him up. "Are you alright Grandpa?"
As it turned out, her grandfather was quite capable of standing. In fact, he was even able to kick at his failed experiment a few times. "I'm about ready to give up on this hunk of junk."
Kagome smiled. "You always say that."
Grandpa threw his arms in the air to emphasize his point. "I mean it this time! I'll never get this contraption to work!"
Kagome hugged the short man from behind, placing her arms around his neck. "Yes you will. And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow…"
He turned around with hopeful eyes. "You really believe that?"
Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "I always have."
With renewed fervor, Grandpa went back to working on a rather large, odd-looking machine in the middle of the cellar. "Well, what are we waiting for? I'll have this fixed in no time. Hand me that doohickey there." Kagome obediently handed him what she hoped was the doohickey. "So did you have a good time in town today?"
Kagome slumped down on an old stool. "I got a new book…" She paused. "Grandpa..? Do you think I'm odd?"
Grandpa appeared from behind the machine. "My daughter? Odd? Where would you get an idea like that?"
Kagome sighed hopelessly. "Oh I dunno. It's just that…I'm not sure I fit in here. There's no one I can talk to…"
"What about that Kouga? He's a handsome fella."
Kagome gave a wry grin. "He's handsome alright. And rude…and conceited… Oh Grandpa…he's not for me."
"Well, don't you worry, cause this invention will be the start of a new life for us." Grandpa stepped back to admire his handiwork. "I think that's done it!" He excitedly wiped his hands clean and stepped next to a lever. "Now, let's give it a try!" A cacophony of clicks and whirs followed after he pulled on the lever. Puffs of smoke rhythmically found their way out of the machine. Kagome's eyes widened at the sight. Within moments, an axe began chopping into a pile of wood, creating a neat pile of now chopped wood within seconds.
Kagome clapped her hands together. "It works!"
Grandpa stood still in shock. "It does?" A wide smile tugged at his lips. "It does!"
Kagome hugged her grandpa in excitement and danced around the room. "You did it! You really did it!"
Grandpa ran outside, dragging his invention after him. "Hitch up Kirara girl, I'm off to the fair!" Kagome quickly ran outside and helped Grandpa saddle their horse and attach the invention on a wagon.
"Good bye papa! Good luck!"
"Good bye Kagome! And take care while I'm gone!"
Kagome waved off her grandfather with a large smile. Finally everyone would see how smart her Grandpa was.
**************************************
Next chapter: Inu Yasha the Beast, Miroku the candle, Sango the feather duster, Shippou the teacup and many more. Reviews give me energy! And insight. Any ideas for who Sesshomaru could be? I'm at a loss. The clock's Myouga by the way.
First, I'd like to apologize to Chris-san for writing this version of Beauty and the Beast because I noticed the other day that he had already begun his own version. However, I thought of this combo on my own and already did a lot of work before I noticed his story, so pwease don't mind this little story ^-^.
Erm, just a side note about this story. It seems people tend to burst randomly into song and there's no warning of it. I used the script of the Disney movie, not the original play, and have included every line from it, though some are…revised. It took me a few hours and quite a bit of rewinding, but I managed to write it all down. Now all I have to do is add a bit of Inu Yasha flavor ^_~. So I hope you enjoy this amusing interpretation, "Beauty and the Hanyou".
**************************************
Once upon a time in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle.
Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away.
But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty…is found within.
And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful miko. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.
The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. For the moment she cast the spell, the rose revealed its true form, a beautiful jewel which would glow brightly until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the jewel lost its pure glow, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast..?
**************************************
A poor provincial town in France…
Kagome sighed happily as she stepped out of her little cottage and walked towards the little village. The little path she took was made of little pieces of gravel. It was just a little bumpy.
A feeling of discontent overcame her as she neared the entrance of the town.
"Little Town…It's a quiet village. Everyday…like the one before. Little Town. Full of little people waking up to say…"
A nearby window bursts open with a familiar smiling face. "Bonjour!"
Kagome waved as she continued on through the bustling street of early morning, smiling as several other villagers said hello.
"There goes the baker with his tray like always. The same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town."
As she passed the bakery, the baker caught her attention with a wave. "Good morning Kagome."
"Good morning Monsieur."
"Where are you off to?"
"The bookshop. I just finished the most wonderful story…about a magic well and a youkai-"
"That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"
Kagome shrugged as her chat with the distracted man was lost. Nearby, several older women were making conversation. Kagome sneezed.
"Look there she goes the girl who's strange no question. Dazed and distracted can't you tell? Never pause at any crowd cause her head's above some cloud. No denying she's a funny girl that Kagome."
Kagome paused in her walk to the bookshop and turned around to look at the group of women. They quickly dispersed in different directions. She narrowed her eyes in slight confusion, but turned and continued on, jumping onto a passing cart for a quick ride. She sighed from boredom, picking up random conversations and barter of the villagers.
"Bonjour!"
"Good day."
"How is your family?"
"Bonjour!"
"Good day."
"How is your wife?"
"I need six eggs!"
"That's too expensive."
Kagome hopped off the cart in frustration. The same little everything! "There must be more than this provincial life!"
As she entered the bookshop, a single bell announced her entrance. An older woman, who she thought of as a mother, the owner of the shop, entered through a back door and smiled at the familiar face.
"Ah Kagome."
"Good morning Mama. I've come to return the book I borrowed."
A surprised expression graced her features. "Finished already?"
Kagome set the book down on a nearby table and began shifting through books on a nearby shelf. "Oh I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"
She chuckled in amusement. "Not since yesterday."
"That's alright." Kagome smiled brightly. "I'll borrow…this one!"
"That one? But you've read it twice!"
"Well it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in the skies…" Kagome sighed dreamily as she clutched the book in her arms.
Mama leaned back and crossed her arms with a tender smile. "If you like it all that much, it's yours."
Kagome's eyes widened. "But Madame!"
Mama lightly pushed Kagome out of the shop with the book still in her hands. "I insist."
Kagome hugged Mama. "Well thank you! Thank you very much." With a grin on her face, Kagome skipped over towards the fountain past another group of nosy villagers. There seem to be quite a few in this little town.
"Look there she goes that girl who's so peculiar. I wonder if she's feeling well… With a dreamy far off look and her nose stuck in a book. A puzzle to the rest of us is Kagome."
Kagome sat on the fountain's edge and quickly flipped the pages to the second chapter. A cat hopped up onto the ledge next to her and pawed at the pages. Kagome smiled and patted him on the head.
"Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because…you'll see. Here's where she meets Prince Charming." Kagome jumped up and stood on the ledge in a burst of happiness. "But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three!" The terrified cat scuttled off before Kagome had a chance to notice. Kagome hopped off the fountain's ledge and makes her way back home with a far off expression on her face.
A woman watched her pass by in the street through a store window. An expression of annoyance was hidden weakly. "Now it's no wonder that her name is beautiful. Her looks have got no parallel."
The woman's attendant nodded in compliance. "But behind the fair façade, I'm afraid she's rather odd. Very different from the rest of us. She's nothing like the rest of us."
The woman sighed as she realized the hat she was trying on did nothing for her features. "Yes different from the rest of us is Kagome."
In a nearby clearing on the edge of the village, several geese fly overheard, oblivious to the danger below them. With the loud explosion of a rifle, an unfortunate victim flopped to the ground with a loud thud. It was quickly scooped into a large, brown potato bag by an ugly little man resembling a toad. The fact that he missed catching the goose went unnoticed. He quickly waddled his way over to the man responsible for the poor goose's demise.
"Wow! You didn't miss a shot Kouga! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!"
Kouga, a tall and handsome, though slightly slow, man gave a large wolfish grin. "I know Jaken." Kouga began striding proudly towards the tavern. He paused as he noticed Kagome walking by on the other side of the street.
Jaken bounded after Kouga with his much shorter legs, oblivious to the fact that Kouga just wasn't that interested in him. "No beast alive stands a chance against you!" He laughed to himself. "No girl for that matter."
Kouga blinked and looked back at Jaken at the mention of a girl. He grinned again when he realized what Jaken had said. "It's true." He pointed Jaken's line of vision in Kagome's direction. "And I've got my sights set on that one."
Jaken's jaw dropped. "The inventor's daughter?"
Kouga smiled proudly, as if this were something to be quite proud of. "She's the one! The lucky girl I'm going to make my woman."
A thoroughly confused Jaken stared up at Kouga. "But she…"
Kouga stepped in front of Jaken and raised a finger to the sky. "The most beautiful girl in town!"
Jaken ran around in front of him. "I know but…"
Kouga frowned and glared down at Jaken. "That makes her the best. And don't I deserve the best?"
Jaken cowered back a bit in Kouga's shadow. "Well of course…"
Kagome walked past the two, sneezing again, and mumbled something about catching a cold.
Kouga was quickly distracted from the argument and began following her like a puppy dog. "Right from the moment when I met her saw her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell. Here in town there's only she who is beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to woo and marry Kagome."
Nearby, a group of tantalizing females resembling each other very much (must be sisters) fawned over Kouga. One fanned herself while another held her hands to her cheek in admiration.
"Look there…he goes…Isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Kouga. Oh he's so cute! Be still my heart. I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall dark strong and handsome prince."
Kouga noticed nothing, his mind set on one goal: Kagome. However, this proved to be a much more difficult task than it first appeared. Not only was Kagome easily weaving her way through the crowd of shoppers with her attention completely focused on her book, but it almost seemed that the villagers were trying to block him. At least that was how Kouga saw it. They were really just focused on getting back to their homes and were willing to be pushy to get there.
"Bonjour!"
"Pardon."
"Good day."
"Me oui."
"You call this fresh?"
"Cut me some grit!"
"Some cheese?"
"Ten yards."
"One pound."
"Excuse me!"
"I'll get the knife."
Kouga growled in irritation. "Please let me through!"
"This bread…"
"Those snails…"
"It's stale!"
"They smell."
Kagome paused in the middle of the chaos and stared at the sky, feeling a revelation coming on. "There must be more than this provincial life…"
Kouga pushed another villager out of his way and raised his head to see Kagome. "Just watch I'm going to make Kagome my wife!"
The crowd thickened and pressed Kouga further away from Kagome. "Look there she goes the girl who's strange but special. A most peculiar mademoiselle. It's a pity and a sin she doesn't quite fit in." Desperation hit Kouga. Suddenly, he saw his chance. The roof! He climbed up over the nearest house. "But she really is a funny girl…a beauty but a funny girl. She really is a funny girl. That Kagome…"
Kagome stopped again and quickly turned her head back to the village. Everyone was continuing on as if nothing had happened. The baker was baking, the tailor sewing…A slight frown passed over her face. After a quick eventless moment, she shrugged and turned around, humming. To her surprise, she was face to face with Kouga.
"Hello Kagome." He took her hand in his.
Kagome forced a smile as she smoothly removed it. "Bonjour Kouga." She tried to go around him while reading her book again. He was too quick though, grabbing the book and inspecting it with curiosity. Kagome sighed. "Kouga, may I have my book please?"
Kouga was obviously in another world. His indigent expression caused a small smile to appear on Kagome's face. "How can you read this?? There's no pictures!"
Kagome sighed and reached for her book. "Well some people use their imaginations."
Kouga let out a puff of air, apparently disapproving of Kagome's response. "Kagome, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things," he paused for dramatic effect, "like me." The group of girls from before gave a large dreamy sigh of approval. Kouga tossed the book aside. "The whole town's talking about it." Kagome walked around Kouga, very annoyed, and picked up her book from the mud. "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas…and thinking…" Kouga continued ticking off reasons on his fingers, slowly. Kagome wiped off the mud on her book on his sleeve.
"Kouga, you are positively prime evil."
Kouga chuckled, taking this as a compliment, completely unaware of the dirt on the sleeve of his freshly pressed shirt. "Why thank you Kagome." He walked up to her side and hung his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say we go over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies?"
Kagome lifted his arm off her shoulder and turned around. "Maybe some other time…"
The girls gasped as Kagome began walking down the path towards her house.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's crazy!"
"He's gorgeous…" The three sighed in union.
Kouga didn't give up easily. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. Kagome frowned and struggled to take a step back. "Please Kouga, I can't. I have to get home to help my grandfather."
Jaken laughed next to Kouga. "That crazy old loon! He needs all the help he can get!"
Kouga and Jaken laughed at the joke, simple as it was.
Kagome whirled around angrily and put her hands on her hips. "Don't talk about my grandfather that way!"
Kouga quickly stopped and straightened up, hitting Jaken on the head. "Yeah! Don't talk about her grandfather that way!"
Kagome stomped up to Kouga and stared straight at his eyes. "My grandfather is not crazy, he's a genius!"
A sudden loud explosion coming from Kagome's house startled all three. The boys burst into another fit of laughter. Kagome decided against reprimanding them, running to the cellar of her cottage. Throwing the doors open, she was greeted by a cloud of black smoke. "Grandpa?" She coughed as she waved more smoke out of her way in an attempt to clear her vision.
After a moment, her grandfather came into sight. He was lying on the floor in a heap of random pieces of wood and tools. "How on earth did…?"
Kagome quickly ran up to him and helped him up. "Are you alright Grandpa?"
As it turned out, her grandfather was quite capable of standing. In fact, he was even able to kick at his failed experiment a few times. "I'm about ready to give up on this hunk of junk."
Kagome smiled. "You always say that."
Grandpa threw his arms in the air to emphasize his point. "I mean it this time! I'll never get this contraption to work!"
Kagome hugged the short man from behind, placing her arms around his neck. "Yes you will. And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow…"
He turned around with hopeful eyes. "You really believe that?"
Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "I always have."
With renewed fervor, Grandpa went back to working on a rather large, odd-looking machine in the middle of the cellar. "Well, what are we waiting for? I'll have this fixed in no time. Hand me that doohickey there." Kagome obediently handed him what she hoped was the doohickey. "So did you have a good time in town today?"
Kagome slumped down on an old stool. "I got a new book…" She paused. "Grandpa..? Do you think I'm odd?"
Grandpa appeared from behind the machine. "My daughter? Odd? Where would you get an idea like that?"
Kagome sighed hopelessly. "Oh I dunno. It's just that…I'm not sure I fit in here. There's no one I can talk to…"
"What about that Kouga? He's a handsome fella."
Kagome gave a wry grin. "He's handsome alright. And rude…and conceited… Oh Grandpa…he's not for me."
"Well, don't you worry, cause this invention will be the start of a new life for us." Grandpa stepped back to admire his handiwork. "I think that's done it!" He excitedly wiped his hands clean and stepped next to a lever. "Now, let's give it a try!" A cacophony of clicks and whirs followed after he pulled on the lever. Puffs of smoke rhythmically found their way out of the machine. Kagome's eyes widened at the sight. Within moments, an axe began chopping into a pile of wood, creating a neat pile of now chopped wood within seconds.
Kagome clapped her hands together. "It works!"
Grandpa stood still in shock. "It does?" A wide smile tugged at his lips. "It does!"
Kagome hugged her grandpa in excitement and danced around the room. "You did it! You really did it!"
Grandpa ran outside, dragging his invention after him. "Hitch up Kirara girl, I'm off to the fair!" Kagome quickly ran outside and helped Grandpa saddle their horse and attach the invention on a wagon.
"Good bye papa! Good luck!"
"Good bye Kagome! And take care while I'm gone!"
Kagome waved off her grandfather with a large smile. Finally everyone would see how smart her Grandpa was.
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Next chapter: Inu Yasha the Beast, Miroku the candle, Sango the feather duster, Shippou the teacup and many more. Reviews give me energy! And insight. Any ideas for who Sesshomaru could be? I'm at a loss. The clock's Myouga by the way.