The Boardwalk – Chapter 5
"Owww..." Inu-Yasha grimaced as he gingerly touched his bruised face. "Why'd you have to do that you...you..." He stopped as Kagome gave him a warning look. "Why the hell did you do that??!" he finished ungracefully, stamping the ground like the angry child they'd met earlier at the DDR machine.
"I didn't feel like getting dizzy," Kagome huffed. "Besides, you're the one who tricked me!"
"What? I'm the one getting tricked here!! The log thing, the ship-"
"So?? You practically dumped an ice-cream cone on my chest!!"
"Well...well...YOU dumped all that ramen on my head! What a waste of good food!!"
At that, Kagome dissolved into helpless giggles. Inu-Yasha aimed a murderous glare at her head, and a vein popped on his forehead. "That was NOT funny!" he growled.
In reply, she reached out a hand and pulled something from the clumps of hair close to his face. He reddened under her slight touch.
Dangling from her fingertips, a long ramen noodle swung up and smacked him in the nose. She chuckled and looked straight into his eyes, making his heart skip a beat. "I think it was very funny," she said. "And you still smell like ramen." Her nose touched his thick hair, and she inhaled deeply.
Kagome's closeness dazed him. It made him want to grab her and pull her close. It made him wonder how it would feel to touch her silky hair, her skin...
It also made him very, very scared.
"Um, ah, let's go on another ride," Inu-Yasha blurted quickly. He took a few steps away from her and immediately wanted to go back, where he could still smell her sweet scent.
"Okay. Hey, it's past lunchtime now, but want something to eat?" she said.
"Oh nooo!" He put on a mock look of horror. "Keep it away from my hair!"
Laughing, Kagome took a hold of his arm and pulled him to a stand. A delicious smell wafted up, making his stomach gurgle so loudly that he was sure the whole boardwalk could hear. "Two slices of pizza, please," Kagome was saying. She handed Inu-Yasha a paper plate with a large triangle of food on it.
They walked along as they ate. There was silence for a while as each savored their pizza.
Suddenly, Kagome let out a squeal of delight and dashed off, one hand clinging to his arm. Inu-Yasha bonked and crashed his way through several disgruntled people before they came to a stop in front of a large, clear machine. A pile of small, assorted stuffed animals lay inside. "Ooo, look! Look at it! It looks just like Shippo!" she cried, pointing through the glass. Inu-Yasha peered inside at the reddish-orange fox doll with a bushy tail.
"Hmph, it does kinda look like that little furball," he agreed.
"Ooh! I have to get it and show it to him!" said Kagome excitedly, digging out a few quarters. "He'll love it!" She inserted some coins and took hold of the handle which controlled the mechanical arm inside. Carefully, she guided the claw down over the fox doll and pressed the button. "Yes!!" she cried as the toy was pulled up by its tail. But it slid back down before the claw could deposit it out.
"Nooo! Stupid rigged machines! What a waste of money!" she complained.
Inu-Yasha held out his hand. "Lemme try it." Looking at him in surprise, she dropped a couple of coins onto his open palm. He grinned confidently. "Feh...this doesn't look so hard," he said, sticking in the money and grasping the handle. "Aha!" The open claw lowered and closed...
It came up holding nothing but empty air.
"Aaaargh! Blasted thing!!" he raged, giving the machine a kick. He smacked the controller handle with fury, muttering all kinds of assorted curses at it. Vaguely, he was aware of Kagome snickering at him.
"You didn't even come close," she laughed. All of a sudden, she stopped and stared into the machine. Inu-Yasha's hand was still on the handle, and the metal claw inside had captured the little stuffed fox. She held her breath as it was dropped into the prize box.
"Oh my god..." Kagome murmured in a hushed voice as she pulled out the doll. She gazed at Inu-Yasha incredulously. "You got it...You actually got it!!" Clutching it in one hand, she threw her arms around him, laughing with joy and disbelief. After a few seconds, she pulled away with a contented smile. "Thank you!" she said happily. Then she scanned his face more closely. "Hey, what's wrong? Why is your face red?"
He flushed an even deeper shade of scarlet. "Uh...um...l-let's go on that ride!" Changing the subject, he ducked his flaming face and made his way quickly to a line. He had no idea which ride he had just chosen, but any ride was better than being caught like that...
He swiftly learned how wrong he was.
"Sorry, you're under the height limit. You can't go on this ride," said the ticket person to a short kid. "See, you have to be above this line to ride."
"Awww..." the young girl muttered, walking sadly past Inu-Yasha. His eyes grew wide.
"K-kagome? Height limit? What does that mean?" he asked cautiously as she pulled him inside.
"Oh, just that smaller children can't go on the more violent rides, since they don't fit inside the safety restraints," she answered cheerfully.
Inu-Yasha's face turned pale. This was beginning to sound very familiar. "Could...could we not go on this...?" he squeaked in a tiny voice.
"Hm?" Kagome turned. "What did you say?"
He looked at her happy, anticipating face. "Nothing, nothing," he replied, heaving a sigh. He didn't want to take away her excitement. Not now.
"Yay! This is going to be so fun!" she said. "By the way, do you want a front, middle, or back seat?"
"Whichever makes me the least sick," he grumbled, and followed her to the front seat in the very first car. She slid inside, and he climbed in slowly after her, pulling the side shut with a clang. They both reached up and pulled the black safety restraint down over their chests. An additional metal bar locked into place above their legs. Inu-Yasha started to get a headache.
"You know, all the seats are about the same," said Kagome as the roller coaster began to move. She turned her head sideways and gave him an encouraging smile. "But the front has the best view."
"Thanks for the info, but I don't think I'll be seeing much of anything on here," Inu-Yasha said. "Well, at least I won't get my puke all over the passengers this time." They pulled forward, then began to climb slowly up a very steep hill, which didn't make him feel any better.
He felt a sudden squeeze on his hand and looked at Kagome, his heart thudding. On her face was a very strained smile. "I'm kinda scared too..." she whispered, her eyes locked tightly on his. "I think this is the biggest roller coaster in the boardwalk. Great choice, Inu-Yasha!"
As the coaster inched higher and higher, his heart burst into giddy flame and his stomach turned to ice at the same time. What resulted was an odd internal explosion. He clung to Kagome's hand as though his life depended on it.
They were nearing the very top of the hill now. "Oh, look!" Kagome breathed. He looked. All of the rides lay around him, looking tiny from their height. People milling back and forth were as small as ants. The cerulean blue ocean lay before him, with white foam washed over the edges of incoming waves. He could see surfers, people swimming, people just lying about lazily, and umbrellas dotting the sand. The warm sun caught everything and gave it all a bright and golden feeling.
Inu-Yasha had just enough time to think, "It's so beautiful!" before the roller coaster plunged down. Which completely ruined his peaceful thoughts.
"AAAAAHHH!" he yelped. "AAAAAAHH!" His hair streaked back with the wind. He waited for the feeling of nausea to wash over him, but it didn't come. A flash, and he was swooping into an insane upside-down loop. Then, a neck-wrenching curve. Up another hill, and-
"WAAAAHH!! Wooohoo!" he screamed. He was flying! Closing his eyes, he gave in to the thrill, let it take over his body, his mind. His hands flew up, one of them still holding Kagome's. They sliced through the air, yelling wildly.
Suddenly, it was over, and the safety bars popped up. Inu-Yasha cracked open his eyes. "That was it?" he said, pushing himself up out of the seat. Kagome stumbled after him, her hair rumpled and sticking out, but her eyes shining. She leaned lightly against his arm as they walked toward the exit.
"Hey," she said. "Did I mention that they take a picture of you on this ride?"
*****
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