Wow, twenty whole chapters! This is such a long fic, isn't it? Will it ever end, or will I drag the misery out for twenty more chapters before I even consider cutting things off? Is Jade getting me some Froot Loops right now, or is she not a very selfless imouto-chan? Why does she taunt me with her bowl of cereal? Will my little brother ever learn to knock? Are any of you even reading these questions? Am I going to just cut Inuyasha and Kagome from the rest of the story now that I finally got them to make it halfway to reconciliation just to torture you guys for nagging me about them the whole fic? Will the specialized help of Rin and Fluffy be needed to get those two together? Are they not the most stubbornly resistant pair in this whole fic? Don't you kinda wish Sango and Miroku would fight again just because it was so funny? And what about Kouga and Kagura? Pick your way carefully through the wicked web of…
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Center Stage
Part 20
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"No! You can't catch me!" alone in his room, Inuyasha was watching children run about happily on the face of his television, screaming and laughing as they were taped by a parent.
"I got you! You're it!" a small boy of about eight years was jumping up and down in excitement after nearly crashing into a girl who was the same size as him. Both of them had long black hair, but the girl had bright blue eyes while the boy's were a deep violet.
"Inuyasha! You tricked me!" she was giggling even as she argued with the boy. "Sango, let's both get him!"
"Yeah! Girl power!" another girl with maroon eyes joined in, chasing the boy around the yard as the adult holding the camera chuckled appreciatively at their antics. There was a sharp movement of the camera and a slightly older boy could be seen, watching with a trained look of disinterested boredom on his face.
"Sesshoumaru, why don't you play with them as well?" Inuyasha knew the voice at once to be that of his mother, who Sesshoumaru had resented for a long time. These days, they got along just fine, but the woman had never fully won the cold boy over.
"I'm not a child." He answered before huffing off regally. There was an audible sigh before the camera moved back to its original subjects. Apparently, the two girls had caught the boy, and while Sango stood back watching, the younger Kagome wrestled with Inuyasha's eight year old self.
"Hehehe! No fair tickling!" Inuyasha would have blushed to hear himself if anyone else was in the room, but by himself, he didn't mind at all.
"You have to give…oh no! Ahahaha!" Now he was fighting back, and they were engaged in a vicious tickle battle. There was a slight shifting of the camera after a while, as though his mother had looked away and then she called out.
"Okay, you three, wash up and come inside. I've got some fresh cookies and—" the rest was cut off as the camera was shut off, but moments later, the screen was showing a close-up of a still young Kagome. The camera was at an awkward angle, but the giggling of the operator told the audience that it was because Sango was holding it up despite her small hands.
"Okay, say something to Inuyasha!" Sango was nearly mad with giggles, and Inuyasha had to chuckle. It would make the serious girl go red with mortification if she could hear how she'd sounded back then. "Hurry, before he finds us." The camera moved around dizzyingly as Sango showed that the two of them were hidden in a closet.
"I don't know what to say!" Kagome was giggling terribly as well. Inuyasha was very pleased they'd gotten over that stage. He'd remembered it being intensely annoying.
"Just pretend we're doing an interview." Sango tried to sound grown up, as she used to do when she had been toying with the idea of being a newswoman. In her defense, she had only been eight, and she'd done a lot of changing since then. "Kagome, what do you think about Inuyasha? Is he nice?"
"Uh, yeah, he's nice." Kagome giggled suddenly. "His mom says we're gonna get married when we grow up!" Both girls giggled before Sango continued her line of questioning.
"Really? So did he propose to you yet?" Sango asked, trying without much success to sound completely serious.
"Well, this one time, we were at the arcade and you took half his quarters and he almost started to cry, and then I gave him a dollar from my quarters cause he's better at video games anyway and I was starting to get bored, and then he got me a ring from one of the machines. He said he liked me better than you. Does that count?" Kagome was flushed with extreme embarrassment. "I still have the ring, see?" she held up her hand, a shiny plastic ring was displayed.
"It looks real to me." Sango deemed. "So when you—eek!" both girls shrieked in shock as young Inuyasha flung open the closet door, yelling about how he found them and now it was their turn, just as the camera was switched off.
"Inuyasha." There was a short knock on his door, and Inuyasha fumbled for his remote, turning the television off at once and trying desperately not to blush. He refused to let Sesshoumaru catch him watching old home movies of Sango and Kagome and him. It would be more terrible than anything he'd ever suffered through in his life, he was sure.
"What is it?" Inuyasha sounded a bit breathless after rushing to turn off his movie, and he quickly jammed the remote under his pillow as if he hadn't been holding it. Sesshoumaru, as always, entered immediately after he knocked, so he was standing in the entrance of the room, staring at Inuyasha as though he was deciding whether or not he really wanted to enter the messy room. After a while, he stepped forward, managing to look as though he hadn't hesitated at all.
"May I speak with you?" Sesshoumaru managed to make it sound as though he was lodging a formal proposal rather than just approaching his brother at home.
"Uh…you wanna talk to me?" Inuyasha tried to figure out what could cause his brother to want a personal talk with him, and he licked his lips suddenly as a thought occurred to him. "Listen, if this is about the toothpaste on the bathroom floor, it was an accident, and I tried to clean it up, but the toilet paper just kept sticking to it." Sesshoumaru gave him a bemused expression, quirking one eyebrow before shaking his head slightly.
"That is not why I am here, although you might want to clean the bathroom before your mother finds it, as she'd likely be very displeased." Sesshoumaru advised. He wasn't surprised that Inuyasha was confused about him wanting to have a personal talk with him, since it was somewhat understood that though the brothers got along reasonably well, they didn't really spend quality time together or spend long hours chatting about life. "I have been watching you for some time, Inuyasha, and I feel that it is time for me to have a talk with you. Will you speak with me about Kagome?"
"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice almost cracked on the name. What could Sesshoumaru want to tell him about Kagome? His brother didn't dislike the girl at all, but they weren't overly friendly either. It seemed odd that he would choose Kagome as a topic of necessary conversation.
"Yes." Sesshoumaru looked around as though considering where he might be able to sit, but after seeing the dirty clothes draped over Inuyasha's two chairs and noting the haphazard state of the bed his brother was seated on, he apparently decided to simply remain standing. "It is a personal issue, I understand, but Rin and I believe that it has become time for a bit of advice on our part."
"Oh…Rin. Okay then." That made more sense than Sesshoumaru just deciding that he needed to interfere in Inuyasha's love life of his own volition and concern. Rin really could get him to do anything, when it came down to it. "I don't know if I need advice or anything."
"In that case, perhaps I should simply leave." Sesshoumaru actually looked relieved, as though Inuyasha had just released him from some horrid task that he found particularly unsavory.
"No, that's okay. Just say what ya gotta say." Inuyasha pretended indifference, but he really was worried about the Kagome situation. It was getting more and more aggravating every day.
"From my observances," Sesshoumaru began. "Kagome and you have been dancing around the issue of your relationship for many years now. I believe that the time for such foolishness has ended. If you tell her how you feel, this will all be over in no time."
"Tell her how I feel?" Inuyasha slumped back against the wall. "That won't help shit. She'll probably smack me."
"I do not believe she will…smack you." Sesshoumaru's mouth twitched at using the words of his brother. "It is obvious that she returns your feelings, and if both of you would simply be honest with each other, than this frivolous game of yours would end and everyone would be most pleased to be spared a further continuation as such."
"Well…maybe, but what if she doesn't like me?" Inuyasha raised his eyes, looking very confused. Sesshoumaru let out a short sigh.
"This is clearly a waste of my time. You are an idiot and you deserve the misery you are bringing upon yourself. Good day to you, brother." With that, he left the room. It wasn't his job to make his brother less dense, and as that was obviously the requirement for getting Inuyasha and Kagome together, Rin would simply have to be satisfied with his efforts. At least he had spoken to his brother, fruitless as the conversation might have been.
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"Happy birthday dear Kagome!" Kagome watched the group of middle school kids singing to a younger version of herself as she lie on her bed watching her tiny television. "Happy birthday to you!" She smiled slightly at the memories preserved in time, watching as her friends cheered while she blew out thirteen candles all in one try.
"Oh! Now you'll get your wish! What did you ask for?" a younger Sango, her hair done up in a ponytail, addressed the happily flushed Kagome.
"She can't tell or it won't come true!" Rin looked almost the same as she did now, just shorter and with a bit of baby fat in her cheeks.
"Okay, now it's time for presents." Kagome's mother, obviously the camera operator, called out to the kids, who all started advising Kagome on which one she should open first.
"Open mine!" Rin was overly excited as always.
"Open that big one." Kouga pointed to a large package with blue paper on it. Kagome recognized it as the television her mother had given her; the very same one she was watching at that moment.
"No, open mine first and then Rin's!" Sango clapped happily, obviously eager as Kagome looked at all the packages in front of her.
"Open Inuyasha's!" Souta's small voice piped up from where he was holding onto the strap of Inuyasha's cargo pants, as though trying to ensure that the older boy wouldn't run off. Inuyasha was pretending to not notice his clingy nature and glare at Kouga at the same time.
"Okay…" Kagome reached out, grabbing a clumsily wrapped red package, which only caused Inuyasha to look extremely smug since she had chosen his present first.
"Inuyasha, you suck at wrapping." Sango teased the boy good-naturedly. "I've shown him how a million times, but he always ends up cutting himself and getting tape everywhere." She addressed the group, who laughed knowingly as Kagome had trouble getting through the layers of tape holding the present closed.
"Here," Kouga took out a small pocket knife, leaning in close to help Kagome, much to Inuyasha's visible displeasure. Kagome smiled brightly at the helpful boy before pulling back to finish unwrapping the present.
"What is it?" Rin was very bouncy, and since she was the shortest of them all by far at the time, she kept jumping up and down to try and get a better view of what was going on.
"Oh my god…Inuyasha, this is so cute! Where did you get these?" Kagome was flipping through a pink photo album that she'd found buried under all the wrapping paper. Sango was struggling to look over her shoulder at the same time.
"Hey! I remember that! Remember, when we were in third grade and I bet Inuyasha he couldn't carry both of us on his back at the same time and he almost killed himself trying to? I didn't know your mom got a picture of that!" Sango was squealing excitedly.
"Yeah…she likes to take pictures and stuff." Inuyasha looked a little sheepish now. "So I thought maybe you'd like some of them and stuff…I got you a pink book cause I know pink's your favorite color."
"It's so sweet! Thanks so much, Inuyasha!" Kagome moved right past Kouga to hug Inuyasha, kissing him on the cheek and causing him to blush deeply. "That was so thoughtful of you."
"Oh! Look…remember our class trip in first grade? I'd almost forgotten that." Sango had taken the book and was looking through it eagerly, explaining pictures to a boisterous Rin.
"You should open another one." Kouga seemed a little put off since Kagome had just kissed Inuyasha. "Maybe that one." He pointed at the table.
"I think I'll open Sango's now." Kagome decided. At that moment, the sound of movement caused Kagome to look up at her mother, standing in the doorway and leaning against the frame, a nostalgic look on her face.
"Hey mom." Kagome addressed her mother, taking her attention away from the old video. "I was cleaning up and I found this video, so I thought I'd check what was on it. Cute, huh?"
"I remember that little photo album Inuyasha made you. Do you still have it?" her mother asked, looking at her daughter warmly.
"Hmm…I must have it somewhere." Kagome got up, digging through the drawer in her bedside table. "I think I set it in here the other…oh, here it is!" she produced the little pink book, holding it up for her mother to see. "I remember he had extra pages in it when he gave it to me, but I filled it up before high school I think, so I just kind of put it away."
"Let's see." Kagome's mother came in and stood beside her as her daughter opened the book, flipping through the pictures one after another. "Oh! That is the most adorable thing ever!"
"Mo~om!" Kagome rolled her eyes as her mother cooed over a picture that had been taken when Inuyasha and Kagome were in second grade. They were outside, and Kagome was wearing a little daisy crown while hugging Inuyasha, who was smiling and waving at the camera. "Don't start."
"You two are just so cute. Oh! Look here, see?" Kagome's mother indicated a picture of Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sango who looked about ten and had fallen asleep on a couch while watching television at Inuyasha's house. Sango was leaning against the armrest, and Inuyasha was slumped back on the other side of the couch with Kagome's head resting in his lap. "Isn't that adorable?"
"Mom, stop." Kagome attempted to close the picture book, but her mother took it away, going through the pictures and continuing to exclaim how cute every one of them was.
"See here? Look at how sweet Sango looks!" her mother showed her a picture of Sango and Kagome with their arms linked. Kagome was waving and Sango was flashing the victory sign at the camera. "I can't believe how much you have all grown!"
"Gah, mom, if I knew you were going to get all weird, I wouldn't have brought the pictures out." Kagome sighed, trying not to blush as her mother flashed a picture of the group in seventh grade. Sango and Rin were posing for the camera, waving and blowing kisses. Kouga was looking a bit mopey, and Inuyasha had Kagome on his back, smiling as she waved eagerly at the camera.
"I just wish we could go back to those times some times, you know?" her mother sighed, flipping through more pages. In the last picture, the whole group was dressed up for their middle school graduation ceremony, arms linked around each others backs and smiling broadly for the camera. Kagome's mother brushed a finger over it slowly. "It's different, now that you're grown up. You know what I mean?"
"I think I do." Kagome smiled slightly down at the picture. Everything had been so much easier then, and now it seemed like everyone was busy going through some crazy emotional roller coaster. "It makes me wonder though. After we all go to college, do you think we'll still all be close like that?"
"I'm sure you will." Kagome's mother assured her, patting her shoulder and closing the book. "You all grew up together, and you've been through a lot together. I don't think a little distance between you can destroy something like that."
"Yeah…I guess you're right." Kagome sighed. She took the book back and smiled as her mother kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. Closing her door, she noticed that the video was still on. The kids on the television screen were going on excitedly about the television Kagome had just opened from her mother. They all looked so happy, so carefree. "Was it ever really that easy?" Kagome sighed and fell back on her bed. She wished she could go back to that.
Opening the picture album, she flipped to the picture of Inuyasha and her outside with the daisies in her hair. "We really are best friends." Kagome spoke softly as she looked at the picture, feeling a bit misty-eyed. "So why can't I talk to you anymore?" If only things could be simple again.
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"So," Rin smiled up at her boyfriend as she pulled open a carton of chocolate ice cream. "How did it go with Inuyasha? Did you talk with him today?"
"I attempted it." Sesshoumaru pursed his lips in irritation at his brother's inability to carry on an intelligent conversation. "He doesn't seem very receptive to suggestions."
"Well…Inuyasha can be like that." Rin pulled out a pair of bowls and began filling one of them with big scoops of the ice cream. "You want some, honey?"
"No thanks." Sesshoumaru answered, and tried to ignore the pout that Rin automatically shot him before putting the extra bowl back in her cupboard.
"Well then, did you want to watch something?" Rin went about putting away the ice cream, not noticing that Sesshoumaru was approaching her as she worked to fit the carton into her freezer. "Mom rented some movies last night and we could watch one if you wanted…" she drifted off as Sesshoumaru's arms encircled her waist and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Or we could just go up to my room and pretend to be studying." She leaned back, whispering the words into Sesshoumaru's ear, enjoying the small smile that graced his lips.
"I'm sure you have some sort of homework." He spoke loud enough for anyone listening to hear. "Didn't you tell me you were having a hard time with your economics assignment?"
"Yeah, that's right." Rin turned in his arms, reaching her hands up around his neck as he closed the freezer and pulled her closer. "But first…I need my chocolate ice cream."
"You and your ice cream." Sesshoumaru made a slight face that might have looked like nothing more than a momentary twitch of eyebrows to any uneducated observer, but Rin recognized it as his impatient face. She giggled, wriggling out of his arms and grabbing a spoon for her ice cream before running off for her room.
"If you don't hurry it will all melt!" she was calling to him as he followed at a more sedate pace. It was amazing that her parents thought that the two were in an utterly innocent relationship, because even though Sesshoumaru was restrained enough in front of them, Rin practically flaunted their little games and private jokes in front of everyone else. And yet…he did like ice cream.
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The End (Of Part 20, That Is)