Chapter 13 : Thinking Circles
Disclaimer: No profit is being made. :) Unless you count reviews a profit. You know, if I'm posting this on FF.net, there's really no point in a disclaimer, is there?
A/N: Go ahead, read.
"What are we going to do about the note?" Miroku asked Inuyasha. They were holding a private discussion while the girls took a bathroom break. Kouga had excused himself to go check out the vending machines on the far side of the rest stop. "I didn't tell the girls we found it, of course. But we can't just leave it like nothing happened."
"What do you have in mind?" Inuyasha was leaning against the tile wall and wishing desperately for a cigarette. "I'm not so sure about this anymore."
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "What changed your mind?"
Inuyasha dragged a hand through his long black hair. "It was so easy, you know? Double-cross Naraku, dump the girls off home and reap in the profits and the satisfaction of knowing that Naraku was killing himself to get to us."
"It was a game." Miroku said softly, understanding in his voice.
Inuyasha nodded silently. "He's getting harder."
"It's not a game to them anymore." Miroku told him. "Naraku.. he put too much in this to be stupid now. He's going to keep checking up on me, making sure I'm not playing him for a fool."
"Which you are." Inuyasha supplied.
"I thought it would be easy." Miroku smiled weakly. "That was before he started getting personal. The gang never did that, you know? You could piss them off and except your car to be gone or stripped, or yourself to be mugged. But you wouldn't think of your girlfriend in danger, or her family. Or a freaking orphanage, for God's sake."
"Something's changed." Inuyasha said softly. His eyes were looking into the distance, a thoughtful light in them. "The power's shifted."
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"Miroku's hiding something from me." Sango perched on the filthy wooden counter and watched Kagome wash her face. "I can tell."
"How?" Kagome wondered, wiping her face with a brown paper towel. "He acts the same as he always does."
"I can just tell." Sango replied, frowning lightly. Her hand trailed across the counter as she talked. "He's being sweeter than usual, and - OW!"
Kagome jumped, then glanced around in reflex to see if there was some threat in the dimly lit public bathroom. When she didn't see anything, Kagome let out a breath. "You scared me, Sango! I thought there was an ax murderer in here. Or Miroku, you know. Spying again."
"He hasn't done that since eighth grade." Sango examined her hand. "I got a splinter!"
"Poor thing." Kagome 'tsk'ed, then started running a comb through her hair. "You got a tetanus shot, right?"
"Ages ago. Nah, start of school. I'm safe."
"Okay then. Let's go and get the first aid kid. I bet Miroku would love to play nurse. You know, in return for your kindness earlier."
"That thought hurts almost as much as the splinter." Sango groaned.
"Poor baby." Miroku said, grinning widely. "You want some alcohol on that?" The grin spread a little wider. "I have some cotton balls handy."
"Stuff it." Sango commanded, nursing her hand in the corner. "I'm not speaking to you."
"Aww." Miroku tugged Sango into his arms. "Come here."
Kagome sighed happily as she watched Sango giggle in Miroku's embrace. "They're so cute together." she said to Inuyasha. He scowled. "Nauseating, more like it."
"Don't you have a romantic bone in your body?" Kagome scolded. "You should be happy Miroku's happy."
Inuyasha scoffed. "I'll be happy when I'm happy." he said. "Speaking of which.." he eyed her.
"Speaking of which..?" Kagome prompted.
"Where's Kouga?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome sweatdropped. "Kouga would make you happy?"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Not nearly, but leaving this rest stop would. Unless you're suggesting we leave without him. Which I can work with."
Kagome quickly imagined what Kouga would have to say to that. "No no." she replied, with a bright smile. "I'll go find him."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Kouga was leaning against a crumbling wall that marked the boundaries of the rest stop, contemplating a cigarette. Kagome stomped up to him and knocked the offending object out of his hands. "Don't you dare!" she said before he could protest. "What is it with you three and all these vices?" she ground the cigarette into the mud with the heel of her shoe as Kouga watched. "That was my last one." he complained.
"Good." Kagome huffed. "You'll smoke yourself into an early grave."
He grinned at her. "We all gotta go sometime."
"Well come on. Inuyasha's threatening to leave without you."
Kouga gave a leisurely stretch and followed her obediently. "Inuyasha is all talk."
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"The girls look tired." Miroku said, sneaking a glance behind him to where Sango and Kagome were stretched out in the back of the van.
Kouga was hanging over the back of the seat. He shot a disgusted glance at Miroku. "Of course they're tired." he said. "They haven't had a decent night of sleep since.. this vacation started."
"Something like that." Inuyasha agreed. "We're really got to finish this business."
"But until we come up with a way to stop it," a grin slipped onto Miroku's face. "I have a perfect idea for tonight."
Inuyasha looked at his askance. "Yeah, but what are the rest of us going to do?"
Miroku scowled. "Hear me out. I have one word for you: movies."
"Movies? Where are we going to find a theater out here in the wilderness?" Kouga glanced outside at the waning daylight. "But I guess we can find one, as long as they accept credit cards. I'm a little short on cash."
"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Miroku interrupted. "If we go to a theater, they'll probably fall asleep. Besides, imagine the argument we'd have on what to watch."
Inuyasha nodded. "So what's your brilliant idea?"
"We rent."
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah. We rent movies and watch them in the hotel room. That way, the girls get to rest and we can watch different movies that'll satisfy everyone. Providing that it's age-appropriate."
"Damn it."
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"This was a really good idea." Sango hugged Miroku. "I know exactly what I want to get."
"Is anything going to get blown up?" Kouga asked hopefully. "Because that would be fun."
"Typical guy." Kagome snorted. She browsed the shelf, musing between two blockbusters. "What we need is something romantic and sad." Kouga and Inuyasha slumped against wall. "No." they groaned in unison. "Anything but romance and sadness."
"I think it's wonderful." Kagome said, full of righteuous dignity. "This story has all these subtleties and hidden meanings." she sighed. "I love it."
"I want to get something about the Mafia." Kouga said.
Inuyasha followed him. "Get that one with the guy whose face was blown up and he survived and came after this other guy to get revenge and then all of them get caught up in a smuggling ring."
"Is that the one with the hot girl?"
"The one with red hair?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Kagome watched them go, rolling her eyes. "Boys. Hey Sango, which one do you prefer? I mean, this one always makes me cry, but the other one has the cutest lead actor."
Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango. "Why do girls like watching movies that make them cry?" he wondered. "That's perverse."
"Wait a second." Sango pulled Miroku to a stop. "How are we going to check these videos out? None of us have a membership to this chain of video stores."
"Not to worry." Miroku smiled. "The reason this franchise is a little different is that instead of needing a card or whatever to check out videos, what you do is pay for it, like you were buying it. And if you return it, then they give you back all the money, keeping a five-dollar fee. If you don't return it, it's just like they sold it."
"Oh." Sango considered this. "That's clever. Is there a due date?"
"Yeah, three days. That's plenty for us."
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"Wow." Kagome's eyes were wide with amazement. "Tonight's hotel is actually...decent!"
Miroku scowled. "What's that supposed to mean? Never say I don't take care of my friends."
"Let's see." Sango pursed her lips and ticked off her fingers. "Since we started on this vacation with you, we've been kidnapped, manhandled, chased and scared out of our minds. I'm still waiting for us to get shot at."
"I thought that happened already." Kagome dropped her suitcase on the plush carpet and sat cautiously on the canopy bed. When it didn't collapse underneath her, she grinned and flopped back. "I could sleep for days."
"No you can't." Miroku corrected. "I've already gone ahead and made reservations at the Grassland Plaza for tomorrow. It's in the next big city and I figure we can stay there for a couple of days. Do you know how hard it is to get a few rooms to that place? If we miss the reservation you'll never see the inside of it."
"Grassland?" Kouga let out a low whistle. "Dude, I washed dishes there once."
"It's decent." Inuyasha agreed. "Very decent. The food is pretty good."
Miroku snorted. "Pretty good my ass. It's has six freaking stars, okay?"
Sango was shaking her head as she began to unpack. "Impressive, Miroku. Who'd you have to bribe?"
He scowled over at her. "Hey, does everything I do have to be illegal?"
She neatly arranged her toothbrush and other toiletries in a pile. "Pretty much, yeah."
"I'm hurt, Sango." With an air of dignified injury, Miroku made himself comfortable on the rocking chair. "After all these years, you still don't believe in the powers of my charm." he shook his head as Inuyasha wandered out from the bathroom. "Did you guys know that the bathtub could fit like, ten people? It's a freaking pool."
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Don't give him any ideas." Sango scolded. "And get that look off your face, Miroku. If you're going to be sharing a pool with anyone tonight, it'll be with Inuyasha and Kouga."
Miroku winced. "Nasty mental image."
Sango smiled. Kouga was examining the remote control. "Dude, they have a lock on this thing."
"A lock?"
"Yeah. Look, it says if you want to use the television or the VCR or the DVD player, you have to ask at the front desk."
"Ask for what at the front desk?"
"Doesn't say."
Kagome turned over to face the nightstand. "I wonder if they have those quarter slots for massaging beds too."
"Do they?" Inuyasha asked with mild interest as he lifted up a framed picture of two swans.
"Nope. But they have a catalogue of tourist interests in this town. Oh look, it's home of the --"
"No!" Sango, Kouga and Miroku yelled in unison.
"No more tacky tourist attractions." Miroku added. "I swear, if anyone ever finds out I went to one of those places, my reputation would be in shreds."
"Okay." Kagome shrugged and set the brochure aside. "It didn't seem that fun anyways."
"What was it?" Sango asked with reluctant interest.
Kagome picked up the brochure again. "Home of the largest convention of swimsuit models this side of Tokyo." she read. "But they're all girl models, so I don't see much potential in that."
Miroku stood up so fast the rocking chair knocked him over. "Let me see that brochure."
Sango grabbed it before her boyfriend could. "In your dreams." she said. "We're not going. We'll miss our reservation. See, the convention doesn't start until the end of the week."
"We could go to another hotel." From his position on the floor, Miroku sent Sango a pleading look. "I'll find another good one. I promise."
"No way." Sango waved the brochure in front of him. "A hotel better than Grassland? I don't think so. You can come back on your own time."
"But it only happens once a year." Kagome said helpfully.
"Well maybe you can come back next year." Sango retorted before Miroku could say anything. "Probably then you wouldn't have a girlfriend to deal with." She tossed the brochure onto the bed and went into the bathroom, clicking the door firmly closed behind her.
Miroku groaned and stretched out on the floor. "Terrific." He lifted his head and glared at Inuyasha. "Is that laughing I hear?"
"Damn straight." Inuyasha said bluntly. "Your lack of finesse amazes me sometimes."
"Finesse? You probably don't even know the definition of that word." Miroku scoffed. "And what, may I ask, do you know about relationships? You haven't had any that lasted over a week."
"By choice." Inuyasha said. "There's a difference."
Kouga and Kagome exchanged looks. "Let's go ask about the TV thing." Kouga suggested.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Anything to get away from these two." They left Inuyasha and Miroku still arguing.
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Kagura burst through Naraku's door. "We got trouble." she announced.
Naraku looked up. "Again? Let me tell you, this gets less amusing by the hour."
Kagura shrugged out of her leather jacket. "Not our fault this time, boss. But I gotta admit, you have to admire those kids."
Naraku narrowed his eyes. "Wrong. I do not." He growled in frustration. "Tell me."
She perched on the edge of his desk and examined a blood colored nail. "We did exactly like you said. Planted the bug and left the note."
"Where did you plant the bug?" Naraku interrupted. Kagura flicked him an annoyed glance. "Exactly where you told us to. Under the driver's seat." She paused.
"And?" Naraku prompted.
"And.." she couldn't hide the little smile. "They found it. I gotta tell you, Inuyasha's a freaking genius. You plant a bug anywhere near him and he can find it. I swear, boy's not human."
Naraku snarled. "He will be when I get my hands on him. You left the note?"
Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. Right where you told us to, on the dashboard. Although I must say, I felt pretty tacky leaving a threat note in that van."
"It wasn't a threat note." Naraku explained in what he considered an extremely patient tone of voice. "It was merely explaining to them the benefits of not escaping so much."
"You have nothing on them." Kagura pointed out. "I mean, there's nothing hanging over their heads. If they run, they run. What do you have to stop them?"
Naraku thought of Miroku and smiled. "Wrong. I have a little something. And, trust me, they won't be running for long." He suddenly snapped out of his
reverie. "What do you mean, they found the bug? How do you know they found it? I thought we were tracking them!"
Kagura dug her nails into the wooden desk. "I said that what, five minutes ago? Would you please pay attention to me when I'm talking?" she held up a hand when Naraku opened his mouth. "Forget it." she snapped.
He slammed his palm on the desk. "Watch your mouth." he warned. "I'm still in charge here."
Kagura leaned back, a sulk on her face. "Fine." she muttered. "Do you want to know or not?"
Naraku nodded curtly. "Go ahead."
"Well, we were tracking the bug, but it kept stopping and starting, and then it would go around in circles. We thought that was sort of weird, so I went to check it out. Alone," she added, scowling. "since that stupid Kouga's gone. Anyways, when I found where the bug was," a small smile started to tug at her lips. "it was on the back of a public bus." She giggled. "Can you believe it? Miroku and Inuyasha think circles around you." Noticing the stormy expression on Naraku's face, Kagura slid off the desk and picked up her jacket. "Well," she said brightly. "I'd love to stay and chat, but you know, I think I promised Kikyou I'd give her a make-over. Lord knows that girl needs one. See you later, boss."
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"What do you mean there's no key for the remote?" Kouga demanded. The clerk behind the ornate counter smiled smugly. "I mean, young man, that we do not allow minors to obtain the key for the remote." He lowered his voice conspirally. "In case you find something not so good to watch, you know. Especially if we let you use the VCR. Who knows what video stores are renting out nowadays?"
Kouga rubbed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Watch your language." The clerk narrowed his eyes. "This is a establishment of high standards, and we do not tolerate misbehaving teenagers such as yourself. Now, if you return with a parent or guardian, then I will gladly give you the key to the entertainment system."
Seeing the murderous glint in Kouga's eyes, Kagome stepped forward hastily and used her sweetest voice. "Mr..." she glanced down at his gold name tag. "Mr. Ricce, I admire you for upholding the rules of this place."
Mr. Ricce relaxed and took his hand away from the drawer where the elusive key was. "Well, aren't you a reasonable child."
"Thank you." Kagome smiled earnestly. "You see, I grew up in a family of seven. I have so many younger brothers and sisters, it's hard to keep track of them all. If they were ever to go out on a vacation like I am, I would be so relieved, knowing someone as terrific as you were there to keep them out of trouble."
Mr. Ricce chucked modestly. "Well, I know what it's like to be young and wild." As he continued, Kagome shot Kouga a glance out of the corner of her eye and gave a barely perceptible nod to the drawer where the keys were.
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Kouga and Kagome collapsed against each other in the hallway, barely holding in their laughter. "That was terrific." Kagome said breathlessly. "Kouga, how could you be so brave? I couldn't believe it when you opened the drawer right next to him. I was so sure he would notice."
"Nah, he was too busy tolling his virtues to notice. Hell, did you see all the keys in there? There must have been a hundred of them! And they were all the same, too. He'll never notice one is gone."
"I feel sort of bad for him." Kagome giggled. "He has such a misplaced sense of right and wrong. But still, that was so cool."
"Amateur." Kouga said affectionately, ruffling her hair. "That's nothing compared to what some of us have been through."
"You'll have to tell me sometime." Kagome beamed up at him. "I know stealing is wrong, but this time, it was just plain.. fun."
Kouga put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, by all means, let's go tell everyone about your newfound talent."
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Miroku glanced toward the bathroom door. "How long do you think she's gonna be in there?"
Inuyasha stretched out across the bed, his face in the pillows. "The hotel gives free bath bubbles." he replied, his voice muffled. "So my guess is forever."
"Think she's still mad?" Miroku hadn't moved from his spot on the floor, finding the carpet rather comfortable.
"Nah."
"Why not?"
"I mean, if she's still with you after all this time, there's no way she's gonna dump you for this latest stupidity. That would be a waste of time."
"Thanks.. I think."
"Uh huh."
"Do you think Kouga and Kagome got the key?"
"Dunno."
"Man, I wonder what's taking them so long."
On cue, Kagome and Kouga burst through the door (much in the way Kagura had). "Guess what we did?" Kagome asked excitedly. "Guess, guess, guess."
Miroku eyed them. "Well, you're both still dressed, so--"
"Disgusting!" Kagome pulled the pillow out from under Inuyasha's head and threw it at Miroku. "And you." She patted Inuyasha's head. "Get your shoes off my bed."
Sango came out of the bathroom, letting out a cloud of steam. "So, what did you two do?" she demanded. "Don't keep me in suspense."
"We stole the key." Kagome answered smugly. "Actually, Kouga stole the key. I played accomplice."
Sango groaned. "Great. You guys've influenced her."
"No, no." Kagome assured. "You'd be on our side too. Hear me out." She told them the story, with Kouga helpfully chipping in details when needed.
"Crazy." Sango declared. "But justifiably so. Can we watch movies now?"
Ending Notes: Ahh now that you've all had your fix of Road Trip, I figure it's safe to have a few notes. :) Well I've gotten tons of emails about this story. Haha. No flames yet, thankfully. Before I get any for not updating enough, let me give you potential flamers an equation: Skyweaver+flames=no update. HAhah that's sort of cold. Sorry sorry. :) Because everyone has been great about reviewing. :) And yes, I apologize for not having updated for over a month. :) HOPEFULLY (and I'm aware I say this every time) I'll be able to get something up soon. On the plus side, I turned fifteen last Monday. :D Hehe.
Disclaimer: No profit is being made. :) Unless you count reviews a profit. You know, if I'm posting this on FF.net, there's really no point in a disclaimer, is there?
A/N: Go ahead, read.
"What are we going to do about the note?" Miroku asked Inuyasha. They were holding a private discussion while the girls took a bathroom break. Kouga had excused himself to go check out the vending machines on the far side of the rest stop. "I didn't tell the girls we found it, of course. But we can't just leave it like nothing happened."
"What do you have in mind?" Inuyasha was leaning against the tile wall and wishing desperately for a cigarette. "I'm not so sure about this anymore."
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "What changed your mind?"
Inuyasha dragged a hand through his long black hair. "It was so easy, you know? Double-cross Naraku, dump the girls off home and reap in the profits and the satisfaction of knowing that Naraku was killing himself to get to us."
"It was a game." Miroku said softly, understanding in his voice.
Inuyasha nodded silently. "He's getting harder."
"It's not a game to them anymore." Miroku told him. "Naraku.. he put too much in this to be stupid now. He's going to keep checking up on me, making sure I'm not playing him for a fool."
"Which you are." Inuyasha supplied.
"I thought it would be easy." Miroku smiled weakly. "That was before he started getting personal. The gang never did that, you know? You could piss them off and except your car to be gone or stripped, or yourself to be mugged. But you wouldn't think of your girlfriend in danger, or her family. Or a freaking orphanage, for God's sake."
"Something's changed." Inuyasha said softly. His eyes were looking into the distance, a thoughtful light in them. "The power's shifted."
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"Miroku's hiding something from me." Sango perched on the filthy wooden counter and watched Kagome wash her face. "I can tell."
"How?" Kagome wondered, wiping her face with a brown paper towel. "He acts the same as he always does."
"I can just tell." Sango replied, frowning lightly. Her hand trailed across the counter as she talked. "He's being sweeter than usual, and - OW!"
Kagome jumped, then glanced around in reflex to see if there was some threat in the dimly lit public bathroom. When she didn't see anything, Kagome let out a breath. "You scared me, Sango! I thought there was an ax murderer in here. Or Miroku, you know. Spying again."
"He hasn't done that since eighth grade." Sango examined her hand. "I got a splinter!"
"Poor thing." Kagome 'tsk'ed, then started running a comb through her hair. "You got a tetanus shot, right?"
"Ages ago. Nah, start of school. I'm safe."
"Okay then. Let's go and get the first aid kid. I bet Miroku would love to play nurse. You know, in return for your kindness earlier."
"That thought hurts almost as much as the splinter." Sango groaned.
"Poor baby." Miroku said, grinning widely. "You want some alcohol on that?" The grin spread a little wider. "I have some cotton balls handy."
"Stuff it." Sango commanded, nursing her hand in the corner. "I'm not speaking to you."
"Aww." Miroku tugged Sango into his arms. "Come here."
Kagome sighed happily as she watched Sango giggle in Miroku's embrace. "They're so cute together." she said to Inuyasha. He scowled. "Nauseating, more like it."
"Don't you have a romantic bone in your body?" Kagome scolded. "You should be happy Miroku's happy."
Inuyasha scoffed. "I'll be happy when I'm happy." he said. "Speaking of which.." he eyed her.
"Speaking of which..?" Kagome prompted.
"Where's Kouga?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome sweatdropped. "Kouga would make you happy?"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Not nearly, but leaving this rest stop would. Unless you're suggesting we leave without him. Which I can work with."
Kagome quickly imagined what Kouga would have to say to that. "No no." she replied, with a bright smile. "I'll go find him."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Kouga was leaning against a crumbling wall that marked the boundaries of the rest stop, contemplating a cigarette. Kagome stomped up to him and knocked the offending object out of his hands. "Don't you dare!" she said before he could protest. "What is it with you three and all these vices?" she ground the cigarette into the mud with the heel of her shoe as Kouga watched. "That was my last one." he complained.
"Good." Kagome huffed. "You'll smoke yourself into an early grave."
He grinned at her. "We all gotta go sometime."
"Well come on. Inuyasha's threatening to leave without you."
Kouga gave a leisurely stretch and followed her obediently. "Inuyasha is all talk."
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"The girls look tired." Miroku said, sneaking a glance behind him to where Sango and Kagome were stretched out in the back of the van.
Kouga was hanging over the back of the seat. He shot a disgusted glance at Miroku. "Of course they're tired." he said. "They haven't had a decent night of sleep since.. this vacation started."
"Something like that." Inuyasha agreed. "We're really got to finish this business."
"But until we come up with a way to stop it," a grin slipped onto Miroku's face. "I have a perfect idea for tonight."
Inuyasha looked at his askance. "Yeah, but what are the rest of us going to do?"
Miroku scowled. "Hear me out. I have one word for you: movies."
"Movies? Where are we going to find a theater out here in the wilderness?" Kouga glanced outside at the waning daylight. "But I guess we can find one, as long as they accept credit cards. I'm a little short on cash."
"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Miroku interrupted. "If we go to a theater, they'll probably fall asleep. Besides, imagine the argument we'd have on what to watch."
Inuyasha nodded. "So what's your brilliant idea?"
"We rent."
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah. We rent movies and watch them in the hotel room. That way, the girls get to rest and we can watch different movies that'll satisfy everyone. Providing that it's age-appropriate."
"Damn it."
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"This was a really good idea." Sango hugged Miroku. "I know exactly what I want to get."
"Is anything going to get blown up?" Kouga asked hopefully. "Because that would be fun."
"Typical guy." Kagome snorted. She browsed the shelf, musing between two blockbusters. "What we need is something romantic and sad." Kouga and Inuyasha slumped against wall. "No." they groaned in unison. "Anything but romance and sadness."
"I think it's wonderful." Kagome said, full of righteuous dignity. "This story has all these subtleties and hidden meanings." she sighed. "I love it."
"I want to get something about the Mafia." Kouga said.
Inuyasha followed him. "Get that one with the guy whose face was blown up and he survived and came after this other guy to get revenge and then all of them get caught up in a smuggling ring."
"Is that the one with the hot girl?"
"The one with red hair?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Kagome watched them go, rolling her eyes. "Boys. Hey Sango, which one do you prefer? I mean, this one always makes me cry, but the other one has the cutest lead actor."
Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango. "Why do girls like watching movies that make them cry?" he wondered. "That's perverse."
"Wait a second." Sango pulled Miroku to a stop. "How are we going to check these videos out? None of us have a membership to this chain of video stores."
"Not to worry." Miroku smiled. "The reason this franchise is a little different is that instead of needing a card or whatever to check out videos, what you do is pay for it, like you were buying it. And if you return it, then they give you back all the money, keeping a five-dollar fee. If you don't return it, it's just like they sold it."
"Oh." Sango considered this. "That's clever. Is there a due date?"
"Yeah, three days. That's plenty for us."
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"Wow." Kagome's eyes were wide with amazement. "Tonight's hotel is actually...decent!"
Miroku scowled. "What's that supposed to mean? Never say I don't take care of my friends."
"Let's see." Sango pursed her lips and ticked off her fingers. "Since we started on this vacation with you, we've been kidnapped, manhandled, chased and scared out of our minds. I'm still waiting for us to get shot at."
"I thought that happened already." Kagome dropped her suitcase on the plush carpet and sat cautiously on the canopy bed. When it didn't collapse underneath her, she grinned and flopped back. "I could sleep for days."
"No you can't." Miroku corrected. "I've already gone ahead and made reservations at the Grassland Plaza for tomorrow. It's in the next big city and I figure we can stay there for a couple of days. Do you know how hard it is to get a few rooms to that place? If we miss the reservation you'll never see the inside of it."
"Grassland?" Kouga let out a low whistle. "Dude, I washed dishes there once."
"It's decent." Inuyasha agreed. "Very decent. The food is pretty good."
Miroku snorted. "Pretty good my ass. It's has six freaking stars, okay?"
Sango was shaking her head as she began to unpack. "Impressive, Miroku. Who'd you have to bribe?"
He scowled over at her. "Hey, does everything I do have to be illegal?"
She neatly arranged her toothbrush and other toiletries in a pile. "Pretty much, yeah."
"I'm hurt, Sango." With an air of dignified injury, Miroku made himself comfortable on the rocking chair. "After all these years, you still don't believe in the powers of my charm." he shook his head as Inuyasha wandered out from the bathroom. "Did you guys know that the bathtub could fit like, ten people? It's a freaking pool."
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Don't give him any ideas." Sango scolded. "And get that look off your face, Miroku. If you're going to be sharing a pool with anyone tonight, it'll be with Inuyasha and Kouga."
Miroku winced. "Nasty mental image."
Sango smiled. Kouga was examining the remote control. "Dude, they have a lock on this thing."
"A lock?"
"Yeah. Look, it says if you want to use the television or the VCR or the DVD player, you have to ask at the front desk."
"Ask for what at the front desk?"
"Doesn't say."
Kagome turned over to face the nightstand. "I wonder if they have those quarter slots for massaging beds too."
"Do they?" Inuyasha asked with mild interest as he lifted up a framed picture of two swans.
"Nope. But they have a catalogue of tourist interests in this town. Oh look, it's home of the --"
"No!" Sango, Kouga and Miroku yelled in unison.
"No more tacky tourist attractions." Miroku added. "I swear, if anyone ever finds out I went to one of those places, my reputation would be in shreds."
"Okay." Kagome shrugged and set the brochure aside. "It didn't seem that fun anyways."
"What was it?" Sango asked with reluctant interest.
Kagome picked up the brochure again. "Home of the largest convention of swimsuit models this side of Tokyo." she read. "But they're all girl models, so I don't see much potential in that."
Miroku stood up so fast the rocking chair knocked him over. "Let me see that brochure."
Sango grabbed it before her boyfriend could. "In your dreams." she said. "We're not going. We'll miss our reservation. See, the convention doesn't start until the end of the week."
"We could go to another hotel." From his position on the floor, Miroku sent Sango a pleading look. "I'll find another good one. I promise."
"No way." Sango waved the brochure in front of him. "A hotel better than Grassland? I don't think so. You can come back on your own time."
"But it only happens once a year." Kagome said helpfully.
"Well maybe you can come back next year." Sango retorted before Miroku could say anything. "Probably then you wouldn't have a girlfriend to deal with." She tossed the brochure onto the bed and went into the bathroom, clicking the door firmly closed behind her.
Miroku groaned and stretched out on the floor. "Terrific." He lifted his head and glared at Inuyasha. "Is that laughing I hear?"
"Damn straight." Inuyasha said bluntly. "Your lack of finesse amazes me sometimes."
"Finesse? You probably don't even know the definition of that word." Miroku scoffed. "And what, may I ask, do you know about relationships? You haven't had any that lasted over a week."
"By choice." Inuyasha said. "There's a difference."
Kouga and Kagome exchanged looks. "Let's go ask about the TV thing." Kouga suggested.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Anything to get away from these two." They left Inuyasha and Miroku still arguing.
==================================================================================
Kagura burst through Naraku's door. "We got trouble." she announced.
Naraku looked up. "Again? Let me tell you, this gets less amusing by the hour."
Kagura shrugged out of her leather jacket. "Not our fault this time, boss. But I gotta admit, you have to admire those kids."
Naraku narrowed his eyes. "Wrong. I do not." He growled in frustration. "Tell me."
She perched on the edge of his desk and examined a blood colored nail. "We did exactly like you said. Planted the bug and left the note."
"Where did you plant the bug?" Naraku interrupted. Kagura flicked him an annoyed glance. "Exactly where you told us to. Under the driver's seat." She paused.
"And?" Naraku prompted.
"And.." she couldn't hide the little smile. "They found it. I gotta tell you, Inuyasha's a freaking genius. You plant a bug anywhere near him and he can find it. I swear, boy's not human."
Naraku snarled. "He will be when I get my hands on him. You left the note?"
Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. Right where you told us to, on the dashboard. Although I must say, I felt pretty tacky leaving a threat note in that van."
"It wasn't a threat note." Naraku explained in what he considered an extremely patient tone of voice. "It was merely explaining to them the benefits of not escaping so much."
"You have nothing on them." Kagura pointed out. "I mean, there's nothing hanging over their heads. If they run, they run. What do you have to stop them?"
Naraku thought of Miroku and smiled. "Wrong. I have a little something. And, trust me, they won't be running for long." He suddenly snapped out of his
reverie. "What do you mean, they found the bug? How do you know they found it? I thought we were tracking them!"
Kagura dug her nails into the wooden desk. "I said that what, five minutes ago? Would you please pay attention to me when I'm talking?" she held up a hand when Naraku opened his mouth. "Forget it." she snapped.
He slammed his palm on the desk. "Watch your mouth." he warned. "I'm still in charge here."
Kagura leaned back, a sulk on her face. "Fine." she muttered. "Do you want to know or not?"
Naraku nodded curtly. "Go ahead."
"Well, we were tracking the bug, but it kept stopping and starting, and then it would go around in circles. We thought that was sort of weird, so I went to check it out. Alone," she added, scowling. "since that stupid Kouga's gone. Anyways, when I found where the bug was," a small smile started to tug at her lips. "it was on the back of a public bus." She giggled. "Can you believe it? Miroku and Inuyasha think circles around you." Noticing the stormy expression on Naraku's face, Kagura slid off the desk and picked up her jacket. "Well," she said brightly. "I'd love to stay and chat, but you know, I think I promised Kikyou I'd give her a make-over. Lord knows that girl needs one. See you later, boss."
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"What do you mean there's no key for the remote?" Kouga demanded. The clerk behind the ornate counter smiled smugly. "I mean, young man, that we do not allow minors to obtain the key for the remote." He lowered his voice conspirally. "In case you find something not so good to watch, you know. Especially if we let you use the VCR. Who knows what video stores are renting out nowadays?"
Kouga rubbed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Watch your language." The clerk narrowed his eyes. "This is a establishment of high standards, and we do not tolerate misbehaving teenagers such as yourself. Now, if you return with a parent or guardian, then I will gladly give you the key to the entertainment system."
Seeing the murderous glint in Kouga's eyes, Kagome stepped forward hastily and used her sweetest voice. "Mr..." she glanced down at his gold name tag. "Mr. Ricce, I admire you for upholding the rules of this place."
Mr. Ricce relaxed and took his hand away from the drawer where the elusive key was. "Well, aren't you a reasonable child."
"Thank you." Kagome smiled earnestly. "You see, I grew up in a family of seven. I have so many younger brothers and sisters, it's hard to keep track of them all. If they were ever to go out on a vacation like I am, I would be so relieved, knowing someone as terrific as you were there to keep them out of trouble."
Mr. Ricce chucked modestly. "Well, I know what it's like to be young and wild." As he continued, Kagome shot Kouga a glance out of the corner of her eye and gave a barely perceptible nod to the drawer where the keys were.
================================================================================
Kouga and Kagome collapsed against each other in the hallway, barely holding in their laughter. "That was terrific." Kagome said breathlessly. "Kouga, how could you be so brave? I couldn't believe it when you opened the drawer right next to him. I was so sure he would notice."
"Nah, he was too busy tolling his virtues to notice. Hell, did you see all the keys in there? There must have been a hundred of them! And they were all the same, too. He'll never notice one is gone."
"I feel sort of bad for him." Kagome giggled. "He has such a misplaced sense of right and wrong. But still, that was so cool."
"Amateur." Kouga said affectionately, ruffling her hair. "That's nothing compared to what some of us have been through."
"You'll have to tell me sometime." Kagome beamed up at him. "I know stealing is wrong, but this time, it was just plain.. fun."
Kouga put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, by all means, let's go tell everyone about your newfound talent."
=======================================================================================
Miroku glanced toward the bathroom door. "How long do you think she's gonna be in there?"
Inuyasha stretched out across the bed, his face in the pillows. "The hotel gives free bath bubbles." he replied, his voice muffled. "So my guess is forever."
"Think she's still mad?" Miroku hadn't moved from his spot on the floor, finding the carpet rather comfortable.
"Nah."
"Why not?"
"I mean, if she's still with you after all this time, there's no way she's gonna dump you for this latest stupidity. That would be a waste of time."
"Thanks.. I think."
"Uh huh."
"Do you think Kouga and Kagome got the key?"
"Dunno."
"Man, I wonder what's taking them so long."
On cue, Kagome and Kouga burst through the door (much in the way Kagura had). "Guess what we did?" Kagome asked excitedly. "Guess, guess, guess."
Miroku eyed them. "Well, you're both still dressed, so--"
"Disgusting!" Kagome pulled the pillow out from under Inuyasha's head and threw it at Miroku. "And you." She patted Inuyasha's head. "Get your shoes off my bed."
Sango came out of the bathroom, letting out a cloud of steam. "So, what did you two do?" she demanded. "Don't keep me in suspense."
"We stole the key." Kagome answered smugly. "Actually, Kouga stole the key. I played accomplice."
Sango groaned. "Great. You guys've influenced her."
"No, no." Kagome assured. "You'd be on our side too. Hear me out." She told them the story, with Kouga helpfully chipping in details when needed.
"Crazy." Sango declared. "But justifiably so. Can we watch movies now?"
Ending Notes: Ahh now that you've all had your fix of Road Trip, I figure it's safe to have a few notes. :) Well I've gotten tons of emails about this story. Haha. No flames yet, thankfully. Before I get any for not updating enough, let me give you potential flamers an equation: Skyweaver+flames=no update. HAhah that's sort of cold. Sorry sorry. :) Because everyone has been great about reviewing. :) And yes, I apologize for not having updated for over a month. :) HOPEFULLY (and I'm aware I say this every time) I'll be able to get something up soon. On the plus side, I turned fifteen last Monday. :D Hehe.