Chapter 09. Separate but Equal
Soon after Kagome's friends met them, her family left for the weekend to visit a relative in the hospital, leaving the travelers to themselves.
"What's this Kagome-chan?" Sango inquired as Kagome was giving her feudal era friends a tour of the Shrine.
"That is a television. Watch this." Kagome picked up the remote control and turned the power on the television. Her three friends all stood with mouths open as they stood behind the couch in the family room.
Suddenly Inuyasha jumped over the couch preparing to destroy the evil youkai. His claws were prepared for the attack but he was diverted from his mission of heroics.
"Sit!" Kagome yelled at the confused hanyou. Inuyasha slammed into the beige carpet and created a nice doggy sized crater. He was muttering into the soft carpet. "It's not a demon." Kagome explained calmly as she leaned over his fallen form with her hair dangling near his face.
The smell of vanilla and cherry blossoms that assaulted Inuyasha's nose calmed him a little and he stopped his cursing and pulled himself up from his depression on the floor. Sango and Miroku had taken seats on the couch and were highly fascinated by the commercials on the screen.
Miroku looked from the people on the screen to himself back to the screen then once again at himself. "Kagome, I think if we are going to be in your time we should perhaps wear the costume of your people."
"You're so right! We should go to the mall and get you guys some clothes. Sango, you can borrow some of mine, but you guys. Hmm...I suppose I could probably get Hojo to let you borrow some of his threads." Kagome replied thoughtfully.
"Who is this Hobo and I need more than just threads and besides there is nothing wrong with what I'm wearing." Inuyasha huffed annoyed.
Kagome released a breath and blew her bangs from her eyes. "Inuyasha, you don't even have on shoes! Hojo is pretty tall and if I ask him for this I doubt if he will ask questions. He just sort of does what I ask, no questions asked." Kagome smiled at her control on the love sick puppy.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Miroku asked innocently. Inuyasha shot him an evil look then turned his full attention towards Kagome awaiting her answer.
He was surprised when she began to laugh. "Oh dear me no! Hojo is not my boyfriend. Sure he's a boy and a friend, but not mine! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to call him and ask if he's got some clothes for my cousin Miroku and his friend Inuyasha to borrow." Kagome then left her guests to call Hojo and seek his assistance.
After she had left, Sango turned towards Miroku. "Why do you get to be her cousin?" She asked with just a hint of jealousy.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? If he's Kagome's cousin then he can't do anything perverted to her because then it would be sick."
Miroku's face fell a bit at this revelation. But then he looked at Sango with a maniacal look to his eye. "Sango, I believe this means that only you can offer me the comfort and love that I need."
The knock upside the head with the remote was not the response the monk had been hoping for.
Kagome returned moments later with a large grin upon her face. "We're all set. Hojo will be over here in about ten minutes and he would love to meet my cousins and boyfriend."
Sango turned a triumphant grin to Miroku. Ha! He couldn't do anything perverted to her now. And now Kagome considered her a part of her family too! This was such an honor that the demon slayer sighed in contentment.
However, Inuyasha's reaction was a bit confused. Did that mean he was playing the role of Kagome's boyfriend? Kagome caught his expression.
"Don't be mad Inuyasha, but you're right. Hojo really does like me and if I told him you were my boyfriend then he wouldn't keep bothering me with date offers during our stay here. I hope you don't mind. It made more sense for Miroku to be my cousin because of our hair. But, silver is a little too unusual, well actually, I suppose you could have dyed it." Kagome explained and mussed further.
Suddenly the idea of Miroku acting as Kagome's boyfriend made Inuyasha queasy. "No, no, I'll pretend to be your boyfriend. It makes more sense for Miroku to play your cousin."
Ten minutes later exactly had passed. There was a knock on the door and Kagome went to answer it with Inuyasha standing behind her with one of Sota's hats on his head. On the other side of the door stood a tall human boy and a petite human girl.
"Hojo! Eri! I'm glad you are both here, come in. This is Inuyasha." Kagome introduced them.
"I'm her boyfriend." Inuyasha answered smugly as he noticed the way this Hojo character gazed at his Kagome.
"It's good to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I came along. Hojo told me that you guys were going to the mall. We're going to the mall to watch the movies are you interested in that?" Eri asked. She really had missed Kagome for the past few days. Everything was so chaotic after the Tsunami.
"We have to do some shopping first, but I think a movie would be a great idea Eri-chan!" Kagome told the other girl brightly.
"Well these are the clothes, care if we all go to the mall together? I'd like to meet your cousins." Hojo politely requested.
"Sure!" Kagome ushered the two new arrivals into the family room. She gave Inuyasha a weary look as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder possessively. What was he trying to prove anyway? He didn't need to be that convincing.
"Hentai!" Sango slapped Miroku across the face as he had somehow found a way to massage her rump.
Hojo and Eri stood gaping at the two cousins. Didn't that make them brother and sister? This scene was appalling!
Kagome nervously chuckled. "Well they are both my cousins. Sango is from my mother's side and Miroku is from dad's side." She hastily explained.
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Sesshoumaru was patrolling his borders. Only the most foolish of youkai would trespass his domain. Normally he didn't have many intruders to greet with his poison claws to his disappointment. Was it too much to ask to request a challenge once in a while?
"Kukuku, Sesshoumaru, the great Sesshoumaru, are you ready to bow down to the new lord of the Western Lands?" A giant hawk youkai mocked the great tai-youkai.
Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at this. "What makes you think you could possibly beat this Sesshoumaru into submission?"
"I have Shikon shards and you are a mere inu-youkai. And you are a lowly land animal at that!" The hawk flew into the sky preparing for an attack.
Sesshoumaru also leapt into the sky and used his energy whip and with a single flick of his wrist had sliced the hawk youkai into two equal halves. The two halves began to meld back together.
"What's this?" Sesshoumaru asked in surprise as the hawk was whole once again and laughing at him.
"Do not think you can destroy me you simpleton." The hawk youkai jeered.
Sesshoumaru growled at the reference and used his poison claws to melt the smug look off the insolent bird's face. Suddenly three glass shards fell to the ground. Sesshoumaru picked them up to inspect them as his poison continued to dissolve the remains of the hawk.
"These are those shards that Kagome seeks." He mused aloud. Suddenly an idea of how to remove his necklace came to mind. If he could gain the miko's trust, perhaps she would remove the humiliating jewelry.
Without the threat of being DOWNed he could easily obtain the Tetsusaiga from his brother. He pocketed the jewel shards and went in search of more foolish beasts that were on power trips due to the jewel.
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"Kouga!" Ayame kept whining at the wolf prince. He was sitting on a nice bolder enjoying the moon rise but it was becoming harder to relax at her annoying howls.
Finally, he decided to acknowledge her. Three hours was too much for even he, the most patient wolf he knew!
"What do you want woman?" He demanded rather harshly not bothering to look at her.
"I wanted to know when you were going to agree accept me as your mate. Grandfather said you had to announce your mate within the week. I don't see any other females around. Everyone knows we belong together." She pleaded with desperation in her voice. She really wanted to be alpha female, her grandfather would be so proud!
Finally, Kouga looked at her. "Just because my woman is not in front of you does not mean she does not exist. She simply went to her tribe for a few days while I came back here to deal with these issues."
Ayame face faulted. "What?" She demanded with venom lacing her voice.
Kouga smiled at her. "Were you not listening? I've told you for a long time that I did not agree to be your mate. Why is it so hard for you to believe I was serious?"
Ginta and Hakkaku suddenly appeared by Kouga's bolder. 'Finally,' he thought.
"What news have you?" Kouga asked completely ignoring the stomping and general tantrums of Ayame.
"There seems to be a few restless youkai in our woods, Kouga. They boast of possessing Shikon shards. Do you know of what they are speaking?" Hakkaku asked his boss.
Kouga held his chin thoughtfully within his palm as his eyes seemed to gaze beyond the faces of his two closest friends. "I believe that is what Kagome is seeking to restore. Let's go. We need to teach these trespassers a lesson. While we're at it, let's start a collection of these shards. I know the one who is responsible for these pieces and she would be greatly appreciative if I were to present her with some as a gift."
"Are you talking about Kagome?" Ginta asked curiously and suspiciously.
Kouga looked him directly in the eye with his icy gaze. "Yes."
"Is she the one you are intending to mate?" Ginta asked with a hint of disgust.
"What if I am?" Kouga shot back angrily.
Ayame stopped pouting and was listening intently.
"She's a human. If she was to be your mate, you would have hanyou children. Do you really want to weaken the tribe that way?" Ginta asked.
"Are you really so stupid? I know this woman better than you and I know how powerful, courageous, wise, and loyal she is. Any child of hers would be great. They would be even greater if I was the father. Do not question this." Kouga hissed as he quickly turned into his tornado of leaves and dirt leaving behind three bewildered wolf youkai.
"He's chosen a human over me?" Ayame asked in disbelief and rage.
Hakkaku looked at the two of them sadly. "I do not know many hanyous. But I do know that they are powerful. They have the strength of a youkai and the passion of a human. The combination is nearly unstoppable. I support my leader." He then took off after said leader at a markedly slower pace than Kouga.
Ginta shook his head. Then thought about what his two best friends had said. He realized that perhaps he was being judgmental. Kagome was everything one could ask for of the pact mother. Suddenly he smiled. He would make up his doubtful mind by accepting Kagome-neesan.
Suddenly Ayame found herself all alone, watching the dirt fly in the air as the three male wolves vanished.
##################
"This is so unrealistic." Inuyasha whispered in Kagome's ear as they watched a Samurai movie at the theater. He was sitting on her right along with Sango and Miroku and Eri and Hojo were on her left side.
"Shh!!!" Kagome hissed. Inuyasha had been talking almost the whole movie and it was hard to follow the story line.
"But that is completely fake." Inuyasha continued in an even softer voice leaning closer to his 'girlfriend's ear.
"Like you would know, you don't even have a sword." Kagome replied growing annoyed with his knowledge in everything regarding Samurai fighting skills.
"Hey! Just because."He started in a loud voice until Kagome's hand clamped over his mouth preventing further words to escape. So he did what any 'boyfriend' would do and he licked her palm.
She quickly withdrew her hand giving him a disgusted look as she wiped her palm on her jeans leg. He smirked at his success, but decided to watch the movie.
However, Kagome still couldn't enjoy the movie very well because a certain monk kept inching his hand towards a certain demon slayers leg.
Kagome sighed in frustration and told Sango to trade her seats.
"No way!" Inuyasha hissed as he firmly gripped her forearm preventing the exchange of seats to take place. "No way are you sitting beside that monk."
"But think of Sango, she shouldn't have to suffer." Kagome replied.
"I'll sit beside Miroku, YOU sit beside me, and then Sango can sit between you and Eri." Inuyasha replied happy with the arrangement.
"Fine." Kagome agreed and Sango quickly rose from her seat and changed seats. Miroku sighed in disappointment and cast his 'friend' the inu- hanyou a look of bitterness but then contented himself in enjoying the movie.
Soon after Kagome's friends met them, her family left for the weekend to visit a relative in the hospital, leaving the travelers to themselves.
"What's this Kagome-chan?" Sango inquired as Kagome was giving her feudal era friends a tour of the Shrine.
"That is a television. Watch this." Kagome picked up the remote control and turned the power on the television. Her three friends all stood with mouths open as they stood behind the couch in the family room.
Suddenly Inuyasha jumped over the couch preparing to destroy the evil youkai. His claws were prepared for the attack but he was diverted from his mission of heroics.
"Sit!" Kagome yelled at the confused hanyou. Inuyasha slammed into the beige carpet and created a nice doggy sized crater. He was muttering into the soft carpet. "It's not a demon." Kagome explained calmly as she leaned over his fallen form with her hair dangling near his face.
The smell of vanilla and cherry blossoms that assaulted Inuyasha's nose calmed him a little and he stopped his cursing and pulled himself up from his depression on the floor. Sango and Miroku had taken seats on the couch and were highly fascinated by the commercials on the screen.
Miroku looked from the people on the screen to himself back to the screen then once again at himself. "Kagome, I think if we are going to be in your time we should perhaps wear the costume of your people."
"You're so right! We should go to the mall and get you guys some clothes. Sango, you can borrow some of mine, but you guys. Hmm...I suppose I could probably get Hojo to let you borrow some of his threads." Kagome replied thoughtfully.
"Who is this Hobo and I need more than just threads and besides there is nothing wrong with what I'm wearing." Inuyasha huffed annoyed.
Kagome released a breath and blew her bangs from her eyes. "Inuyasha, you don't even have on shoes! Hojo is pretty tall and if I ask him for this I doubt if he will ask questions. He just sort of does what I ask, no questions asked." Kagome smiled at her control on the love sick puppy.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Miroku asked innocently. Inuyasha shot him an evil look then turned his full attention towards Kagome awaiting her answer.
He was surprised when she began to laugh. "Oh dear me no! Hojo is not my boyfriend. Sure he's a boy and a friend, but not mine! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to call him and ask if he's got some clothes for my cousin Miroku and his friend Inuyasha to borrow." Kagome then left her guests to call Hojo and seek his assistance.
After she had left, Sango turned towards Miroku. "Why do you get to be her cousin?" She asked with just a hint of jealousy.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? If he's Kagome's cousin then he can't do anything perverted to her because then it would be sick."
Miroku's face fell a bit at this revelation. But then he looked at Sango with a maniacal look to his eye. "Sango, I believe this means that only you can offer me the comfort and love that I need."
The knock upside the head with the remote was not the response the monk had been hoping for.
Kagome returned moments later with a large grin upon her face. "We're all set. Hojo will be over here in about ten minutes and he would love to meet my cousins and boyfriend."
Sango turned a triumphant grin to Miroku. Ha! He couldn't do anything perverted to her now. And now Kagome considered her a part of her family too! This was such an honor that the demon slayer sighed in contentment.
However, Inuyasha's reaction was a bit confused. Did that mean he was playing the role of Kagome's boyfriend? Kagome caught his expression.
"Don't be mad Inuyasha, but you're right. Hojo really does like me and if I told him you were my boyfriend then he wouldn't keep bothering me with date offers during our stay here. I hope you don't mind. It made more sense for Miroku to be my cousin because of our hair. But, silver is a little too unusual, well actually, I suppose you could have dyed it." Kagome explained and mussed further.
Suddenly the idea of Miroku acting as Kagome's boyfriend made Inuyasha queasy. "No, no, I'll pretend to be your boyfriend. It makes more sense for Miroku to play your cousin."
Ten minutes later exactly had passed. There was a knock on the door and Kagome went to answer it with Inuyasha standing behind her with one of Sota's hats on his head. On the other side of the door stood a tall human boy and a petite human girl.
"Hojo! Eri! I'm glad you are both here, come in. This is Inuyasha." Kagome introduced them.
"I'm her boyfriend." Inuyasha answered smugly as he noticed the way this Hojo character gazed at his Kagome.
"It's good to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I came along. Hojo told me that you guys were going to the mall. We're going to the mall to watch the movies are you interested in that?" Eri asked. She really had missed Kagome for the past few days. Everything was so chaotic after the Tsunami.
"We have to do some shopping first, but I think a movie would be a great idea Eri-chan!" Kagome told the other girl brightly.
"Well these are the clothes, care if we all go to the mall together? I'd like to meet your cousins." Hojo politely requested.
"Sure!" Kagome ushered the two new arrivals into the family room. She gave Inuyasha a weary look as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder possessively. What was he trying to prove anyway? He didn't need to be that convincing.
"Hentai!" Sango slapped Miroku across the face as he had somehow found a way to massage her rump.
Hojo and Eri stood gaping at the two cousins. Didn't that make them brother and sister? This scene was appalling!
Kagome nervously chuckled. "Well they are both my cousins. Sango is from my mother's side and Miroku is from dad's side." She hastily explained.
#################
Sesshoumaru was patrolling his borders. Only the most foolish of youkai would trespass his domain. Normally he didn't have many intruders to greet with his poison claws to his disappointment. Was it too much to ask to request a challenge once in a while?
"Kukuku, Sesshoumaru, the great Sesshoumaru, are you ready to bow down to the new lord of the Western Lands?" A giant hawk youkai mocked the great tai-youkai.
Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at this. "What makes you think you could possibly beat this Sesshoumaru into submission?"
"I have Shikon shards and you are a mere inu-youkai. And you are a lowly land animal at that!" The hawk flew into the sky preparing for an attack.
Sesshoumaru also leapt into the sky and used his energy whip and with a single flick of his wrist had sliced the hawk youkai into two equal halves. The two halves began to meld back together.
"What's this?" Sesshoumaru asked in surprise as the hawk was whole once again and laughing at him.
"Do not think you can destroy me you simpleton." The hawk youkai jeered.
Sesshoumaru growled at the reference and used his poison claws to melt the smug look off the insolent bird's face. Suddenly three glass shards fell to the ground. Sesshoumaru picked them up to inspect them as his poison continued to dissolve the remains of the hawk.
"These are those shards that Kagome seeks." He mused aloud. Suddenly an idea of how to remove his necklace came to mind. If he could gain the miko's trust, perhaps she would remove the humiliating jewelry.
Without the threat of being DOWNed he could easily obtain the Tetsusaiga from his brother. He pocketed the jewel shards and went in search of more foolish beasts that were on power trips due to the jewel.
###################
"Kouga!" Ayame kept whining at the wolf prince. He was sitting on a nice bolder enjoying the moon rise but it was becoming harder to relax at her annoying howls.
Finally, he decided to acknowledge her. Three hours was too much for even he, the most patient wolf he knew!
"What do you want woman?" He demanded rather harshly not bothering to look at her.
"I wanted to know when you were going to agree accept me as your mate. Grandfather said you had to announce your mate within the week. I don't see any other females around. Everyone knows we belong together." She pleaded with desperation in her voice. She really wanted to be alpha female, her grandfather would be so proud!
Finally, Kouga looked at her. "Just because my woman is not in front of you does not mean she does not exist. She simply went to her tribe for a few days while I came back here to deal with these issues."
Ayame face faulted. "What?" She demanded with venom lacing her voice.
Kouga smiled at her. "Were you not listening? I've told you for a long time that I did not agree to be your mate. Why is it so hard for you to believe I was serious?"
Ginta and Hakkaku suddenly appeared by Kouga's bolder. 'Finally,' he thought.
"What news have you?" Kouga asked completely ignoring the stomping and general tantrums of Ayame.
"There seems to be a few restless youkai in our woods, Kouga. They boast of possessing Shikon shards. Do you know of what they are speaking?" Hakkaku asked his boss.
Kouga held his chin thoughtfully within his palm as his eyes seemed to gaze beyond the faces of his two closest friends. "I believe that is what Kagome is seeking to restore. Let's go. We need to teach these trespassers a lesson. While we're at it, let's start a collection of these shards. I know the one who is responsible for these pieces and she would be greatly appreciative if I were to present her with some as a gift."
"Are you talking about Kagome?" Ginta asked curiously and suspiciously.
Kouga looked him directly in the eye with his icy gaze. "Yes."
"Is she the one you are intending to mate?" Ginta asked with a hint of disgust.
"What if I am?" Kouga shot back angrily.
Ayame stopped pouting and was listening intently.
"She's a human. If she was to be your mate, you would have hanyou children. Do you really want to weaken the tribe that way?" Ginta asked.
"Are you really so stupid? I know this woman better than you and I know how powerful, courageous, wise, and loyal she is. Any child of hers would be great. They would be even greater if I was the father. Do not question this." Kouga hissed as he quickly turned into his tornado of leaves and dirt leaving behind three bewildered wolf youkai.
"He's chosen a human over me?" Ayame asked in disbelief and rage.
Hakkaku looked at the two of them sadly. "I do not know many hanyous. But I do know that they are powerful. They have the strength of a youkai and the passion of a human. The combination is nearly unstoppable. I support my leader." He then took off after said leader at a markedly slower pace than Kouga.
Ginta shook his head. Then thought about what his two best friends had said. He realized that perhaps he was being judgmental. Kagome was everything one could ask for of the pact mother. Suddenly he smiled. He would make up his doubtful mind by accepting Kagome-neesan.
Suddenly Ayame found herself all alone, watching the dirt fly in the air as the three male wolves vanished.
##################
"This is so unrealistic." Inuyasha whispered in Kagome's ear as they watched a Samurai movie at the theater. He was sitting on her right along with Sango and Miroku and Eri and Hojo were on her left side.
"Shh!!!" Kagome hissed. Inuyasha had been talking almost the whole movie and it was hard to follow the story line.
"But that is completely fake." Inuyasha continued in an even softer voice leaning closer to his 'girlfriend's ear.
"Like you would know, you don't even have a sword." Kagome replied growing annoyed with his knowledge in everything regarding Samurai fighting skills.
"Hey! Just because."He started in a loud voice until Kagome's hand clamped over his mouth preventing further words to escape. So he did what any 'boyfriend' would do and he licked her palm.
She quickly withdrew her hand giving him a disgusted look as she wiped her palm on her jeans leg. He smirked at his success, but decided to watch the movie.
However, Kagome still couldn't enjoy the movie very well because a certain monk kept inching his hand towards a certain demon slayers leg.
Kagome sighed in frustration and told Sango to trade her seats.
"No way!" Inuyasha hissed as he firmly gripped her forearm preventing the exchange of seats to take place. "No way are you sitting beside that monk."
"But think of Sango, she shouldn't have to suffer." Kagome replied.
"I'll sit beside Miroku, YOU sit beside me, and then Sango can sit between you and Eri." Inuyasha replied happy with the arrangement.
"Fine." Kagome agreed and Sango quickly rose from her seat and changed seats. Miroku sighed in disappointment and cast his 'friend' the inu- hanyou a look of bitterness but then contented himself in enjoying the movie.