Day Two; Hiking, Swimming, Peek-a-boo




~ The rain didn't stop. It just kept pouring; the thunder never failed to take its chance at being heard. You never slept... Everyone else got their rest, though. Looking out the window, you see the sun slowly rising, bright as can be. All you want is sleep. Your friends won't let you have any of it. Twenty-four hours awake, huh? Well, at least your clairvoyaint sense isn't dampered by the lack of true rest. It seems that your friend, the one that missed seeing that hideous, skinless Relic-Behemoth, got a little closer with 'the stranger with a glint'- oh, wait! He has a new nickname now. 'Wimpy wolf'. Either that or she knew something you didn't; she was as happy as a humming bird- and as hyper as one, too. She is the most presistant of all when it comes to pestering your sleep deprived mind. 'Get up!' 'Hurry up!' 'Breakfast's done!' On and on it went. Then it stopped, yet it wasn't to give you rest, but to start arguing about what was going to happen. Your other friend wanted to go shopping, the guys groaned, while 'naive'-yes, the perfect nick!- simply told her no, all of them shouting! You were never going to get any sleep! Then the pestering started again. Now it was everyone yelling at you........ Except for 'whimpy wolf', that is. Two of them wanted you up from excitement, wanting the day to finally begin-like they couldn't go without you- and the others because they wanted it over and done with. You couldn't care less. But........ You want the day to be over too, don't you? Get up!~

I groaned, rolling over in my makeshift bed and pulling the covers over my head. Everyone had finally left the room, leaving me alone for sleep. Well, they weren't exactly that considerate when it came down to my feelings. I could here everything that was being said. Hmmm.... Arguing about the day's plans again...

"Kagome-chan?" Sango called from the kitchen which was currently occupied by the cabin's guest, save for me. "Are you going to eat? It's getting cold- chotto! Stop that! You're not leaving any for us!"

"So?" Came Inuyasha's arragant voice. I swear I could hear Sango's glare. Yikes!

"I'm coming," I grumbled slowly standing up, working out the kinks in my back. I thought couches were supposed to be comfortable. Boy was I ever wrong!

I walked into the kitchen yawning. Ayame was currently washing the pans that Sango had cooked in and burned. Sango was washing off the counters where she'd spilled some unnamable substance that looked suspiciously like a black blob. She wasn't the best of cooks, but by the way the guys were eating, someone sure would think she was. I was surprised no one had choked. They weren't even chewing! My stomach growled.

"Chotto! Stop!" I yelled, slamming my fist down on the table with the last of yesterday's strength. I was completely drained as I went on. "You aren't leaving any for us."

Inuyasha began eating faster, Kouga slowed his pace, and Miroku stopped completely. Miroku rose from his seat, apologized, and left. Sango took his spot, grabbing a clean plate. Inuyasha ate even faster. My energy was returning rapidly as I watched him.

"You pig!" I screached as I pulled yet another lock of his hair. 'Wow it's soft! Why hadn't I noticed before?' I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.

"Ite! Ite! IteiteiteiteITE! Let go!" He shook his head, trying desperately to ease my grip, if not release it.

"You could at least slow down. You'll give yourself a stomach ache!" I said, then paused. 'Why the hell did I just say that? It must be the hair...' "Not that I care, but leave some for us!"

He snorted and looked away. I let go of that oh-so-soft hair and took my place in Kouga's seat as the man left. My energy draining away again, I rested my head on my hands and my elbows on the table. Inuyasha stood and followed his co-worker.

"I thought you were hungy," I sneered.

"Lost my appetite," he grumbled.

Ayame took the now empty seat and began to eat the remaining scraps of food. The band had demolished the meal. I sighed as I began picking at the leftovers. A few minutes of silence passed.

"What are we doing today?" Sango asked.

Ayame smiled. "Well, today we are... Hiking!" she cheered.

"You're joking," Sango cried. "But-but-but..... What about shopping?"

"That will be for tomorrow."

Inuyasha groaned. He'd come in to get a drink. 'Oh, yippee... shopping,' I sighed again.

"Today we are hiking, tomorrow we shop, next is......... A SURPRISE!" She giggled. "Only I know.... And Sesshomaru, naturally."

"When'd you talk to him?" Inuyasha asked, having a sudden interest in the conversation.

"At the hotel, after the concert," she said, with a thoughtful look. "Plus, he left a note in your bedroom. Didn't you read it?"

"You read that!?"

"Of course," she said, still smiling. "Didn't you?"

"Hai, but it was for me!" He screamed.

"Aya-chan!" Sango yelled disbeleivingly.

"You shouldn't leave things like that lying around with avid fangirls nearby. You ought to know we'd read it. Good gossip material, ne?"

I glared. 'She better not be including me in it!'

"It doesn't matter, though. All it said was 'be nice or live through hell'. Not really all that interesting. Anyway," she sighed, turning her attention back to Sango, "It said that we are hiking today and it gives a map- hand drawn, but really percise- with a list of possible things to do and what we should take."

"So?" Sango interrogated Ayame as Inuyasha left the room grumbling.

"Did you know there are hot springs around here?"

"Honto? Sugoi! Can we go?"

"Hai, but not before we have a lunch, okay?" Ayame asked.

Sango frowned. Nodding, she stood up and proceeded to clear the table. "Lets get going!"

I sighed as my head fell to the now clean table. A few seconds later I was fast asleep on the kitchen floor. If only it lasted longer than the three seconds it did...

******


It was about noon before we stopped. Ayame had played the role of leader, pulling us along. She had brought us to a beautiful hilltop clearing. Rays of golden sunlight beamed down as we sprawled out on the ground, already having become tired. I had been the whole time, but that's beside the point.

Miroku set down the basket he'd carried and Ayame placed the blanket on the ground, humming. Sango sighed, sitting up.

"What's for lunch?" I asked. My stomach was growling again. Inuyasha's followed suit, as did Miroku's.

"Pigs," Sango huffed."Sandwiches, apples, um.... I think there's a few peaches- or maybe it was pears.... Don't remember," she mumbled as she watched a bird fly past, chirping.

"Keh! As long as it's edible, I don't care," Inuyasha said, rubbing his hands together while approching the basket.

"Anythings edible to you," I stated, grabbing the basket as he reached for it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, glarring at me.

"You ate Sango-chan's food," I said as I searched the basket for some fruit. Apples and Pears.... And Peaches. Imagine that!

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?" Sango asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No offence, Sango-chan, but we both know you can't cook without scorching the food. I don't even think any of the pans you've used lasted much longer afterwards," I replied nonchalantly, pulling out a peach. Inuyasha made a grab for the basket and I pulled it a way, smirking.

"Oi! Give it to me!" He shouted.

"Iie. You'll eat it all."

"I will not!"

"You will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will-"

"STOP!" Sango screamed. "You two are acting like childr-" She stopped and her brows twitched. "HENTAI!" She yelled, spinning around with her fist raised to strike the man that had run for his life. Sango gave chase, picking up a fallen branch on her way. A branch, not a stick, not a twig, a BRANCH. As in half the tree type of branch. Sango never slowed down, not even with the extra weight. I knew she was strong, but......... Wow......

Miroku ran faster. I think he actually beat Kouga. Sango wasn't far behind, though.

***THWACK!***


"Itai!" Miroku yelped before he slipped into unconciousness.

Kouga winced as his friend hit the ground. "That's gotta hurt."

I sighed and turned my attention back to my food. "Ah, what happened?!" I cried as I realized that I no longer possessed the basket and that half its contents were on the ground while Inuyasha licked his fingers. "Oh Kami- sama! How-" I stopped. "Inuyasha," I said through gritted teeth.

"Nani?" He edged slowly away.

"What is your problem? Are you ever full or is your appetite never satisfied?" I said rolling my eyes. "What about the others?"

"Keh! There's enough for them," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"You're so inconsiderate."

"You're annoying."

"You're mean."

"Hai, so?" he snorted. "You're sloppy."

"Look who's talking, pig."

"I am not a pig," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his already glarring eyes.

"Are too," I said, mimiking his pose.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too, you jerk!"

"Am not, you bitch!"

"Baka!"

"Keh! Whatever, wench," he said, laying down, yawning.

"Na-NANI!?" I sputtered indignately. "I thought we had a deal!"

"And that means what to me?"

That was it! I stood up, dusting myself off. Walking over to the singer, I glared daggers-one's that could cut to the soul if given a true form- and kicked him hard in the side.

"Itai!"

"Oh, shut up!" I hissed. "You diserved that, so I don't want to here any whining! Iie," I said with a thoughtful expression, "I WON'T here anything, or you'll be feeling a lot worse, got it?"

"Keh!" He snorted, standing up. He walked over to his collapsed friend. "Oi! I think you killed him..."

******


The forest really was beautiful. I'd always loved nature, which was another thing I had forgotten when I locked away my memories. My dad had loved to take a walk in the woods. I remember trying to catch a chipmunk once and falling, cutting my knee open. He'd carried me back to the cabin we'd rented and cleaned the wound. A few minutes later we were back outside, in the woods, chasing some chipmunks together. This time dad fell, but he was okay. He just layed there and laughed, watching the beams of sunlight glitter through the tree tops.

"Watch out, Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled.

I stopped as I came back to the present. I had been walking straight toward a cliff. Not a tall one, but still a cliff. I was standing on the edge, trying to keep my balance.

"You gonna fall or not?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. "Come on!"

"I would if I could," I hissed.

"I don't see anything holding you back," He replied. He smirked. "Sound familiar?"

I tryied to twist around and glare, but I lost my footing. It wasn't a movie-like expirience, though. Time never slowed down, it just kept going. Good thing someone had fast reflexes.

Inuyasha tossed the still unconscience Miroku to the ground, as he grabbed my arm, pulling me out of mid air as I tumbled backward. His arm flew around my waist as he pulled me to safty. Spinning me around, so that I was away from the cliff, he set me on my feet and let go.

"Stupid girl," he grumbled as he hoisted houshi over his shoulder.

My knees gave away as the actual fear I should have had came in an intense wave. Wow, that was slow! My heart took a while to calm enough for me to take deep breaths. Finally, it was over, except for the shaking of my hands.

"Chotto!" Ayame squeeled in delight. "There's a hot spring nearby!"

"Let's go," Sango cheered.

And off we went. Sango helped me walk for a while, before I got over the ordeal. The spring was kind of small, but it was nice. Inuyasha and Kouga passed up the oppurtunity, which pleased me. Sango told them to keep Miroku away as we swam, they said they would. They stayed away, also- far enough that we could talk without them hearing. So, it was just Ayame, Sango and myself.

"What are those for?" Ayame asked Sango as she slid into the spring.

"These?" Sango asked, holding up a few good-sized rocks. Ayame nodded. Sango grinned. "For houshi."

"Nani?" Ayame chocked in surprise. Sango shrugged it off and sighed.

"So, Aya-chan," I began as I slipped into the water. It was so sooothing. I didn't feel like swimming much; just relaxing. "What did you do last night, during the movie?"

"Nothing really. I found that letter and went to sleep," she said, closing her eyes and leaning against a boulder.

"So.... You didn't check up on Kouga?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as my friend blushed.

"Iie!" She huffed.

"What did you talk about?" Sango asked.

"Nothing!"

"So you did talk to him," I said and smiled. "Arigato, Aya-chan. Maybe now he'll leave me alone."

"I wouldn't count on that..."

"Nani?" I was a bit taken aback. He hadn't so much as looked at me today.

"He only talked about you," she sighed. "He kept asking about you, too."

"What did he ask about?" Sango implored grinning. 'Glad you're having fun,' I thought dryly.

"What Kagome-chan likes, doesn't like, and loves.... Hmmmm..... Yup! That about sums it up."

"And?"

"I told him," she said, sighing again.

"NA-NANI!!?!?!?!! You. Did. What?" I screeched. 'She didn't, she wouldn't, she- how could she do that to me?'

"He wouldn't listen to be when I said you didn't like him," she explained. "He kept saying you were lying to us and that you just didn't know your own feelings, or something like that. So, I told him."

"Did you tell him that you liked him?" Sango asked.

"Iie, but I agreed to help him get a date with Kagome-chan."

"NANI!?!" I screamed as I lunged toward the unconserned, naive, back- stabbing friend of mine.

Sango grabbed me by my hair. "Ite, ite, ITE! Let go of my hair!" Now I knew what it felt like; I didn't like it. 'Maybe I should be more considerate when I pull Inuyasha's hair..... Nah!'

"Calm down, Kagome-chan. Aya-chan wouldn't agree to such a thing unless she had a trick up her sleeve. You ought to know that by now!"

"LET GO!" I cried and plunged head first into the water as she let go. I bolted up, coughing out the water that had suddenly entered my lungs. Even with my blurred vision, I could see a figure out in the bushes, some feet behind Sango. Still coughing, I raised my arm and pointed. Sango looked and squeeled, throwing the largest rock she had and hit him right between the eyes.

"What is his problem!?" she huffed, glaring at the water.

"Sango-chan?" I knew I was treading on thin ice, but my curiousity always over came fear. I was hesitant though. This could mean my death. "You..... Do you like him?"

"Iie!" She screamed, narrowing her eyes.

"You seem to get jealous a lot when he's with someone else," I said.

"I do not!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down."A few minutes of silence pasted. Ayame began humming and Sango began swimming lazily. I was content to just sit there. Ayame stopped.

"Kagome-chan?" She called to my genlte drifting mind.

"Hmmm?"

"It seems like you fight with Inuyasha almost every time you see him. I mean... When we just met the group, you two started arguing," she said thoughtfully.

"So? Sango and Miroku fought, too," I said. I was aggravated. Finally able to talk about anything and I wind up talking about the only person I wanted to forget.

"Yeah, but that was kind of inevidalbe. I don't think Sango would let anyone do that. Plus, he didn't argue back. You two just fought, for no reason......"

"Yeah, why is that?" Sango asked, coming to rest beside me. "You are always fighting about one thing or another."

"I.... I don't know.... It's probably because, subconsciencely, whenever I talk to him, I remember what happened when we first met...."

"You knew him before then!?" Sango and Ayame asked excitedly.

"Nani?" It took me a while to understand. "Oh! Iie, I meant at the concert!"

"Oh...."

"What happened?" Ayame continued the interrigation.

"Well..... First he bumbs into me, then he yells at me....." I generously left out the fact that he said Kikyo had lived with him and ruined his life. I said she had been a friend that cleared his checking account.... I don't know why, but....(A/N: Ooh! Oh! I do! Pick me, pick me! I know why! ^_^Sorry..... On with the story!) "He just said 'oh', and walked away!"

Sango gave me a blank stare. "That's all?" I nodded. "I thought there'd be more.... You know... His friend is really getting on my nerves," she said, her voice raising with each word. She threw a rock at the bushes. "HENTAI!" She smiled with satisfaction as she heard the rock connect with a skull and a yelp followed by a thud as Miroku's body feel to the ground, unconscience again.

"Will he ever learn?" Ayame asked, shaking her head back and forth with pity.

"Iie..."

We all sighed. So much for a pervert free swim.

'Better get ready for tomorrow,' I thought. 'Shopping......... I wonder if I can just stay at the cabin.'

Yeah......... DREAM ON!