A/N: Hey all! I'm sorry this took so long to get up. My beta reader...*glares
at tuski* took a long time to check this one. But I have it, and now that
its all good, it is here for your reading pleasure! But, even though you
will be SO absorbed in reading it, don't forget to send me a review at the
end!
Disclaimer: Me: Today's victim, erm, guest, at the request of my good friend Fufu, is Shippo! Come on, Shippo! Shippo: (shuffles into view) Me: *whispers* Now, tell them what we rehearsed. Shippo: *clears throat* Akina Kumi-tami does, in fact, own all of the Inuyasha characters. We were doing some research, and found that far back on the family tree, she is distantly related to the author Mrs. Takahashi herself! Me: *nudges* Shippo: Oh, yeah, and she is the greatest author on fanfiction.net and everyone should read her stories. And tuski's and fufulupin's too because they're good too! And then everyone needs to send tons of reviews because if she gets enough reviews she will be able to rule the world with her supreme authoress powers and— Inuyasha: (running at full speed towards me and little kitsune) HEY! SHIPPO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Me: Um, here Shippo. *hands really big ice cream cone* You did good. Don't tell everyone else you did this, okay? Shippo: Okay! (skips happily away with ice cream as Inuyasha comes to a halt in front of me) Inuyasha: *pant pant* What was he doing here? *suspicious glare* Me: *innocently* Nothing... Inuyasha: ....are you sure?... Hey... YOU weren't getting him to tell everyone you owned us, did you? Me: *clears throat nervously* Inuyasha: You were! WAIT EVERYONE SHE DOESN'T OWN U— Me: *quickly covers his mouth* Heh, well just ignore him and enjoy the story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome glanced anxiously between the two boys. Inuyasha had a look to kill. Literally. Hojo, on the other hand, smiled his charming smile and waved cheerfully.
"I'm not sure we've met. My name's Hojo. It's a pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand to Inuyasha for a handshake.
The grumpy hanyou glared directly at Hojo, not bothering to acknowledge the friendly gesture. "The pleasure's all mine," he growled back.
Kagome jumped into the conversation. "Hojo, this is Inuyasha. He's my—"
"Date," Inuyasha cut in, hugging Kagome closer to him. She laughed nervously.
"Inuyasha?" Hojo pondered for a moment. "Kagome's never really mentioned you before."
"Funny, I've heard so much about you." He stole a quick glance down at Kagome, who was frozen in dread.
"So, Kagome," Hojo continued, "Are you having any fun?"
"Oh, yeah, loads," she replied with a forced smile.
"Well, I hope you'll do me the honor of sharing a dance with me later." Hojo grinned shyly.
This guy can't be serious, Inuyasha thought. "Hey! I thought I told you Kagome was my date!"
"Sorry, I just thought you wouldn't mind." He waved and began to walk away. "I'll be seeing you later, Kagome! Nice to meet you, Inuyasha!"
They both stared disbelievingly after him.
What part of date doesn't he understand? He's obviously confused. What can I do that will help him to...understand better? Inuyasha thought with an evil grin.
Seeing the malicious glint in his eye, Kagome reeled back in fear. She grabbed his arm and tugged down hard, bringing him out of his not-so- pleasant thoughts.
"Why don't we go and dance?" she suggested eagerly, pulling him along back towards the crowded gymnasium. Not wanting to become part or another dancing episode like before, he reluctantly followed.
The large room was warmer than it had been when they left. Kids that had grown tired lined the walls drinking and laughing with each other. Those who were still braving the dance floor were red and sweaty, but never the less looked like they were having a blast.
The DJ's voice came over the speaker as he switched the tunes. "Hey, everybody still having fun?" A loud cheer answered him from the audience. "Alright! Before we go back to the regular music we're gonna go back a- ways, back to the oldies. You guys good with that?" Another excited loud cheer. "Alright! I'm gonna play some of those favorite tunes from the good ol' days, and then later we'll have a dance contest for all those who want to participate. For now, just get in the groove!" He ended his speech with the push of a button and his voice was replaced with "Love Shack." Kids pilled onto the dance floor from their spots on the walls.
Kagome looked up to try and read Inuyasha's expression, but he seemed to be calm and emotionless. She sighed. "You think you want to dance?" she tried.
He smiled down at her and said simply, "Let's watch first."
After a few oldies songs the couple found them selves leaning closer to each other, enjoying the simplicity of just standing back and watching. But Kagome soon grew restless, and she could tell that Inuyasha was fidgety. It never was easy to keep him in one spot at once.
The DJ came back on the loud speaker just as the last song came to a close and the dancers clapped. "Okay, now who's up for a dance contest?" The kids cheered wildly. With a laugh the DJ continued. "Alright, this is for couples. All couples, if you want to participate in the dance contest, please come to the center of the gym. Couples only! Everyone else, make a circle around them." The group did as they were told, the crowd forming a circle around the center while another bunch began to fill it in.
Kagome looked hopefully up at Inuyasha, who groaned. "No. No way. You already know I can't dance."
"Not from what I've seen," she countered, moving towards the dance floor and pulling on his sleeve for him to follow.
Inuyasha yanked himself out of Kagome grip and feh'd. "No. No. No. No. No!" he shouted when Kagome gave him her sad puppy-dog face.
Not willing to give up, Kagome took the bat and walked up to the plate. "Okay." The pitch. "Won't you do it for me?" And the swing.
"No." Strike one.
Next pitch. "Just this once?" She swings...
"Not a chance." Strike two.
The last pitch. Kagome crossed her arms and smirked, taking the final swing. "Oh, I get it. You're just chicken." Home run.
Inuyasha glared at her, his pride on the line now. "No, I'm not a chicken," he spat, "I just don't dance."
Kagome flapped her arms like a bird and clucked. "Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Chicken!"
Growling, Inuyasha pushed him self from the wall, grabbed Kagome's wrist, and pulled her towards the circle of dancers. "Chicken... Feh, I'll show you who's chicken," he mumbled as they pushed through the crowd.
As the two reached the center of the circle, the DJ continued. "Do we have everyone? Good. Okay, so you guys know the general rules. I'll play a song, you guys will do what you do, and then we'll see who gets the most support from the audience. That couple will win the grand prize. Is everyone ready?" Turning off his mike, the DJ put on a fast paced swing song. The participants looked around confused, and then just began to dance with each other like they normally would. Kagome and Inuyasha, on the other hand, just stared at each other.
"Please tell me you know how to swing dance," she whispered to him, taking his hands and just moving around a bit to buy them time to come up with something.
Inuyasha thought frantically. Who does she think I am? I have no clue what swing dancing is... A picture flashed through his mind from something he saw on the TV back at Kagome's house. It was this couple dancing, and the guy was throwing the girl in the air and catching her and performing all these other strange tricks and moves. He even remembered the title for what they were doing, "Swing, Baby, Swing." That must be what they're all talking about. I remember the music was just like this, too. We'll just have to give it a shot.
He changed the grip he had on Kagome's hand. She looked at him confused, as he bent over as hissed, "Follow my lead." Then he twirled her around and began to dance.
Now, if you have ever seen a swing dance before, you kind of know the moves they like to use. Tossing the girl into the air and catching her; sliding her between the guy's legs and then pulling her back up; swinging her from side to side and then putting her back down; swinging her over the guys back; You know, those kind of moves. Well, if you know what I'm talking about, then you can imagine this entire dance for your self.
Surprisingly enough, Inuyasha did great, and Kagome, who had no clue how to swing dance in the first place, just allowed herself to be tossed and spun and swung in what ever way Inuyasha directed. In fact, they were having so much fun and were so absorbed in their dancing that they didn't realize that most of the other couples had cleared out of the center and were dancing on the out-skirts of the circle, leaving the spotlight on Inuyasha and Kagome.
When the song came to a close, Inuyasha completed the dance by dipping Kagome low to the ground. To Kagome, Inuyasha looked incredibly heroic, standing there while this eerie light from the stage shined around him and gave him this really interesting glowing appearance, while he smirked in a satisfied 'told-you-so' sort of way. To Inuyasha, Kagome looked downright pretty, her hair falling out of place from the dancing, but looking out of breath, surprised, and happy all at the same time, and that light from the stage shined down on her like rays of the sun. The two remained lost in each other's gaze like this until the thunderous applause from the other competitors and audience members brought them back to reality.
Inuyasha easily pulled Kagome to her upright position and smiled at her surprised expression. "Bet you didn't know I could do that," he mused.
She tilted her head to one side and tapped her chin thoughtfully, still staring at Inuyasha. "A moment ago, you said you couldn't dance, but suddenly you're swing dancing like an old pro. Why is that?"
He opened his mouth to explain how the television had showed him how, but thought better of it and crossed his arms stubbornly. "It just came...naturally," he said stupidly.
Kagome was about to respond to the comment when they were cut off by the forgotten DJ, who was now carrying a microphone and moving through the ring of spectators.
"Well, that was fun. Now can I have the participating couples please make a line here." He herded all the dancers into a line that extended across the floor in front of the stage. Everyone else parted and formed a sort of semi circle around the jittery couples. The DJ got back on the stage and began to pace back and forth. "Okay, so here's how it works. I'm going to stand behind each couple, starting at one end and moving down the line, and I want all you guys out there to cheer, clap, make as much noise as possible for whoever they think should win. The couple who gets the loudest response are the winners. Everyone got it?" He was answered with a chorus of "Yeah," and "Alright!"
He began at the one end and stood behind the couple from his place on stage, waving his hand in the air. The audience responded with applause and little shouts of approval from a few friends. That's how it went for the majority of the line of kids, until he reached Inuyasha and Kagome of course. As soon as the DJ put one foot behind the two, the crowd went wild with whoops and cheers, hopping up and down and clapping madly. Kagome blushed and laughed at the sudden burst of enthusiasm, while Inuyasha just basked in the glory of yet another win.
With a chuckle, he DJ finished off the line, but it was apparent who the winners were. "I think this one's a given!" he called, coming to stand behind Inuyasha and Kagome once again. "You two! Come on up here!" They obeyed, accompanied by the support of the audience.
When they were in position, the DJ casually walked to them. "So, tell everyone your names." He stuck the microphone in Kagome's face, then Inuyasha's, each clearly stating their name. He recoiled the microphone. "So, Kagome and Inuyasha, why don't I tell you what you've won." He went behind the DJ stand and came out with two envelopes. Holding them out for Inuyasha and Kagome to take, he explained, "You two have won coupons to the infamous Mariumi Ice Cream Parlor, AND a ticket to go out in the hall and get your picture taken for free!" Starting up the music again, he concluded, "Okay, you guys clear the stage and go back and dance."
Kagome opened her envelope and pulled out the ticket for the free picture. "I completely forgot! We had hired professional photographer to come and set up so that people could get nice photos if they were a couple. It's a really pretty backdrop. I helped choose it!" She took Inuyasha by the hand and led him down the hallway, where they came across the hired photographer.
The backdrop resembled the ivy-covered balcony of a castle, looking out over a deep forest, and accompanied by a night sky and full moon. The floor was covered with a gray sheet of fabric to resemble stone.
When approached, Kagome offered her ticket and Inuyasha's, and the photographer began to show them how to pose.
"Okay I need the man to stand here like this—yeah, you got it—angle this way just a little. Perfect. Now then if the lady would stand right here just slightly in front of him. Good. Now, give her a hug, just a little one. There, just like that, and then you can put your hands over his. Here, overlapping like this. There, perfect. Now just look right into the camera lens and smile."
Before either of them could blink, they were met with a blinding flash. Inuyasha rubbed his eyes and nearly swore. He would be seeing spots for a long time after this.
Apparently satisfied with the turnout of the picture, the photographer handed a business card to them. "Your picture will arrive in the mail in a few days. If you ever need any pictures taken, just call Tama Photography."
Kagome accepted the card, while Inuyasha just rubbed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to clear the white splotches from his line of vision.
"I'll be seeing spots for weeks," he complained as the two moved down the hall back towards the dance. "How can I possibly fight demons when I can't see them?"
"You'll be able to see just fine in a minute or two," Kagome said. She stopped them in front of the door to the dance area, leaning into Inuyasha and sighing.
"What's up?" he asked, hugging her and then pulling back a bit to see her better.
"It's too loud in there," she said smiling. "Let's take a break form dancing and rest out here for a bit."
Inuyasha was more than relieved to hear this, and gladly moved to escort her towards a nearby bench where they could sit, but at that precise moment, when he happened to look up and get a clear view of the area behind Kagome's head, he saw a frantic Maeko running towards him.
At the exact same time that Inuyasha spotted Maeko, Kagome looked around his broad shoulders to find Hojo waving merrily and running towards them.
They gasped in unison, and then hand-in-hand ducked into the doorway leading to the darkened dance floor. Neither had any idea who the other was running from, but both seemed awfully glad to get out of the hallway.
"Maybe we should just stay in here," Kagome added nervously, glancing towards the door as Hojo walked in.
Inuyasha nodded, watching a different door that Maeko was coming through at that time.
Now what...? they both thought with a groan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Wow! All done with that! Only one chapter left to go... T_T but I KNOW that everyone who read this WILL review because if I get enough reviews, then, AND ONLY THEN, will I put up the final chapter!
OOOOhhhhhh and before I forget! I helped to write this one fanfiction with my good buddy tuski. It's called Conversations Concerning'That' and I'm not sure if it'll show up on here as a link but it is on my comp so just click I guess...and if its not a link copy, paste, and go into search and find it OR you can just go under tuski's name and find it in her bio. I supplied some ideas for it, and she put it into words better than I ever would have! Go check it out! And REVIEW PLEASE!!!
Disclaimer: Me: Today's victim, erm, guest, at the request of my good friend Fufu, is Shippo! Come on, Shippo! Shippo: (shuffles into view) Me: *whispers* Now, tell them what we rehearsed. Shippo: *clears throat* Akina Kumi-tami does, in fact, own all of the Inuyasha characters. We were doing some research, and found that far back on the family tree, she is distantly related to the author Mrs. Takahashi herself! Me: *nudges* Shippo: Oh, yeah, and she is the greatest author on fanfiction.net and everyone should read her stories. And tuski's and fufulupin's too because they're good too! And then everyone needs to send tons of reviews because if she gets enough reviews she will be able to rule the world with her supreme authoress powers and— Inuyasha: (running at full speed towards me and little kitsune) HEY! SHIPPO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Me: Um, here Shippo. *hands really big ice cream cone* You did good. Don't tell everyone else you did this, okay? Shippo: Okay! (skips happily away with ice cream as Inuyasha comes to a halt in front of me) Inuyasha: *pant pant* What was he doing here? *suspicious glare* Me: *innocently* Nothing... Inuyasha: ....are you sure?... Hey... YOU weren't getting him to tell everyone you owned us, did you? Me: *clears throat nervously* Inuyasha: You were! WAIT EVERYONE SHE DOESN'T OWN U— Me: *quickly covers his mouth* Heh, well just ignore him and enjoy the story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome glanced anxiously between the two boys. Inuyasha had a look to kill. Literally. Hojo, on the other hand, smiled his charming smile and waved cheerfully.
"I'm not sure we've met. My name's Hojo. It's a pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand to Inuyasha for a handshake.
The grumpy hanyou glared directly at Hojo, not bothering to acknowledge the friendly gesture. "The pleasure's all mine," he growled back.
Kagome jumped into the conversation. "Hojo, this is Inuyasha. He's my—"
"Date," Inuyasha cut in, hugging Kagome closer to him. She laughed nervously.
"Inuyasha?" Hojo pondered for a moment. "Kagome's never really mentioned you before."
"Funny, I've heard so much about you." He stole a quick glance down at Kagome, who was frozen in dread.
"So, Kagome," Hojo continued, "Are you having any fun?"
"Oh, yeah, loads," she replied with a forced smile.
"Well, I hope you'll do me the honor of sharing a dance with me later." Hojo grinned shyly.
This guy can't be serious, Inuyasha thought. "Hey! I thought I told you Kagome was my date!"
"Sorry, I just thought you wouldn't mind." He waved and began to walk away. "I'll be seeing you later, Kagome! Nice to meet you, Inuyasha!"
They both stared disbelievingly after him.
What part of date doesn't he understand? He's obviously confused. What can I do that will help him to...understand better? Inuyasha thought with an evil grin.
Seeing the malicious glint in his eye, Kagome reeled back in fear. She grabbed his arm and tugged down hard, bringing him out of his not-so- pleasant thoughts.
"Why don't we go and dance?" she suggested eagerly, pulling him along back towards the crowded gymnasium. Not wanting to become part or another dancing episode like before, he reluctantly followed.
The large room was warmer than it had been when they left. Kids that had grown tired lined the walls drinking and laughing with each other. Those who were still braving the dance floor were red and sweaty, but never the less looked like they were having a blast.
The DJ's voice came over the speaker as he switched the tunes. "Hey, everybody still having fun?" A loud cheer answered him from the audience. "Alright! Before we go back to the regular music we're gonna go back a- ways, back to the oldies. You guys good with that?" Another excited loud cheer. "Alright! I'm gonna play some of those favorite tunes from the good ol' days, and then later we'll have a dance contest for all those who want to participate. For now, just get in the groove!" He ended his speech with the push of a button and his voice was replaced with "Love Shack." Kids pilled onto the dance floor from their spots on the walls.
Kagome looked up to try and read Inuyasha's expression, but he seemed to be calm and emotionless. She sighed. "You think you want to dance?" she tried.
He smiled down at her and said simply, "Let's watch first."
After a few oldies songs the couple found them selves leaning closer to each other, enjoying the simplicity of just standing back and watching. But Kagome soon grew restless, and she could tell that Inuyasha was fidgety. It never was easy to keep him in one spot at once.
The DJ came back on the loud speaker just as the last song came to a close and the dancers clapped. "Okay, now who's up for a dance contest?" The kids cheered wildly. With a laugh the DJ continued. "Alright, this is for couples. All couples, if you want to participate in the dance contest, please come to the center of the gym. Couples only! Everyone else, make a circle around them." The group did as they were told, the crowd forming a circle around the center while another bunch began to fill it in.
Kagome looked hopefully up at Inuyasha, who groaned. "No. No way. You already know I can't dance."
"Not from what I've seen," she countered, moving towards the dance floor and pulling on his sleeve for him to follow.
Inuyasha yanked himself out of Kagome grip and feh'd. "No. No. No. No. No!" he shouted when Kagome gave him her sad puppy-dog face.
Not willing to give up, Kagome took the bat and walked up to the plate. "Okay." The pitch. "Won't you do it for me?" And the swing.
"No." Strike one.
Next pitch. "Just this once?" She swings...
"Not a chance." Strike two.
The last pitch. Kagome crossed her arms and smirked, taking the final swing. "Oh, I get it. You're just chicken." Home run.
Inuyasha glared at her, his pride on the line now. "No, I'm not a chicken," he spat, "I just don't dance."
Kagome flapped her arms like a bird and clucked. "Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Chicken!"
Growling, Inuyasha pushed him self from the wall, grabbed Kagome's wrist, and pulled her towards the circle of dancers. "Chicken... Feh, I'll show you who's chicken," he mumbled as they pushed through the crowd.
As the two reached the center of the circle, the DJ continued. "Do we have everyone? Good. Okay, so you guys know the general rules. I'll play a song, you guys will do what you do, and then we'll see who gets the most support from the audience. That couple will win the grand prize. Is everyone ready?" Turning off his mike, the DJ put on a fast paced swing song. The participants looked around confused, and then just began to dance with each other like they normally would. Kagome and Inuyasha, on the other hand, just stared at each other.
"Please tell me you know how to swing dance," she whispered to him, taking his hands and just moving around a bit to buy them time to come up with something.
Inuyasha thought frantically. Who does she think I am? I have no clue what swing dancing is... A picture flashed through his mind from something he saw on the TV back at Kagome's house. It was this couple dancing, and the guy was throwing the girl in the air and catching her and performing all these other strange tricks and moves. He even remembered the title for what they were doing, "Swing, Baby, Swing." That must be what they're all talking about. I remember the music was just like this, too. We'll just have to give it a shot.
He changed the grip he had on Kagome's hand. She looked at him confused, as he bent over as hissed, "Follow my lead." Then he twirled her around and began to dance.
Now, if you have ever seen a swing dance before, you kind of know the moves they like to use. Tossing the girl into the air and catching her; sliding her between the guy's legs and then pulling her back up; swinging her from side to side and then putting her back down; swinging her over the guys back; You know, those kind of moves. Well, if you know what I'm talking about, then you can imagine this entire dance for your self.
Surprisingly enough, Inuyasha did great, and Kagome, who had no clue how to swing dance in the first place, just allowed herself to be tossed and spun and swung in what ever way Inuyasha directed. In fact, they were having so much fun and were so absorbed in their dancing that they didn't realize that most of the other couples had cleared out of the center and were dancing on the out-skirts of the circle, leaving the spotlight on Inuyasha and Kagome.
When the song came to a close, Inuyasha completed the dance by dipping Kagome low to the ground. To Kagome, Inuyasha looked incredibly heroic, standing there while this eerie light from the stage shined around him and gave him this really interesting glowing appearance, while he smirked in a satisfied 'told-you-so' sort of way. To Inuyasha, Kagome looked downright pretty, her hair falling out of place from the dancing, but looking out of breath, surprised, and happy all at the same time, and that light from the stage shined down on her like rays of the sun. The two remained lost in each other's gaze like this until the thunderous applause from the other competitors and audience members brought them back to reality.
Inuyasha easily pulled Kagome to her upright position and smiled at her surprised expression. "Bet you didn't know I could do that," he mused.
She tilted her head to one side and tapped her chin thoughtfully, still staring at Inuyasha. "A moment ago, you said you couldn't dance, but suddenly you're swing dancing like an old pro. Why is that?"
He opened his mouth to explain how the television had showed him how, but thought better of it and crossed his arms stubbornly. "It just came...naturally," he said stupidly.
Kagome was about to respond to the comment when they were cut off by the forgotten DJ, who was now carrying a microphone and moving through the ring of spectators.
"Well, that was fun. Now can I have the participating couples please make a line here." He herded all the dancers into a line that extended across the floor in front of the stage. Everyone else parted and formed a sort of semi circle around the jittery couples. The DJ got back on the stage and began to pace back and forth. "Okay, so here's how it works. I'm going to stand behind each couple, starting at one end and moving down the line, and I want all you guys out there to cheer, clap, make as much noise as possible for whoever they think should win. The couple who gets the loudest response are the winners. Everyone got it?" He was answered with a chorus of "Yeah," and "Alright!"
He began at the one end and stood behind the couple from his place on stage, waving his hand in the air. The audience responded with applause and little shouts of approval from a few friends. That's how it went for the majority of the line of kids, until he reached Inuyasha and Kagome of course. As soon as the DJ put one foot behind the two, the crowd went wild with whoops and cheers, hopping up and down and clapping madly. Kagome blushed and laughed at the sudden burst of enthusiasm, while Inuyasha just basked in the glory of yet another win.
With a chuckle, he DJ finished off the line, but it was apparent who the winners were. "I think this one's a given!" he called, coming to stand behind Inuyasha and Kagome once again. "You two! Come on up here!" They obeyed, accompanied by the support of the audience.
When they were in position, the DJ casually walked to them. "So, tell everyone your names." He stuck the microphone in Kagome's face, then Inuyasha's, each clearly stating their name. He recoiled the microphone. "So, Kagome and Inuyasha, why don't I tell you what you've won." He went behind the DJ stand and came out with two envelopes. Holding them out for Inuyasha and Kagome to take, he explained, "You two have won coupons to the infamous Mariumi Ice Cream Parlor, AND a ticket to go out in the hall and get your picture taken for free!" Starting up the music again, he concluded, "Okay, you guys clear the stage and go back and dance."
Kagome opened her envelope and pulled out the ticket for the free picture. "I completely forgot! We had hired professional photographer to come and set up so that people could get nice photos if they were a couple. It's a really pretty backdrop. I helped choose it!" She took Inuyasha by the hand and led him down the hallway, where they came across the hired photographer.
The backdrop resembled the ivy-covered balcony of a castle, looking out over a deep forest, and accompanied by a night sky and full moon. The floor was covered with a gray sheet of fabric to resemble stone.
When approached, Kagome offered her ticket and Inuyasha's, and the photographer began to show them how to pose.
"Okay I need the man to stand here like this—yeah, you got it—angle this way just a little. Perfect. Now then if the lady would stand right here just slightly in front of him. Good. Now, give her a hug, just a little one. There, just like that, and then you can put your hands over his. Here, overlapping like this. There, perfect. Now just look right into the camera lens and smile."
Before either of them could blink, they were met with a blinding flash. Inuyasha rubbed his eyes and nearly swore. He would be seeing spots for a long time after this.
Apparently satisfied with the turnout of the picture, the photographer handed a business card to them. "Your picture will arrive in the mail in a few days. If you ever need any pictures taken, just call Tama Photography."
Kagome accepted the card, while Inuyasha just rubbed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to clear the white splotches from his line of vision.
"I'll be seeing spots for weeks," he complained as the two moved down the hall back towards the dance. "How can I possibly fight demons when I can't see them?"
"You'll be able to see just fine in a minute or two," Kagome said. She stopped them in front of the door to the dance area, leaning into Inuyasha and sighing.
"What's up?" he asked, hugging her and then pulling back a bit to see her better.
"It's too loud in there," she said smiling. "Let's take a break form dancing and rest out here for a bit."
Inuyasha was more than relieved to hear this, and gladly moved to escort her towards a nearby bench where they could sit, but at that precise moment, when he happened to look up and get a clear view of the area behind Kagome's head, he saw a frantic Maeko running towards him.
At the exact same time that Inuyasha spotted Maeko, Kagome looked around his broad shoulders to find Hojo waving merrily and running towards them.
They gasped in unison, and then hand-in-hand ducked into the doorway leading to the darkened dance floor. Neither had any idea who the other was running from, but both seemed awfully glad to get out of the hallway.
"Maybe we should just stay in here," Kagome added nervously, glancing towards the door as Hojo walked in.
Inuyasha nodded, watching a different door that Maeko was coming through at that time.
Now what...? they both thought with a groan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Wow! All done with that! Only one chapter left to go... T_T but I KNOW that everyone who read this WILL review because if I get enough reviews, then, AND ONLY THEN, will I put up the final chapter!
OOOOhhhhhh and before I forget! I helped to write this one fanfiction with my good buddy tuski. It's called Conversations Concerning'That' and I'm not sure if it'll show up on here as a link but it is on my comp so just click I guess...and if its not a link copy, paste, and go into search and find it OR you can just go under tuski's name and find it in her bio. I supplied some ideas for it, and she put it into words better than I ever would have! Go check it out! And REVIEW PLEASE!!!
