Chapter 4
"Kagome, you are so lucky to have such a sweet guy around! But fate seems to hate _me_ and leaves me stuck with Ranma!" Akane said, after everyone finished their breakfast and Inu-Yasha started them on the journey again.
"Sweet? Who are you talking about, Miroku-sama?"
"That pervert? No way! I'm talking about Inu-Yasha!"
"Sweet? He's the opposite! Besides, he hasn't even said two words to you!"
"Well, he seems like the strong, silent type!"
"Trust me, he's a jerk! And Ranma seems nice enough!"
"I'd rather be engaged to a monkey than him!!!"
"I don't know everything about your situation, but I'd choose Ranma over Inu-Yasha any day."
"Ranma is always insulting me! I'm just a kawaiikune, macho, tomboy to him!" Akane said frustrated.
"Well, if you hate him so much, why do you get so frustrated about what he thinks of you?"
"I'm not getting frustrated!!!" she yelled.
"Sure." Kagome said sarcastically.
~~
"Ranma-kun?" Kagome rushed to catch up to him, since he was near the front of the extremely large crowd.
"Yeah?"
"You wouldn't happen to be friends with Miroku-sama, would you?"
Ranma shrugged. "He seems alright."
"Oh..." Kagome laughed nervously. 'He seems nice- why would he be friends with such a pervert?' "So what's the deal with all your fiancées?" she said, quickly changing the subject
"Well, I guess it's all my pop's fault. He keeps exchanging me for food/shelter, and then he runs out at the last second, but sometimes the fiancées follow me, like Ukyo and Shampoo did."
"What about Akane?"
"Her dad's an old friend of my pop, so we ended up engaged."
"Oh."
(In the distance)
"Get away from me!" Inu-Yasha yelled at Shampoo, who was reaching up to touch him ears. Inu-Yasha pulled away, and he kicked her- as a reflex. Shampoo fell to the ground with a thump. 'Shoot, Kagome's going to kill me!' Inu-Yasha thought. Shampoo and Mousse gasped.
"Airen!" Shampoo suddenly hugged him tightly.
"GO AWAY!" Inu-Yasha yelled, loud enough to catch the attention of Kagome and Ranma.
"Inu-Yasha, what's going on?"
"I don't know!!! This freak just started hugging me!"
"Oh, no, you didn't happen to beat her in a fight, did you?" Ranma asked.
"I accidentally kicked her."
Ranma started giggling hysterically. "She's finally off my back! Good luck, buddy!" Ranma patted Inu-Yasha's shoulder.
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"You two are now engaged." Cologne said matter-of-factly.
"WHAT??!!"
~~
'He's engaged?' Kagome thought to herself and sighed. Akane interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey!"
"Hey."
"Are you ok? You seem kind of... down. I could get Kasumi to cheer you up; I'm not so good at that."
"I'm fine, it's just that I can't believe Inu-Yasha's _engaged_"
"Welcome to my world!" Akane laughed. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sure you aren't in _love_?"
"Me? No way!!!" Kagome said. 'Or am I?'
"Maybe you are, but haven't realized it! Like with Kasumi and Dr. Tofu."
"Who?"
"Dr. Tofu, the doctor in Nerima. He's head-over-heels in love with Kasumi, but Kasumi doesn't know yet. I just know they're meant for each other, but Kasumi hasn't realized that."
"This is completely different! There is nothing between us!"
"Really? You don't feel your heart beating faster around him? You don't run to his side when he's hurt? You've never felt jealous when he's around another girl?"
"Akane, you sound like you know it from experience."
"You can't read as many romance novels as I have without knowing how love can be described. But, besides, have you never felt... strange around him?"
"Of course I help him when he's hurt, and I feel a little... anxious around him, but he's my friend!"
"Do you feel anxious around Miroku-san?"
"No, but he's too perverted anyway; I'm too busy smacking him to be anxious around _him_"
"What about friends from school- guy friends?"
"Not really; I've gotten too used to them."
"How about jealousy? Never been jealous of a girl who's gotten close to him?"
Kagome bit her lip. What was she supposed to say, that her worst fear was seeing him with Kikyo? That she really was in love with him? She wasn't ready to admit it yet. "He doesn't really let people get close to him."
"Hmm. You might be in love, but who knows? All _I_ know is that you don't sigh like that unless you're disappointed it's not you who's engaged to him."
"Disappointed? I don't feel disappointed."
"I only say it as I see it." Akane told her. As she turned to leave, Kagome stopped her.
"Akane, what about you? You're never jealous, or anxious about Ranma? Or anyone else?"
"Kagome, wouldn't you be anxious around someone if they turned into a girl when splashed with cold water? Or punish someone if they were acting really perverted, even if it wasn't toward you?"
"I guess, but it depends on how you look at it. I mean, you might see it as punishing him, but in reality, you're hiding your jealousy."
"Whatever." Akane rolled her eyes and laughed. "All I know is that Ranma is an insensitive jerk, and there's really not much to fall in love with!"
~~
"Naraku." Inu-Yasha sniffed the air and scrunched up his face as though he just whiffed rotten eggs.
"What??? Is it him, or a decoy?"
"He'd never actually show himself."
"You can all fight, right? I suggest you get ready."
No one asked questions. They all got their weapons out or took a fighting stance.
A/N: Um, I'd like a few new reviews before I update again. Oh, and if anyone has suggestions (especially something about the fight scene because I'm not sure how I'm going to have it turn out) or something, feel free to include them in a review. Sorry for not updating, but like my bio said, my computer was messed up.
"Kagome, you are so lucky to have such a sweet guy around! But fate seems to hate _me_ and leaves me stuck with Ranma!" Akane said, after everyone finished their breakfast and Inu-Yasha started them on the journey again.
"Sweet? Who are you talking about, Miroku-sama?"
"That pervert? No way! I'm talking about Inu-Yasha!"
"Sweet? He's the opposite! Besides, he hasn't even said two words to you!"
"Well, he seems like the strong, silent type!"
"Trust me, he's a jerk! And Ranma seems nice enough!"
"I'd rather be engaged to a monkey than him!!!"
"I don't know everything about your situation, but I'd choose Ranma over Inu-Yasha any day."
"Ranma is always insulting me! I'm just a kawaiikune, macho, tomboy to him!" Akane said frustrated.
"Well, if you hate him so much, why do you get so frustrated about what he thinks of you?"
"I'm not getting frustrated!!!" she yelled.
"Sure." Kagome said sarcastically.
~~
"Ranma-kun?" Kagome rushed to catch up to him, since he was near the front of the extremely large crowd.
"Yeah?"
"You wouldn't happen to be friends with Miroku-sama, would you?"
Ranma shrugged. "He seems alright."
"Oh..." Kagome laughed nervously. 'He seems nice- why would he be friends with such a pervert?' "So what's the deal with all your fiancées?" she said, quickly changing the subject
"Well, I guess it's all my pop's fault. He keeps exchanging me for food/shelter, and then he runs out at the last second, but sometimes the fiancées follow me, like Ukyo and Shampoo did."
"What about Akane?"
"Her dad's an old friend of my pop, so we ended up engaged."
"Oh."
(In the distance)
"Get away from me!" Inu-Yasha yelled at Shampoo, who was reaching up to touch him ears. Inu-Yasha pulled away, and he kicked her- as a reflex. Shampoo fell to the ground with a thump. 'Shoot, Kagome's going to kill me!' Inu-Yasha thought. Shampoo and Mousse gasped.
"Airen!" Shampoo suddenly hugged him tightly.
"GO AWAY!" Inu-Yasha yelled, loud enough to catch the attention of Kagome and Ranma.
"Inu-Yasha, what's going on?"
"I don't know!!! This freak just started hugging me!"
"Oh, no, you didn't happen to beat her in a fight, did you?" Ranma asked.
"I accidentally kicked her."
Ranma started giggling hysterically. "She's finally off my back! Good luck, buddy!" Ranma patted Inu-Yasha's shoulder.
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"You two are now engaged." Cologne said matter-of-factly.
"WHAT??!!"
~~
'He's engaged?' Kagome thought to herself and sighed. Akane interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey!"
"Hey."
"Are you ok? You seem kind of... down. I could get Kasumi to cheer you up; I'm not so good at that."
"I'm fine, it's just that I can't believe Inu-Yasha's _engaged_"
"Welcome to my world!" Akane laughed. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sure you aren't in _love_?"
"Me? No way!!!" Kagome said. 'Or am I?'
"Maybe you are, but haven't realized it! Like with Kasumi and Dr. Tofu."
"Who?"
"Dr. Tofu, the doctor in Nerima. He's head-over-heels in love with Kasumi, but Kasumi doesn't know yet. I just know they're meant for each other, but Kasumi hasn't realized that."
"This is completely different! There is nothing between us!"
"Really? You don't feel your heart beating faster around him? You don't run to his side when he's hurt? You've never felt jealous when he's around another girl?"
"Akane, you sound like you know it from experience."
"You can't read as many romance novels as I have without knowing how love can be described. But, besides, have you never felt... strange around him?"
"Of course I help him when he's hurt, and I feel a little... anxious around him, but he's my friend!"
"Do you feel anxious around Miroku-san?"
"No, but he's too perverted anyway; I'm too busy smacking him to be anxious around _him_"
"What about friends from school- guy friends?"
"Not really; I've gotten too used to them."
"How about jealousy? Never been jealous of a girl who's gotten close to him?"
Kagome bit her lip. What was she supposed to say, that her worst fear was seeing him with Kikyo? That she really was in love with him? She wasn't ready to admit it yet. "He doesn't really let people get close to him."
"Hmm. You might be in love, but who knows? All _I_ know is that you don't sigh like that unless you're disappointed it's not you who's engaged to him."
"Disappointed? I don't feel disappointed."
"I only say it as I see it." Akane told her. As she turned to leave, Kagome stopped her.
"Akane, what about you? You're never jealous, or anxious about Ranma? Or anyone else?"
"Kagome, wouldn't you be anxious around someone if they turned into a girl when splashed with cold water? Or punish someone if they were acting really perverted, even if it wasn't toward you?"
"I guess, but it depends on how you look at it. I mean, you might see it as punishing him, but in reality, you're hiding your jealousy."
"Whatever." Akane rolled her eyes and laughed. "All I know is that Ranma is an insensitive jerk, and there's really not much to fall in love with!"
~~
"Naraku." Inu-Yasha sniffed the air and scrunched up his face as though he just whiffed rotten eggs.
"What??? Is it him, or a decoy?"
"He'd never actually show himself."
"You can all fight, right? I suggest you get ready."
No one asked questions. They all got their weapons out or took a fighting stance.
A/N: Um, I'd like a few new reviews before I update again. Oh, and if anyone has suggestions (especially something about the fight scene because I'm not sure how I'm going to have it turn out) or something, feel free to include them in a review. Sorry for not updating, but like my bio said, my computer was messed up.