Disclaimer: Chapter one
Have I neglected this one too long? Yes? OK, I'll pay attention to it now. Truth is, my Piccolo one has been sucking up all my creativity and a lot of the spare time, so I haven't had enough ideas to push out a new chapter of this one that was longer than, oh, 300 words. Kagome! I blame this on you and your middle-school mind!
It didn't take long to put Ayumi back into the dark, but Eri and Yuka were harder to convince. It became a matter of "I thought you remembered he was an alcoholic," and, "He caused so much trouble around town that nobody liked him," and, "He's better now, he went through rehab." Many of the things I said, I begged for them not to repeat to anyone else. I didn't want father angry at me when he's finally back.
After they left, I went in my room immediately to study for the test. Houjou-kun's notes were clear and easy to understand, but it didn't help keep my mind from wandering. Who was that boy that I saw in my dream? I remembered the unusual lights coming from the place in my chest that he pointed upon. A blue and a red light both came on first, then 2 more lights of the same colors, then again they shined. They were swirling; Six lights were swirling by my heart, which was beating three times instead of two. What were they? Did it have to do with Naraku?
My thoughts were disturbed by a loud, electronic noise from the living room. I didn't have to get up to know that it was the T.V., probably one of the games that Souta plays. But, Papa's voice that followed roused me to get up. I went down and greeted him.
"Kagome-chan! I hope that noise didn't interrupt your studying! We didn't know that the volume was so loud," He said, standing by Souta, who was already absorbed in the game and sat only half a meter away from it, "You have a test tomorrow, right?"
I nodded. "But one of my friends gave me a copy of his notes to look at, so I'll be able to pass it with a good score, I think."
"'His notes'?" He repeated, then grinned a bit, "I see. Houjou-kun, right?"
I shrugged and smiled nervously. "He likes to help any way he can."
Another loud bang came from the game, interrupting the train of the conversation. Papa excused himself to go into the kitchen to help Mama. Since I now felt somewhat compelled from the task of looking over notes and textbooks, I knelt beside my little brother and decided to watch him a bit. "What are you playing?"
"'The Coming of All Wishes'. Papa gave it to me when he came home," he said without looking up to me. The vibrant colors on the screen danced about as he worked the controller. "It's only a one player, though."
"That's OK, I'm just watching. Is it fun so far?"
"Yeah. But-- it's-- getting--- really hard!" His hands moved more hastily on the buttons and joystick, and his brows knitted together into a serious expression. As time passed, the game didn't let up on him very much. In fact, as it got harder, he got more dedicated. Papa came back in with the paper and sat on a cushion.
"Souta, don't try too hard. You might bite your tongue off." He japed, pointing out the pink organ that was protruding from Souta's mouth.
Before leaving again for the past, I decided to bid a farewell to Papa and everyone else. I knew that it would be perhaps over a week before I returned again, and I wanted to keep Papa from worrying as much as I could. Because of his worries, I carried a little more in my backpack than usual, which made my landing on the bottom of the well pinch my knees and ankles a bit. I climbed back up into an area of clear skies and a welcome of friends.
"How did those 'test'-things go?" asked Sango, Kirara mewing in succession, as if also curious.
I dropped the heavy sack on the ground. "Pretty well this time. I was actually prepared." I looked around. "Where's InuYasha?"
Silence came; Only Shippou's rummaging in my bag for the "ninja food" kept the air from becoming completely still. Miroku finally spoke, "He was a little depressed this morning. That's been happening with him more lately when you go for days, ever since--" He stopped himself from finishing the phrase, perhaps afraid that his words were within InuYasha's earshot. InuYasha was obviously in enough pain after Kikyou was finally killed by Naraku. Whenever I left for too long, he would hide himself among the branches of the trees and become rather morose until I came back, at which point he would revert back to his old, hostile self quickly.
I asked the little kitsune to allow me to get out a cup of Ramen and I left the group to go into the woods alone. "InuYasha?! I'm back!" I placed the utensils I used for making his Ramen and started it up. "I've got some noodles, like you asked!"
After a few moments, the leaves rustled and the hanyou jumped down before me, his arms crossed on his chest. "What took you so long?" He growled. He snatched the cup as soon as it was done. "I don't see why you need to take those 'tests' anyway," He said, between slurps, "They can't be more important than stopping Naraku and getting the Shikon no Kakera."
In stead of listing and backing up all the reasons that tests were important, I smiled warmly to InuYasha. He didn't have too many people left that he already had before he was trapped to the tree, but he had new friends; He had me.
"While you were gone, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, "It seems some more odd happenings have taken place." We were walking down a road, towards a town that he wanted us to check out. "The widow of the Tono who ruled at this place is about the same age as Kaede, if not older. Apparently, she looked sickly from all the years mourning her husband's death, and time wasn't at all kind to her to add on. Before she married, though, she was one of the most beautiful women known, even to those of the mainland."
"Does that have to do with any reason we should go there?" I asked.
Sango shook her head. "It has to do with why we're going there first and not to the suddenly revitalized farm. Doesn't it, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sango."
When we arrived, the whole town was a bustle of people. By the looks of it, there were many lords from different estates, along with their servants, monks, mikos, all waiting outside the door of the palace.
InuYasha growled. "Maybe we should have went to the farm first. It'd save us from this crowd, at least."
"Nonsense! This town was closer!" Miroku rationalized, then proceeded to push through the crowd.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango yelled to him before following. The rest of us shrugged and went after them. It wasn't until the door opened and the lady stepped out before I realised why Miroku was so intent on coming to see her.
Hmm. Still a bit short. All obviousness aside, review please. And, while my honored readers are at it, R&R some of my other fics; Like my HRH one... though many people on here are rather clueless as to what HRH is, I hardly hold that it matters that much to understand it.
Have I neglected this one too long? Yes? OK, I'll pay attention to it now. Truth is, my Piccolo one has been sucking up all my creativity and a lot of the spare time, so I haven't had enough ideas to push out a new chapter of this one that was longer than, oh, 300 words. Kagome! I blame this on you and your middle-school mind!
It didn't take long to put Ayumi back into the dark, but Eri and Yuka were harder to convince. It became a matter of "I thought you remembered he was an alcoholic," and, "He caused so much trouble around town that nobody liked him," and, "He's better now, he went through rehab." Many of the things I said, I begged for them not to repeat to anyone else. I didn't want father angry at me when he's finally back.
After they left, I went in my room immediately to study for the test. Houjou-kun's notes were clear and easy to understand, but it didn't help keep my mind from wandering. Who was that boy that I saw in my dream? I remembered the unusual lights coming from the place in my chest that he pointed upon. A blue and a red light both came on first, then 2 more lights of the same colors, then again they shined. They were swirling; Six lights were swirling by my heart, which was beating three times instead of two. What were they? Did it have to do with Naraku?
My thoughts were disturbed by a loud, electronic noise from the living room. I didn't have to get up to know that it was the T.V., probably one of the games that Souta plays. But, Papa's voice that followed roused me to get up. I went down and greeted him.
"Kagome-chan! I hope that noise didn't interrupt your studying! We didn't know that the volume was so loud," He said, standing by Souta, who was already absorbed in the game and sat only half a meter away from it, "You have a test tomorrow, right?"
I nodded. "But one of my friends gave me a copy of his notes to look at, so I'll be able to pass it with a good score, I think."
"'His notes'?" He repeated, then grinned a bit, "I see. Houjou-kun, right?"
I shrugged and smiled nervously. "He likes to help any way he can."
Another loud bang came from the game, interrupting the train of the conversation. Papa excused himself to go into the kitchen to help Mama. Since I now felt somewhat compelled from the task of looking over notes and textbooks, I knelt beside my little brother and decided to watch him a bit. "What are you playing?"
"'The Coming of All Wishes'. Papa gave it to me when he came home," he said without looking up to me. The vibrant colors on the screen danced about as he worked the controller. "It's only a one player, though."
"That's OK, I'm just watching. Is it fun so far?"
"Yeah. But-- it's-- getting--- really hard!" His hands moved more hastily on the buttons and joystick, and his brows knitted together into a serious expression. As time passed, the game didn't let up on him very much. In fact, as it got harder, he got more dedicated. Papa came back in with the paper and sat on a cushion.
"Souta, don't try too hard. You might bite your tongue off." He japed, pointing out the pink organ that was protruding from Souta's mouth.
Before leaving again for the past, I decided to bid a farewell to Papa and everyone else. I knew that it would be perhaps over a week before I returned again, and I wanted to keep Papa from worrying as much as I could. Because of his worries, I carried a little more in my backpack than usual, which made my landing on the bottom of the well pinch my knees and ankles a bit. I climbed back up into an area of clear skies and a welcome of friends.
"How did those 'test'-things go?" asked Sango, Kirara mewing in succession, as if also curious.
I dropped the heavy sack on the ground. "Pretty well this time. I was actually prepared." I looked around. "Where's InuYasha?"
Silence came; Only Shippou's rummaging in my bag for the "ninja food" kept the air from becoming completely still. Miroku finally spoke, "He was a little depressed this morning. That's been happening with him more lately when you go for days, ever since--" He stopped himself from finishing the phrase, perhaps afraid that his words were within InuYasha's earshot. InuYasha was obviously in enough pain after Kikyou was finally killed by Naraku. Whenever I left for too long, he would hide himself among the branches of the trees and become rather morose until I came back, at which point he would revert back to his old, hostile self quickly.
I asked the little kitsune to allow me to get out a cup of Ramen and I left the group to go into the woods alone. "InuYasha?! I'm back!" I placed the utensils I used for making his Ramen and started it up. "I've got some noodles, like you asked!"
After a few moments, the leaves rustled and the hanyou jumped down before me, his arms crossed on his chest. "What took you so long?" He growled. He snatched the cup as soon as it was done. "I don't see why you need to take those 'tests' anyway," He said, between slurps, "They can't be more important than stopping Naraku and getting the Shikon no Kakera."
In stead of listing and backing up all the reasons that tests were important, I smiled warmly to InuYasha. He didn't have too many people left that he already had before he was trapped to the tree, but he had new friends; He had me.
"While you were gone, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, "It seems some more odd happenings have taken place." We were walking down a road, towards a town that he wanted us to check out. "The widow of the Tono who ruled at this place is about the same age as Kaede, if not older. Apparently, she looked sickly from all the years mourning her husband's death, and time wasn't at all kind to her to add on. Before she married, though, she was one of the most beautiful women known, even to those of the mainland."
"Does that have to do with any reason we should go there?" I asked.
Sango shook her head. "It has to do with why we're going there first and not to the suddenly revitalized farm. Doesn't it, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sango."
When we arrived, the whole town was a bustle of people. By the looks of it, there were many lords from different estates, along with their servants, monks, mikos, all waiting outside the door of the palace.
InuYasha growled. "Maybe we should have went to the farm first. It'd save us from this crowd, at least."
"Nonsense! This town was closer!" Miroku rationalized, then proceeded to push through the crowd.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango yelled to him before following. The rest of us shrugged and went after them. It wasn't until the door opened and the lady stepped out before I realised why Miroku was so intent on coming to see her.
Hmm. Still a bit short. All obviousness aside, review please. And, while my honored readers are at it, R&R some of my other fics; Like my HRH one... though many people on here are rather clueless as to what HRH is, I hardly hold that it matters that much to understand it.