I just realized that I haven't written a disclaimer in a while. So here we go:
O, woe is me, I don't own Inuyasha. O, woe is me, that sexy beast does not belong to me... God, I'm so drunk.
Chapter 12: The Main Scheme of Things
Tap, tap...
Growl... evil glare…
Tap, tap...
"Kagome-chan, stop that."
Kagome smiled back sinisterly at a fumed Sango. She asked in her most innocent voice: "stop what?"
Sango made a grab for the pencil in her friend's hand but missed. She drew back and growled feral-like. "Stop tapping your pencil and stop looking at me with that smile."
"What smile?"
"The smile that says 'I know what you did.'"
"What did you do?"
"... I'm not biting..."
Kagome ceased the tapping and straightened her back. "That reminds me of my other question..." Sango raised an eyebrow at her friend's tone. Kagome leaned back as far as possible to escape what she knew would come. "Did Miroku-sama bite?"
Kagome grinned even more as she saw Sango's body froze up instantly. Before Sango could react, however, Kagome was already running out of the room while yelling "Inuyasha, tasukete, Sango-chan is going to kill me!!"
As soon as Kagome stepped out, she bumped into a strong chest. Two strong arms grabbed her roughly and prevented her from moving.
"Miroku-sama?" Kagome looked up and saw two rather evil eyes staring into hers. Kagome giggled nervously while she looked around for help.
Behind Miroku, Souta stuck out his head and smirked at Kagome. "Inuyasha-no-niichan is in the bathroom giving Shippo a bath." His statement was confirmed by the yelps and growls coming from the bathroom down the hall.
Kagome could hear Sango's menacing steps creeping up behind her, and she was trapped by Miroku as well. 'Not good...'
"It's not like I bit her that hard..."
"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!" Kagome ducked just in time to dodge Sango's slap, which landed rightfully on Miroku's right cheek.
"But darling..." Miroku covered the red mark with one hand, and his other arm stretched out to grab Sango, Kagome took this chance to make her escape, "you said you liked it!"
Kagome couldn't choose whether to cover Souta's ears or roll on the floor laughing. Crimson red wasn't enough to describe the color on Sango's cheeks. Sango made a choking sound in the back of throat, it seemed as though she lost her voice completely, along with her ability to make any movements.
The second Sango recovered from her shock, Miroku was sent into a small coma. Later on, Sango shut herself inside Kagome's room and locked the door from the inside. Kagome had no complaints and slept in her mother's room. She drifted into dreamland with a smile and a single thought on her mind: 'now if only Inuyasha could kiss me like that...'
^_~
Kagome's face blanched. "I don't believe this..."
On top of everyone's desk was a preliminary outline of "the play", the title was "Shikon no Tama - A Feudal Love Story". Apparently, Chie sensei was so excited over the idea that she dug out information on the legend and wrote an outline overnight. During lunch break she made copies for the two classes, and now once again, is interrupting their history class to give them the "briefs". Surely enough, she gave Kagome a special copy, with her character's name highlighted on every page.
What's worse was that Kagome was not only the lead actress, but also the narrator. She only glanced over the first few pages, and she already has more than five minutes of dialogue. Furthermore, all of the language was in archaic form. That's not as bad, since she spent fairly a large amount of time in the real feudal era, but she can very easily mess up the grammar on stage.
"Why me...?" Kagome groaned. The black and white title seemed to be getting larger and larger, with the "Love Story" part shining in neon pink. 'Hopefully Inuyasha gets to play lead male, that's really who he's supposed to be.' Kagome thanked kami for the fact that the play was to be hosted by both hers and Inuyasha's class. 'But then again... what if Inuyasha doesn't get the part?'
Kagome can picture it right now: she's on stage, dressed like a miko, and next to her, an Inuyasha-wannabe holds her to him... below the stage, the Inuyasha gets overly jealous and draws out Tessaiga...
She definitely doesn't want that to happen. There's nothing more she can but pray, pray, pray. This is one of the few times that Kagome's glad that she grew up in a shrine.
'Kami-sama... help me...' Now only if her miko powers can help her get through this.
"Everyone, settle down!" Chie sensei shouted over the over-excited class. And of course, like the very bad little boys and girls they were, no one seemed to have heard her. "SHUT UP!!!!!!!!"
Yup, that got their attention. Chie's sensei's smile popped back on. "Good. Now, as all of you know, we're putting on a play for Golden Week. We only have a little more than two weeks to set up everything and rehearse, but I know you can do it! And as a bonus for you guys, I've talked to all your teachers, and you won't be getting any homework or tests until the play's over!"
The class was quiet, so quiet you can hear the sound of a pin dropping. Then, like unexpected fireworks, the classroom burst out in a unison cheer. Paper flew everywhere, and a guy was dancing on his desk. It was like New Year.
'Oh, sure, they're happy.' Kagome sighed while her friends looked around bemused. 'They don't have to memorize an entire script and perform it in front of the entire school and parents... They don't have a homicidal boyfriend who can very well chop up the teacher and whoever will play the lead actor... They don't have a half youkai who's after them and their friends' heads... They don't have an undead woman walking on the earth whose main purpose in the undead life is to drag the love of their life down to hell... oh, my life is grrreeeaaattt...'
Kagome's head plopped down onto the desk with a heavy thud. Suddenly she felt a pencil poking her back. She raised her head and turned slowly, and saw a grinning Inuyasha. "Oi, Kagome, don't worry, I heard some kid talking about auditions, I'll be in the play with you for sure!"
'How can he be so enthusiastic? That's usually my job!' Kagome nodded absentmindedly. That was usually where she'd turn to Sango for emotional support, but it seemed like her best friend was too busy playing "let's stare into each other's eyes and grin like idiots" with a certain monk. 'Eww, even Inuyasha and I don't do that... Just why don't we do that?... I wanna do that!!!'
Kagome hit herself on the head with the thick script. 'Argh, I need to clean my mind. No, I need to stop talking to myself. This isn't healthy.'
It took another minute for the class to settle down. Chie sensei began to talk once more. "I've already made Kagome the lead actress yesterday." She clapped, but nobody else did. Kagome raised her head to chuckle nervously toward the class, but since her gesture made no affect, she simply plopped back down to her desk once more.
"There will be auditions tomorrow afternoon in the Great Hall for the parts of the miko's two friends. It will be a short and simple play with only five actors. But don't worry, we'll have jobs for all of you. Some will handle props, some will handle lights. And since the play will be held in the school yard, we'll need a lot of people to set up the stage."
"But what about the male lead and the brother?" Someone asked.
Chie sensei's smile disappeared for a millisecond, but she founded it soon and pasted it back onto her face. "I'm sorry, since I decided that one of my students will play female lead, Mito sensei wanted two of his students to play the male leads."
"Who did he choose?" Another voice shouted.
"We don't call out in class, Shitsuni-kun." Chie sensei looked at the boy disapprovingly, but her stare was somewhat shaky, as if she didn't want to answer the question. "Um... the male lead will be played by..."
^_~
"I don't get it."
The last of the cherry blossoms blew over Mikagi Akiko's hair. Unlike usual, her hair is down instead of in a ponytail. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her face stern. Her green eyes pierced through the eyes of the one in front of her.
"C'mon, Akiko, trust me on this."
The back of the school building is very much abandoned during class time. It's actually pretty much abandoned during break time as well. A thick brick wall closed around the space area, there's only two feet of space between the wall and the school building. A small opening that leads to the open school yard was ten feet away from Akiko's back. The person in front of her glanced at that opening from time to time, as though looking for an escape.
"But you promised that you wouldn't!" Akiko threw her arms down to her sides and tried to keep her voice down. If anyone found their secret meeting place, both of them could kiss their life goodbye.
"And I'm not! Believe me! And it's you who wanted him in the first place! I'm just helping you out! You said it yourself that if we were going to keep this façade up, we'd need to behave like professional actors. And I'm acting, literately."
"But with that Higurashi girl?! Why does it have to be her?" Akiko didn't say it out loud. But she feared Kagome's beauty, feared that she will take away the person who mattered most in her life.
The person froze for a few seconds, but then a big smile appeared. "Are you... jealous?"
Akiko glared back and refused to respond.
"Aw, c'mon, I didn't get jealous with your whole phase with Homo and that silver haired freak."
Akiko glared back even harder. He found it amusing that she was hurting? "That's because you knew my true intention." Just why didn't he get jealous? It wasn't fair.
He sighed. He leaned forward slowly and lifted her chin with one hand, "look, Akiko, I'm doing this for fun. I just wanna piss of that Inuyasha guy. So what if I play Higurashi's lover on stage for one time? Can you see the look on Inuyasha's face when I kiss his girl in front of the entire audience? And with him on stage as my 'brother' as well? C'mon, let me have my fun."
Akiko finally gave in. She let out a sigh and fell lifelessly into his chest. "Why does it have to be so hard for us to be together?"
The guy chuckled. "It's just until my old man dies."
The two remained silent for a while. Finally, Akiko lifted up her head and asked, "are you really gonna kiss that bitch on stage?"
He chuckled again. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's not as good as you."
Akiko's body slumped as her lips touched his and fell into the brief moment of blissful oblivion. ***
-_-
"Isn't that his twelfth bowl?" Miroku asked worriedly as he counted the number of empty ramen bowls on the coffee table. Inuyasha sat on the floor with his back to the back of the Higurashi family couch, in his hands was his twelfth ramen. He chomped on the delicacy without mercy, while growling and muttering "must kill..." at the same time.
Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Souta all sighed simultaneously. Kagome plopped down on another couch and raised her head to look at the ceiling, she prayed to kami that the ceiling would drop and kill her right then.
"This is too much of a coincidence." Sango finally spoke as the voice of reason among the crazed and tired group. "Kagome-chan as the miko, Mikagi Toji as 'Inuyasha', and the real Inuyasha as 'Sesshomaru'. It just seems really..."
"Messed up?" Kagome finished the sentence for her. When Chie sensei announced that Mikagi Toji will be playing Kagome's "lover", Inuyasha sorta fainted. And when she announced that Inuyasha will be playing as Mikagi Toji's "brother", a.k.a. "the guy who has Sesshomaru's role in the real history and loses Kagome in the end", Inuyasha regained consciousness and was going to burn down the whole school. It took the entire class and the help of Tomoeda sensei/Kouga to settle him down. And now Inuyasha is drowning his depression in instant ramen.
"Doesn't this feel planned to you?" Again, Sango became the sole voice of intelligence.
Kagome looked at her briefly before turning back to the ceiling. Planned or not, she couldn't care less now. At first her friends came to her time to protect her, but in less than 4 days' time, the only "normal" part of her life has been turned upside down.
Kagome closed her eyes. 'Of course it's all planned. Kami-sama is always playing with me. Making my life miserable must be very entertaining.' Kagome vaguely heard Shippo's shriek when Inuyasha bopped him on the head. The depressed miko sank more into the couch and let sleep take over.
***
It turned out Kagome still had a few days of sanity left. Rehearsals don't start until next Monday. Inuyasha complained and groaned and howled and kicked around for the remainder of the school week. Friday came and went.
***
"Kagome, wake up, it's nine o'clock."
Kagome batted her eyes against the sleepiness a few times before sitting up. Her mother stood next to her bed with a light green sundress. Higurashi Ai smiled at her daughter and gestured to the folded futon on the floor. "Sango-chan is already up, so is everyone else. Your teacher called and said that he'll send someone to pick you up by ten."
'Teacher? What...?' Kagome thought groggily. 'Oh yea, Tomoeda-sensei... we were supposed to go to his house today.' Though everyone else are able to call Kouga by his "old" name, Kagome just can't bring herself to say it, even if it's just in her own head.
"I picked out a nice outfit for you, it's pretty warm today." Ai laid the sundress on her bed. "Get washed and come down for breakfast."
Some her mother said suddenly clicked. '"Send someone to pick us up"? I didn't know teaches made that much money...' Kagome yawned and rubbed her eyes. 'Mou, stupid Inuyasha, I wouldn't be so sleepy if he hasn't kept us up all night with Jackie Chan movies.'
It took a while for Kagome to drag her lifeless body to the bathroom, to wash up, and then get dressed. But once she was downstairs, all the sleepiness went away.
'It's Saturday, I should just relax and not worry about the play or the Mikagi's.' Kagome practically skipped down the stairs. 'I get to see Ayame-chan, and Tomoeda sensei's children!'
In the family dining room, everyone squeezed around the table, Shippo was forced back to his youkai form so he wouldn't take up so much space. The Higurashi house was definitely crowded. But a certain hanyou was nowhere in sight.
"Where's..."
"Kagome-sama's grandfather sent Inuyasha to sweep the shrine grounds." Miroku answered before Kagome could finish the question. He seemed to be in a good mood today. His ponytail had a little spike in it; Kagome guessed that Souta taught him about the wonderful use of hair gel. Moreover, his usually wise and yet perverted eyes are glinting even brighter this morning. A gold aura surrounded the monk's body, it seemed like he had reached enlightenment.
"Miroku-sama... you're... glowing!" Kagome gasped at the sight of the monk. Next to Miroku, Sango scoffed in disgust. It was then that Kagome noticed only one of Sango's hands was holding her bowl of soup, and the same went for Miroku.
"Um... I'll go find Inuyasha." Kagome sneaked a little to the side as she exited the door. She tilted her head back at the last second and found a sight that was too cute to be true: Miroku and Sango were holding hands below the table, their fingers were interlocked. And so, with a giggle and a skip between her steps, Kagome came out to the open shrine grounds and searched for Inuyasha.
The hanyou was again nowhere in sight, and the number of cherry blossom petals on the ground wouldn't please Kagome's grandfather at all. 'Is he slacking off?' Desperate times call for desperate measure. Heck, Kagome would do it even if it wasn't desperate.
"Inuyasha, osuwa..."
"Okay, okay, I'm here!" Before Kagome could finish the subdue spell, Inuyasha jumped down from the Goshinboku. In his left hand was a battered broomstick; the straw end of the thing looked really, really bare.
"Inuyasha, jii-chan just bought that broom last week! What did you do to it?!"
Inuyasha didn't answer straightaway. Instead he threw the broomstick on the ground and jumped on it a few times. Finally, the panting and growling hanyou raised a fist toward the house's direction and declared passionately: "I hate your grandfather."
Kagome smacked him on the head.
"Wench, what did you do that for?!"
Kagome stood tall with her hands on either side of her waist. "Inuyasha, grow up. My family's letting you guys live here for free. Do you know how much it costs to feed you? The least you can do is help out!"
Inuyasha was a little surprised at Kagome's anger. But after spending a year with Kagome, he still hasn't learned to hold his tongue in situations like this one. "But Miroku and Sango don't need to do this!"
Kagome inhaled before letting out some more anger. "Miroku-sama and Sango-chan are humans. Sweeping the shrine grounds is like a walk in the park for you, but for them..."
"Keh. So once again I get the worse end of the deal because I'm not human enough for you!" Inuyasha gave the broomstick one last kick. "Why don't you get one of your human boys to do it for you!?!"
"What... Inuyasha, don't change the subject! What in the world are you talking about now?"
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!!!" Inuyasha practically screamed for the entire city of Tokyo to hear. "You think it's okay for me to stand on one side and watch while you kiss some disgusting human boy in front of your entire school?!"
Inuyasha covered his mouth as soon as he realized what he had just said. Before Kagome could react, he began to stomp away.
'Inuyasha is... jealous? Wait, what kiss?' Kagome didn't remember anything about kissing anyone. She's never kissed before in her entire life**, what was Inuyasha talking about? '"Hey, Inuyasha, where're you going?!"
"HOME!" Inuyasha yelled without looking back. He was heading toward the well house.
'He wants me to stop him. Inuyasha is too obvious. If he wants to get away, he would run. But he's walking, and slowly too.' Kagome pouted at Inuyasha's childishness. "Mou, Inuyasha! Wait, Inuyasha!" Kagome ran toward the hanyou. But as she approached him, he sped up, though only a little. 'Geez, he's so immature.'
"INUYASHA, OSUWARI!!!!"
The sound of Inuyasha's head against concrete rang like an echo throughout Tokyo. Some random person on the street had the audacity to yell "Godzilla!" Kagome tapped her sandal on the ground impatiently and waited for Inuyasha to jump up and yell at her. When the hanyou made no such move, Kagome feared that she went too far. After all, concrete ground is much harder than the soil ground that Inuyasha's head is used to.
Kagome ran toward him nervously and prayed that he was still conscious. She just wanted him to stop. "Ne, Inuyasha, are you alright?" Kagome kneeled down next to the hanyou and shook his body slightly. "Inu..."
"Don't kiss him."
The world seemed so quiet as Inuyasha whispered those words. A soft breeze blew over where Kagome knelt and carried her scent to him. His plead sank deep into her heart. Though Kagome still didn't know what the hanyou was talking about, she had this feeling that she wouldn't be able to resist his command.
"Inuyasha, what are you talking about? Kiss who?" Kagome asked worriedly. Inuyasha's face was still down on the ground, but she knew that he was conscience and very, very serious.
"I read the script last night when you all went to sleep. In the second act, you have to kiss that Mikagi bastard... and I, have to stand a short distance away and watch quietly." Inuyasha's last words were soft to a degree that Kagome barely heard anything. But she understood, "don't kiss him..."
Kagome couldn't make a sensible answer. She swallowed a few times. Her cheeks were flushed at Inuyasha's desperate request. Finally, she decided to tease him a bit. "Why should I listen to you? I had to watch while you kissed Kikyo, why should I have to obey you and not... Kya!!!"
Kagome let out a squeal as Inuyasha got up and pushed her body onto the cold ground in less than a second. His human-like hands pushed against the ground on either side of her head to support the weight of his body. But it seemed as though he wanted to let go immediately and hide her from the rest of the world, so that he and he only, can see her, can hear her, can feel her...
Inuyasha breath came in waves as he leaned on top of Kagome's body, a short distance separated the two, and the hanyou had to fight every single fiber in his being so that he won't lose all control right then and there.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's heart ached. She wanted to assure him, but even she doesn't have a control in this. "If Chie sensei makes me do it, I can't disagree. She's my teacher."
Inuyasha's spirit broke. And Kagome saw it all too clearly on his face. Inuyasha still supported his body with his arms, but he leaned in more so that their cheeks touched. Kagome shivered at this interaction. 'How to assure him...'
It's Inuyasha's turn to shiver when he felt something soft trace the side of his face, from under his fake human ears to his chin, then up, closer and closer... The weight was lifted off Inuyasha's heart as Kagome's lips touched his. 'Finally...'
^_~
Inuyasha discovered that in order to survive in the modern era, he must master the art of breathing through his mouth. Last time when he was in Kouga's car, it was raining and he didn't notice. But this time, the smell of burning gasoline was just too strong.
Three people, two youkai, and one hanyou somehow managed to squeeze into the puny Honda that looked like it was made in the early seventies. Miroku sat in the front with Shippo and Kirara on his laps. Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha sat in the back where there was hardly any space for movement. Their driver was a sixty-or-so-year-old woman. She looked more of a nanny than a chauffeur. They're left the house for more than an hour now and had just gotten off the highway. Kagome had an uneasy feeling that they were lost.
The Higurashi shrine is already near the outskirt of Tokyo. The area where they were at the moment seemed more like the countryside. There was a grassy field to the right of their car, and on the left was the sea. No one said anything for a while, and so Kagome was left alone with her thoughts.
The car swerved suddenly but gained its stability once again. Kagome exhaled with a beating heart. But then she realized that her bare leg was touching Inuyasha's. Kagome blushed while she berated her mother for buying Inuyasha shorts.
Inuyasha was too busy sticking his head out the window to noticed Kagome's stares, and for that, she would forever be grateful. Since it was Saturday, Inuyasha changed out of the school uniform and into an outfit that Ai bought him last Sunday. It was a loose pair of black shorts that went just above his knees, and a white short-sleeved shirt with buttons. Inuyasha complained about the hot weather and left the first two buttons loose. Kagome was practically drooling at the sight of his semi-exposed chest. But then again, so was their driver.
Sango was thankful too, since Ai bought Miroku a pair of jeans instead of shorts. She wouldn't know what to do if she had to see Miroku's hairy legs again. Miroku's shirt sleeves were shorter than Inuyasha's. And that served as a well remainder for how muscular Miroku was.
The car suddenly came into a halt on the side of the road. "We're here!" The older driver announced cheerfully.
"Here... where?!" The four friends cried out in unison. They were still in the middle of nowhere. The old Honda was parked in front of a small and abandoned gas station. There wasn't another soul in sight.
"We need to change cars. It's another hour's drive to Kouga-jiji's place." The old woman smiled and her entire face wrinkled up. Kagome blinked, when she looked at the woman again, she was no longer old or wrinkly.
"AH!!!" The group screamed as the fat old lady in front of them morphed into a thin and beautiful woman in her early-twenties. It was like something straight out of a movie. Her bunned white hair is now loosened and dark brown. Her skin became white and smooth. Her brown eyes glinted mischievously.
She laughed heartily. "I thought you'd be used to something like this." She glanced at Shippo, who was hiding behind Miroku's head. "Please wait here while I get the limo."
"Limo?" Kagome's eyes widened. The now very young woman walked calmly toward the garage of the abandoned gas station. It was then that everyone saw a brown tail protruding from her clothing. Kagome noticed that the lock of the garage was rather new compared to everything else. The woman opened the lock and the garage door. Within minutes, she drove out a black stretch limo.
As soon as the limo was on the road, the woman stepped out and opened the back door. "Sorry that I made you guys sit in that poor excuse for a car. I had to be inconspicuous in the city. Kouga-jiji is only supposed to be a teacher, his salary shouldn't be able to afford a limo. But now that we're in the suburb, there are not much people around."
Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo weren't listening at all, they were too busy admiring the beauty of the limousine. Kagome sighed. 'Seems like men of any century have a thing for cars.'
"Excuse me, but who are you really? And how come your disguise masked even your scent that even Inuyasha didn't know you are a youkai." Sango asked with doubts. "You are a youkai, right?"
She laughed again. "My name is Kagome. I'm half wolf, half human. I used my mate's kitsune magic to put the disguise on myself. And my scent was easily masked by perfume and the smell of gasoline in the car." She then smiled brightly. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting with the legendary Kagome-sama."
Kagome blushed at the honorary title. "Legendary? Who said I was legendary?"
"I'll explain as I drive. Kouga-jiji and that other old gloom will be mad if we're behind schedule." She practically had to push the three male into the car.
Kagome and the gang settled comfortably into the room limo. "If I hard correctly, did you say that your name is also Kagome, and that you're a hanyou? And you're mated with a kitsune youkai?!"
The woman started the engine and everyone was eager to hear her answers. "Sounds unbelievable, I know. As for my name, it's a family law. The oldest daughter's name must be Kagome, and her oldest daughter's name will be Kagome as well. It gets confusing sometimes, since my daughter's name is Kagome, and so is my granddaughter..."
"You have a granddaughter?!?!?" Kagome cried out. "But you seem so young."
"In human years, yes. But I'm actually more than 200 years old. As I was saying, it's a family law set up by Kouga-jiji and Ayame-baasan..."
"Wait, you mean, you're related to Kouga?" This time, Inuyasha interrupted.
"Of course, I'm the daughter of his oldest daughter. My mother's name is also Kagome, I'm Kouga's favorite granddaughter, despite the fact that my father is a human."
The back of the limo became very silent. The automobile zoomed pass rows of sakura trees. Finally, Inuyasha exploded.
"I knew that wolf is still stuck up on Kagome! What kind of law is that?!"
Their driver burst out in laughter. "The law was actually proposed by Ayame-baasan. She said that she wanted to remember Kagome forever."
Kagome blushed. "Wow, I'm so flattered."
"Anyway, it's really confusing that we're both named Kagome. So why don't you call me by my nickname, Ka-chan."
"That's such a cute nickname." Miroku remarked with a perverted glint in his eyes. Sango noticed it right away and kicked him in the leg promptly.
Ka-chan grinned. "It's better than my granddaughter's nickname: Toothy. She's still a baby and tends to bite a lot. And yes, my mate is a kitsune youkai. He works directly under The Gloomy Man. So he's very important in youkai/human interactions."
"The way you say it," Inuyasha commented while he poked around the mini-fridge, "it sounds like there are a lot of mix mating nowadays." He didn't voice it, but Kagome can feel a glint of happiness in his tone. It seemed like Inuyasha's happy that he's no longer one of the only hanyou in the world.
"The first decree that The Gloomy Man passed was freedom of interracial marriage. It was actually a really selfish move. He only did it so he could be with his love, who is a human. But nevertheless, the entire world changed after that."
The gang scratched their heads. "Ka-chan," Kagome questioned, "who is this 'gloomy man' you're talking about?"
There was a short moment of silence which was followed by Ka-chan's loud laughter. "O, I'm sorry. 'The Gloomy Man' is actually Ayame-baasan's nickname for him. We grew up listening to Ayame-baasan's tales, so all of us kids use that name. Kouga-jiji can explain the situation better than I can. We'll be at the mansion shortly; the five of you have a long day ahead."
^_~
"Whoa........."
The group stood with their mouth gaped open in front of the car. They were in a garden. Not an "oh-look-there's-a-rose-bush" garden, or was it a "wow-there's-a-fountain" garden. This was a "Damn-you-can-make-your-own-maze-out-of-the-grass-and-get-lost-in-it" garden. And there's a fountain and a rose bush.
A long driveway connected the road outside with the inside of the garden. Kouga's house, no, mansion, is on top of a hill in the remote area of suburban Tokyo. When visitors step out of their cars, they have to go up several flights of stairs to reach the front door. The mansion is everything that a rich person wants.
To the far right of the mansion is a mini parking lot/garage, which Kagome guessed was for Kouga's numerous cars. To the left was a large gate which led to the back of the house. The happy squeals of children's laughter and splash of water were evidence of a swimming pool.
Ka-chan led everyone up the stairs. As they all reached the large, red oak door, Ka-chan rang the doorbell, which sent a loud alarm throughout the premises. Kagome and the gang heard some of the children yell "they're here!" loudly.
Within seconds, the door was opened by a large youkai with rather sharp fangs. Shippo "eeped" at the sight and shrank away quickly.
"Baku, come back here, you're scaring the guests!" A high voice rang through the large ball room. The huge youkai called Baku turned around slowly and stomped away through another door.
The group stuck out their heads in search for the owner of the voice. Far away from them was another door which, and coming out of it were a group of children and a young youkai woman.
"Ayame-baachan! Is that them?!" A little youkai girl with sharp fangs asked the youkai woman cheerfully.
"Ayame-chan?" Kagome questioned unsurely.
Her guess was confirmed as Ayame ran toward her in a flash and enveloped her in a bear hug. "Kagome! I can't believe it! When Kouga told me that you were still alive, I was so surprised! O, kami-sama, Inuyasha, you're all here!" Ayame smiled at Kagome with misty eyes. Kagome was surprised at how much older Ayame looks. Sure, she only looks like someone in her late twenties, but compared to the Ayame she knew, it was a big change.
"Ayame-chan... you don't hate me anymore?" Kagome asked softly as they were lead through a marble door to an even bigger living room. Ayame set them down on the couch and the children immediately went to crowd around them.
"Five hundred years make you think a lot." Ayame smiled with a blush. "Kouga filled me in on your time-traveling abilities. And all this time, we all thought you guys were dead. And Sango, it's wonderful to see you too."
Sango smiled back politely. "Thank you for inviting us here today. Your mansion is magnificent."
Kagome and Inuyasha both got up to walk around the living room.
"Kouga and I had various jobs over the centuries. We were mercenaries during wars and political activists during peace times. I guess there's always a point in life where hunting and fighting is just not enough anymore. We wanted stability for our cubs, and so we settled down eventually. But all the money we made during the wars was enough to buy us this piece of land and this mansion. We're rich; I guess you could say that. So rich that Kouga wanted to be a teacher and refused to let me work."
Kagome stopped in front of the fireplace. Hundreds of pictures were hung on the wall. Kagome glanced over each of them with glee, until her eyes rested on a black and white photo.
"Ayame-chan, whatever happened to Hakkaku and Ginta? Are they still following Kouga around?" Kagome pointed at the picture and glanced back at Ayame. But their hostess made no answer.
"They were in Hiroshima at the summer of 1945." Kouga appeared in the doorway in a business suit. "I told them not to get involved in that war, but they were overzealous. Said something about paying back the country. Those two idiots..."
"You mean they're..." Kagome felt something tug at her heartstrings. Inuyasha rushed to her side immediately, knowing how she would react. "But they were always there, even when we fought Naraku... I was their nee-chan..."
"A lot of youkai died during those wars. Even youkai are no match for bullets and bombs."
The room was filled with momentary silence until Kouga cleared his throat. Ayame took the hint and rushed all the children out of the room. Once the room was cleared, Kouga beckoned the group to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Inuyasha moved reluctantly. Kouga's face was stern; his mind was still filled with the memories of his comrades' death. Behind him, Ka-chan whispered: "we're going to meet "The Gloomy Man"."
^_~
"KYOTO?!!!!???!!!" Kagome howled as the limo stopped in front of a small airport. A small jet was waiting in the runway. "I can't go to Kyoto! I have to tell my mom first and..."
"I ain't flying in that thing!! I still don't believe that thing can fly!" Inuyasha had his invisible claws firmly on the fence around the airport, and refused to be dragged onto the iron bird.
On the other hand, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were already on the plane, eager to fly.
First Kouga realized that he had to convince Kagome. And then Kagome sat Inuyasha until he was unconscious. And Kouga personally had to lug the hanyou onto the plane.
The jet took off immediately with its mix of odd passengers. Inuyasha woke up in the middle of flight and started to throw tantrums. Kouga had to hit him a couple of times to get him to be quiet.
"Shut up, Inuyasha! Even the kitsune cub is quieter than you!" Kouga kicked Inuyasha in the stomach. Shippo heard the compliment immediately and went to sit on top of Kouga's head and to blow raspberries at a very pissed off hanyou.
Kagome sat in her seat with her attention on the clouds outside. Sango and Miroku were in the back of the jet, whispering and talking to each other. Kagome didn't know whether to smile or to gag.
"Oh, Tomo... Kouga-kun, can we go to the Shōkoku-ji temple in Kyoto? I made a wish there a few years ago, it came true, and I want to go back to thank the temple." Kagome asked Kouga while Inuyasha sat between them with her arms crossed and his hand on his kendo sword (Tessaiga).
Kouga blinked. "I thought you grew up in a Shinto shrine. Why do you make wishes at Buddhist temples?"
Kagome laughed sheepishly. "That's the reason why I make wished at Buddhist temples. After I saw what a fake my jii-chan is, I kind of have an impression in my head that all Shinto priests are quacks."
Kouga laughed. "Oh, okay. What temple did you say?"
"Shōkoku-ji."
Kouga raised an eyebrow. "Kagome-chan, the Shōkoku-ji temple was burned down in the end of the Edo Period, and was never restored, it's been gone for more than 400 years."
Kagome smiled. "Don't trick me, Tomoe... Kouga-kun, I was just there a few years ago. Of course they rebuilt it."
Ka-chan shook her head gravely. "Kouga-jiji is not joking, Kagome-sama. He was one of the people who burned it down."
Kouga sweat-dropped. He glared at his granddaughter, who sat face to face with him. "You didn't need to bring that up, Ka-chan, I was still young."
Kagome scratched her head. "But..."
"Maybe you remembered wrong, Kagome-sama. Was it another temple?" Ka-chan questioned, but Kagome gave no answer. She was sure of it.
"Whatever." Inuyasha cut in. "Wolf, who's this 'Gloomy Man' your granddaughter was talking about? Why do we have to go so far just to see him?"
Kouga's mischievous grin reappeared. Kagome can see why Ka-chan is his granddaughter. "Kagome-chan, you would be surprised if you hear his name. 'The Gloomy Man', as my mate calls him, is actually Mukashi Shinichi!"
Kouga and Ka-chan both awaited some sort of surprised look on Kagome's face. But Kagome only blinked back. "Sorry, don't know him."
Kouga and Ka-chan both dropped onto the floor, and brought Shippo down with them. The plane shook a little. Miroku and Sango came back from their little rendezvous to check on their friends.
"Kagome-chan, happened?"
Kagome shrugged. She nudged Inuyasha to pickup Shippo. "They said something about some guy named 'Mukashi Shinichi', and when I said I didn't know him, they fell..."
"'Mukashi Shinichi...'" Miroku repeated the name. "Isn't that name really contradictory*?"
"He named himself that so he wouldn't forget his past, and also, to redeem himself." Kouga crawled up. "But Kagome-chan, how could you not know the name of the richest man on earth?"
Kagome blinked again in confusion. "I thought the richest man on earth is Bill Gates."
Kouga stared at her disbelievingly. "Bill Gates comes in second. He was never the first. He doesn't even come close to Mukashi Shinichi."
Kagome couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, what's going on here?! First you tell me that the Shōkoku-ji temple was burnt down 400 years ago and never restored when I was just there less than 5 years ago. Next you tell me this Mukashi guy is richer than Bill Gates?! Stop messing with my mind!!!"
"Kagome, calm down..." Shippo latched himself onto Kagome's dress and patted her arms.
Kouga scratched his head. "We're not messing with your mind, Kagome-chan. We're telling the truth. But you ask me what's going on here. And I don't have a clue either. But Mukashi-sama should know."
"He's a youkai?" Inuyasha asked calmly while he took Kagome's left hand in his right and squeezed it slightly.
Kouga's attention averted to Inuyasha. Finally, he smiled again with that same mischievous look. "Kagome-chan might not know the name 'Mukashi Shinichi', but Inuyasha, I guaranteed you all that you will recognize his real name. You see, I call him Mukashi-sama, not because he's rich, but because he's also the youkai Lord of the Western Lands, formally known as 'Sesshomaru-sama'."
The jet became quiet, very, very quiet.
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*** Yes, that guy that Mikagi Akiko was kissing was actually Mikagi Toji. And no, they're not incest. What's going on here? You can take a guess. The truth will be revealed eventually.
**For the sake of this fic, I'm just assuming that Kagome has never kissed Inuyasha before, though she did in the second movie.
*Sesshomaru's human name: Mukashi Shinichi is contradictory because Mukashi means "long ago", and Shinichi means "new one".
And a couple more things: Kagome's view that all Shinto priests are quacks does not reflect the views of this writer. Bill Gates is still the richest man on earth, and no, I don't own him. Shōkoku-ji is a real temple and was really burned down in the end of the Edo Period, but it really was restored, so Kagome was not hallucinating. And if you don't know what happened in Hiroshima in the summer of 1945, I suggest you look it up or beat up your history teacher. And I know I promised that Sesshomaru will make his appearance in this chapter. Hehe... I lied. It wasn't planned very well. So he'll be here next chapter.