Okay, there is seriously NO excuse for how overdue this chapter is. I am SO sorry.
Disclaimer: No I don't have Rumiko Takahashi locked and bound in a closet until she gives me the full rights to Ranma and Inu Yasha, if that's what you're implying.
Somewhere else, away from where our age-changed gang slept, Kouga and his wolf pack stood at the edge of a cliff. "Kagome," Kouga thought, "Won't you be quite happy when I come for a surprise visit…" (A/N: Yes, aren't I twisted?)
Anyway, back to our gang:
"Okay so you hold the bat like this and…SWING!"
Kagome decided that she should get her chibified friends' minds out of their current disposition, by teaching them how to play a rousing game of, yes, baseball.
"I don't know Kagome…it just seems kind of…stupid." Shippo said skeptically, and quite out of character. It seemed he was trying to imitate how Inu Yasha acted. "What's the point of hitting a ball, then running around in a diamond?"
Kagome stared. She knew if Shippo was still in his normal five year old body, he would have been overjoyed to play baseball. She replied coolly, "You'll see when we play, Shippo."
Inu Yasha tutted in agreement and crossed his arms. "The brat's got a point Kagome." (In which Shippo replied, "Who's a brat, ya brat?!")
Miroku and Sango grinned sheepishly to tell Kagome they agreed as well.
Kagome sighed and pleaded, "C'mon guys. Give it a chance."
Reluctantly, Inu Yasha agreed. He couldn't stand to see Kagome like that. The rest followed suit and agreed to play this…'baseball'.
Kagome's face brightened and she nodded.
As she got out a couple of baseball bats from her bag, the age-changed gang wondered what they had just gotten themselves into.
"Okay here are the rules." Kagome said holding two bats with several mitts dangling from the tops and taking out a guidebook.
She read: "'Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under direction of a manager, played on an enclosed field in accordance with these rules, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires. The objective of each team is to win by scoring more runs than the opponent. The winner of the game shall be that team which shall have scored, in accordance with these rules, the greater number of runs at the conclusion of a regulation game.'"
Miroku nodded and said intellectually, "I see." Sesshoumaru and Sango nodded also to tell her he understood.
Inu Yasha scratched his head thoughtfully and asked, "What in the hell does 'gurisdick-shun' mean?"
"Yeah…and what is an umpire?" Shippo added in.
"I don't get it!" Rin exclaimed openly.
Sesshoumaru sighed and commented under his breath how dumb his brother was.
Kagome however explained the rules again in terms that the three could comprehend.
Once everyone was at a full understanding of the rules of baseball, Kagome got her 'bag-of-infinite-room-to-fit-everything-except-textbooks-and-other-schooling-materials' to get a ball to use for the game. (A/N: It's true, Kagome's bag seems to fit everything except her schoolbooks. Oh and also, if you don't get baseball or don't know how to play, don't worry cause I won't go into much depth. I hardly know how to play either. -does not have hand-eye coordination-)
Kagome felt around her bag for a ball, and found everything but a ball. "Oh no! Now we can't play!" She looked around frantically for a possible substitution. Her eyes rested on an orange tree and she grinned.
"An orange?" Shippo repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Play baseball with an orange?"
"Sure? Why not?"
In an Inu Yasha like style, Shippo crossed his arms, muttered 'Feh' and took a bat. Inu Yasha eyed Shippo weirdly, crossed his arms, and muttered 'Feh'.
"So I guess we should pick the teams now." Sango suggested.
"Okay then!" Shippo exclaimed. I'm the captain, since I'm one of the oldest."
Inu Yasha impatiently said, "No way! As the strongest here, I should be the captain!"
"Who said you were the strongest?!" Sesshoumaru retorted at Inu Yasha. "And who said you were the oldest?!"—he pointed to Shippo—" I'm the oldest one here, technically speaking."
"No way I've beaten you like a million times Sesshoumaru—"
"—simple strokes of luck—"
"Yeah, I get a stroke of luck apparently every time I beat your face in—"
"—should be the captain, being a demon slayew and all—"
"Slaying demons has nothing to do with it Sango—"
"Well I don't see what being a pewvewted monk have to do with the game—"
"Now, now Sango, I—"
"Kagome,my love!!" exclaimed a voice even louder and enthusiastic than all they're arguing.
Kagome who was idly watching the argument suddenly turned around to see someone she was sure Inu Yasha did not want to see at the moment.
"Er, hi Kouga!" Kagome said in strained cheerfulness, with the edge of her mouth twitching slightly. She also said this a little too loudly, so she could warn the gang behind her to hide.
The gang quickly scurried behind a mass of trees and bushes, but made spy-holes to see what was going on.
"So, KOUGA! What are you doing here on this nice fine day in which Inu Yasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo aren't here?! HEH, HEH!!" Kagome said, forgetting to turn down the volume on her voice.
Kouga and his two wolf friends who I apparently forgot the names of stared at her for a couple of seconds. (A/N: From now until when I find out the names of Kouga's friends, the two friends will be known as 'Wolf Friend I' and 'Wolf Friend II'. Sorry --)
Wolf Friend I finally said, "Kagome, we're only just in front of you…"
"Yeah, you don't have to shout," added in Wolf Friend II.
Kouga (who was standing in between the two of them) nudged Wolf Friend I and Wolf Friend II and muttered, "Don't contradict my woman! She can speak as loudly as she wants!"—he turned to Kagome—"The mutt's not here?"
"Er…yeah! That's right! He's not here," she said nervously.
In the bushes, Inu Yasha started to growl. Sesshoumaru sat on his younger brother's back and covered Inu-chan's mouth. "Shut up if you don't want that wolf demon to see you…whoever he is."
Rin was about to sneeze, "Aaah, aaah!" Shippo suddenly covered her mouth as she sneezed. He winced as he felt moistness on his hand and wiped it on Inu Yasha.
Kouga heard some moving in the bushes behind Kagome, and tilted his view to see. Kagome quickly moved in front of him, and laughed anxiously.
Kouga raised an eyebrow, "Are you hiding something, Kagome?"
"Hiding something?!" Kagome repeated in an unusually high-pitched voice. "NO!"
Kouga sniffed the air, "This place smells of your friends' scents…" He stepped forward to investigate.
Kagome quickly wracked her brain for an idea to stop him, and she got one, even if she knew Inu Yasha wouldn't like it. She stepped face to face with Kouga and hugged him.
Kouga would have been dead by now, if Sesshoumaru wasn't sitting on Inu Yasha.
"Get off Sesshoumaru!" Inu Yasha growled. "Let me at him!!" He clawed and kicked, but his older brother wouldn't get off no matter what.
Miroku sat observing the two brothers. "Inu Yasha, if you don't want to reveal our current disposition to Kouga, I suggest you stop moving and be quiet."
"Miwoku's wight Inu Yasha." Sango said nodding, "Be quiet ow Kouga will find out how weak you awe wight now."
"I don't care! I'll rip 'im apart!" And with that he thrust himself out from under Sesshoumaru and jumped onto Kouga's shoulders, claws bared.
"Get the hell AWAY from her, dammit!" the little hanyou exclaimed.
A surprised Kouga fell over exclaiming an R-rated phrase. Inu Yasha was ineffectively clawing the back of Kouga's head, before the wolf demon could comprehend what was happening.
"What the hell is this?" Kouga said, coming to. He picked up Inu Yasha by the scruff of his neck, much like how Inu Yasha used to pick up Shippo by his tail.
Inu Yasha kicked and flailed about hopelessly. He could not shake out of Kouga's grasp.
Kouga faced Kagome and asked plainly, "Is this the mutt?"
She nodded awkwardly.
"Well then, since he's way too young for you, hows about you and me—"
A light pain ran through his leg. Kouga looked down to see that Inu Yasha had kicked him.
"You're not taking her out…" he growled menacingly at Kouga, so Kagome wouldn't hear.
"Yes I am, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, shrimp…"
"I'll fight you for her."
"Like that? I'd beat you down flat without so much as a break of sweat."
Thought he didn't want to admit, Inu Yasha knew he was right. He opened his mouth to say something, but Miroku interrupted.
"I don't mean to intervene, but Kouga, what if he beat you in something other than hand to hand combat?"
Kouga considered this for a while. He figured it would be a better story to tell if he had to beat Inu Yasha to get Kagome. "Alright I accept your challenge!"
Wolf Friend II asked Kouga, "Um, but what will you beat him at?"
"Uh…" he looked at Miroku expectantly.
Miroku crossed his arms and said smartly, "Just a little game I like to call baseball. The winner of the game receives the beautiful Kagome."
Inu Yasha looked up at Kouga and Kouga looked down at Inu Yasha. Their eyes locked and they glared menacingly at each other with fire dancing in their eyes.
"There's no way I'm gonna lose."
Meanwhile, a few feet away, Kagome stood there wondering what Kouga and Inu Yasha were talking about.
Cliffhanger sorry. I just didn't really want it to be too long. Well there you go! I updated. Review please!!