Readers--Hiya all! Yes, I'm going to try and get my chapters done faster now because the story is taking place at around the same time it is now! I want all the Christmas stuff done before Christmas, which is quite a few chapters. Cross your fingers that I get it done. It shall be my Christmas Gift to all of you, my beautiful readers! *gives you all candy canes* Also, I am using American Hi-Fi's song Rise in this chapter, and last chapter's song was Teenage Alien Nation.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. And I didn't steal him either, honest! Wait, no! Don't go into the closet! STOP!
Chapter 10: A Cliché For Your Thoughts
"I don't know what I can take,
Can you feel the pressure break"
Kagome was a little nervous when she was attacked by both Rin and Kaede. They excitedly told her how spectacular and wonderful she had been in the ring. Kagome smiled and blushed, taking the praise with a grain of salt. Her mind was in other places, like wondering why her arch nemesis was staring at her like that. Something told her that Inuyasha should not be looking at her the way he was. When Inuyasha looked like that, it was never a good thing, and that was saying a lot. She made a mental note to check out just what was going on as soon as she checked her scores on the board.
Soon enough, the lights cleared to show Kagome's picture and the small table with the judges scores for her performance. Kagome was awarded a perfect mark on the originality of her routine, and excellent marks on her weapons handling and her use of both freestyle martial arts and kendo. That placed her in the second place category, just below Kagura. But even though she didn't win the event for her dojo, they were awarded enough points to keep them in first for the overall dojo total.
Now was her chance. Rin and Kaede were heading back to the rest station to help Sango prepare for the female weapons competition. Inuyasha trailed after them and Kagome fell into step beside him.
"What's your beef dog-boy?" she asked, hands casually behind her back. Inuyasha turned a pair of molten gold eyes to her and simply walked away. What surprised Kagome the most was that it stung when he simply walked off that way. Their antics usually involved him throwing an insult her way before simply stalking off, but he suddenly didn't want to play their game. That worried Kagome. It worried her a great deal, but not in the way she should have been worried. Never once did it cross her mind that he might have discovered her secret. Instead, she was more worried that he would stop talking to her. If that happened, who would she annoy?
Inuyasha was fuming to the point where he couldn't trust himself to speak. First she lies to him, then she played him for a fool! Now she has the audacity to insult him when he's trying to be angry about it. What the hell was up with this girl? Oh, he had a few things in mind. When this tournament was over, he and Kagome were going to have words, but for the time being, he had to concentrate on the subject at hand. He still had an event to fight, and he had a whole mess of chumps to beat in the process. Kagome would have to wait, and that was that.
When he got back to the rest area, a peculiar sight met his eyes. Sango was actually sitting in a chair next to Miroku. There was no groping, no ritual war-cry of 'pervert', just calm. Miroku's leg was resting across Sango's lap as she rewrapped the bandage over it with a new bag of ice. Intent upon her work, she didn't notice the rest of the dojo had returned until Rin cleared her throat.
"How'd she do?" Miroku asked. Sango blinked and then shook her head. She blushed dully, finished her task, then stood off to the side with a look in her eyes clearly saying that any unnecessary comments would be rewarded with a slow and painful death.
"Placed second," Kaede said with a hint of pride in her voice. "We're still in the lead. Now it's time for Sango to prepare."
"Oh joy," Sango muttered, fidgeting with the sword on her belt. It was a small katana, not as long or refined as Tetsusaiga was. She had been using the same sword through all of her training. It was a good luck charm. Sure, it sounded lame, but her family had always been superstitious.
The announcer broke into Kaede's retort, the arena suddenly ringing with the shrill sound that comes from having a microphone too close to a speaker. Inuyasha cringed and covered his ears as best as he could, but he was still twitching from the noise.
"Attention participants, I'm afraid that we have a formality that needs to be taken care of. Due to legalities, our tournament only has a few hours left until we have to close down, and there is not enough time to do the last two major events one after the other. Therefore, it will be held as followed." There was a paused so the announcer could clear his throat. "It will be alternated, one round of the Female Weapons Competition followed by a round of the Kendo Competition. I know this is a little unprecedented, but it must be done in order to fill out time slots. Please bare with us, thank you."
As soon as his voice disappeared, the crowd let out a loud and resounding round of hisses and boos. The competitors heckled as well, but once an announcement was made, it was official. With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha hoisted himself up from his seat.
"Guess I should get ready too," he mumbled to no one in particular. Sango joined him when he left the rest area for ringside. The list of competitors for Sango's event were already listed, she would be up first. It was a dramatically limited event. Most of the dojos competing were all male, apart from a few females who only participated in the weapons freestyle. The event would only have three rounds, at most. Sango was in the first fight.
"Lucky me, huh," she said to Inuyasha with a smirk. "I get shucked into the first fight."
"At least you aren't the last one," he said, nudging her with his elbow. "So it could be worse."
"Freak, do you always have to be that way?" she whined.
"As bad as things are, they can always get worse," Inuyasha quipped.
"Oh God, that is the most horrible cliché," Rin commented, wrinkling her nose as she and Kaede caught up to them at ringside. Sango looked around.
"Where's Kagome?"
"She's taking care of Miroku until the last fight, then I'm gonna switch with her so she can cheer. She thinks that someone should look after that perv or he might die of boredom."
"Yeah, but she might get more trouble then it's worth," Sango said ominously.
"Ah, Kagome can handle Miroku," Rin said with a smirk. "If he pulls anything, she'll just whack him, injured or not."
"That's cruel and unusual," Inuyasha commented from his seat, eye closed in concentration.
"Enough talk," Kaede hushed. "It's almost time for the first fight."
"I've been getting by on nothing,
How long? so long"
Sango dodged throwing star that had been aimed at her head. Her first opponent was a demon, one who was a master of the art of ninjitsu using throwing stars. Sango may have been smaller then this girl, she may have been less powerful, but Sango was faster.
She did a cartwheel to avoid the first barrage of stars, and then a double back flip to avoid the stars' return to their master. Sango used her gymnastics moves to buy herself enough time to devise a plan of attack. Her opponent used weapons that traveled a distance, meaning that her weakness would be a short range attack. Sango knew that he chance of winning would be to get inside the perimeter of the stars' lobby, and attack her opponent before the return of the loosed weapons. A tricky feat indeed, but she was confident.
Sango moved in closer, little by little. When she was close enough to make her attack, she stopped her dodging tricks and decided to make a head-on charge. The demoness seemed to predict this strategy because she had a trio of stars tucked in her left hand to throw after Sango made her intentions known.
The human girl was able to block the first two stars with her now-drawn sword, but the third flew past her shield of protection and grazed her arm, leaving a shallow, bleeding cut on her right arm, her sword arm. Sango dropped down to her knees to avoid the return of the stars, clutching at her bleeding arm. The warm blood trickled through her fingers, making the girl snarl in frustration. She would not be wounded again.
The demon lobbied her stars again, but Sango was prepared and was able to dodge all of them beautifully. Then she was inside the arc, and she was more then a little pissed. "You made me bleed," Sango said to the demon. Then she punched her opposition across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground. The stars returned once more, but Sango easily side stepped them as they stuck into the ring floor without a hand to catch them. With ease, Sango walked over and held the flat of her blade against the throat of her opponent. A victory was awarded.
Sango carried herself from the ring with all the confidence of a world champion, and all humility of a saint. She received a royal welcome from Rin and Kaede, both congratulating her happily and with jubilation. Inuyasha even opened one eye and voiced a brief congrats before going back into meditation. As predicted, there would only be two rounds in Sango's event, and she was already in the second.
"You should go back to the rest area and get Kagome to look at your arm," Kaede said with all seriousness. "It doesn't seem to be a deep wound, but the medical supplies are at the rest area and Kagome is still in training. Her healing skills are her greatest asset."
"Then I can't hold out on an opportunity for her to prod me," Sango laughed. "I'll go see if the doctor is in." Sango, still holding a hand over her bleeding arm, went back to the rest area while Inuyasha readied himself for his first round match.
"Feeling like I lost my vision,
"Transmission full of dead ambition"
"Miroku, stop bitching," Kagome warned, lounging back in her seat with her eyes closed. "Or I swear, I'll pull Sango out of her match to come and beat the shit outta you again."
"I was just wishing that Sango could have stayed with me a little longer." he said in a pathetically forlorn voice. "Aw Kag, why do you have to be that way?"
"Because I can," she said with a grin.
"That's cold," Miroku said, looking serious. "That's just cold."
"That's life babe, get used to it." Kagome stretched and got to her feet, pulling out her leg muscles. She felt taunt everywhere and she was getting fidgety.
"Why'd you stay here with me anyway?" Miroku asked suddenly, with a raised eyebrow. Violet eyes surveyed her movements with that uncanny ability to read into a person's feelings. Maybe it was a genetic thing, those generations-old monk powers he still had that came out every now and then. Miroku was always very good at reading the actions and feelings of people, plus he could always sense the difference between a human and a demon. 'Twas a gift, his father always said.
"I was given the cold shoulder by everyone's favorite hanyou," Kagome replied with a shrug. "Normally I wouldn't care, but if he's pissed off at me, it'll only distract his performance in the ring if I'm out there."
"True," Miroku nodded, thinking it over. "I wonder what set him off."
"I don't really know," Kagome said, sitting down again. "We were same as usual when I went to do my routine, but when I came back he was steaming. And I'm talking more then usual, like royally pissed off. I wonder if Grams or Rin said anything to him."
"You'll have to ask one of them when they get back," was his rational reply.
"I guess I will." She sighed, resting her chin on her knuckles and brooding some more.
"Well," Miroku interrupted. "Guess there's only one thing to say at a time like this."
"What's that?" Kagome asked.
"Pans ho," Miroku said, sitting up higher in his chair, as if reciting some ancient secret of life and death.
"Beg your pardon?" Kagome asked with a startled look in his direction.
"Pans ho," he said again. Kagome was still clueless. "What's it spell backwards, without an E on ho?"
"P-A-N-S H-O...O-H S-N-A-P....Oh snap?"
"Correct," Miroku said with a satisfactory smile.
"Oh snap…" Kagome laughed, poking him in the shoulder. "You're so weird."
"Thanks, but it worked."
"What did?" Kagome asked curiously.
"The powers of Pans Ho got you to smile. You were brooding, and that's never good." Kagome laughed again. "Inuyasha is the brooder of our group, we don't need another one. He can brood enough for all five of us." Kagome giggled, something she was not used to doing, but Miroku was quite hard to resist.
"Oh snap, you got me."
"So what do you want to do now?" Miroku asked her with a yawn. "We're both stuck here for a while it seems."
"I could think of a few things."
Kinda sorta gotta get it together,
I can wait forever"
"Hey Kagome!" Sango called, coming into the rest area. The sight she saw brought her to a stop. Kagome was kneeling on the floor over a chair. Miroku was still propped up on his chair, but he had twisted his body to lean over closer to Kagome. Spread across the chair was a pile of cards, and each of them had a few in their hands.
"Got any twos?" Kagome asked.
"Go look for a trout."
"God dammit," she laughed.
"Perhaps you shall grace me with your fives?"
"The flounder are calling you Miroku," Kagome said with the sweetest of smiles. He proceeded to grumble under his breath about a woman's uncanny ability to cheat. Kagome was laughing when she looked up and noticed Sango. "Hi Sango, what's up--" she paused upon seeing the girl's blood soaked sleeve. "Oh dear, you got hurt huh?"
"Yeah, well, comes with the territory," Sango said with a shrug.
"Come here," Kagome beckoned, having Sango sit on the card-covered chair.
"Hey! My fives!" Miroku cried. "Then again, they are under Sango. Fetching them only makes the game more fun…"
"Try it, and I'll remove your reason for wearing an athletic supporter," Sango said evenly, waiting for Kagome to return with the first-aid kit. "I may be bleeding, but I'm not defenseless yet."
"The key word is yet, my dear," Miroku said flirtatiously. Sango snorted. Kagome returned and shook her head.
"Oy, lovebirds, quit chirping and let me do my job please." Miroku smiled while Sango glowered. Kagome only grinned and set about her work. In a few minutes, Sango was as good as new. One would never have known that she was hurt at all if not for the drying blood on her sleeve and the bandage on her arm. "Ah, a masterpiece of the healing arts, if I do say so myself," Kagome gloated. "It would have been better if I had my medical bag from home, but one makes due with what one has."
Sango flexed her arm and smiled at the results. "Perfect!" With that said she hopped to her feet and stretched, trying to keep limber. "I should get back to the ring and check up on Inuyasha. Rin will get you before my final round."
"Great, tell dog-boy I said good luck, okay?"
Sang flashed a grin and disappeared back into the crowd, closing the door to the rest area behind her. "Well that was fun!" Miroku said cheerily. "But she kinda ruined our game."
"How about poker?" Kagome asked. "I'm feeling lucky." She grinned and collapsed into the seat next to him, but a knock at the rest area door sent her to her feet again. Kagome grumbled as she opened the door. "Did you forget something?" But when Kagome opened the door, she was met with a sight that was not one of her team mates at all!
There stood a boy in the doorway, a familiar one at that, but she couldn't place his name. He was taller than Kagome, with long black hair that was held back behind his head in a haphazard way. His sparkling blue eyes struck her as half hesitant, half cocky. The way he held himself was that of a skilled athlete and show-off. He kinda reminded Kagome of someone. (Now, who could ever be cocky and a show-off? I wonder…) She also noted a few other things about the boy, like how his ears were slightly pointed standing out against the brown headband that was the mark of his dojo. That, and the fact that all her miko senses were giving off that demon alert again from the aura he was giving off. Demon or not, he was still rather striking and Kagome found herself falling into 'auto-flirt' mode.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked, looking inquisitive, but not too interested.
"Hi," he replied smoothly. "I'm Kouga. I'm from the Faolan dojo."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome said, shaking his offered hand. "I'm Kagome Isharugi."
"I know," he said. Kagome blinked, confused. "Oh, you probably don't know me, but we go to the same school."
Now Kagome knew where she had seen his from. Recognition must have flashed in her eyes because Kouga smiled, showing teeth a little sharper then usual. "Don't we have physics together?" she asked him, snapping her fingers. "You're the Friction wiz!"
Kouga laughed and smiled again. "Yeah well…" Kagome smiled and laughed too. "I just wanted to say that I saw your routine and I thought it was great. You're really talented." Kagome blushed prettily and found her hands suddenly very interesting.
"Well, thanks ever so much Mr. Friction," she said after a moment, still blushing.
"You're welcome." Kouga tossed a look behind him. "I should get going back to the ring. I'm in the kendo fight." Kagome raised an eyebrow in interest.
"I wish you luck," she said with a bow. "And remember, on the East Coast we ride." Kouga snorted and shook his head with a smile.
"We should go out sometime," he said with a grin and a wave. "See you around." Kagome waved him off and then closed the door when she went back inside. Miroku was perked up in his seat, looking interested.
"What's the word?" he asked.
"I think I was just asked out by Inuyasha's competition."
"Rise out of the atmosphere,
I gotta disappear"
Sango joined Rin and Kaede on the sidelines for Inuyasha's fight. He was set for the second fight, and the first was just drawing to a close now. He stood by them, totally calm and quiet. It unnerved Sango a little bit. Never in all the years she had known Inuyasha had she ever seen him so brooding. And it wasn't just the fight either. Anxiety for a battle never held Inuyasha down this far. Something in her gut told her there was another reason for her friend's silence and melancholy. That's when she remembered the message she had been entrusted to give him.
"Hey, Inuyasha." He turned to look at her, one eyebrow arched. "Kagome wanted me to tell you, good luck." Inuyasha scowled and turned away again. Ah, now it made sense to Sango. Something fishy was going on between the hanyou and his new flame. Sango made a mental not to pull Rin aside and get her to dish, but for now, Inuyasha's first fight was upon them.
He calmly took the ring, drawing out the strange old sword that he had been carrying. Sango hadn't seen him use that sword before, but Rin and Kaede recognized it instantly. "Kaede," Rin said in shock. "Why does Inuyasha have Tetsusaiga?"
"What's that?" Sango asked, confused.
"Kagome's sword," Kaede clarified. "It belonged to her father, the fighter Rei Yue." Rei Yue, again that name was familiar to Sango, but she just couldn't place it.
"That name is so familiar…" she said aloud. "Where have I heard it before?"
"From Inuyasha," Rin said under her breath. "The boy practically worshiped the ground uncle Rei walked on, him being a great hanyou martial artist and all." Sango's eyes went wide as she turned to confront the other two women.
"THAT Rei Yue? The famous one? He was Kagome's father?"
"Yeah," Rin said. "My uncle Rei. But Sango, don't get all weird on Kagome, okay? Rei is a very touchy subject for her, and Kag really doesn't like people to know that he was this great fighter and all. It's not like she's ashamed, or trying to keep it from anyone, but a lot of people scorned him and she's very proud. The fame never was her thing. To her, he was just her Dad, okay?"
"Yeah, I gotcha, but still…wow! I mean, that makes Kagome, like, part demon, right?"
Kaede chuckled, putting an arm around Sango's shoulders. "We have a lot to tell you sweetheart."
Now, Inuyasha had supersonic hearing even in the ring, so he heard all of this. Yeah, he was still sore at Kagome for making him feel like an idiot, going on and on about Yue when he was her own father. Point was, he could forgive her for it because he knew what it was like to be scorned for being a hanyou, and listening to people slander your fathers memory…he understood that too. At least, with a little piece of mind, he could focus on his match.
Since their were only thirteen dojos now in the running, the thirteen kendo participants had been broken into random, and odd-numbered battles. His first fight was between a human. Inuyasha was a good judge of skill, and he could tell this boy was not the captain of his dojo for nothing. His katana was also of good quality, an expensive model if Inuyasha could be a judge of such things. Yet, with Tetsusaiga in his hands, Inuyasha had no doubt that he would win.
Inuyasha and his opponent bowed before one another, then faced each other. Inuyasha held Tetsusaiga up to the light, feeling the power echo through his bones. And with a flick of his wrist, the sword transformed from a mild-mannered katana, into a long and vicious-looking fang. At the sight of the newly-morphed weapon, Inuyasha's opponent became slightly nervous. One didn't need a hanyou's senses to see the slight tremor in his hand or hear how loud he gulped. The sound made Inuyasha feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (Well, not like that you gutter-minded perverts! Seriously, not even Miroku would have thought about it like that! God!) The hanyou had always taken intimidation in stride. He took an offensive stance before leaping into the attack. Inuyasha wielded Tetsusaiga beautifully, as if the sword had been in his hands all his life instead of only the second time in his life. But even with a good sword, the human's form was solid. He was able to block every one of Inuyasha's executed blows perfectly.
There is an old saying that came to Inuyasha's mind during the fight. One who is taught without flaw is helpless against change. He smirked to himself, coming up with a plan. Perfect form was an achievement, but it did not protect against imperfect improvements, and Inuyasha always fought from the hip.
The first thing he did was distract his opponent with a barrage of pointless attacks, a volley of easily-blocked slashes and thrusts. The assault began to push the human fighter further to the outer edge of the ring. After a while, the adversary thought he had figured out Inuyasha's attack strategy and began to move his position away from the edge. Along the way, he was too busy fending off the attacks that he didn't notice Inuyasha's foot in his path--until he was flat on his back. Inuyasha yawned and carelessly held Tetsusaiga an inch over the other boy's chest. Points were award to the dojo and Inuyasha returned to his teammates with a win under his belt, and qualification for the next round.
"That was great 'Yash," Sango congratulated him.
"You could say that you really swept him off his feet, eh?" Rin quipped, making the others groan.
"Rin, do us all a favor," Inuyasha said with a shake of his head. "Don't try to make a joke."
"Spoil sport," she retorted, sticking out her tongue. Inuyasha only smirked and went back into his meditative position.
"They'll be no living with him now," Kaede muttered with a sigh. "Might as well get ready for your next fight Sango, dear."
"Gotcha," was the response.
"Is your arm alright?"
"Yeah, Kagome's great!"
"She should be," Kaede said with a smile. "I taught her everything she knows."
"I, gotta get out of here,
You got the best of me"
"Can't we talk this over?" Sango asked, ducking another blow aimed for her head. "Watch the nunchaku please! I'm kind of attached to my head!"
Here was Sango, trapped in her second match. So far, her arm was holding up, good as ever, the match itself was another story. She was locked in the same attack pattern with her opponent as they had been in the last ten minutes. Her opponent was a small human girl, just over five feet tall, but she was deadly with the nunchaku in her hands. (A nunchaku is a larger version of the weapon used my Michelangelo of the Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you want an example, Selphie uses them in Final Fantasy 8.) This girl handled her weapon as a pro, and Sango would expect no less. The real trouble was that both combatants used short-range weapons. Whenever either one moved in for an attack, the other's defenses were too strong to penetrate. If things didn't lighten up, the match would be decided by whoever dropped first. However, unlike the other events, the final two were being timed now. A victory needed to be announced by the end of a fifteen minute period. For some reason, Sango didn't see the match ending in five minutes.
"Well, quit your whining and fight me!" the girl called to Sango, whipping her weapon around for another attack. Sango deflected it off of her sword, then dodged to the left.
"Hey, I can quip during battle if I want to!" Sango shot back. "There is no law against psychological warfare."
The girl snorted and rushed Sango. But she could not be taken so lightly, and Sango feinted to the left, disturbing her opponent's equilibrium. She faltered, but righted herself before Sango could really take advantage. The girl was skilled and Sango couldn't see a way to win this match.
The opposing girl attempted another head-on assault, but Sango was ready this time. She put her weight on her left side, and when the girl was in range, spun to her right, slashing out with her sword. There was a cry and a flash of metal. A second later, Sango and her opponent stood facing each other, the girl sporting a long, thin cut in her left cheek which was startling to bleed freely now.
That was when the officials stepped in. "Due to the end of the allotted time for this match, and no sure winner was defined, points will be awarded to both dojos." Sango was satisfied that she did that, even if she was not able to win. "However, only Hikaru will be going to the next round since she was awarded the most number of hits."
At that, Kaede hopped into the ring and scurried over to successfully yell at the officials in an extraordinarily scary way. Sango felt like she was just slapped across the face. They gave her the points, but they wouldn't let her compete in the finals? She suddenly had the desire to ram her sword right down the official's throat, but Kaede seemed to be doing a pretty good job of that. Rin came up and helped Sango out of the ring, half comforting, half holding her back in case she got any homicidal ideas.
"I'm sorry Sango," Inuyasha said sympathetically as she sat down heavily beside him.
"I don't get it. I hit her good, even drew blood! Why can't I move on?"
"It's all in the system of points and hits," he said with a shrug. "You did get us points though."
"But not as many as I would have if I won!"
"True, but look at it this way," Rin said. "The two girls who are moving on are from dojos in last places. Either one of them wins, it doesn't help them much. We'll still be in the lead."
"Not unless I win," Inuyasha commented. "So if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to my breathing."
"You do that," Sango snapped. "I'm going to go bother Kagome and Miroku."
"You do that," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes.
"Rise, up and outta here
Into the stratosphere"
"So that's what happened," Sango said with a sigh, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Kagome and Miroku in the rest area. She had just finished brining them up to speed with the situation. "So if Inuyasha wins all his matches, we'll take home the win. But that means he'll have to fight three more times."
"He'll do it," Miroku said confidently. "You just wait and see. 'Yash will maim and destroy, just like he's always wanted to. We will triumph!"
"Calm yourself Miroku, or I'll put you back in the box," Kagome threatened. Miroku immediately shut up, cowering in fear.
"What's the box?" Sango asked. Kagome gave her an evil grin.
"NO! Don't tell her about the box…it's too horrible!"
Sango shrugged. "Whatever."
Kagome sighed and got to her feet. "Well now, since we're both sitting this out, wanna go get some air with me?" she asked Sango. "We can see the boys after that."
"Sure," she agreed, getting up. "We'll catch you later Lech."
"Hey! Don't leave me here all alone! I'll get lonely…What if I get so starved for attention that I take my own life?"
"Just don't make a mess," Kagome said as they left, but she winked and blew him a kiss. "We'll be back in a flash." Then they were gone and Miroku whimpered all by his lonesome.
"So tell me," Sango began. "Why does Inuyasha have your sword?"
Kagome smiled and looked wistful. "Tetsusaiga doesn't work for me when I'm not in my hanyou form. And dog-boy wouldn't have a prayer without it." Sango gave her that tell-me-the-truth-or-else look. "I felt bad about not telling him about my father, since I know he's a fan. I thought, letting him use a little piece of Papa's legacy would give him the edge he needed to win."
"Aww, that's so cute," Sango laughed. "You're sweet on him."
Kagome bristled. "I am not. Though, you're a fine one to talk. Tell me, when are you and Miroku getting married cuz I'd love to keep that date open."
"Why you--!" Sango gave chase and Kagome took off through the crowd, laughing and dodging, though she didn't do a very good job when she knocked into the second person that night. Only this person wasn't a handsome older man, this was a teenaged girl. But not just any girl, Kagome realized after quickly looking her over, it was Kagura, the girl who beat Kagome in her event. Fan in her hands, Kagura looked at Kagome was a raised eyebrow.
"Well if it isn't the comedian," she said lightly. "Still pulling tricks, ne?"
"If it isn't the salesgirl!" Kagome said happily. "How's Old Navy?"
"Oh I don't know, it'll be better now that I'll have the trophy for winning my event. But wait, you were in that too, weren't you? So sorry that you weren't better." Kagome shrugged, ready to leave this conversation before it turned ugly. "Well, what do you expect from one who is less than a hanyou but more than a human. Especially one that wears the Yue symbol on her back." Kagome turned back quickly as Kagura made to leave. Her arm shot out and grabbed the demoness.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Kagura sniffed haughtily and dislodged her arm.
"Simply that it's hard to mistake you, the daughter of a hanyou. But not just any hanyou, ne? The Great Rei Yue, the famous martial artist. I must admit that there isn't much of him in you, but I suppose that is for the best. Now if you'll pardon me, my Master awaits."
"Like hell!" Kagome seethed. "You take that back or I'll shove it back down your throat."
"Big words," Kagura taunted, smirking and fanning herself lightly with her free hand.
"Kagome," Sango said, grabbing the other girl's arm. Kagome shook her off.
"I'll show you big words…"
"Meet me in the parking lot and we'll see," Kagura invited.
"Fine!" With that, Kagome let go of Kagura and stomped to the nearest exit with Sango trailing after her.
"Kagome, what are you doing!?" Kagome whirled on the other girl.
"Nobody talks about my Papa, nobody! This little bitch thinks she can get away with it…I'll put her in her place."
"But Kagome, she's a demon, and you're unarmed. Let me go get help-"
"No," Kagome refused. "You know that fighting outside the ring is against the rules. If the team gets involved, the dojo will be disqualified. You guys have worked too hard for that. No, this is my fight."
"What can I do?"
"You can go back inside and pretend you don't know me."
"Kagome!"
"I'm serious Sango! Go!" Sango was ready to indignantly protest, but that was when Kagura made her appearance from behind a car and called Kagome out. "Go," she said again, pushing Sango toward the door this time. Sango was not a fool, so she went inside and ran to the ring to look for Rin.
"I, gotta get out of here
You got the best of me"
Inuyasha dodged a flashing strike, barely evading the blade of his demon opponent. He rolled across the ring, getting to his feet as fast as he could, just in time to block another attack. With all the strength he had, Inuyasha pushed up with Tetsusaiga. The screeching sound of metal scraping metal rang in the air, making him wince, but he was able to throw off the other blade. Temporarily disoriented, the demon staggered. Inuyasha exploited this weakness and overpowered him.
Inuyasha was victorious for the third time, now moving on to the final round of the Kendo Fight. (I skipped one of the fights because I'm running out of inspirational fight scenes…physics is poisoning my mind…) His arms were both sore now as he sat down once more on the bench with Kaede and Rin. He sheathed Tetsusaiga and set it down at his side, then he rubbed his arms off with a sigh. That was when Sango appeared.
"Rin!" she called, skidding to a halt, panting.
"Sango, what's wrong?" Rin asked.
"Is something wrong with Miroku?" Kaede asked.
"No, he's fine…left him in the room. It's Kagome." Rin and Kaede were on their feet immediately.
"What happened?" Kaede asked, maneuvering Sango to sit next to Inuyasha. He was also listening intently.
"We were going to get some air, then check on the boys before the finals. There was this girl…the Old Navy girl, the one who beat Kagome in the free style? Kagome bumped into her and she said something about Kagome's dad."
"Uh-oh," Rin said, looking to Kaede fearfully.
"Yeah, Kagome got pissed," Sango clarified. "Now they're out in the parking lot! But this girl's a demon and Kagome doesn't even have a weapon!" Rin looked worried and Kaede was pensive.
"She sent you back here?" the old woman asked. Sango nodded. "Then we will respect her wishes."
"But what if something happens to her?" Sango asked, shocked.
"Kagome will be the next High Miko of our family. She has fought with many demons in her young life, and I'm sure that she would not appreciate our interference." None of them looked convinced. "I know my granddaughter," Kaede said with a sigh. "I'm sure she cares more about your winning this tournament then anything else."
Sango nodded. "She did say that was more important."
"You have all worked hard, and she will not try and take that from you. But neither will she tolerate the slightest slander of her father's name." Kaede sighed. "She is a most conflicted spirit."
"Screw this philosophy bullshit," Inuyasha snapped. "I'm going to go bail her out." He got up, grabbing the sword at hi side and stalking off toward the ext. Rin and Sango tackled him.
"If you leave now, you'll forfeit the match!" Rin reminded him.
"All our work down the drain just because you want to be the strapping hero? I think not, little boy." Sango hauled him to his feet and scowled, pointing to the ring. "Get your ass in there and kick!"
Inuyasha returned her scowl, but did as she ordered. He did so under protest, and while grumbling. Kaede shook her head and turned to the girls. "We'll go help Kagome," Rin said, grabbing Sango as they jogged off to the exit.
"Be careful," Kaede called, then turned to the ring as Inuyasha faced off against his final opponent. The other finalist was a demon, and a rather talented one from his other match record. His name was Kouga.
"I could never be that clever,
Even though it's now or never"
Kagome stood in the center of the parking lot facing Kagura, hands clenched at her side with nothing to hold in them. Oh how her fingers ached to be drawing back the string of a bow. Her palm itched as if a feather was brushed across it. But no, her bow was at home, waiting until her coronation in two weeks. This fight she would do so without that aid of a weapon, and it wasn't as though she could just kill this girl. Demon or not, annoying bitch or not, she was not marked or known as dangerous--yet.
"Well, we should get this started, ne?" Kagura taunted again. "How 'bout we play a little…catch?" With that, in a smooth motion, Kagura swept her fan closed and down, releasing a long wave of air at Kagome.
The young miko barely dodged from getting slammed in the chest by the attack. But no sooner was she on her feet, then Kagura was sending another wave of air blade attacks at her again. Kagome hid behind cars and dodged the attacks by any means necessary. So far, she was doing all right. But that was until Rin and Sango burst through the exit and into the line of fire.
"Shit!" Sango cried. Rin simply cringed, waiting for the blow. Kagome froze, eyes wide and frightened. There was no time to react. She ran as fast as she could and rammed into both girls, sending them sprawling to the floor, taking their place in the path of the blades.
"Kagome!" Rin screamed, a lot of good it did. Kagome was hit once in the arm and once across the thigh, sending her flying into the wall of the arena. Blood spurted from both gashes that materialized on her arm and leg, soaking into her clothes and flowing into a puddle on the ground. Kagome fell on all fours, gasping for breath.
"That was a stupid thing to do," Kagura commented. "Walking right into an attack like that."
"Fuck you," Kagome said raggedly, spitting a mouthful of blood on to the dark pavement. Then she drew herself to her feet and closed her eyes, hands folded before her.
"Is this some kind of miko trick?" Kagura asked, getting nervous from the feeling of power emanating from the human. Sango held Rin back from running to Kagome. She could feel the power coming from her friend just as much as the demon could.
"A lot of good this will do you," Kagura yelled, pulling open her fan. "I'll cut you down before you can do anything." Then she pulled down her arm, slicing though the air. A barrage of blades screamed towards Kagome at frightening speed.
The strangest thing then happened, the blades connected with solid air and exploded about three feet in front of Kagome. An echo of green energy crackled around the young miko. That was when she opened her eyes--two dark green eyes. "I am not so easily cast aside," Kagome commented, holding her arm as if she was holding the body of a bow. The other hand was held back, like it had grasped the shaft of an arrow. "Believe me Kagura darling, this hurts me far more than it hurts you."
After saying that, Kagome let go. As soon as it passed through the barrier protecting her, a solid green arrow of energy surged forward toward Kagura. When it got closer, it split into a dozen of tiny arrows that pierced Kagura in several places. The demon screamed, a mixture of rage and pain. When the energy dissipated, Kagura was on her knees, clutching at her chest. Her dark red eyes were filled with malice.
"Our battle is finished for today," she said. "But I warn you, this isn't over." Kagome was about to retort, but Kagura reached behind her ear and pulled something out that looked like a feather. Then there was a flash and Kagura was gone.
"What the fuck?" Kagome said. "Where the hell'd she go?" But that was when blood loos caught up with her, and Kagome's eyes rolled back into her head and she was laying flat on her back in a pool of her own blood.
"Kagome!" Rin and Sango were at her side in an instant. "We have to get her back inside."
"Yeah, help me lift her. Come on." At being moved, Kagome was roused, groaning.
"Oh, my head…"
"That what you get for falling into pavement, love," Rin said, pulling on arm over her shoulders. Sango took the other side. "Thank you…for saving our lives."
"Yeah Kag, thanks a lot," Sango said with a smile.
"No problem," Kagome said with a dreamy smile. "No problem at all. Um, could we go inside now?"
"Yeah, we'll get Kaede to fix you up," Rin comforted.
"Good," Kagome said. "Good."
"Counting down the seconds til it blows
4-3-2-1
Disappear without a trace
Could I be in outer space?"
Inuyasha and Kouga circled one another, swords at the ready, both smirking triumphantly as if they had already won. Inuyasha found in infuriating that his competition was cocky. Undoubtedly, Kouga felt the same.
"Well mutt, are you going to attack or just stare at my pretty face?" Kouga asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Go fuck yourself wimp, I'm just getting a feel for the fight."
"Is that what you call it now?" Kouga laughed. Inuyasha growled, but knew better than to be drawn into a fight out of anger. He leapt at Kouga, slicing down with Tetsusaiga. Or…maybe he didn't know better. Suddenly the two were locked in a fierce battle of blows both physically and verbally.
There was no one in the crowd that could deny it, they were both breathtaking fighters. The two young men were matched in skill and were at a level that none of the other competitors had yet attained. In addition, Kouga and Inuyasha were both inventive fighters. There was no doubt, this would be a battle of time.
After twenty minutes of solid parrying, there came the first break in their system. Kouga's left arm was becoming sore and when Inuyasha brought a two-handed slash down on his head, he nearly lost control and had to fall down to one knee to support himself. Inuyasha smirked to himself--he'd found his way to victory. Tetsusaiga was a naturally heavy sword. If Inuyasha hacked away with downward assaults, sooner or later Kouga's blade would give out.
So after another five minutes of mindless slashes--that looked a lot like Inuyasha trying to club Kouga to death--Kouga's katana snapped in two, leaving the demon virtually helpless. But a demon never gives up without a fight, so he continued to battle without a weapon. He wove in and out, and got a few hits in on Inuyasha, but like the old saying goes--He who has the weapon gets the boar, he who uses his hands gets the chicken. (In other words, Inuyasha fucked him up good, and laid his ass out!)
The victory was given and Inuyasha was made the champion of the Kendo fight. Overall, the Isharugi dojo took home the win for the Nationals competition, even though there were injuries sustained. Inuyasha had to help Miroku to the car, his knees was still swelling. Sango's bandage had to be changed because it bled through, and Kagome was too tired to walk so Rin and Kaede had to help her. She eventually fell asleep in the back seat of the car with her two brothers. It was a victory hard earned, but in the end, it was worth it on all accounts.
Woo! That was a long time writing. Okay, the next chapters are a two-part ongoing that centers around Kagome's Birthday. That's sure to be fun and interesting. Then there will be another (rather long) chapter that is just one of those fun ones, before we start getting to the real arch of the story. Ooo, I can hardly wait! But now, for the shout-outs!
SarahlovesDBZ: Dearest Sarah, thank you so much for reading this story. I'm glad you liked the fight scenes. I know this chapter wasn't the great but I was in a hurry to get it out. I really don't like how this chapter came out, but the next one will make up for it, promise! And there will be more action later on in the plot. Thanks for reading!
NightstarAngel: Sorry! I had to leave it off, that chapter was getting waaa~y to long. I had to cut it off, you know. I hope you like this chapter. Next one will be out shortly. I love you for your review!
pruning shears: Yay! Power to the man in the mini skirt. Come on, you have to give him props, it takes a real man to wear a skirt. And yes, he does kick ass! You all may think he's a loser(which he is) and that he's annoying(which he can be), but he comes through in a pinch! Yes, I cleverly introduced Naraku in the last chapter. His role in all of this will become more involved later, trust me. All will be revealed eventually. And yeah, I had to add Miroku action in there. You can't help but love him, he's just great! Faint just hit me, you know. I heard it on the radio and was like 'That is Kagome's fight music!' A lot of later used music is also just stumbled upon by yours truly, hehe. Thanks for reviewing!
Angel of Saturn1: I always mention my reviewers, you guys are my muses. Ah, I'm sure you could do it as well as I can, or at least express yourself in a different way. I'm only good with words on paper. Can't talk to save my live, but I'm a poet with a pencil. Ironic, ne? Thanks for reading though!
EternalDemoness: Ah! No yarn, noooooooo! Anyway, I'm glad you like this story so much that you would attack me for it. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy…I think. Thanks for the support and I will continue as fast as my little paws can type.
Demon angel: Wow, thanks for being such a cult follower that you downloaded music for it, lol. That's really what I'm trying to do. I'm using a lot of my favorite music so that others can experience the wonders of it too. I'm so smart! I'm really happy that you liked that scene, I worked hard on it. Thank you for reading, this update is dedicated to you!
Mirokus-grl: Aww, don't cry! Miroku is fine, really! I write so I don't have to do my Physics homework so this is a mutually beneficial thing we have. Sorry about the cliffy, this chapter will finish off the Tournament series, so we can get back to the other part of the story.
A stray child from the world: Honestly! You change pen names more often then I can update! I'm glad you liked that I used Faint, it's a great song. Later!
Julie: Yeah, I know. If you notice, the farther I go into the story, the less 'high-schoolish' I get. I only wrote the first few chapters that way because I had just started school and I was getting pissed with the system. Don't worry, I don't feel the need to go there anymore, so the story will just run true to the plot I have envisioned. And I made them crude because I am very crude myself, so I might have made Kagome and Inuyasha a little too much like myself. I'm trying to keep it in check. Plus, Kagome is just angry in general, she's got a lot of repressed feelings that will explode very soon. Thanks for your input, it helps me a lot.
Moonlight-angel 2003: LOL, no need to be polite with me! I'm really glad you like my work, it's you guys, the reviewers, that make it all worth while. Originally yes, I was going to have Kagome in the hand-to-hand, but I cut her out in the last minute so I didn't drag the tournament into a fourth chapter. I think it was starting to wear on me and the other readers, and I really wanted to get back to the rest of the plot. And in closing, pixie sticks are good! SUGAR!
Thanks to all who reviewed! Please remember to do so on your way out! Remember people, that's what the button at the bottom of the page is for! Well, I'm out!!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~