Author's note: ok, the last chapter wasn't too great by my standards, but
oh well, I'm leaving it. Now onto the third! ^_^V
~*~
Back at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha and the others were trying to figure out how to proceed with their sleuthing plan.
"Can we do it, now?" Inuyasha asked anxiously, staring at Kagome's backpack.
Just then, Kagome and Sango walked through the doorway, holding five pieces of salmon in their baskets.
Guess not... Inuyasha thought to himself. He grabbed a piece of fish and marched out to his tree. Snow still fell heavily from the sky, covering Inuyasha from head to toe. He shook his head violently, trying to shake off the snow.
The hanyou reached his tree and looked up. The tall tree was covered in snow. The heavy substance weighted down its branches. Inuyasha leaped and landed on his favorite branch; the one that was wide enough for him to sit on, and strong enough to support his weight.
Inuyasha bit off a piece of fish and chewed it, all the while thinking to himself. He pulled a piece of brightly colored paper out of his hakama and studied it closely.
Tolo? He had never heard of such a thing. Maybe Miroku was right about it being some kind of code. Doubtful. It said something about a dance on the paper... Inuyasha leaned forward, laying on his stomach, and rested his head on his hand. He sighed and took another bite of his salmon.
-*-*-*-
Kagome looked at Sango pensively. She still wore a lost and confused expression. That of a woman in love, Kagome thought and smiled slightly, her gaze softening. She looked over at Miroku, and her gaze turned deadly. The monk was sitting next to the fire, smiling and chomping on his fish happily, oblivious to the pain that he was causing Sango.
Kagome sighed and took a bite of her salmon. Should she interfere? Or was it better to let these kinds of things work themselves out? The girl swallowed her fish and sighed again.
Kagome stood up abruptly and straightened out her skirt. "I think Shippou and I will go for a walk," she said, hinting at the kitsune to follow her. He complied, and trotted out after her, leaving Miroku and Sango alone in the hut.
She smiled. Maybe that was all they needed to work it all out: just some alone time. Kagome's smile widened.
"Where are we going, Kagome?" Shippou asked, looking up at the girl.
Kagome shrugged. "What do you say we go bug Inuyasha a bit?" she asked with a devious little smile.
Shippou nodded, matching her devious smile with his. It was never hard to annoy Inuyasha, but it sure was fun.
The two walked in the snow, every once and a while kicking it up just to see it fall back down. They came to Inuyasha's tree and peered up at him. He was lying down on his branch, chomping noisily on his fish. But something else caught Kagome's attention: a little pink piece of paper.
How did he get that?! Kagome wondered. She trudged up to the tree.
"Inuyasha!" she called, staring up at him.
The hanyou looked down with curiosity. His curiosity was almost instantly replaced with dread when he saw Kagome's mouth began to take the shape of a horrible word... The one and only word that he had ever feared...
"N-no, Kagome, w-wait!" he stammered, but it was too late.
"Osuwari!" Kagome cried.
Gravity seemed to increase on Inuyasha. He fell from his branch and hit the ground with a force that could have killed an average human. But not a hanyou, luckily.
Inuyasha looked up and glared at Kagome angrily, "What was that for?" he snarled.
Kagome kneeled down and picked up the piece of paper than had landed on Inuyasha's head. She held it up for him to see.
"You know, in my time, stealing is illegal," she said coldly, returning the hanyou's glare. She turned around and walked back towards the village.
-*-*-*-
Inuyasha growled at Kagome's retreating back. He tapped his claws on the ground wondering what he should do. He grunted. Fine! Let her get all mad and aggravated. It's not like it affects me in anyway. Inuyasha snorted.
-*-*-*-
How dare he? Kagome thought, fuming. She stomped her foot on the ground and her hands curled into fists at her sides. She wasn't sure if she should feel embarrassed or angry. Inuyasha had taken something right out of her possession. That was stealing. Kagome's blew some air through her lips, trying to calm herself. Maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. So Inuyasha had taken some flyer for a dance, big deal! That was the problem though. It seemed personal and embarrassing, so it was a big deal.
Kagome blew another hot stream of air through her lips. She hated being wrong, but Inuyasha deserved an apology, or at least an explanation. The schoolgirl sighed and dropped her shoulders. She pivoted on her the ball of her foot and started walking in Inuyasha's direction.
When she reached his tree, he was still lying in the spot where he had fallen. Kagome sighed again and padded up to him. She dropped down in front of him, kneeling. The hanyou looked up with a baleful stare.
"Inuyasha," Kagome started, "I think it's time for an apology."
"No way, I'm not apologizing for anything!" he shouted defensively, jumping up onto his haunches.
Kagome gave him a deadpan look. "Not you, baka, I'm saying that I need to apologize to you!" she yelled, sending Inuyasha falling back onto the ground. Kagome let out yet another stream of hot air. Be patient with him, she told herself.
Inuyasha blinked a couple of times, trying to register what she had just said.
"I'm sorry for overreacting about the flyer," she said matter-of-factly, holding up the piece of paper, "I shouldn't have made such a big deal out of such a small thing."
-*-*-*-
Inuyasha gawked at Kagome. Had she just... apologized? Maybe he had been daydreaming. Maybe it was an illusion. Inuyasha shook his head vigorously and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, Kagome was still sitting in front of him.
"Um, well..." Inuyasha mumbled, his ears flattened against his head, "I'm sorry, too. I mean, for taking the paper."
Kagome smiled slightly. "Forgiven," she said simply.
The two sat in silence for a moment. The sun had long gone down, and the area was plunged into the black oblivion that was night. Inuyasha decided to break the silence.
-*-*-*-
"What is Tolo, anyway?" the hanyou asked curiously.
"It's umm," she thought of how to put it to the hanyou, "It's a dance. Er, a big get-together, gathering thing-" oh, Kagome, you are one smooth operator of words, she told her self sadistically. "-And you go there to dance and be with friends. And for this one, the girls invite the boys."
Inuyasha nodded, but Kagome could tell that he was confused. "It's really nothing big," she said, so the half-demon wouldn't feel bad about being confused, "Just a stupid school tradition."
Inuyasha nodded again. "Can I go?" he asked unpretentiously.
Kagome's eyes widened slightly at the thought. She could see it now: Her friends asking suspiciously about the boy with white hair and dog-ears; Herself trying to teach the hanyou to dance. She giggled.
"Maybe," she said with a wink, "to go you need to be asked by a girl."
"Ask me!" Inuyasha suggested innocently.
He didn't seem to understand the concept of girls asking the boys to a dance. You were supposed to ask a boy that you liked; one that you liked as more than a friend.
Kagome blushed slightly. "We'll see," she said with a smile.
Kagome looked up at the sky. The clouds had started to clear out, revealing a crisp purple sky with twinkling stars. Kagome looked over to see that Inuyasha was also staring at the sky, a hopeful smile flickering around his lips.
Kagome turned her attention back to the sky. A shooting star shot across the black abyss.
She smiled. Make a wish...
~*~
ok, much better chapter, don't you think? Hehe. R & R, please! Thanks Lots! ^_^V
~*~
Back at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha and the others were trying to figure out how to proceed with their sleuthing plan.
"Can we do it, now?" Inuyasha asked anxiously, staring at Kagome's backpack.
Just then, Kagome and Sango walked through the doorway, holding five pieces of salmon in their baskets.
Guess not... Inuyasha thought to himself. He grabbed a piece of fish and marched out to his tree. Snow still fell heavily from the sky, covering Inuyasha from head to toe. He shook his head violently, trying to shake off the snow.
The hanyou reached his tree and looked up. The tall tree was covered in snow. The heavy substance weighted down its branches. Inuyasha leaped and landed on his favorite branch; the one that was wide enough for him to sit on, and strong enough to support his weight.
Inuyasha bit off a piece of fish and chewed it, all the while thinking to himself. He pulled a piece of brightly colored paper out of his hakama and studied it closely.
Tolo? He had never heard of such a thing. Maybe Miroku was right about it being some kind of code. Doubtful. It said something about a dance on the paper... Inuyasha leaned forward, laying on his stomach, and rested his head on his hand. He sighed and took another bite of his salmon.
-*-*-*-
Kagome looked at Sango pensively. She still wore a lost and confused expression. That of a woman in love, Kagome thought and smiled slightly, her gaze softening. She looked over at Miroku, and her gaze turned deadly. The monk was sitting next to the fire, smiling and chomping on his fish happily, oblivious to the pain that he was causing Sango.
Kagome sighed and took a bite of her salmon. Should she interfere? Or was it better to let these kinds of things work themselves out? The girl swallowed her fish and sighed again.
Kagome stood up abruptly and straightened out her skirt. "I think Shippou and I will go for a walk," she said, hinting at the kitsune to follow her. He complied, and trotted out after her, leaving Miroku and Sango alone in the hut.
She smiled. Maybe that was all they needed to work it all out: just some alone time. Kagome's smile widened.
"Where are we going, Kagome?" Shippou asked, looking up at the girl.
Kagome shrugged. "What do you say we go bug Inuyasha a bit?" she asked with a devious little smile.
Shippou nodded, matching her devious smile with his. It was never hard to annoy Inuyasha, but it sure was fun.
The two walked in the snow, every once and a while kicking it up just to see it fall back down. They came to Inuyasha's tree and peered up at him. He was lying down on his branch, chomping noisily on his fish. But something else caught Kagome's attention: a little pink piece of paper.
How did he get that?! Kagome wondered. She trudged up to the tree.
"Inuyasha!" she called, staring up at him.
The hanyou looked down with curiosity. His curiosity was almost instantly replaced with dread when he saw Kagome's mouth began to take the shape of a horrible word... The one and only word that he had ever feared...
"N-no, Kagome, w-wait!" he stammered, but it was too late.
"Osuwari!" Kagome cried.
Gravity seemed to increase on Inuyasha. He fell from his branch and hit the ground with a force that could have killed an average human. But not a hanyou, luckily.
Inuyasha looked up and glared at Kagome angrily, "What was that for?" he snarled.
Kagome kneeled down and picked up the piece of paper than had landed on Inuyasha's head. She held it up for him to see.
"You know, in my time, stealing is illegal," she said coldly, returning the hanyou's glare. She turned around and walked back towards the village.
-*-*-*-
Inuyasha growled at Kagome's retreating back. He tapped his claws on the ground wondering what he should do. He grunted. Fine! Let her get all mad and aggravated. It's not like it affects me in anyway. Inuyasha snorted.
-*-*-*-
How dare he? Kagome thought, fuming. She stomped her foot on the ground and her hands curled into fists at her sides. She wasn't sure if she should feel embarrassed or angry. Inuyasha had taken something right out of her possession. That was stealing. Kagome's blew some air through her lips, trying to calm herself. Maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. So Inuyasha had taken some flyer for a dance, big deal! That was the problem though. It seemed personal and embarrassing, so it was a big deal.
Kagome blew another hot stream of air through her lips. She hated being wrong, but Inuyasha deserved an apology, or at least an explanation. The schoolgirl sighed and dropped her shoulders. She pivoted on her the ball of her foot and started walking in Inuyasha's direction.
When she reached his tree, he was still lying in the spot where he had fallen. Kagome sighed again and padded up to him. She dropped down in front of him, kneeling. The hanyou looked up with a baleful stare.
"Inuyasha," Kagome started, "I think it's time for an apology."
"No way, I'm not apologizing for anything!" he shouted defensively, jumping up onto his haunches.
Kagome gave him a deadpan look. "Not you, baka, I'm saying that I need to apologize to you!" she yelled, sending Inuyasha falling back onto the ground. Kagome let out yet another stream of hot air. Be patient with him, she told herself.
Inuyasha blinked a couple of times, trying to register what she had just said.
"I'm sorry for overreacting about the flyer," she said matter-of-factly, holding up the piece of paper, "I shouldn't have made such a big deal out of such a small thing."
-*-*-*-
Inuyasha gawked at Kagome. Had she just... apologized? Maybe he had been daydreaming. Maybe it was an illusion. Inuyasha shook his head vigorously and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, Kagome was still sitting in front of him.
"Um, well..." Inuyasha mumbled, his ears flattened against his head, "I'm sorry, too. I mean, for taking the paper."
Kagome smiled slightly. "Forgiven," she said simply.
The two sat in silence for a moment. The sun had long gone down, and the area was plunged into the black oblivion that was night. Inuyasha decided to break the silence.
-*-*-*-
"What is Tolo, anyway?" the hanyou asked curiously.
"It's umm," she thought of how to put it to the hanyou, "It's a dance. Er, a big get-together, gathering thing-" oh, Kagome, you are one smooth operator of words, she told her self sadistically. "-And you go there to dance and be with friends. And for this one, the girls invite the boys."
Inuyasha nodded, but Kagome could tell that he was confused. "It's really nothing big," she said, so the half-demon wouldn't feel bad about being confused, "Just a stupid school tradition."
Inuyasha nodded again. "Can I go?" he asked unpretentiously.
Kagome's eyes widened slightly at the thought. She could see it now: Her friends asking suspiciously about the boy with white hair and dog-ears; Herself trying to teach the hanyou to dance. She giggled.
"Maybe," she said with a wink, "to go you need to be asked by a girl."
"Ask me!" Inuyasha suggested innocently.
He didn't seem to understand the concept of girls asking the boys to a dance. You were supposed to ask a boy that you liked; one that you liked as more than a friend.
Kagome blushed slightly. "We'll see," she said with a smile.
Kagome looked up at the sky. The clouds had started to clear out, revealing a crisp purple sky with twinkling stars. Kagome looked over to see that Inuyasha was also staring at the sky, a hopeful smile flickering around his lips.
Kagome turned her attention back to the sky. A shooting star shot across the black abyss.
She smiled. Make a wish...
~*~
ok, much better chapter, don't you think? Hehe. R & R, please! Thanks Lots! ^_^V