Dance With Me
Chapter 8
Delicate snowflakes fell from a cloudy sky, the flakes much gentler in comparison with the previous day's blizzard. The whole forest was covered in white, with the occasional green or brown revealing itself where the snow had not fallen.
One girl walked among the snow, her cheeks painted with a light blush. Tiny specks of white snow decorated her raven hair as she frolicked through the area. The girl aimed her brown eyes skyward and smiled into the falling snow.
"I'm going to tolo," she whispered with a grin. The girl let out a high-pitched squeal and continued to skip through the snow, unknowing of the amber eyes that followed her every movement.
---
Inuyasha watched the girl dance about in the snow, his golden eyes full of curiosity and confusion. Why is she acting like this? The hanyou wondered, is she still sick from yesterday?
Inuyasha scratched his head with a clawed hand, leaning back on his haunches. She had been acting so weird lately; not just since the blizzard, but for the past week. The hanyou didn't know what to make of it. The only culprit that he could think of was tolo. He, however, still didn't know what tolo was. Sure, it was a 'dance,' a 'get-together', a 'gathering.' But, if that was all it was, why was Kagome making such a big deal out of it?
Inuyasha snorted. Because she makes a big deal out of everything. The hanyou turned and began to trot back to town, the snow falling around him in a shroud of white.
---
Kagome continued to prance through the snow. She wrapped her scarf around her neck tightly, pulling any warmth that she could to her delicate body. The girl danced, kicking up the powdery snow, until she felt a familiar presence close by. Kagome's brown eyes peered through the snow.
"Sango-Chan?" she called.
A girl's head popped out of the snow, shortly followed by a small cat demon that meowed its welcome to Kagome. "Oi, Kagome," Sango replied, smiling, "Are you feeling better?"
Kagome nodded, returning her friend's warm smile. She padded up to Sango and sat down in the snow, a layer of bumps rising on her skin as she did so.
"How about you, though?" Kagome asked, glancing at her friend's bandaged arm.
"It's fine, really," Sango responded, blushing gently. "Nothing that I can't handle." She gave Kagome a playful wink.
Kagome smiled. "How are things with Miroku?" The girl asked the question slowly, cautiously, as if afraid to ask it.
Sango looked surprised at the question. But her look of surprise almost instantly changed. The blush on her cheeks intensified, her eyes glimmering as she stared into the pearly snow. She closed her eyes, smiling slightly. "I'm not sure," she murmured, "I haven't spoken to him since yesterday."
Kagome tapped her bottom lip, her eyes rolling to the sky. "What happened yesterday, anyway?" she asked, "I mean, not about the youkai, but when you left."
"I think I just needed time away from Miroku," Sango said, tracing a finger through the frozen snow, "I… I told him how I felt." Her blush deepened to a shade of scarlet. "I know that he feels something for me, but…" Sango raised her head, scowling slightly. "He insists on flirting with every goddamned girl he comes in contact with!" Sango curled her hands into fists, her eyes an inferno of anger and annoyance.
Kagome laughed nervously. "That's Miroku," she said.
"I guess it is," Sango replied, giggling slightly, "And it doesn't make sense. but maybe that's why I can't help but love him like I do."
Kagome smiled knowingly. "It makes perfect sense."
---
Inuyasha trudged into Kaede's hut, his face a mask of mixed emotion. He dropped onto the floor with a loud thud. The hanyou dropped his head in his hand as he began to contemplate Kagome's behavior.
Inuyasha had been so intent on discovering what exactly was wrong with Kagome, that he didn't notice the monk and kitsune at the opposite side of the hut.
"Yo," came Miroku's voice.
The hanyou's ears twitched and he raised his head to glare at Miroku. "Feh." He continued to stare at the ground.
"What's wrong with you?" Shippou asked.
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "All I want to know…" He raised his head. "Is what the hell tolo is!" The hanyou growled, annoyed by his lack of knowledge on the subject.
Miroku yawned. "If you want to know so badly," he said in a bored tone, "Why don't you ask someone from Kagome's world? Like her mom or brother?"
Inuyasha blinked. That actually wasn't such a bad idea.
Miroku used the hanyou's silence as a response. "I know, I'm brilliant," the monk said, leaning back against the wall of the hut.
"Not from what I hear." Inuyasha smirked. "You seem to be pissing off Sango more than usual."
"Really, now?" Miroku asked, though he didn't sound too interested. "Is that my fault?"
"Of course it is, you baka," Inuyasha growled, still smirking.
Shippou nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "You know Sango likes you. But you still flirt with girls all the time."
"Is that bad?" Miroku asked innocently.
Inuyasha snorted, closing his eyes and shoving his arms into the opposite sleeves of his haori. "Baka."
---
Kagome bounded through the snow, Kirara dancing playfully at her heels. The girl giggled lightly and picked up the small cat demon. She smiled back at Sango.
"I think you should tell Miroku the extent of your feelings, Sango-Chan," Kagome called to her friend through the falling snow. "Tell him how you feel about his flirting."
Sango nodded, smiling gently. She laughed softly. "You make it sound so easy."
"Well, it doesn't have to be hard," the girl replied, still frolicking about with Kirara.
"Hmm." Sango murmured her agreement, and the two continued walking in the snow. Light flurries of snow continued to fall from the heavens, landing gently on the earth. Kirara jumped from Kagome's arms, chasing the flakes and swatting at them with her paws. Finally, Sango decided to break the silence.
"So, Inuyasha is going to that tolo thing with you, ne?" she said, a smile flickering on her lips.
Kagome blushed, but couldn't suppress a smile. "Hai," she murmured happily.
"What exactly do you have to do for tolo, anyway? It's in your world, so does Inuyasha need to get prepared or something?" Sango asked.
Kagome gulped. She definitely hadn't thought about that. First of all, Inuyasha would need a tuxedo. Second, he would need to know exactly what he could and could not do. His ears were already taken care of, thanks to the theme, which happened to be set on animals. However, this still would not be an easy feat…
Kagome gulped again. "I didn't really think about that…"
Sango smiled reassuringly at her friend. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Kagome-Chan."
Kagome nodded, but a cruel knot of doubt still clung to her.
---
Inuyasha strode through the snow, his silver hair blowing across his face. Where has Kagome gone now? He wondered, surely she wouldn't wander too far after nearly being killed in a blizzard…
Suddenly Inuyasha caught a glimpse of black hair and heard a cheerful voice. The hanyou breathed a sigh of relief. He padded up to the girl.
"Oi, Kagome," he said. She jumped slightly at his voice, and looked up, staring into his golden eyes. "You should probably go home." That doesn't sound like me at all, the hanyou realized. But that's the only way I'll be able to talk to her family about tolo… "I mean being sick and all… you might want to check in with your mother."
Kagome blinked, and Inuyasha swallowed hard. She wasn't buying any of this…
"Okay." Kagome stood. "Sayonara, Sango-Chan!"
Inuyasha gaped at her retreating form. No way. She believed him? And was going to go home without another word? Strange.
"Ja ne, Kagome-Chan," Sango called, waving one pale hand in the air. Suddenly her smile faded, her eyes narrowing. She turned to Inuyasha. "What are you plotting, Inuyasha?" She asked skeptically.
"Nani?" the hanyou asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"It's not like you to tell Kagome to go home," the demon exterminator remarked.
"Feh," Inuyasha muttered, turning away from the Sango. He followed after Kagome, listening to Sango's snickering all the way…
---
Kagome stepped through the snowy oblivion, making her way to Kaede's hut. True, it was strange that Inuyasha actually wanted her to go home, but she might as well take advantage of the opportunity, right?
The girl walked into the hut, chills sweeping up and down her spine once the warmth of the room hit her. She smiled, a delicate blush painting her cheeks. Kagome walked to her bag and picked it up. She noticed Shippou and Miroku sitting by the fire and turned to say her goodbyes.
"Sayonara," she said with a wave of her hand. She strode to the door. "I'm going home for a bit, alright?"
Shippou jumped to his feet. "Will you be back soon?" the kitsune asked anxiously.
Kagome smiled gently at him. Shippou never did like it when she left. "Hai. I just need to go home for a bit." She walked through the open doorway. "Bye bye Shippou!" she called back.
When Kagome had reached the well, Inuyasha had already been there, waiting for her. He snatched her bag from her.
"Keh," he mumbled, "You really shouldn't carry around such a heavy bag."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to carry it, you know."
"Feh."
The two jumped into the well, and were transported to Kagome's time.
---
Inuyasha leapt out of the well, landing on the ground of the small room with a light thud. He instantly turned to help Kagome climb out of the hole. He grabbed onto her arms, and she clutched onto his as he pulled her from the well.
"Arigato, Inuyasha," the girl said with a smile. She began to make her way to her house. Kagome turned at the doorway of the small room that held the well. She smiled gently at Inuyasha. "Ja ne, Inuyasha. I'll see you in a couple of days."
Inuyasha nodded. "Hai."
And the girl was gone.
Once Kagome had left the hanyou's sight, he slowly began to creep out of the room, his golden eyes darting around, making sure that the coast was clear. Inuyasha poked his head out of the doorway, glancing at the house. He crept to the warmly-lit building, making sure that he stayed low enough not to be noticed.
Inuyasha reached the house and ducked under one of the windows. Now all he had to do was wait.
---
"I'm home!"
Kagome's cheerful voice carried through the house until it was interrupted by her mother's welcoming calls.
"Ah, Kagome! Welcome home, sweetheart!" she called, rushing to her daughter.
The girl caught her mother in a warm embrace. "Arigato, Mama," she whispered.
"Why don't you go take a bath and get cleaned up?" the woman suggested. "I'll have dinner ready when you get out." She smiled sweetly at Kagome.
Kagome nodded, returning the smile. "Ariga-" Something caught Kagome's attention. Were those… dog ears that she just saw in the window? Kagome shook away the thought and ran upstairs, anticipating the warm bath that awaited her.
---
Inuyasha ducked lower, hoping that Kagome hadn't seen him. He heard her footsteps clambering upstairs and rose to peer into the window. Kagome's mother was now preparing dinner, slicing vegetables and whatnot. This was the perfect opportunity.
Inuyasha crawled quickly and quietly to the front door. He pushed it open and crept into the house, making a beeline for the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi didn't hear him enter.
"Oi, Mrs. Higurashi," the hanyou muttered nervously. His ears went flat against his head in a submissive stance.
The woman turned around and almost instantly brightened at the sight of him. She smiled warmly. "Why, hello, Inuyasha!" She said, "Kagome just went to go get cleaned up, but you can wait if you-"
"No, Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha said quickly, "I needed to talk to you."
Kagome's mother looked taken aback by this remark, but smiled affectionately. She pulled a chair out from under the table and sat. "Well, whatever you need, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha scratched the back of his head as he paced back and forth in the small kitchen. "Well, um…" He thought for a moment. "Kagome asked me to tolo, and-"
"Oh, she did!" the woman exclaimed, catching Inuyasha off guard. "That's wonderful!"
"Um, yeah," the hanyou sputtered, "But, I don't really know anything about tolo… um… could you maybe help me… get… prepared? Or something…" Inuyasha stared at the ceiling. God, this was awkward…
Kagome's mother continued to smile brightly. "Why, of course, Inuyasha! And, I'm sure that Kagome's grandfather would love to help, too."
Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, letting his shoulders drop.
"Come by tomorrow when Kagome's at school," the woman continued, "We'll help you get ready while she's away. Maybe we can even teach you how to dance!" She grinned.
Inuyasha smiled appreciatively at Mrs. Higurashi. "Thanks," he muttered, making his way for the door. He stopped and turned to Kagome's mother. "Um, could you not tell Kagome that I was here?"
"Sure thing," she said, "It'll be our little secret." The woman winked.
Inuyasha's cheeks flushed as he crept out of Kagome's house. He strode to the small shed where the well was. The hanyou stopped at the door and stared up at the starless sky. He smiled up at the dark clouds and then strode to the well. He was about to jump in when a thought hit him. Inuyasha snickered.
Won't Kagome be surprised when she finds out that I know how to dance! The hanyou jumped into the well, disappearing into the darkness.
.-.-.
Author's notes: and the 8th chapter is DONE! Hazah! sorry it's so short, though. I'm slowly losing inspiration for this fic. Xx Anyway, thank you all so very much for your reviews. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ;