Inutori: Hey ya guys! I'm back with another chapter of MPAI! And once again, I'll need ten reviews for the next chapter. (just because I'm evil)
Inuyasha: She doesn't own any of my gang or me, but she does own my little sister, as much as I hate to admit it…
Inutori: Yeah, so there!
Inuyasha: Well, you wanted the chapter, so here it is-
Inutori: And when you're finished reading it, review and tell me what you think!
Chapter 7
Time to Plot
Inutori yawed as she meandered away from her brother's apartment. That meeting with his professor was quite interesting, and if she knew her brother as well as she thought she did, there was a definite bud of love that needed some affectionate tending between those two. They needed to get together, and Inutori was sure that their feelings would bloom. She giggled at her own genius.
Up ahead she spotted her over energetic boyfriend. He was really a great guy, but she hadn't found the nerve to tell her family about him just yet. A) He was a human. B) He was a boy that was dating the baby of the family: poor defenseless Inutori. She figured her family would hate him right on the spot and not even give him a chance. Especially Inuyasha.
"Tori-chan! Are you all right?" The black-haired boy ran up to her and stood in her path. "How'd he take it?"
"I don't know. If Kagome-sama wasn't there I may have seen more, but I doubt he would want to have her see him in such a weak state." Inutori sighed and looked at the seventeen-year-old boy. His smile faltered as her words sank in.
"K-Kagome? Kagome Higurashi?"
Inutori furrowed her eyebrows; what was he getting at? "Hai, I think that's what she said. Hey, isn't that you're last name?"
"Hai. Tori-chan? Kagome-sensei is my nee-san."
She blinked a few times, willing her brain to turn with this new information. "Souta-chan, I have an idea."
Kagome bustled around her apartment, dusting and picking up her dirty laundry off the floor. It seemed that if you delayed cleaning for a few days, the mess became atrocious. She smiled slightly to herself. Inuyasha had asked her out. Thinking such foolish thoughts was said to be blasphemy for a miko of her standing; but she couldn't help letting out her more girlish side every once in awhile.
The young professor blushed again as she thought about a certain hanyou. But really, what had come over him to ask her to go out on her birthday? Did he know? She shrugged, brushing it off as mere coincidence. How could Inuyasha possibly know when her birthday was?
The young professor had never really been sincerely asked out on a date before. There were guys that she used to know that would want to date her for money and sex; it was actually very disturbing so Kagome always refused their requests. Most refusals included a good whack with her katana while it was still sheathed.
Perhaps she would be able to help Inuyasha with his current appearance. She did have spiritual powers after all; but would her elder sister really approve of using the gem for such a frugal thing? Who cares?
Kagome opened a drawer to put some of her clothes away and paused. Kikyou would hate her for it, but she was drawn to aid the hanyou and his sister. She picked up the round pink jewel that had been sitting in her drawer and looked at it.
While the Shikon no Tama was in her possession, she seemed to be the perfect woman. She could run fast, cast spells, have high confidence, and so on. To tell the truth, Kagome had become slightly attached to the gem since it came into her hands. That was the reason Kikyou had even given it to her. Her elder sister feared that if she were to continue to be the protector of the jewel, she would use it for her own desires.
Was that what Kagome wanted now?
The young miko wrapped her fingers around the pink pearl the size of a golf ball and looked up into her vanity mirror. How old was she when Kikyou had given her the Shikon jewel? Ten? And since then, she had excelled in everything she had tried. The prodigy child was beginning to question whether it was her own genius or the jewel that had gotten her to this point in her life.
Not even she could answer that question. Tears began to find their way into Kagome's eyes as she pictured what she could be like if she didn't have the power of the jewel to back her up. She wouldn't be a swordsman, an archer, a teacher, a priestess; she wouldn't be anything. She'd be a freshman or sophomore in college by this time, but nothing more. If she gave up the jewel, she'd have to be ready to give up everything.
A knock sounded at her door and Kagome immediately shot to her feet. The guest she was expecting must have arrived. Opening the door, there stood the girl she had met at the shrine less than a week ago: Sango Tajiya.
"Sango-chan, I'm so glad you could make it!" Kagome gave the girl at her door a light hug, being careful of the other female's injuries.
"Thanks for inviting me." She smiled, but it didn't reach her saddened eyes. Something that tragic wasn't easily forgotten. "I haven't been able to get out much lately."
Kagome licked her dry lips and smiled. Sango was a really nice gal once you got to know her and she was a lot of fun to hang out with. "Well, what do you want to do first?"
"We could go rent a movie." Sango quirked an eyebrow at her own suggestion and looked questioningly at her companion for the rest of the day, all night, and into the next morning.
"That sounds great! But how about just going out to see a movie. I heard from my sister that the Pirates of the Caribbean is a really good movie. She highly recommends it." Kagome smiled at Sango brightly she slipped on some sandals and grabbed her purse.
"Sure, why not? But Kagome-chan…you're paying." Sango lifted and dropped her eyebrows and smiled truthfully for once.
"Of course, it's my treat! Oh, and you can just set down your stuff in the living room there." Kagome lead Sango quickly to the next room where the college freshman was able to put down her belongings that she had previously been carrying.
The two girls left the apartment shortly thereafter and climbed into Kagome's jeep to go to the theatre.
"So Sango, what do plan to do when you graduate from college?" Kagome turned out onto the street and began to head towards the nearest mall.
"Actually, I had a good paying job before my family died," at those words Kagome tensed up, afraid she had hit on a delicate subject, "I was a youkai exterminator. It was a family business. Actually, we were exterminating this one pesky youkai when Kohaku was possessed by it…and, well…you know the story from there. I think I'll either continue exterminating demons, become a government agent, or settle down and have a family."
"You know, you could do a mixture of those. The settling down and having a family doesn't have to be your only job. You could go exterminating when the situation permits, and you can be married when you work for the government." Kagome turned on her turn signal and took a right into the parking lot of a small mall that had a cinema.
They parked and got out of the car; walking with their heads held high as they entered the building.
"Two tickets for Pirates of the Caribbean, please." Kagome smiled lightly at the man printing out her tickets. He was a cute young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes; probably a college student working to pay his tuition.
"That will be eleven dollars, please."
Kagome handed the man the money and took the two tickets with another smile. "Thank you." She turned to Sango and they gave their tickets to another employee who ripped them in half and handed them back the stubs.
"Your theatre is number twelve, enjoy the show!"
As Kagome and Sango headed over to the concession stand, the young miko stopped dead in her tracks. Right there, paying for their popcorn and pop, were Inuyasha and Miroku.
~
Inutori: Well, I was getting mad at myself for not having Sango in the story enough, since she was only mentioned once…and so I had to add her in again.
Sango: Thank you, I feel so loved…
Inutori: Glad you can still say that, even with that evil glint in your eyes…Kyaa! Get away from me! You're a nutcase!
*Sango continues throwing Hairakotsu at Inutori nonstop and Inutori continues to scream Bloody Mary*
Inuyasha: *cough* Well, Inutori DID say that she wanted ten more reviews, so go, click on the button just below these words…AND REVIEW!
Inutori: NO! Wait just a second! *dodges boomerang* I still have to do review responses! So if you reviewed last chapter, don't go away! And as for the rest of you…you stink, so sayonara!
To…
Treefrog: Thank you and I will
Divine-Heart: Thanks…oh, and is you're heart really divine?
Gueshoo: I love your compliments, they boost my ego.
frisbee: You're going to have to wait…whether you like it or not! *evil cackle*
Darkkitty: Hope you survived the babysitting long enough to read this chapter, 'cuz here it is!
Aoi Tenshi Inu: In answer to you're question…DUH! And a question of my own for you: what does your name mean in English? I only know the 'inu' part.
Aiosa Hekatara: Does your name mean something too? What's the English translation if it has one? And in answer to your review: I will
Black Demon543: I think I was scared away after Sinko started speaking the first time…I normally practice the art of gagging my characters when I'm reviewing other peoples fics, because all of the characters talking just confuses and scares me.
Moo-Moo-chan: Thank you. I seem to be getting a lot of people telling me that my stories are original, but it'll never get old to read those words, (since you're like the fourth person to do so, and four's a lot) I'm honored, and thank you again.
Tenth Reviewer: Okay, so I didn't get 10 reviews and I only got nine…big deal! I was just too anxious to get this chapter on the site that I didn't wait. But that just means that I have to get 11 reviews instead of ten for this chapter in order for you guys not to go into debt. From now on, Inutori's exchange rate will be: Well, if you've read any of my other stories that have been updated, you know the drill.
This is known as Inutori's Exchange Rate
(# of reviews in the first 2 days after updating) = (how long the next chapter will be)
1-4 reviews = one-page chapter
5-9 reviews = two-page chapter
10-14 reviews = three-page chapter
15-19 reviews = four-page chapter
20-24 reviews = five-page chapter
and so on…(this goes for all of my stories)