Gha! My internet's down!!! Oh, there it goes. Woohoo!!!^_^ *giggles*
Because this is so large, I had to skip the spiffy word list step before posting this. Sorry guys, but my sanity comes first!^_^; *giggles*
I can't believe that you guys liked the last chapter so much! *hugs everyone* You guys are sooo awesome! *dramatic sniffle* I loves yous guys! =^-^=
Random cute chapter! Yay! Okay, okay, so most fics tend to have a "stuck in the bathroom" scenario, and yeah, a lot have the absolute adorable "shit, someone's talking about me" sneeze, but I thought I'd make this one a little more interesting. Oh, and sure, most aquariums don't have cafeterias, but this one does okay?^_^; lol
Goku's Daughter- Actually, I started watching it on Cartoon network and, when my bf gave me 92 episodes of the Japanese for Christmas, I couldn't really tell the difference until I tried watching the English again. Man, Inu's not bad, but the others, it almost felt as if someone was ripping out my ear in comparison. Of course, the Excell Saga English voices are HORRENDOUS, but yeah. I tend to get people hooked by showing them my favorite episodes.^_^; lol That way they know that even the not so good ones are worth it to see all the other awesome ones. *giggles and blushes* I'm such a fangirl!^_^;;; *dies* Oh, and yeah, from here on there should be much fluffiness, though towards the end it turns a bit angsty... I mean like, REALLY angsty, but that's just because I tend to have the climax at the end of my stories. *shrugs* Go figure.^-^; *giggles* Man, that sounded so wrong.^_^;;;
lunemangelus- Lol well, she'll find how if it's real or not in the pink section (after blue, which should be starting the chapter after this). Basically, she'll find out if it's real or not when they get together.^_^ Why it happens, well, you won't figure that out until a bit after that. I appreciate the patience by the way.^_~ *giggles* Oh, and yeah, I actually feel kind of bad for Kouga, being innocent of the allegations and all, but hey, the story needs to move along some how right?
Pruningshears- *laughs* Fuzzy armor eh?^_~ Fluff in his chapter? Mmm... actually, not a whole lot, no, but the next 2-3, oh hell yeah.^-^ *giggles* Yay! FLUUFFF!!!! Lol
S@n-ch@n- Baited, hooked, aye, but sadly, I can not reel you in yet. *silly sigh* Hehe I kid.^_^ *giggles* Thanks for the comment! Glad you're enjoying it thus far.^-^
Random (aka Heirofarwen)- You don't like monkeys?! *gasp and pouts* I love monkeys. *big watery eyes* Hehe what makes you so sure I made her a miko?^_~* Oh, and no, sorry, no more Sango and Miroku in there, but this chapter should have them in it quite a bit. I love the Sango/Miroku pairing too, but I like the Inu/Kag more, so that's what I tend to write.^_^ Inu's just too cute to pass up. *giggles* Heh, and yeah, you won't realize what the plot is for another color section and a half (blue should start next chapter and pink is after that). About half way through pink is when the plot starts to really show itself. You only get glimpses of it in blue, though sometimes they may be major glimpses.^_^ Yeah, I have a crazy family too, but not in the good sort of way.^_^; My faces tend to be ^_^ ^_^; =^_^= ^-^ ^-^; =^-^= ~_~ and ~_~; .Lol Trigun is awesome, but I don't even want to *hear* the English voices, so I tend to try and stick to my tapes.^_^ Actually, the English voice actors aren't that bad, but Cartoon Network has pissed me off so much that I don't even really bother watching much any more for fear that they're going to restart it randomly, change times randomly, etc. You know what I mean right?^_^; Long reviews, hey, I love them! I write just as long review responses don't I?^_~ *laughs* It makes it more fun when one puts their personality into their comments.
Blade Griffin- =^-^= *giggles*
xiao_sakura- Hello!^_^ *waves and hugs* Sorry, a little hyper. But thanks so much! And silly, you don't need to thank me; I need to thank you for commenting! I'm really glad that you liked it.^_^ And hopefully, you might like this one too.^-^
FanFicFanatic- Hehe if you thought that was cute, you're going to LOVE this. ^-^ ... hopefully.^_^
ArtificialWatermelonFlavo- I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.^_^ Actually, to be completely honest, the plot hasn't really been developed yet, well, not really. I think it starts in the next color session, but at the same time, Inu and Kag lead to the plot, so does that make them plot too? 0.o; *giggles* Anyway! Sorry about that. Yeah, I'd be red as a tomato too, but man, hitting Miroku with a book after that sausage remark would be preeetty rewarding, ne?^_~ *giggles*
Funky Nassau- Such as the space in time between when Miroku was upstairs and when he was behind Souta or times when I briefly pass over a few days? But yeah, people tell me that I tend to be confusing sometimes.^_^; *giggles* Sorry about that, but I really appreciate both the critique and the compliment.^_~ Thanks for taking the time to write!^_^
Kira- Lol of course I am silly! This story is no where near finished yet.^_~
Mustard Yellow Sunshine- Lol it's completely understandable. *nods wisely and giggles* Thanks so much for the comment and no worries, there is much fluff to come.^_~*
SwtAngl53- Not a problem.^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters in it. If I did I'd be rich, but I'm not... and if I had lots of money I'd probably spend it on anime anyway so pleeaasseee, don't sue me.^_^ lol
Oh, and as always,
_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Recap:
Sure, as always, life would go on and things would return to normal, but for that moment, she hoped that time would stop, or at least slow, so that she'd never have to leave his warm embrace, nor the feeling of security and love it held within it.
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Do the Math
Chapter 22: The Age of Aquariums: Random Cute Chapter (Part 1)
So the winter formal went off without a hitch, and Kagome ended up getting that dance with Inu Yasha after all. Thankfully, it wasn't the same kind as the dance to come.
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A giant blob of a building began to come into focus through the sleet and hail, as Inu Yasha watched the outside world, of which he could not reach. As it loomed ahead, his attention was turned not to it, but instead to the street below, its dark grey surface coated in water, seemingly running from him, from them, only to be pulled beneath the wheels of the bus they were all on, perhaps to hide, to cower away from their final destination or the rain overhead. The day, if it hadn't been wet enough already, had started off fairly nice. The skies were blue, well, a little overcast, but blue nonetheless, and the birds were chirping, but the weather had soon turned for the worst, the sky opening as if making was for some giant hose to water them, as if they were the growing flowers of youth and not the cogs in the school system. Of course, being wet and cold was no fun, making the students more than thankful to be dry, and yet that state of mind could not compare to the excitement that filled the compartment at that moment. Kids everywhere, despite their gloomy surroundings out of the windows, were waving to busses on either side and either end of the one Inu Yasha and company were in.
Students of all grades were jumping about, energy off the scale, and, worst of all, looking for trouble. Out of sheer boredom, they had decided to get a rise out of the teachers to see if they could break them so soon into the trip, but how did they go about it? They used the easiest method known to student kind, singing. Aww yes, the scourge of the adult world, hearing songs that had no affect other than making you want to hang yourself. Yes, this is the tactic they used, and Inu Yasha wanted to punch each and every one of the teachers there for it. Sure, it wasn't their fault, but knocking out the teachers was easier than an entire bus full of singing kids. Besides, he'd never hit Kagome, no matter how irritating she happened to be being, so the first solution looked a whole lot better. Of course, he never so much as bated an eyelash in their general direction; it wouldn't be right, after all. So instead, as the horrid singing continued, ringing sharply in his delicate ears, Inu Yasha snuck a peek at Kagome.
She had been sitting with Sango on the bus ride, in the seat behind the one which Eri, Ayumi, and Yuuka then inhabited. He didn't know the other three girls very well, and what he did know of them he didn't particularly like, but they were Kagome's friends, and they could do as they wished; it was no business of his. Sitting next to him, Miroku, having become over-heated due to staring at the girls as they jumped about, singing that infernal song along with almost every other student on the bus, removed a purple sweatshirt from his form, grinning from ear to ear. Of course; for Miroku there was always a silver lining, and, unfortunately, it had to be in some girl's underpants. Inu Yasha wasn't so lucky... or perverted. Shaking his head softly, Inu stared out the window once more, watching the rain fall and slide gently across the pane in front of him. He had a feeling that it was going to be a looong day.
".2599999999999999 of a bottle of beer on the wall, .2599999999999999 of a bottle of beer! We take it down and pass it around, .259999999999999 of a bottle of beer on the wall!" (note that there's one less 9 on the end.)
"For the love of God, I beg of you! Stop singing that infernal..." As the sound of crickets reached the students' ears, all tried to hold in a slight snicker; they had been wondering when it would come to that. "*ahem* That's better. Anyway, we shall be arriving shortly so pack your bags and be sure that you're ready when the bus pulls in, as it will be departing soon afterwards." While Kagome, Sango, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuuka began to repack their bags across the isle, Inu Yasha simply stared out of the window and scoffed. He didn't have a bag to carry, only the clothes on his back and the money in his pockets, meaning that he really didn't have to worry about getting ready, or in other words, that he didn't have to pay attention. What better way to spend your time than not paying attention to teachers? He grumbled to himself softly. Stupid people, stupid singing, why was he there anyway?
Sure, it was a school day, and yeah, they should've been in class "studying", but the day before, their school had held an unusual surprise for the students within their ranks. They announced that there would be a surprise fieldtrip the next day, and that all from any class could go, as long as they could get parental permission and were one of the first 200 to sign up, that was. They would be excused from all classes, have no make up work, and best of all, there was a cafeteria inside their destination that seemed more like a food court than an actual cafeteria, which meant, as every student dreamed, no half-cooked, is this really meat, type of cafeteria food.
Oh yeah, that's why.
In reality, the whole thing was a huge scheme, a plot to boost moral. The higher ups had decided that their "school spirit" factor had been declining as of late, and wanted to do something about it, but hey, a fieldtrip was a fieldtrip, and absolutely no one was complaining, well, except for Mr. Newman, the freshman English teacher, who (*snickers*) volunteered to chaperone. Now, where were they?
".259999999999999 of a bottle of beer on the wall, .259999999999999 of a bottle of beer! We take it down..."
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The large group stood outside of a building, a giant blue whale in shape, gathering both their supplies and their wits as the bus departed behind them, billowing exhaust and causing not a few students to choke. They had been dropped off at the entrance, as the parking lot was set behind the building, near the exit at the tail. Kagome, after finding a suitable shelter from the rain above, looked around in awe, as most of the students were doing that moment, and drew in a soft intake of breath. She had never actually been to an aquarium before, and this was much larger than she had anticipated. Though it hadn't seemed to bother anyone else, she was a bit ill at ease about stepping foot into a large whale's mouth, as that was where the entrance was stationed, but then again, it was just a building, so there was no harm in doing so... right? Looking over to Inu Yasha, sulking next to Miroku and Sango, Kagome smiled. It seemed that she'd have no reason to worry after all
As the massive crowd of kids entered the building, "ooh"ing and "aah"ing at the size of the door way itself, not to mention the lobby within, they soon noticed that two velvet ropes had been placed, one to the left and one to the right, with space in between. The students were guided into forming lines along these, three in all, and, as the teachers took turns purchasing the tickets, they handed them out to each student one by one, allowing them to pass only once they had their ticket, and only as far as the set of gaudy white benches behind them, keeping them a good distance away from the three doors to the exhibits further on.
Suddenly, an arrow shot through the air, missing a student's head by a fraction of a millimeter, and piercing through the English teacher's brand new hat. As Mr. Newman danced about, complaining about his ruined head gear, the student who had been barely missed closed the void that seemed to have been his mouth for the past few minutes, greatly relieving everyone around him. With wide eyes, he sulked, slowly moving backwards in hopes that if there were more people in front of him, he'd have more of a shield, human or not. Kaede sighed and rubbed her temples; this hadn't been what she had been expecting when she had signed up to be a teacher. Well, at least the students' behavior was still relatively mild at the moment.
"Please Madam, that is not allowed on these grounds." Kaede simply scratched the back of her head nervously as her bow was taken from her, as if she, the eldest and wisest, were nothing more than a mere teenager. Not what she'd expected at all.
She and Mr. Myouga, the eleventh grade history teacher, had been formally asked to attend the fieldtrip on that day, or in laymen's terms, were forced to chaperone. They, unlike the newbie, knew exactly what havoc a fieldtrip meant, but seeing as their jobs probably rode on them being there, they really had no choice. Besides, who else would they get to go, more Mr. Newmans? It wasn't very likely. Preparing to enter the exhibits, the three teachers began to form small groups so that they, along with some of the aquarium staff, could give guided tours and at least attempt to teach these kids something on the school day, not that it was really going to happen of course; everyone knew that a fieldtrip meant a day to goof off. It was an unspoken rule, and had yet to be broken. Heck, teachers broke before the rule did, and Kaede was determined not to be one of them. She'd just go with the flow, so to speak, and try to maintain some form of calm throughout the classes. For that sole purpose, the teachers would divide up the students, hoping to keep the trouble makers apart. Of course, there were exceptions to that rule. For instance, she would not trust Inu Yasha to anyone but Kagome, nor Miroku to anyone but Sango. Those two were definitely trouble, especially together, but the girls tended to control them quite well, whether they realized it or not. So, for that reason alone, they were matched up as a team of four, and so the pairing continued.
After all of the pairings and matching had been accomplished, it seemed that the only group that didn't look too happy with the arrangements was the one that contained Kouga, Ayame, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuuka. The last three girls wanted to be with Kagome, and to get as far away from Kouga as they could. They couldn't stand seeing anyone drape themselves all over a guy as Ayame seemed to be doing, even if only emotionally, much less one who had hurt a fellow friend so badly, and were just waiting for a chance to be rid of them. All in all, however, everything seemed to go smoothly, both into the building, and through the ticket counter, but once the groups split up, it was an entirely different story. And, as Kaede led her third of the groups through a door, watching the other teachers and students pass through their own respective ones, she couldn't help but feel as if a small rock had imbedded itself into the pit of her stomach.
Sure, when they were doing something that doesn't require a teacher to speak, the students laughing and chatting wasn't a problem, but when people were split up and did the same, especially when they found a friend they had parted with before, it wasn't pretty, and Kaede only wished that they hadn't taken her bow and quiver from her. What did they expect her to do, yell at them? Ha! Like *that* would've worked! With these kids, that was impossible, a no-go, if you will. What did they think she was, dense? (No, I'd leave that to Hojo. ^_^;) Well, nevertheless, she was the teacher and therefore she'd have to deal with it. Damned if she'd let the students get the better of her, but if she developed an ulcer from this, the school would be paying her medicals bills; she'd personally see to that, arrows or not.
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Eventually, Kaede managed to call the attention of all the students and soon led them into the aquarium, group by group, along with one of the workers there who served as their guide. They had been walking for quite some time now, and things were beginning to go back to normal as far as the students' energy levels were concerned, but Kaede was still keeping up her steady vigil, though one would not particularly know it just by looking at her. Seeing their chance to escape early on, all in Kouga's group had gone off on their own, minus Kouga and Ayame of course. He had been, and still was, too busy trying to appease the energetic red-head beside him, that he hadn't even noticed them leave, and, what's more, because she was there, he couldn't manage to get a good sight of Kagome. He still needed to explain to her what had happened on that day, but it had been getting steadily harder and harder to find her, much less talk to her. Sometimes he even wondered if it was worth the trouble, but he always came to the same conclusion; she was *his* woman, and he wouldn't let anyone else have her.
Meanwhile, towards the front of the group, things were just as they probably would've been in class, just without the written work. Inu Yasha was once again staring into space, trying as best he could to tune out their guide who, since the second they had left, had been droning on and on about something that, frankly, he didn't really care about. Come to think of it, there weren't many things he *did* care about. He supposed that it was okay though; the fewer things there were, the more he could care right? Ahead of him, Sango and Kagome were happily chatting, something that didn't surprise him in the least. Was that all girls did, talk? Miroku stepped past Inu, sneaking forward towards the girls, but hanging back ever so slightly to stay out of their radar. Of course he was curious as to what they had been discussing, but he didn't want to risk his life over it. All seemed to be going well, or at least as well as could be expected, but as the groups entered the next room, Inu Yasha stopped, allowing the others to pass him. Looking at a case in the wall, his face scrunched up, almost quizzically, and he tilted his head to the side.
The room in itself wasn't really anything to look at. Actually, come to think of it, it was pretty bland. The entire room was painted a cerulean color, just slightly darker than a middle tone, and painted with the effect of light reflected off of water. The ceiling of the room was rounded, arching up so that a giant model or two of some kind of aquatic skeleton could hang comfortably, much too high to reach, but low enough to see the top, if one really tried. Besides that, the only things in the room were a couple of chairs, large, fake, white plastic chairs, back to back in the middle of the room, sticking out like a sore thumb. All of them were bolted heavily to the floor, and for the most part, looked as if the aquarium had tried a new age type of design that failed horribly... or someone melted them with a torch, either way. Seriously, he probably wouldn't have sat on one of those if his life had depended on it. So, with such a bland room, what could've possibly caught his eye? Imbedded into the walls were large, rectangular notches, each filled with a different type of skeleton behind a glass wall. There were turtles and sharks, among other things, but one in particular caught Inu's eye. Why *did* they call it a dog fish anyway? Obviously it was a fish, but it didn't look like a dog. Shrugging, Inu turned back towards the direction the others had disappeared to, and walked forth into the next room, taking his time as he ambled along. He preferred the silence to the guide's banter any day.
The room he now entered was slightly different from the last. It had the same shape and design, but the room held no lights other than those in the many large fish tanks lining the walls, setting off a luminous reflection that danced about the plaster and paint, midnight blue in the darkness, as if the light were alive, begging to be released from its glass-walled prison; it wasn't painted on in here, as it had been before. Unlike the skeletons in the last room, the only bones found were in the fish tanks themselves, but that was a rare sight on its own, as people came to clean out the tanks every few days for safety and sanitary reasons. On the floor, if one followed the, now dark grey, carpet to the end of the room, even with eyes alone, they would behold the doorway into the adjoining room, shining so brightly against the darkness that one would swear it was the gateway to heaven itself, beckoning you towards it, if not for one thing before it. A cylindrical tower, stationed towards the end of the room, in front of the doorway, was the main source of the scare light about him, bathing small bits of the room in a slightly bluish hue while the rest remained in, relatively, solid darkness. Small fish, silver with a blue sheen, swam about in small schools within, following each other in a spiral upwards while another school spiraled downwards from above. Their small, beady black eyes created the illusion of a moving black dot, causing the two schools to seem as if they made up some odd sort of double helix in molecular form. Right, school, the last place he wanted to think about right then.
Taking a moment to relax, Inu Yasha took a deep breath to clear his mind. That room... felt lonely. He was in the dark without a soul around, all alone with the exception of the fleeting fish as they swam on their way, but even they had one another. The only sounds in the room were the popping and gurgling of submerged bubbles making their way to the surface for as long as their tiny life span would allow, their deaths giving the creatures below them life, the blood of their sacrifice. To be born simply to feed another, what a meaningless life.
"Keh." Inu Yasha shook his head at his own thoughts. What was wrong with him? He'd been in a bad mood all day! He really needed to get over whatever it was, and just enjoy the lack of homework he'd have for the night. Yeah, that would be awesome, but what would he do in the meantime? Well, he supposed that he could train a little, play some video games, watch T...
Kagome... Before his eyes, Kagome stepped forth from the shadows behind the tower, watching the fish and smiling softly, contentedly, to herself as they swam about, lost within the depths of their own little world. How long had she been standing there? She hadn't seemed to notice his presence in the room, not yet at least, so it couldn't have been long... right? A single fish broke from its school's formation, and swam towards her. As she raised a hand to the glass tube, Kagome placed one finger upon it, drawing the small, silver creature forth as she smiled lovingly at it. Within a few seconds, two more had swum up, nipping softly at the glass in hopes that whatever was pressed against it was some type of food. Kagome only giggled, imagining the feeling of small fish actually nibbling her fingers, or perhaps her toes, the way it would tickle as the tiny creatures flittered about her skin. Inu Yasha shook his head and cursed softly, noticing more than he cared to how the light illuminated her flawless skin, making it look more pale, and forcing her eyes to become more pronounced. As the chocolate orbs shimmered with a kind of simple, unspoken delight that one might find within a child, her ebony hair seemed to glisten, the light being blocked from one fish, and resurfacing as soon as it had passed, to shine forth unto her beauty once more. He shouldn't have been having such thoughts, shouldn't have noticed how she radiated a glow more holy than the heavens and more beautiful than life itself. He shouldn't have seen that, noticed that, thought about it, but he had, because the best thing of all, something that seemed rare those days, was that, of everything he had seen, it was all her own. Smiling and shaking her head softly, Kagome turned gracefully towards the doorway to the next room. Noticing the lack of people, she turned her head one way and then another and hurried her step, just a bit, so that she might catch up with her friends wherever they had gone, and so she wouldn't be left behind... alone.
Alone, no, she wasn't alone; she never would be. She had lots of friends, a mother and a father, even a *nice* little brother, but he, what did he have? He had Miroku. Just peachy. Not that he minded Miroku's company; he rather cherished it actually, but it wasn't the same. He was the only one who'd listen, who'd care, albeit only when a girl wasn't present. Actually, come to think of it, .Kagome cared more than he did; it was just her nature. If he opened up to her she'd probably listen too, other obligations or not, but it wasn't like he was going to do that anytime soon. Miroku wasn't bothered by his moods, insults, and stubbornness... but... neither was Kagome. Actually, she seemed to like spending time with him lately, even if they were in a group. Maybe... maybe he didn't have to be alone either. Sure, he wouldn't go running to others as she had, but, maybe... if Kagome...
Somehow, she always seemed to be there, when he needed her the most. So maybe... he wasn't alone after all. When had he become so fond of the girl, allowing her a place in his life, though he doubted he'd ever admit to it? It wasn't that he couldn't remember what life was like without her, even only at the beginning of the school year, but the fact of the matter was, he didn't want to. Right then, in that time, Kagome seemed to be by his side, always; whether physically or not, she was always there, and, as much as he might hate to admit it, he'd probably give his life to keep it that way.
And as he stood there, looking vacantly at the place where she had stood only moments before, Inu Yasha's eyes hardened once again. Knocking himself in the head, he shook himself, as if to rid such thoughts from his mind, to shake them as would a wet dog shake water, and headed into the next room. There was a stop he had to make, somewhere with privacy and, more importantly, cold water. Oh yeah, he needed to go to the bathroom.