Inu Yasha groaned and sat up. He had a nasty taste in his mouth...he got up and rinsed out his mouth. Wiping the water off his face, he turned to Miroku, who was still knocked out. Hakisuma and Hikari were also knocked out. Kagome, Sango, Kii, Kirara, and Shippo were up and in the room. Kagome and Sango were looking at a book and giggling occasionally.
Inu Yasha rolled his eyes. "Girls..." he muttered. Hikari stretched and opened one eye sleepily. Hakisuma followed suit.
"How long were we out?" Hakisuma asked no one in particular.
"Beats me," Inu Yasha replied. Kagome looked up from the manga she and Sango were sharing.
"You and Hikari were sleeping for about one and a half hours. There are tea and some cookies I brought from my time over there," she said, waving her hand in the far side of the room. The door on her and Sango's side was open and sunlight was filtering in. The two kawaii fire cat demons were snoozing on their laps while Shippo was drawing in a coloring book Kagome had brought in her pack. Hakisuma and Hikari got up and walked over to the food. Inu Yasha was nudging Miroku awake with his foot.
Hakisuma sniffed a cookie and bit into it. Sweet, rich cocoa tasting bits were savored and she licked all of the crumbs off her fingers after she finished the chocolate chip cookie. She smiled and grabbed another one. "Yummy!" she exclaimed. Hikari rolled her eyes at Hakisuma, grabbed another cookie, and left to eat in a tree. Kagome giggled and snuck up on Inu Yasha's crouched back, who was poking at Miroku's limp body. Kagome suddenly lunged at him and tackled him a split second after his ears twitched. They rolled on the hard wooden flooring, teasing each other by fighting and laughing.
Now it was Hakisuma's turn to roll her eyes. With half a cookie in her mouth, she shook her head sadly. She probably would never understand how Kagome and Inu Yasha could fight all of the time but keep so close.
Kagome had apparently won and she was sitting on top of Inu Yasha. "Hey! Let's all go to the pond in the garden!" she exclaimed. She tugged playfully at Inu Yasha's ears. "C'mon! It will be fun!"
Inu Yasha huffed and crossed his arms. "Not until you get off me" he said.
Miroku groaned and rubbed his eyes. He sat up dizzily and tried to catch an imaginary star. He shook his head and blinked at Kagome who was making all the racket so he couldn't sleep peacefully.
Kagome got off Inu Yasha and pulled Miroku to his feet.
"We're going to the pond, whether you like it or not!" she pretended to scold. "So you get up, lazy bum!"
"What's a bum?" Miroku asked while holding his head. Sango was cleaning up the mess they made. She straightened up and sighed, easing the sore in her back.
"That's what you are." She muttered. "You lecher bum, you sick, perverted, butt grabber......also a baka."
Miroku grinned lopsidedly and asked, "I am?"
Everyone rolled their eyes except for Hakisuma, who laughed. They all walked outside and stretched in the sunlight. Hikari landed lightly next to Hakisuma.
"Where are you guys going?" she asked.
"We're going to the pond in the garden....I have a feeling something bad is going to happen there..." she Hakisuma whispered, slightly shaking with mirth.
Hikari sighed exasperatedly and walked forward. They had reached the garden and the pond filled with koi and frogs. It was a beautiful sight, the water trickling in between the algae covered rocks, shining and glittering in the sunlight.
Inu Yasha walked to the edge of the pond and gazed into the shallow depths. Kagome crept up on him again. Inu Yasha sighed and his ears twitched. Couldn't she already know that her reflection was showing in the water? And she didn't realize by now that his senses were better than hers, Sango's, and Miroku's put together. As Kagome leapt to push Inu Yasha into the water, he leaned to the right, grabbed her failing arms, and tried to throw her into the water. Kagome's eyes narrowed and she gripped Inu Yasha's arm tighter. She wasn't going down without him!
They both plunged into the cool poop filled water, Inu Yasha's eyes widening as he went. He sat up, sopping wet, and spit a wriggling koi out of his mouth. He glared at Kagome, who was laughing her head off along with everyone, and tried to get up, but only succeeding in slipping on the rocks which made the peeps laugh even harder. His eyebrow twitched as he sat up and sulked back to their rooms. Kagome followed him, giggling in her annoying way.
"Inu Yasha, don't be such a party pooper! Here, I'll let you use my hair dryer." Kagome offered.
Inu Yasha 'feh'ed and tossed his wet silver hair. Kagome pulled down Inu Yasha and pulled the blow-dryer out of her tan pack. (Battery powered) Inu Yasha eyed the strange object warily and sniffed the air for danger. He yelped as Kagome turned the thing on. Kagome pulled him back as he tried to squirm away. The roaring beast was going to eat his beautiful hair!
Hikari and Hakisuma sniggered. They, too, were surprised that a tiny thing like that could supply such wind. Miroku and Sango eyed the blow dryer curiously. Hakisuma twiddled her thumbs as she watched Inu Yasha squirm away with no avail. (Ye he!) Finally Kagome turned off her blow dryer and Inu Yasha was panting. His hair was puffier than usual. He tugged at his hair and pouted. Kagome slapped his back.
"Come on! Stop being such a sissy!" Kagome said cheerfully.
Inu Yasha turned around and stared at Kagome. "When exactly are we getting out of here?" he asked. Hikari nodded.
Kagome put a finger to her face. "Well, the food here we haven't had in a long time...I don't know. Maybe we can leave this afternoon."
Hikari smiled, showing her canines. "Finally we can get out of here and fight!" she caressed her Divine Blade self-consciously.
Hakisuma nodded. "There is no action nowadays!" she noted.
Sango and Kagome turned to look at her disbelievingly. "We just fought a ton of demons the day before!" the exclaimed in unison.
Hikari, Hakisuma, and Inu Yasha shrugged. "Well, I haven't fought." Inu Yasha said gruffly.
"That's because you were too frickin' drunk!" Kagome retorted. They huffed away from each other and pouted like little kids. .!!!
Afternoon came and Kagome's pack was ready. They had stuffed food that the landlord gave them in there. Inu Yasha slung Kagome's pack over his shoulder and kicked open the doors with his foot.
"Come on! We're not waiting for the stragglers!!" he yelled. They grumbled at his harsh words but followed close behind him on the path. They walked in silence, the cool, sharp air stinging the skin on their arms. Everyone was deep in thought when suddenly a dot appeared in the horizon. Inu Yasha squinted and smirked.
"Well well well..." he muttered. Everyone looked at him curiously. He kept his gaze on the speck that was steadily becoming larger. Hakisuma and Hikari who were in the back, squinted also. Hakisuma could make out the lopsided shape of the three-eyed-cow.
"Totosai?!" Hakisuma cried out in surprise. Inu Yasha turned his head around and looked at Hakisuma.
"No, duh!" he said sarcastically. Hakisuma frowned at the cow and the old man. The cow ran faster and skidded to a stop in front on the party.
Totosai was holding a long, thin package, carefully wrapped in cloth. He jumped off, holding his mallet. "Eh, Hakisuma?" he looked around, his eyes bulging as usual.
Hakisuma stepped forward hesitantly. "Yes?"
Totosai held out the thin object. "For you" he said.
Inu Yasha looked at the old senile fool. "What is it?" he asked incredulously.
Hakisuma knelt on the ground and placed the package in her lap. Carefully, she unrolled it and a shining black scabbard and a sword rolled out.
Everyone gasped and Hakisuma looked at Totosai. "Why did you make this for me?" she inquired.
Totosai scratched his head. "Eh....someone ordered it....he left a note in my home. Yeah..." he mused. Behind him, the three-eyed-cow mooed.
Hakisuma stroked the shiny scabbard. "What is its name?" she asked Totosai.
"Crimson Blossom" he replied in his scratchy old voice. Everyone moved to the side of the road and sat down. "Also called the 'Akai Sakura'" he nodded. "It has powers of killing and healing...the jeweled blossom stone it carries from a thin sickle chain hanging from the hilt...it is made of amethyst and ruby. The ruby pales when danger is near, and the amethyst has certain powers of healing and calm." Totosai drawled. "And that lock of hair is from a Scarlet Dragon, and the blade itself is made of the dragon's fang and blood. However, it is not the most powerful blade I've made. The Tetsusaiga...now that's a blade. " Totosai had lost the party. He was staring off into space.
Everyone crowded around Hakisuma's Akai Sakura.
Sango and Kagome admired its beauty while Inu Yasha and Miroku gazed at its power. Shippo bounced on Hakisuma's shoulder. Hikari folded her arms while looking at the Akai Sakura. Totosai was scratching his chin.
"Why don't you try it out?" Inu Yasha asked. Hakisuma looked up at him. He nodded and Hakisuma stood up uncertainly. She walked to the other side of the path and unsheathed the blade fully. She held it ready, legs slightly bent and standing at a ready stance. Slowly, she tried the footwork that Karaichima had taught her and Hikari. She practiced on her skills, focusing on the blade alone. Hikari glowed with pride inside as she watched Hakisuma. Inu Yasha and Sango's jaws dropped to the ground, literally.
"Where did you learn that?!" Sango managed to gasp out through her awe. Inu Yasha had messy dark black circles for eyes and his mouth hung off his face. Hakisuma blushed.
"When you guys were enjoying the garden, Kichii invited us for sword mastery and combat skills." She explained.
"Who's Kichii?" Shippo asked.
"She's the woman who provided us with the hospitality," Hikari spoke up.
Hakisuma glanced at Hikari gratefully before finishing. "Yeah, and Karaichima taught us the actual work." She looked at Inu Yasha, who was still in the same position. She leapt over lightly and poked at his side. He fell over, creating a cloud of dust.
Hikari smirked as Inu Yasha got up and brushed himself off defiantly. He tossed his silver hair in her face and walked on. Totosai stared after him and sighed, shaking his large head. He hopped onto his cow and rode off into the sky.
The party stared after him and shrugged in unison. They followed Inu Yasha while grudgingly trudging on.
::.::Half an hour later...::.::
Kagome and Hakisuma's arms were hanging loosely on their sides, and their feet dragged as they walked onward. (Hey, at least they're not in Arizona . )
Hikari stiffened and sniffed the air. Inu Yasha followed suit. They both growled and automatically placed their hands on the hilts of their precious swords. Hakisuma transformed with Kii and patted her Akai Sakura. Kirara's fur stood on edge and Hikari transformed. Miroku and Sango sensed a large presence, and Kagome felt a Shikon shard near by. Everybody bunched together and unsheathed their swords. Dun dun dun!!!
:::...::: Well well well, the party is in a pickle now, huh?! I think that Hakisuma's vision is about to come true! OK, come on, how many of you still remember the dream?? Don't be shy! Haha, j/k. Well, give me ideas!! Ja ne! Jimsessouni-Kudokenshin
PS: and the ruby and amethyst reference, I got it from the Deltora Quest books, which I do not own either...