It's amazing! Call the press! Tell a friend! Hide the kiddies! I updated in the span of a month! *gasp* Quite a shocker it is...
Oh, right, I was re-reading through my chapters and noticed that I put two different lengths of how long the camp lasted. In case anyone is confused, it only lasts two-and-a-half weeks. There, settled. My muse applauds me.
On with the story...sorry for typos...
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Damnit.
~*~
Ah, Those Summer Nights
Chapter 4: And So It Begins
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"Rise and shine you baffling excuses for demons, humans, and everything inbetween."
The door to Cabin 12 opened full-bang, and the feeble light spilled onto the five beds. Groans immediately sounded as the stoic voice filtered through the room. The owner of the voice rolled his golden eyes.
"Stop complaining because I don't give a damn. Just get off your lazy asses and get to the breakfast hall."
"You have such concern for us, Sesshomaru; it never fails to amaze me," Miroku remarked as he stretched.
"Yes, we really feel the love," Jakotsu added, getting out of his bed. Sesshomaru smirked.
"Because, of course, the only thing on my mind is your well-being."
"That, and getting Rin into bed," Inuyasha grumbled before pulling the pillow over his head. His half-brother chose to ignore the comment, settling for an icy glare to the room in general.
"Hurry up before I get yelled at," was Sesshomaru's last comment before he slammed the door closed. All five boys groaned in unison.
"I don't know about anybody else, but I don't particularly fancy getting drenched in water. Again," Naraku stressed the last word as he lazily rose off his bed.
"Yes, well, that's only because a certain hanyou wouldn't get up," Miroku gave a pointed glance to the bunched-up covers and pillow.
"Hey, now, don't go blaming all your shit on me. It's not my fault if you decide to follow my example," came the muffled response.
"Sesshomaru is your brother. You should try to talk to him. You know, about not brutally torturing us."
"Half-brother, remember?"
"How could we ever forget?" Kouga finally piped up, poking his head through his sheets.
"Shut up, you...stupid wolf."
Jakotsu, Miroku, and Naraku sighed.
"Point one to Kouga."
"I think it's too early in the morning for Inuyasha's brain to be fully awake."
"Of course, it doesn't really help matters anyway."
"Hey! Some friends you are!" Inuyasha jumped off his bed, glaring at his 'friends' before stalking to the bathroom, muttering, "Damn you all..."
"We're only doing it out of pure affection for you!" Jakotsu called to the hanyou's retreating form and the whole room snickered.
"We really are too cruel..."
~*~
"What a lovely sight to be greeted with first thing in the morning! Four ravishing young ladies as pretty as can be!" Miroku sat down next to Sango with a flourish, his violet eyes wide and innocent. All four ladies rolled their eyes.
"Miroku, you're too much," Sango said, calmly pouring cereal into her bowl.
"Why thank you, dear Sango."
"No, really Miroku. Get your hand off my ass. Now."
"Whoops. Now how did it get there? Bad hand..." Miroku lightly smacked the offending appendage.
"Wonder if perverted habits disappear with age?" Inuyasha wondered aloud as the rest of his cabin-mates settled in around the table. A quiet hush fell over the group.
"Nah." Silence broken.
Sango looked over to Kagome, about to pass the cereal box, when she remembered that Kagome was new to the camp. God, she fits in so naturally...
"Okay, everyone. Full attention," Sango smacked her hand on the table for emphasis. Her friends instantly diverted their attention to her. "We have someone new to Camp Kumori," Sango pointed to the raven-haired girl beside her. "Her name's Kagome Higurashi and she'll be with us for the rest of camp."
"So I expect her to be treated with the utmost courtesy, understand?' Kagura surprised everyone with the comment while she glared around the table. Then, her gaze softened slightly, "Well, as much courtesy as we can muster around here, right?"
Everyone smirked (even Kikyo gave a half-hearted attempt).
"Well, you already know Inuyasha and Miroku, so..."
"I'm Jakotsu," a very feminine-looking boy with shoulder-length black hair and mud-brown eyes said, reaching out his hand, which Kagome accepted with a smile.
"Naraku," the guy with long, wavy black hair and slightly chilly blue eyes grunted shortly. Kagome felt a slight chill down her spine for a moment, looking at him and his 'I'm creepy, be scared' aura. And she would've been quite scared of him too, if she hadn't seen the slight amusement dancing underneath the chilliness. She grinned at him and was relieved to see him grin back. There was certainly more to him than met the eye...
"And my name is Kouga, lovely maiden," Kagome's musings were interrupted when another black-haired, blue-eyed male smoothly introduced himself. He made to reach for her hand, but Kagura coughed and glared at the wolf demon. Point taken.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome smiled, her eyes brightening with laughter.
"So, what brings you Camp Kumori, Kagome? It's certainly an...interesting...place for a young girl such as yourself to be at, ne?" Naraku asked placidly, fixing, just like the other residents at the table, a plate for himself. Kagome looked up in surprise at the question.
"A camp like this? It seems perfectly normal to me..." It didn't escape Kagome's attention that everyone else slightly stiffened at the comment. Which made her wonder...but she just shook her head. "Well, my parents decided that a camp would be the ideal way for me to settle into my new surroundings. You see, we just moved here."
"Really? From where?"
"Tokyo."
"Oooh, a girl from the city, how exciting," Inuyasha smirked, his tone making it quite clear that it was anything but. Kagome narrowed her eyes. The second day and already she was having the sneaking suspicion that this guy was going to annoy her to no end. She just hoped her patience as a miko won out in the end...
"Yes, the city. It's quite a nice place, the city," Kagome told the hanyou in clipped tones. Miroku, Sango, and Kagura looked at her surprisingly for a moment, then all grinned. Inuyasha had been begging for a good kick in the ass for a long time...maybe this new girl would prove quite a challenge for him. Oh, they could already imagine the fireworks.
"So, um, how is it like in Tokyo? I've only been there a few times, and that was when I was a little girl, before I got accepted into boarding school," Sango rolled her eyes.
"Busy. And fast-paced. And really, really crowded. But I love it, so no complaints here...wait..." Kagome frowned in thought. "Did you say boarding school? As in, Shikon Academy?"
"Yes, all of us go to it. It's why we're such good friends."
"Wow, this must be fate working because it's too weird to be a coincidence."
"What?" Naraku raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's the school that I'll be attending this fall."
"Really?" Sango and Kagura spoke at the same time. Then they both hugged the young miko, squealing.
"Now, we really will have a new friend."
"You mean, a new girl to grope, don't you Miroku?" Jakotsu teased the Hentai King.
"Hey, remember what Kagura said about courtesy. Lay off her!" Kouga growled in warning. Miroku ignored him, of course.
"Interesting. Almost as if out with old, in with new," Naraku muttered quietly, his gaze flickering between Kikyo and Kagome. Then he looked at the hanyou, who looked mysteriously relieved and excited at the same time, and grinned. "What do you have to say about this new development, Inuyasha?"
"What?" Scowl firmly sliding into place, Inuyasha turned towards Naraku, doubly annoyed because of the strange emotions he had felt not a moment ago. "Why should I give a damn? She's just a stupid wench, after all."
"You can glean all that from a brief meeting with her? I didn't know you were so perceptive, Inuyasha, you really should put it to more use."
"What the hell do you--"
"Isn't time to get to our class?" Miroku exclaimed loudly, having sensed his best friend's anger and not willing to let it explode with ladies present. Especially at breakfast. He liked breakfast.
"Oh, you're right monk," Kagura stood up from squeezing the life out of Kagome and began to walk towards the exit.
"I'm right about a few many things." Reach. Slap.
"Except about your hands and where they should be."
"So sorry."
"I bet you are," Inuyasha poked him, grinning.
"Honestly, does everyone have to be against me?"
"Yes," the group chorused.
"Fine," Miroku mumbled. Sango sighed in an almost affectionate way.
"C'mon you stupid perve," she dragged Miroku to the door and the others followed, shaking their heads. Except Kikyo, which didn't fail to go unnoticed by Kagome. She stopped and looked back to the girl who had been silent during the entire conversation, and, now that Kagome thought about it, no one had commented on. She shuffled back to the table, a frown on her features.
"Hey, Kikyo. Are you feeling okay? You haven't said a word all morning."
Kikyo turned to the younger girl, surprise evident in her eyes.
"You're worried?"
"Well...yes, I suppose I am."
The stormy grey eyes softened, just a little.
"You shouldn't. I'm fine. I...like to listen to people more than I really like to talk. A habit, I guess," Kikyo shrugged her shoulders.
"All right, I guess I can't really blame you for that. They're a really fun bunch to be around," Kagome laughed and Kikyo felt a sort of...happiness at the sound, like she could laugh with her. And for the first time, in a long, long while, she did just that. Well, it was more like a chuckle, really, but hey, one step at a time.
"We shouldn't stay here that long. The others might get worried and think we've been kidnapped," Kagome stood up, grabbing the other girl's elbow and leading her to the door.
"Or otherwise led into a trap by Miroku. Which, in that case, I would much rather be kidnapped."
The two girls were laughing all the way to the art room.
~*~
"All right, I know not all of you are Picassos and Da Vincis, and I'm not expecting otherwise. This is all about your inner creative soul and expressing and releasing it onto a canvas for the world to see. Don't worry if it's bad, because as long as it comes from the art, I consider it to be the most beautiful piece of artwork in the whole world," the camp's art teacher, Mr. Hojo, smiled in a charming way, almost rivaling Miroku and his 'charm'.
"Now everyone else is a different story," Jakotsu quietly muttered. Those around him snickered.
"So, for our first assignment, I'll go easy. I'm handing out a sketchbook for each of you," Mr. Hojo explained as he moved around the classroom, "which you can keep and bring home to your proud parents at the end of camp to show you actually did something useful at camp," he smiled when a few chuckles ran through the room, "Right, so, for today I just want you to draw whatever you feel like drawing. Only rule is that it has to be in this room, but you can interpret the object however you like. Make sense?" A chorus of yeses. "Good."
"Feh. You're way too lenient with them this year, Mr. Hojo. I remember your first class and how you made us work like dogs. It still haunts me," Inuyasha pretended to shudder.
"Inuyasha Akurei. How nice it is to see you here again this year. I was almost afraid you wouldn't be let back in after that little...incident last year," Mr. Hojo coughed pointedly as he neared the area where Inuyasha and his friends sat.
"Surprise, surprise."
"Definitely."
"What is it you're talking about?" Kagome poked Inuyasha to get his attention. "I keep hearing things about water balloons and whipped cream, but I still don't get it."
"Ah, yes," the teacher smiled in fond remembrance as he passed their table. "Kagome, isn't it? Well, far be it from me to tell you the actual story. I'll leave it up to these lunkheads you now call friends."
"Lot of help that does," Kagome grumbled, even more annoyed when she noticed the grin on Mr. Hojo's face as he continued on to the rest of the class.
"Don't worry about it, Kagome. I'm sure it will all be explained in due time," Kouga nodded his head in a knowing manner, almost making Kagome burst into a fit of giggles.
"As long as it's sooner rather than later."
"Okay, everyone. I don't mind if you talk a bit while you work, but do try and actually do the work, if you please. I'll be floating around if anyone needs help," Mr. Hojo said as he settled down into a chair, his own sketchbook in front of him.
Kagome grunted as she looked around the room, trying to find some inspiration. The room was quite nice, really. Numerous tables situated around the table that sat four people comfortably enough for everyone to happily work. Counters lined up against the walls with a few faucets here and there. At one end of the room were two pottery wheels, tons of shelves, and what suspiciously looked like a furnace. The room itself gave off such a pleasant and creative air that she felt like she could create a masterpiece. Too bad she didn't have the artistic skills to go along with the urge. She sat back in annoyance. What to draw, what to draw. She sneaked a few peeks at the people around her. Sango seemed deep in thought as she stared blankly at the page, probably thinking the same thoughts as Kagome if her eyes were any indication. And there was Miroku, his hand slowly inching towards the unaware Sango's backside. Kagome smiles and almost warned her new friend, but decided that Miroku needed a good slap. Then her eyes wandered over to hanyou beside her. And she almost fainted from shock.
Inuyasha was concentrating on the page and his pencil moving smoothly across it. It had only been a few minutes, but he had already managed to get a good deal of the picture done. And it looked...amazing. Kagome couldn't really tell what it was, but she noticed his golden eyes flicking to a small statue on table not too far away and figured that was what he was drawing. But...it didn't really look like it. It was almost as if the statue on his paper had a soul. Which, as Kagome reprimanded herself, was an incredibly stupid thought. Pictures didn't have souls. They were just captured images. And yet...when Kagome looked at the picture, she felt moved by it. She could already make out the saddened expression, the torture, the agony. And she wondered how such a rude, annoying male such as Inuyasha could possibly create something beautiful.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the golden eyes staring back at her.
"What?" Kagome feigned annoyance (which really wasn't hard when it came to Inuyasha), acting as if he had just broken into something very private. Which he had, in a way.
"What do you mean, 'what'? You were the one who was staring at me." Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh. Right. Sorry," Kagome turned to her sketchbook.
Inuyasha's ears dropped for a moment before he shrugged and went back to his drawing.
Kagome sneaked one more glance at the hanyou before resigning herself to useless doodles while she let her mind wander. Maybe she really should look beneath the surface, like her grandfather always told her to. Maybe then she'd find out why her heart suddenly sped up whenever Inuyasha looked at her with those soft golden eyes.
~*~
Ow...my hands feel like they're going to fall off. Three straight hours of typing! Someone help me! Anyway...
Well, it occurred to me during the writing of this chapter that I have a lot of people to keep up with. So now I'm going holy shit, I'm screwed. But whatever. I'll make it through with everyone's lovely reviews. So please, do review. Maybe I won't bang my head repeatedly against the wall.
Okay, before I get to the thank-yous, I want to put out in the open that I have several story ideas circulating in me head, but I'm afraid to start one since then I might get even slower with the updating. Any comments?
Er, I think that's all. I've been staring listlessly at the computer for most of the day, so my brain is pretty much fried right now. Right. My muse is telling me to shut up and get on with my life. Although, I would kindly like to point out that I have no life to get on with.
...
Anyway, thanks for reading!
Thanks to:
Xiaoyu122: Hm, maybe I should have put who wins this chapter. Oh well, there'll be plenty more tests of machoness to come between Inuyasha and Kouga ^-^
Armadrieclya: Ha! I love the nickname! I'm officially adding it to my most favorite nicknames list. And you'll be proud to know I r/r-ed TWO of your fanfics. *is very proud* I'm good...
Oh yes, and just because I love gloating, I feel I should inform you that I got my permit! Mwahahahahahahahaha...I can drive...scary thought really...
Now, all I have to do is get your birthday present. *sigh* It's off to the mall we go, it's off to the mall we go...
Japanese_Dragon: Yay! I have people who love my quotes! ^-^ You make me and my muse very happy!
AriannaidDraig & Sab: Whee...I'm bored...I wish someone would get online...maybe I'll go on the 'hex...ah yes, forgot to mention that this entire chapter was written while listening to my Inuyasha cd. ^-^ I wouldn't dare listen to anything else...er, ya. I'm done.
