Disclaimer- Nope, I dun own Inuyasha (I don't)
Suzu- Whew, our fiction is basically at its wrap…. Anyway, I just hope that their will always be someone who'll read what I write. It's good to feel loved, so thank you ALL for your wonderful reviews!
Suzu- Okay, so it's summer time and all is good… well, since I have time, I'll answer some reviews with questions in 'em.
Recent Reviewers…Arigato:
priestessmikala- I guess you could say that it's his natural instinct that tells him to mate. In fact, Inuyasha was orphaned pretty young, so it's hard to say what kind of upbringing he had. He did spend a lot of time alone in the wilderness with his demon instincts to guide him, so I guess... he he…arigato for bringing it up, though. I haven't thought of it that deeply. New insight!
ObsessedChild- Ooh! Here's your update. May it be satisfactory? Thanks so much for reviewing!
Shadow Dragon- Ha, but walking in on people makes it so much more dramatic! (Readers all stare at Suzu with contempt) Okee, er…just hang in there. I mean, Inuyasha will get his chance sometime…
Purplefr0g- You're back! Yay! I'm so glad that one of my old reviewers decided to drop by. I will do my best to make Inuyasha flower picking as hilarious and worthwhile as possible.
MoonKitii- Yes indeed, flower picking is romantic. LOL… Hope you enjoy this chapter!
RandomReader- Good good…I'm so glad you liked it…please do read more. (Hug!)
shangxiang10- I had to ask, are you Chinese/Asian? Well, I am. Anyways, here's your update! Thanks a bunch for reviewing!
ineXpressible- Woah, I'm really glad you like my story. Don't spend the night online, 'kay? Sheesh, I sound like my mother… (sweatdrop). Okay then, that'll be all for now…
the word is a stage – Gosh! Thank you so much…I better not get a bloated head or I won't fit into my assortment of hats (long story). So glad that the readers are appreciating the fluff… (Puffs herself up) Okay! Time to write some more!
Josh- Whee! Thanks a bunch! Well, here I am…writing again… fast is another topic…
Liknn- I'm so emotionless these days, I hardly know what to think about high school. Although, for the first time in many years, I cried out of sheer sadness when my friends and I had our graduation party. It was pretty amazing when we all started sobbing…it ended up as a sleepover party even though it was supposed to end at nine p.m. Okay…back to high school topic…hm… I'm taking two sophomore courses, but I'll know some people in my class. All in all, I guess I'm excited and anxious. Trust me, in a few years, I'll bet that we'll all be so used to high school that we'd be wishing we were in college or off to see the world already. It'll be fun. Wow…I'll stop blabbing now.
And a big thank you to everyone else that read this story and supported it.
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Chapter 25
…………………………………….
Swish.
Deft hands fastened the sash around Kagome's waist.
Rin hummed a little tune as she applied make up.
Sango looked the kimono over one last time and started to brush out those long black tresses that fell to Kagome's waist.
"Hair tie, Sango?" Rin offered after she finished with the rouge.
Sango took it and tied Kagome's hair loosely at her shoulder. She let the locks fall freely at the back.
"There. All done!" Sango proclaimed with a smug smile.
"Ah, you look beautiful, Kagome-onee-chan!" Rin happily tugged on her own little pigtail which always protruded from her raven hair.
Kagome smiled. "I wouldn't if you two didn't help me. Thanks so much." She tugged on the sleeve of her kimono to smooth out a wrinkle as she added, "But I don't know why you made such a fuss about the way I look tonight."
Sango put a hand on her hip as she rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Kagome! It's the festival and you're expected in the miko ceremonies. Besides…think of the hanyou who'll be so disappointed if you don't dress up." She and Rin winked knowingly at one another.
"Hey, this isn't funny you know!" Kagome argued in protest to their sly comments. "I-I…!"
"Oh, Kagome… Keep telling yourself that if it'll make you feel better." Sango returned, then brightened as she looked outside. "Oh my gosh, it's already dark! And the lanterns! They've been lit already! You know, what's really not going to be funny is if you're late for this event. Let's go, I'll bet Miroku's waiting at the Mayor's villa."
All three girls hurried out the door of Sango's home as they hitched up their kimonos/ yukatas on the dirt road. Indeed the sky was dark and the first stars were peeking out from overhead. Lanterns dotted the roadside in their pleasant orange glow as they led to the lights and festivities of the main town's center. All you could hear from the distance was the faint but distinct voices and music from the crowds in the center of all the lights. Well, if you ignored the squealing pitch of Rin's excited cries as she raced up ahead of the older girls.
As they drew nearer, Kagome could make out some details of the festival. Over at the meadows, little lantern lights were dotted throughout the flower fields for the flower picking contest. The little town was also transformed due to all the lights and different festive colors coating the huts. Paper signs and wards were pasted on the shrine to Kikyo as well as on the village entrance.
Kagome sighed. Her heart soared at the cheers and laughter ringing among the place, but a pang of homesickness hit her hard when she gazed over at the dark forest and at the night sky.
Was it the same sky that overlooked the Higurashi shrine at night? Only the thought of her and Inuyasha together, as…mates….might ease that ache.
Kagome sighed heavily into the brisk night air.
……………………………………..
"My my, Inuyasha. Don't you look fine tonight!" Miroku laughed languidly as he scanned the last finishing touches of the splendid robe.
Inuyasha smirked. "You look good too, Monk."
Miroku sidled up to the hanyou and put a hand on his shoulder. "I just want you to know this. Don't try to push away feelings you may have for Kagome. Doing that will only bring harm in the end." Smiling, the houshi sauntered out the door, calling, "I'll see you at the villa entrance soon, I trust?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Feh, I trust that too."
………………………………….
Down the lighted entrance to the town, the sea of village folk parted as they let their miko through. Kagome smiled shyly at them, then gained confidence when she recognized familiar faces. Sango guided her along the paths and Rin trailed behind happily, picking up the laughter of the crowd as well as some young boys' stares.
Takoyaki stands, little fish catching games, and various contests for various age groups were lined along the roads. Kagome only got a chance to see a blur of colors as Sango pulled her along at a breakneck pace. She promised herself that she'd look at all of them later that night.
"This way, this way!" Sango finally let up the pace when they glimpsed Miroku's grinning face on the steps to the mayor's villa. "He's waving us over."
Hefting each other past the crowds, they stepped onto the elevated steps as they escaped from the pushing tide of happy people.
"Ah Lady Kagome, looking radiant as ever, if not more so tonight." Miroku greeted charmingly. "And Rin, I noticed not just a few male gazes on you as you three made your way here."
"Yo, lecher. Gonna greet your wife?" Sango asked in a sarcastic tone as Miroku flinched.
"I was getting to that Sango." Miroku contemplated his choice of words. "You look the same as I always see you…" This made Sango purple quite a bit before the monk added, "…Which is beautiful beyond words." Taking her hand, he brushed it with his lips in a sophisticated manner.
"Okay Miroku, that's enough." Sango replied hastily, blushing. She looked around the platform, and, seeing no one, asked, "Where's Inuyasha?"
"Funny, he should be here soon." Miroku's face went back to its innocent and very blank look as the other faces all developed a tic at having to wait.
Suddenly, the black door to the mayor's house swung open as a figure clad in an exquisite looking robe stepped out. The hanyou's long white hair was brushed to perfection as it gleamed in the shadows of the lamplight. A robe of gold, red, and white filigree outlined a nicely chiseled figure. Strands of color highlighted the white clothe. Lastly, a slightly flustered face showed just how embarrassed Inuyasha was in this wardrobe.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome breathed. Gosh, he looked really good… the more she saw him, the more Kagome noticed that his demon face was starting to look more mature. The boyishness was slowly leaving as Inuyasha grew into his inherited good looks. She clasped her hands together as her face tinged pink.
In this moment, Inuyasha had also begun looking at Kagome. Her silky raven locks shone in the starlight as they were pulled away from her face by a hair tie. A silken kimono draped over her slender form. The pink from her cheeks matched the cherry blossom design perfectly. Inuyasha had rarely noticed that Kagome looked so feminine. Now that he scanned her blushing face, he could tell that she really didn't look that much like Kikyo. Kagome's face was gentler, with a girlish innocence and sweetness.
What a miracle it would be if she would become his mate…
Miroku, Sango, and Rin eyed each other and congratulated themselves on a job well done. After letting the silence stand a little longer, Rin grew impatient.
" Okay! Let's go check out all the games and contests okay! I really want a goldfish from the stand I saw while coming here!" Rin whined good-naturedly. "I vote that we go do that after we go and see the flower-picking contest- since it's right there."
Rin pointed at the large sign a little ways down the street. Gaudy lights and loud voices calling people to sign up for the contest snapped the group out of their reveries. A large crowd had already accumulated, and all held identical little woven baskets and the same anxious and excited look.
"Come one come all! Whether it's to impress your sweetheart with a bouquet of flowers or to just have a great time, this flower picking contest will make your night! Sign up right here! Contest begins in just 5 minutes!"
"Hm, sounds fun. Why not, let's have a look." Miroku hefted himself off the steps and the group followed after, mingling in the crowd.
After much pushing and heaving, they made their way to the little wooden table. Rin, after bouncing up and down on the table four times and acting especially cute, finally got one of the attendants' attention.
"Ah, excuse me, I'm Rin…um…can my friends and I sign up for the flower picking contest?" Rin asked with glittering eyes as the nearby people subdued themselves to hear the exceptionally kawaii young girl speak.
"Why, of course, young miss. Let me just write your name here in the list." The attendant melted under Rin's sweet spell.
"Oh, but I don't know the rules. I thought this was just for sweethearts… Please explain…" Rin pleaded.
"No no, it's for everyone! In fact, let me go change a little something in the rule book right away! (A/N: betcha can't guess what he's doing… LOL)"
After hastily scrawling something down, he cupped his hands and announced. "All juniors and non-couples can now attend as well!" With that comment, a whole new stream of people immediately cluttered to the desk.
"Okay, look over here." The contest attendant sat back down and pulled out four kinds of flowers; a purple and yellow field flower; a red speckled wild flower, a flower with white creamy colored petals, and an ordinary daisy (the larger kind).
"The purple one here is worth five points, the red four, the white three, and the daisy and any other ordinary flowers you might find 1 point. Pick a bouquet as large as you want, but it must fit in the woven basket I will give you. Any exceptionally pretty flowers you might find will be given points for by our judges. Judges will also give bonus points for good bouquet design. You may pick the flowers anywhere in this lighted meadow and in the fringes of the forest. There is a time limit of twenty minutes, so hurry back. First place is the contestant with the most points. They get to take home one of the dolls we have on display here." He motioned towards a large display case surrounded by people and other attendants.
"Will any of your friends be joining the contest?" The attendant eyed the two females and males. At this, Miroku stepped jovially forward and Sango whisked Kagome away to look at the displayed dolls further up ahead.
Bending down, Miroku whispered something into the attendant, who nodded and pointed at Inuyasha. Finally, he scrawled another name down onto the paper. The attendant then reached down and pulled out two baskets from the large stack underneath his table. He hastily added two names on the baskets, one on each.
"Good luck you two." The attendant handed a basket to Rin and leaned forward to present a basket to Inuyasha.
"Nani? Yo, why are you giving this to me! I'm not entering…hey, where's Miroku --?" Looking frantic, Inuyasha looked around until he spotted Miroku, Sango, and Kagome standing amidst the contest audience. Miroku was grinning goofily, Sango was giving him a thumbs up sign and pointing at Kagome, and Kagome was beaming happily at him.
"Huh, set me up, did they?" Inuyasha irritably accepted the basket. Ah well, at least Kagome looked happy…her expression made his heart skip a beat.
Maybe he could ask her the question when he gave her the flowers. New opportunities and thoughts blossomed in his head at this idea.
"Attention all contestants! All now line up at the entrance to the lighted meadow! In twenty minutes, the contest will end and you will all report back here to be judged!"
"Wow…already?" Hurrying, Inuyasha stood in line with the other contestants. Rin was already at another end of the long line. Determination was etched into Inuyasha's face as he vowed to win first.
'Okay, I can do this…Now, what were the flowers that were worth the most points again? Kuso…I can't remember…oh well, it doesn't really damn matter…just pick the prettier and girlier ones and I'm sure to win…"
Back at the audience crowd, Miroku whispered jokingly to Sango and Kagome, "Look at Inuyasha. He looks like he's getting ready to fight Naraku all over again!"
Sango laughed as she twirled a lock of hair. "Really wonder what he's thinking right now, eh? I would think that he really doesn't have a chance at winning this contest, but you never know what new surprises are in store. Maybe he'll try to stuff the whole field into his basket."
"Wow…I didn't think about that… poor flowers…" Kagome whispered absently.
"Indeed…it is a funny scene, no?" An elderly voice chuckled as Kaede's face came into the crowd.
"Kaede-baachan! You've come!" Sango said in greeting to the elderly head of the village.
Kaede nodded. "Wouldn't miss that hanyou pick flowers… I was getting ready for this all week."
"Whoo! Go Rin! Go INUYASHA!" Miroku waved his hand maniacally to get the hanyou's attention, which it did. Many faces in the crowd and the line of contestants also turned to look at where Miroku was waving at, either in disbelief or with tremendous hilarity.
'Darn Monk…what's he trying to do…' Inuyasha shook a warning fist at Miroku. He glanced at Rin, who was staring at the field in anticipation. No doubt she had a lot of experience with this… (A/N: Very true.)
"Get ready, set…GO!"
With no warning of this, Inuyasha stood in shock for a split second as all the other players scrambled onto the field. Thus, the audience was able to get a good look at a single hanyou standing in the dust before the figure reacted.
"Kuso, couldn't he give me a warning!" With that Inuyasha was off, only a blur to the watchers. He might have started slow, but demonic reflexes made him incredibly agile in speed.
Sad thing was, he had no clue how to get started on the actual picking.
Inuyasha scanned the tall grass all around him. With no one to tend the grass, the wildflowers had grown lengthy. He spotted some white creamy petals in a nearby patch. Racing over, he grabbed a fistful of the flowers and stuffed them in his basket.
Nearby, he scanned some speckled red dots. Going over there, he found a young boy about twelve stooping over and diligently pulling out the little bunches. Noticing Inuyasha, he immediately put a hand on his hip in defense of his found territory.
"Hey mister. This is my spot! You can't have any of these flowers!" The boy cried while filling his own basket some more.
Inuyasha's fist clenched and unclenched as his tension broke loose. "You little punk! Who said this is your patch, huh?" Annoyed, Inuyasha irrationally pulled out some of the red flowers growing near where he was standing.
The boy's eyes watered in disbelief. "Hey, how could you do that? It was…hic…my patch."
"Listen up, kid…this patch is public…okay?" The half demon rebuked. To prove his point, he scooped up some more flowers and dumped them in his basket as the tic on his head increased.
"But…I'm collecting these…for…a cute…girl I saw…sob…in the festival…" The boy sobbed consistently now, as tears ran down his tanned face.
"Oh sheesh…for the love of…feh….you know what? Keep these! Just…just stop crying like that." Inuyasha huffed. Patting the boy on the head awkwardly, the hanyou raced off.
'Man, who'd of thought this would take so much work?' His glance wavered to a bunch of purple and red flowers dotting a clump of tall weeds nearby. A figure hunched their already, but Inuyasha wouldn't give in so easily.
Stomping over bravely, Inuyasha keeled over and defiantly started tearing up flowers rapidly. When a voice piped up unexpectedly, he nearly jumped up in shock.
"Inuyasha-kun? Why are you tearing up those flowers like so?" Inuyasha peered down to see the iniquitous face of Rin. Embarrassed, his face flushed.
"What the heck do you mean?" he asked wearily.
Rin pointed an accusing finger at the bent stems of the flowers that were there seconds ago. "You didn't pick them right, Inu-kun."
"Wha-!"
"Hand over your basket."
Inuyasha did as he was told.
Rin's face grew serious as she saw the little flower heads in the basket. "Inuyasha-kun, you forgot to pick the stems too."
"Huh?"
Rin showed Inuyasha her basket. Perfect rows of bud and stem lay neatly on the sides of her basket. There were more purple blossoms than red, more red than white, but they were all there. Rin had even found a pretty yellow flower to put in her bouquet. It looked way better than that 12 year old boy's basket.
"I'm arranging them to look pretty later, but see how the stems are all still there? Your flowers won't work, Inu-kun." She put a pretty white hand up to her chin in thought. "Hmm…but you could do this. Pick lots of flowers with the stems on them, but keep those flower heads you have now. After you finish picking your bunch of flowers with stems, lay them out like a normal bouquet. Then, sprinkle the flower heads on top of those flowers. Now hurry!" With that, the young girl went back to work.
Dumbfounded with this new insight, the hanyou nodded his thanks and went in search of new flowers. In time, Inuyasha found many purple and red blooms and a few daisies as well. He even found tiny lacy flowers that grew in bunches and clumps. He thought they would look pretty in his bouquet.
"Feh, Kagome had better like flowers."
……………………………..
"How do you think Inuyasha is doing in the contest right about now?" Sango looked at Kagome, raising a quizzical eyebrow.
Kagome pushed against the crowd for a little space. Standing on her tip-toes, she squinted hard out into the little lights sparkling in the open field. "I don't know, Sango. I just hope he doesn't pick all the wrong flowers. I also hope he doesn't tear them up the wrong way. (A/N: Oops. Too late to hope, Kagome!) I don't think anyone's ever taught him how to pick flowers before."
Miroku smoothed out his hair as he imagined Inuyasha's childhood. Fending off wild demons as a kid, getting kicked around by humans, and… picking flowers for himself? Uh uh, definitely not collaborating. "Nope, Kagome. I don't think anyone ever did teach him how." Miroku smiled happily.
"Hm. I just remembered! I was going to buy some dango and sake!" Sango slammed a fist into her hand as her mood brightened some more. "You guys stay here. There's still ten more minutes left, but I should be back pretty fast." With that, she slipped past the tide of people to buy dango and sake. Kaede settled to take her place.
"Do you think Inuyasha will win, Miroku, Kagome?" Kaede asked, humor touching the edge of her voice.
"Er, I…uh" Kagome laughed nervously as she tried to imagine what Inuyasha's basket might look like at this time.
Miroku grinned as he held up a calculating finger. "I believe there is a 2.37 chance out of 10 that he will win!"
"And you believe that because…Lord Miroku?" Kaede asked, amused.
"I give points to him for his dedication for Kagome, but a believe lack of experience shall be his downfall. However, his demonic senses and knowledge of the wild lands might prove to be excellent in hunting for flowers. Although, all in all, it will all be for nothing if he doesn't know how to pick flowers the right way and arrange them nicely."
"Whew…" said Kagome, feeling thoroughly exhausted by that explanation.
………………………………
Inuyasha was doing better now. He had remembered a very fuzzy image of a human general in the castle where he had stayed with his mother as an infant. (A/N: We'll just say Inuyasha has a very good memory…he he)
Flashback (A/N- I saw the third movie with my friend Kodaku…there was a human in the castle who loved Inuyasha's mother. But Inuyasha's mother insisted that she was the wife of Lord Taisho, Inuyasha's demon father. I'm just making the dialogue up, though.)
"Please, take these flowers as a token" The general held out a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Lord Taisho's wife (Inu's mom).
"No…I'm sorry, I can't…"
"Why not…even if my affections can't be requited here and now, just take the flowers as a token…"
"…"
End Flashback
Inuyasha had remembered staring at different bouquets of fresh flowers while passing those lazy summer afternoons in his mother's room. They were indeed beautiful…maybe… he could arrange his bouquet to look something like that.
"Wow…" Inuyasha had just stumbled upon a beautiful patch of deep sapphire flowers. Of course, if you were to ask him the color, he would have just said 'blue'.
Reaching down, he gingerly reached down and plucked at the stems of the pretty blooms. His basket was pretty much full already, but a few more wouldn't hurt, would it. Suddenly, his hand felt a light prick as his ears heard a buzzing.
'Crud…' Inuyasha backed away as the venomous blue wasp demon's buzz filled his ears. It was too small to swipe at, and its venom wouldn't kill a half-demon, but it would leave him with a migraine for a week, not to mention a bright blue and purple pimple, if he got stung.
Plopping down his newfound blue flowers in the basket, the hanyou made his getaway.
Now that he was meters away from that place, Inuyasha stopped running clumsily. Feeling extremely irritated, Inuyasha examined his hand. "Damn" he cursed under his breath when he saw the blue spot on it. No doubt it would swell within minutes.
"Grrrrr, Kagome had better really like blue flowers."
…………………………………..
"Hey guys, look who I ran into at the dango stand." Sango smiled as Kagome held the kitsune and gave him a hug. "He seemed to have developed a liking for the chef's special recipe rice cakes."
Shippo grinned, and Miroku laughed too when he saw that Shippo's mouth was covered with red bean paste.
"If you eat that many sweets, you're gonna get cavities, young man." Kagome scolded lightly.
"Naw, Kagome. Demon teeth are stronger than humans'. Besides, its worth it. This stuff is awesome!" Shippo said while chomping joyfully into the sweet black sesame bun he had in his hand.
"What's taking Inuyasha? Most of the contestants have already made it back here with full baskets. There's less than two minutes left." Sango took out a napkin and began to wipe Shippo's mouth without delay.
"I don't know…I just hope he's on his way." Kagome looked worriedly at the judge's stand, where the contestants were presenting their baskets.
"Oh look, Rin's back." Miroku waved at the small figure dressed in a fine yukata as she hurried into the crowd of contestants at the judges' stand. She waved back at them happily, basket swinging lightly in hand.
"Okay…so where's Inuyasha?" Kagome scanned the faces in the crowd of contestants who were holding their finished baskets. They all looked pretty impressive. There was a basket that caught her eye. The flowers were arranged to look like someone's face.
Miroku caught what Kagome was looking at with a tense expression. "Pretty impressive, eh?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," she breathed.
…………………………………
"Bastard! Give me back those ferns I put over here!"
"Never! 'Finders keepers, losers weepers'!" The village man shouted as he ran towards the judging area.
Swearing angrily under his breath, Inuyasha caught up to the guy easily and snatched the ferns out of his hand. "Oh yeah, bet you didn't know you were messing with a half demon!"
The man's eyes grew wide as he saw the dog ears on top of Inuyasha's head. "Nan…Nani?" He dropped the rest of the stolen fern leaves as Inuyasha glared at him.
"Feh. Thanks for these." Inuyasha picked up the ferns and arranged them around the outer rim of his full basket. "Sorry, got to run."
The hanyou left the shocked man there as he raced towards the judges' stand. Upon reaching the large crowd of people, Inuyasha scrambled the flowers he had picking randomly. Not knowing what to do with the little bunch of blue flowers he had found, Inuyasha stuck them as a big dot in the middle of his bouquet. Lastly, he took the flower heads he'd clumsily picked before and dropped them on the bouquet in various places.
Tapping the shoulder of a random woman that was in front of him, he asked, "Hey, where are we supposed to send our baskets?"
"Ooh, that's a lovely bouquet you have there. Very unique." The kindly middle aged woman cooed. "Well, son, you're lucky, since I happen to be one of the judges. I'll take these from you. Listen for your name when we announce the winners in five minutes. Good luck!" she added with a wink as she hurried off towards the raised platform reserved for judging.
'Feh…listen for my name, eh?' With that, he turned around robotically to find Kagome, Rin, Sango, and that evil, lecherous monk who'd gotten him into this whole mess.
Speaking of the devil…
"Inuyasha! Over here!" Miroku called over the ruckus of the surrounding people. Inuyasha was just about to storm over their when a running figure caught his eye.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome ran happily towards him, silk kimono and hair flowing behind her. All thoughts of revenge flew out of the hanyou's head when he saw her happy face as she ran through the crowd, arms outstretched.
All of the sudden giddy, Inuyasha stepped towards Kagome as well, embracing her as she hugged him back. Back where Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were…
"Oh, that's a keeper," remarked Miroku snidely, but in a good way.
"Definitely." Sango said shrewdly.
"Wonder when he'll finally ask her. It's kind of obvious that he's killin' himself by waiting." Shippo shook his head sadly.
All three nodded in unison at the very truthful remark.
"Attention all contestants. We will now be announcing the winners of this year's flower picking contest at the local festival."
"Augh! I hope Inu-kun and I do well in this! Just look at Inu-kun and Kagome-oneechan holding hands!" Rin squealed happily, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, which gave them all a shock.
"Special Honors goes to these people: --"
'At least let me get honors', Inuyasha prayed.
"Kodama Saehara! Mika Tahi! Koharu Hamazaki!"
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo shivered at that last name.
Inuyasha cursed not just that last name.
"Fourth Place goes to—"
Inuyasha nearly keeled over with anxiety.
"Natsuki Hitosumi!"
Inuyasha wanted to hurt that judge. "C'mon, let's go. No need waiting," he said dejectedly as he turned to leave.
"No, not yet, Inuyasha. They're not done." Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand, giving him support.
"Third Place goes to—"
"Kagome, I really don't think I could win…"
"You could and you will! Even if you don't, I'll still believe in you…" Kagome added softly.
"Riku Mitsumi!"
"Okay, Kagome. I'll stay…for you."
Kagome blushed, but just nodded.
"Second Place goes to Inuyasha! ... This contestant seems to have not told us his last name, but we all know who he is!"
Inuyasha stood in shock as Kagome bombarded him with a huge hug. "Inuyasha, you got second!"
A small metal popped into his chest, but then turned into Shippo. "Good job, Inu-baka!"
People's heads turned as they smiled warmly at Inuyasha, causing his heart to soar. Some young woman even whispered, "He's kinda cute, even if he is half demon," while young men eyed him enviously.
"First place goes to Rin…er…no last name either!"
In unison, two people shouted at the same time.
"It's me!"
"It's me!"
"Nani?" Rin looked around to see a young girl a little older than her raise her hand also. The older girl looked her way too.
"Uh oh, we seem to have encountered a name problem. Wait, our attendant here has an answer! …mm hm… okay…the older Rin, it's not you who won! This attendant says that he remembers signing you up as Rin Makoto, which is what we would have called if you had won."
The older Rin hung her head as the younger Rin smiled a smile, embarrassed smile. Sango reached down to hug her, "Excellent, Rin! How did you do it?"
"I've had a lot of practice with Sesshomaru-sama. When he and Jaken go away, I pick flowers for Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin laughed.
………………………………
"So, Inuyasha, I want to know how you managed to win second. What secret method did you use to arrange your bouquet?" Kagome sat on a wind blown hill overlooking the town and all its glinting lights. Inuyasha lay beside her, happy to not pick another flower for a long while.
"Feh…I remembered all the flower bouquets my mom used to get…" He smirked as Kagome giggled and hugged the doll Inuyasha had won for her at the festival. "What's so funny?"
"Your mother…she must have been very beautiful." Kagome sighed and stroked the features of the doll.
"Yeah, I guess…can't remember much about her, though…" Inuyasha looked up at the night sky, which was now full of glinting stars, winking at him as if urging him on.
They'd been through so much together. It was indeed time to just relax.
What decisions we will make, only time will tell…
Kagome looked at the perfect features of Inuyasha's face. "Yeah, I bet you inherited your good looks from her and your father…" she trailed off as her head and body leaned into Inuyasha's side.
Inuyasha smile softened as he felt her soft form next to his.
Our hearts, beating in unison…
Contentment wrapped around them both…because they needed nothing now but each other…they knew so much about each other, and yet had so much to learn…
Smiling warmly into Inuyasha's fire rat hoari, Kagome mumbled something incoherent into the thick clothe.
But Inuyasha heard it. She had said, 'I couldn't bear to forget you again.' His heart beat faster. Gently, he cupped her chin and brought her face to his.
I found you, and you found me…
Leaning in, he brought his mouth to hers in a warm and undemanding kiss. Kagome, a little surprised by the contact, felt her heart melt. Lifting her head a little more, she deepened the kiss, asking and probing for answers to her heart.
In the end, it'll be you and me for eternity…
When they broke up to get some air, both their hearts were racing as they struggled to regain composure. Inuyasha still had his arms around Kagome tightly, but the rest could wait. They had a while together, he was sure of that. Sango, Miroku, Rin, and Shippo had all stayed at the festival to entertain themselves. He and Kagome had slipped away when Sango and Miroku brought out the sake, thinking it was definitely not a good idea to be around a drunk Miroku and Sango. Finally, Inuyasha spoke up, and his voice sent shivers up Kagome's arms.
"Kagome, maybe…maybe we could become mates…someday…"
Kagome raised a teasing eyebrow.
"Someday?"
Inuyasha smirked as he brought his hand to her face in a loving caress.
"You can't wait. Okay then…maybe…" His voice trailed off as he leaned in.
The leaves of the nearby trees rustled, as if trying to give them privacy. The stars twinkled ever brighter, as if giving approval to the two.
"…maybe tonight."
I'd love to say that the night ended happily ever after…but we can't be giving away secrets like that now, can we? All I'll say is that in the end, they both couldn't help but want…no…need the other by their side…
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Suzu- Should I say something? … … … … Okay let's try telling it this way…
Suzu- 'IT'S THE END'
Suzu again- Yep, and so my very first fanfiction finally ends at 25 chapters. Gomen that I didn't write Kagome's miko ceremony, but I'm sure you all don't really mind that much…he. This chapter was 17 (and a little more) pages, mind you, so please be nice and review…ah, but I'm sure you're all feeling a little lost…
Hmmm… if it's what you guys want, I guess I could write an epilogue… since it is the end, I'll be happy to receive some reviews from all the people who've been reading this fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed it (including…ahem…the fluff).
Well, now that I've finished this story, I can't help but feel a little empty. This story has actually been going for exactly one year…wow…I started it the summer of my seventh grade vacation… It's been a pleasure to write, a little hard at times, and a little unnerving when I have writer's block. But now that we're done, I feel sorry to leave it behind.
So…thanks again to all the readers who've reviewed. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you all recognition, but don't forget that I'll always know who you are…not a single review goes by without touching my heart. I love reading them!
If you'd like to read more, I guess you could start by checking out 'The Woes of Hollywood', which is my recent (ahem…not that recent anymore) fanfiction.
Epilogue or not? You decide…
Sayonara and Arigato… 'May you all find the one whom you want by your side'
Suzu 7/20/05