I apologize for the delayed updates. I've had a lot of other stuff to do lately, and I haven't had as much time as I would like to write.
Again, gomen minna-san. Domou arigatou for taking the time to even read my story and for being so patient.
Chapter Twelve: A Fantasmic Show
"Wow… What time is it? It's almost night time…" Sango said disappointedly, knowing that their time might almost be up.
Kagome looked at her watch. "It's about 8:00. We can check out the Fantasmics show. It starts at around 9:25. It's really cool. Kind of like an animation on water and a laser show combined."
"Sure," Sango agreed. "That sounds cool." She looked up at the sky. "Then we can probably catch the fireworks show right after."
They all nodded, but Miroku seemed a little unsure.
"I think that my family would want me with them during the fireworks…" Miroku said quietly. His family had gone to Anaheim as well. They wanted to see the band perform as well as catch Disneyland.
Sango's face fell. "Oh, well, umm…" She tried to think of something to say. "What time do you have to meet them?"
Miroku shrugged. "They said they'd call me." Right at that moment, Miroku's cell phone went off. 'That must be them.' He pressed the talk button. "Hello?" he answered.
The three of them stopped and watched him as he talked. This must have made him feel uncomfortable because he gestured for them to continue walking.
"Um, where exactly are we going?" Kouga asked. The four of them had just been walking along the pathway in silence.
Sango waved her hand off to the side where there was an empty bench. "We can sit here until he finishes talking. There's too many people to be walking through right now anyway," she said as she watched the crowded pathway become even more crowded as people filed in to head to the Fantasmics show.
Miroku hung up, but he didn't put his phone away yet.
"What's up, Miroku?" Sango asked. "Are you going now?"
Miroku shook his head. "Not yet… Actually, I don't know what they're doing… My dad just called me, telling me to meet him at 9. Then he says never mind and that he'll call me back." He shook his head again and smiled foolishly. "Anyways, what are you guys planning?"
This was the most that Sango and Kagome had heard Miroku talk before. They were still in awe, so their reply was a little delayed.
"Oh, um, I don't know…" Kagome finally said.
"Well, we can go get something to eat before you go," Sango suggested looking at Kagome's watch. It was 8:10.
"We can go back to the place next to the Indiana Jones ride. They have really good food." Kagome added in.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Kouga just wanted to start moving again. He knew that they didn't have much time left.
"Okay, so… Indiana Jones was back… this way." Kagome turned to the right and led the way again.
Because of the large crowds, the four of them had a difficult time making it through. Kagome and Sango had no problem weaving in and out of the crowds since they were small, but Kouga and Miroku had a more difficult time. Sango and Kagome found themselves having to wait for them all the time.
"Hurry up, you guys," Kagome called behind her as she and Sango made it through another mass of people.
"Well, we're trying," Kouga panted when he saw Kagome.
They finally made it, but they found that the line was extremely long. They became frustrated, disappointed, and annoyed all at the same time.
"Okay, so what now?" Sango leaned against the wall of a shop that was next-door to the food place. "It's too long for us to wait through. By the time we get there, it'll probably be 9." She looked at Miroku.
His phone apparently rang again. "Hang on." Miroku said to them and excused himself from the group. He went to a ledge and sat down as he answered the phone. He put a hand up to his open ear to drown out the surrounding sound.
"Oh, they've got the hats here!" An excited Kouga wandered into the shop that happened to be next door. He had found the Indiana Jones hats that he had wanted.
Kagome walked in with him. Sango stayed where she was. From where she was standing, she could peer into the shop as well as keep an eye on Miroku. After a while, she decided to go in with Kouga and Kagome.
Kouga had already tried on several hats of different designs and sizes. Sango picked one of them up.
"Wow, $40 for this?" Sango examined the hat.
"Yeah, I guess it is a little pricey…" Kouga took off the hat that he was currently trying on and put it back on the shelf. "But I had wanted a hat from here as a souvenir…"
"Well, you can shop later. We have other things to do right now." Sango looked to Miroku, who was still outside on the phone.
"We should probably go outside and see what's going on," Kagome said.
The three of them walked out of the shop and circled around Miroku, who still sat on the ledge. He hung up, stood up, and looked at them.
"Well, I'm meeting my family at 9. What time is it now?" Miroku looked at Kagome.
"Umm… 8:25… Almost 8:30," Kagome informed.
"Could I have your cell phone numbers in case I need to call you or something?" Miroku asked.
"Uh, sure…" The three of them pulled out their cell phones.
"You have mine already, don't you, Miroku?" Kouga flipped open his phone.
"No… I don't."
They all exchanged numbers with Miroku and tested it to be sure they had it right. Miroku tried calling Kouga first. It worked. Then he tried calling Kagome. For some reason, Kagome's phone didn't receive the call.
"Do you have the number right?" Kagome looked at Miroku's phone. "Hm, it's right… It should work…"
"Let me try calling you, Kagome." Sango dialed Kagome's number, and Kagome's phone received it.
"Huh, that's weird…" Kagome stared at her phone. "Stupid thing."
Miroku tried calling Kagome again, but still, it didn't work.
"I'll try calling Sango next. Maybe it's my phone." Miroku tried Sango's next. Sango's phone rang, just like it should.
"I guess your phone and mine aren't compatible," Kagome said jokingly.
They all put away their phones after the exchanging and testing was done. Kagome still couldn't receive Miroku's calls, but they decided that it was okay.
"So what are we doing now?"
"Well, I guess we're just going to walk around until we find another place to eat," Kagome said. "I say that we walk that way. That's the direction of the Fantasmics show anyway, so if we find a place to eat that's close to there, we'll be good."
The others agreed and they walked back in the direction in which they had come from. They had to once again weave in and out of the streams of people.
"Okay, that's where the show's going to be." Kagome and Sango waited off to the side. Kagome pointed to a lake in front of them where numerous people had already gathered to await the start of the show.
Kouga and Miroku finally managed to make it through.
"So is there a place to eat around here?" Kouga looked around.
"There's one right in front of you." Kagome pointed at a small food shop with many chairs and tables set up in front, already filled with people who ate and also awaited the start of the show.
"What does it sell?" Kouga asked as he peeked in.
"I don't know…" Kagome muttered.
"Chicken strips," Kouga read aloud. "Again. Oh well, I don't mind."
"Me neither," Miroku said. The two of them got in line.
"Hey, aren't you guys hungry?" Kouga looked at Kagome and Sango, who looked at each other.
"Do you feel like chicken strips again?" Sango asked Kagome.
"Not… really…" Kagome said. "They probably won't fill us up, and they're expensive too. Let's walk over that way and see what else there is. We'll probably find something before they even make it to the front of the line."
Sango nodded. "Hey, guys, we're going to go over there and see what else there is okay?"
Kouga and Miroku both nodded and mumbled 'Okay'.
Kagome and Sango were now easily able to maneuver through the crowds since they didn't have to stop and wait every ten seconds.
Kagome was in the front because she knew her way around the park, and she saw what was up ahead first. "You want a turkey leg?"
They stopped in front of a small cart with a short line. Sango shrugged. "Sure, I guess. How much is it?"
"Like, $6 I think." Kagome checked the menu that was displayed to the side of the cart. "Yep. So do you want it?"
"They look kind of big…"
"We'll share one," Kagome said. "I couldn't eat a whole one myself either. I doubt we'll even be able to finish a whole one when we're sharing."
As they waited in line, Sango asked Kagome what time it was.
"8:50," she informed.
They reached the front, and both Kagome and Sango brought out $3 to spilt the cost of the food in half. After paying, they wove back through the crowds to find Kouga and Miroku.
Sango looked into the shop. "I see Kouga. He's still in line, but he's in the front. I think he's just waiting for his order."
"Well, let's find a place to sit first." Kagome looked at the tables. Every single one was filled up.
"I guess we could stand on that ledge over there," Sango pointed to a ledge that happened to be right next to the shop that Kouga and Miroku were in. "We're short, so we'd probably need to stand there to see the show anyway," she said jokingly.
The two girls lifted themselves up onto the ledge. Just as they did so, Kouga walked out of the shop, looking around.
"Kouga!" Sango yelled, but he didn't hear her. Instead, he went back into the shop.
"Maybe he's waiting for Miroku or something," Kagome said as she unwrapped the turkey leg.
Then they saw Kouga again, this time coming from an exit that was closer to where they were. Close enough for Sango to kick Kouga gently in the shoulder when he still looked around for them.
"Oh, there you are," Kouga said when Sango had kicked him. "Where'd you guys go?"
Sango pointed at the turkey leg that Kagome held. "We got our own food."
"A lot cheaper than yours," Kagome smiled as she ripped off a piece and placed it in her mouth.
Kouga shrugged as he ate a chicken strip.
"Hey, where's Miroku?" Sango tried to look back into the shop to see if he was still there.
"Oh, he left already," Kouga said coolly.
"He left?" Both Kagome and Sango said it at once.
"Yeah, it's almost nine. He said he had to go after he got his food." Kouga placed a French fry in his mouth. "Oh, by the way, he said that he would call Sango when he was done to see where we are. It should be after the fireworks are over."
Sango felt herself blush while Kagome and Kouga both smiled mischievously.
"I think he's warming up to Sango now," Kagome grinned.
"N-No," Sango stammered. "He can't call you because your phone can't receive his, so he has to call me. Th-That's all."
"Uh huh," Kagome said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Well, he's your 'buddy'."
"Well, even if that's the case, he could have called me." Kouga smiled and looked away innocently.
Sango stared threateningly at Kouga. "You don't know when to shut up, do you?"
He grin grew even wider.
Sango scoffed. "Whatever…" She tore off a piece of the turkey leg that Kagome was holding and stuffed it in her mouth as she stared out over the lake. 'Does this mean that he likes me too?'
"Contemplating again, are we?" Kouga snickered.
"Shut up…" Sango shifted her eyes from the lake and scanned her surroundings slowly. "What time is it, Kagome? There's a lot of people here… It must start soon."
"9:15. Ten more minutes."
They grew impatient as they waited for the show to start, but this gave them a chance to chat and eat their food.
An announcement came on the park intercom.
'Ladies and gentlemen, we will now dim the lights as we prepare you for our Fantasmics show. Please enjoy. Our fireworks show will follow immediately after.'
Everything grew dark. A shot of light shined onto the water, and the water lifted up, creating some sort of 'water screen' where clips from the movie Fantasia were shown. Then clips from other Disney movies appeared, all showing the villains. Lasers lit up as the water subsided, and on top of a mountain, Mickey Mouse appeared in his Fantasia costume.
It was an amazing scene to see. The show was like a battle between Mickey and the villains of Disney. Lights would flash, the water would dance, and even a dragon appeared. Fire was lit upon the water, which was an exhilarating sight.
The show ended with the dragon collapsing, and then clips from all the Disney movies of the villains being defeated were shown. A triumphant Mickey stood atop, and fireworks were set off.
The lights came back on. The crowd began to disperse as the show came to an end. Kagome, Kouga, and Sango stayed in a corner while they waited for everyone to pass. Unfortunately, the massive crowd seemed to never end.
"Hey, I see an empty table." Kagome hopped off of the ledge and began to weave her way through the crowd again to reach the seating area. Sango and Kouga followed.
The once filled up area was now beginning to empty. Kagome led them to an empty table. Though it was trashed, it was still a place to sit. Sango cleaned off most of the trash that was left and deposited it into the nearest trash can.
"You don't have to clean it," Kouga said as he pulled up a chair. "We're not going to use it."
"Sorry, it's a force of habit." Sango didn't like to be around places that were dirty and littered with trash.
Another announcement came onto the intercom.
'Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to take this moment to draw your attention to the sky, where our fireworks show 'Remember… Dreams Come True' will be held. The fireworks show can be seen from virtually anywhere, as the fireworks will be set off from different areas of the park. Now, please join us for our fireworks spectacular and in celebrating fifty years of Disneyland magic.'
The lights dimmed and everyone's heads were turned to the sky. Music replaced the woman's voice over the intercom. It was 'When You Wish Upon A Star' from the Pinnochio film. A brilliant flash of light lit the sky. The majestic fireworks soared through the night air and sparked beautifully. Music from every ride in Disneyland played in the background, and the fireworks were synchronized with the music.
The three of them recognized the music that they played from Pirates of the Carribean, Indiana Jones, and Star Tours.
"They're going around the park," Kagome stated when the music from the Star Tours ride began playing. "Now they're in Tomorrowland."
The show continued for ten more minutes, bringing nonstop fireworks and nonstop awe.
The show ended, and the crowd was amazed. Slowly, the pathways became crowded again as people squeezed past each other to get to their destinations. It seemed like the whole park had stopped in time during the fireworks show, and now it was bustling again.
Kagome, Kouga, and Sango sat there staring at the extreme amount of people who walked past. They were glad that they were in a concealed area out of the pathway. It looked like a flowing river of bodies. It never seemed to stop, and the number of them never seemed to lessen.
Suddenly, Sango's phone ran. She nearly jumped.
"Oh, I bet I know who that is," Kouga said playfully. Kagome gave him a look as if to say 'Shut up', but she ended up giggling with him anyway.
"I wish you two would stop. I bet it's just my family or someth—" Sango looked at her phone as it vibrated in her hands and she lost her voice for a second.
The screen read, 'Miroku calling…'