Rule Number Nine:
Eat what's on your plate. You don't know when your next good meal will be.
o0o
"It's not fair."
From her spot underneath a large shady tree, Kagome watched Shippou with dismay as he greedily devoured yet another box of strawberry pocky.
Sango's hand stilled from tickling a tiny Kirara to look over at the girl. "What's not fair, Kagome?"
Her friend sighed and shook her head, never letting her eyes leave the kitsune. "Teens from my era constantly struggle to keep fit. So, we always have to limit the amount of pocky we eat. And he…he…." She trailed off, waving her hand vaguely at Shippou, who had started on a box of chocolate candy.
She sighed again and looked longingly at the sweets. "It's just not fair."
Sango laughed. "I really don't think you have to worry about anything like that, Kagome. With all the running around you do here in the feudal era, you seem to be in wonderful shape."
When the girl continued to gape at the kitsune, Sango chuckled softly to herself and returned her attentions to Kirara, holding a long piece of ribbon over the fire-cat's head and wiggling it enticingly, laughing when she pawed at it.
It was a beautiful spring day, and the group was taking a much-needed break on the edge of the forest and a large meadow. They had taken down two minor demons that morning, and collected a jewel shard from each. Even Inuyasha was content to relax a while, and he gently dozed in the tree above Kagome.
Miroku, who had been meditating nearby, unfolded himself from the ground and approached the two girls.
"It is nearly time for a mid-day meal. I don't suppose either of you are hungry yet?" He quirked an eyebrow.
Sango looked to Kagome. "Actually, I'm famished. After all that fighting this morning, I really worked up an appetite."
Kagome dragged her attention from the kitsune and looked to her friends, eyes brightening. "Actually, before I came back this morning, I made a lunch for all of us!"
Miroku smiled. "Always thoughtful, Kagome. Thank you so much. I always look forward to your cooking."
Kagome beamed at him and hopped up, brushed off her skirt, and ran to her bicycle to fetch the picnic basket looped over her handlebar.
o0o
A short time later found the group sitting on a blanket procured from Kagome's bottomless bag, eating happily from her basket.
Inuyasha surveyed the food before him, narrowing his eyes.
"What's wrong Inuyasha? Looking for something particular?"
He nodded vaguely, lifting up various containers before him, still searching.
Kagome looked around. "Weeelll…the rice balls are by Miroku, next to Sango are the containers of omelet, my specialty, and next to Shippou is the…."
"Ramen."
"Huh?"
"Where's the ramen? I don't see it anywhere."
Sango, Miroku, and Shippou froze with chopsticks at various distances from their mouths.
Sango held her breath. 'Don't, Inuyasha. Please don't. Please, please, please, please, please don't be stupid enough to say what I think you're going to say.'
Kagome took a deep breath. "Inuyasha…I worked really hard to make all this food. Do you mean to tell me you don't like any of it?"
Her eye twitched dangerously, but the hanyou failed to notice.
"Yeah, pretty much. I mean…it's ok, I guess, but I prefer ramen."
Kagome tried for patience, dug deep to find it and…failed miserably.
Jaw clenched tight, tears pricking at her eyes, she shot to her feet.
Sango's fingers twitched. 'The second she's gone, I'm going to beat him. He won't know what hit him.'
Kagome turned on her heel and stomped away.
As soon as she was out of sight, Sango made a mad grab at hiraikotsu and…
Crack.
Sango turned to see Miroku standing next to Inuyasha, his staff in hand, glaring at the hanyou who was now collapsed onto the ground.
"You idiot!"
Crack.
She gaped. 'I've never seen him really lose his temper like this before.'
"You…" Crack. "Ungrateful…" Crack. "Fool!"
Inuyasha twitched slightly from his prone position on the ground.
Miroku took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself, before sitting down again in Kagome's vacant spot.
Sango turned to Inuyasha, whose eyes held a stunned look, and glared. "She worked very hard to cook for us. She doesn't have to provide us food all the time, you know. Why must you always hurt her feelings like that?"
She was working herself up, and she could feel it. Inuyasha pulled himself up from the ground and scooted his body worriedly away from the woman's slowly rising temper.
"You, Inuyasha, are going to learn some manners. You are going to apologize to Kagome, you are going to eat all of the food she has given you, and you will enjoy it! We will never have to endure this episode again, or I swear to you by all that is holy, I will rip you into tiny little pieces and scatter you about Japan like the Shikon jewel!"
Inuyasha trembled from his position on the ground, staring up at the woman who now towered over him. By the end of her tirade she was shouting so loudly Kagome could have heard her from the other side of the well.
Shippou and Miroku backed away from her in fear, but Inuyasha didn't dare even breathe.
She looked around at them and back at Inuyasha before she finally unclenched her fists, loosened her shoulders and took a few deep breaths.
'Calm down, Sango. Just…calm down before you kill him. If you kill him now, he won't have a chance to suffer for this later.'
A plan quickly forming in her mind, Sango sat down abruptly and smiled sweetly at the hanyou.
Inuyasha's eyes widened in fear and he leaned back slightly. "Why are you smiling at me?"
Sango continued to grin.
"You're creeping me out! Stop it!"
Sango turned to Miroku, who also backed away slightly in fear. "Miroku?"
"Y-yes, Sango?"
"Make sure this all gets cleaned up. I'm going to go find Kagome."
Miroku nodded quickly as she stood, turned around slowly, and walked away, Kirara trailing after her.
Shippou was still frozen to the spot, a rice ball halfway to his lips. "That was scary."
Inuyasha and Miroku shivered in agreement.
o0o
"He apologized to me." Kagome looked to the woman walking on the trail beside her. "Can you believe it?"
Sango smiled to herself. "Yes. Yes, I can."
Kagome looked at her strangely, but simply shook her head and continued walking.
"You know, Kagome…I think you should make another meal. We really do love your cooking, and…and Inuyasha, I assure you, will too." She let her sly smile creep onto her face and chuckled evilly to herself.
Kagome cocked her head to the side. "What are you getting at, Sango?"
"Kagome," she smiled and looped her arm over her friend's shoulders, "Let's talk food. Spicy food. Did you know that dogs have a keener sense of taste than human's do…?"
o0o
A trickle of sweat made its way slowly, achingly down Inuyasha's cheek. Sango watched it with relish.
'Oh, this is too much fun.'
She almost felt bad for him. Almost. But not really.
The hanyou pressed his lips firmly together, refusing to spit the food everywhere.
Sango saw him start to open his mouth, and she let her hand casually move over to her large weapon at her side. Golden eyes watched her hand warily and when she wiggled her fingers, Inuyasha flinched and finally swallowed the mouthful of food.
"Do you like it, Inuyasha?"
He flinched at the sudden inquiry and slowly dragged his eyes from Sango's hand to Kagome's eager face.
"Umm…."
Sango cleared her throat loudly, and he jumped.
"Yes! Yes it's…very good."
"Oh, I'm so glad you like it! Eat up!"
He gulped and looked down at the full plate before him.
On either side of him, Miroku and Shippou happily devoured their own plates.
Sango looked back at Inuyasha's plate. 'Wow. When I told Kagome 'spicy' she sure went all out.'
Her own mouth was burning slightly from her earlier taste-test. Still, spicy or not, the food tasted quite good. But she could imagine what it was doing to Inuyasha's enhanced senses. Fortunately, she made normal food for the rest of the group, saving that particular plate especially for Inuyasha.
She smirked as Inuyasha took another timid bite, and thought about her earlier conversation with the hanyou.
'Every last bit of it, Inuyasha, or I rip you apart. It will make hunting for the jewel shards look like a vacation when we have to track down the pieces of your body all across the country.'
Inuyasha swallowed and nodded his head rapidly.
Sango nodded. 'Good. She worked really hard on this meal. I won't have you hurting her feelings again.'
True to his word, Inuyasha didn't make a single nasty comment, and he dutifully, if painfully, ate every last bit of his food. When it was finally gone, he thanked Kagome quickly, jumped from his seat, and ran for the nearest water source.
Sango immediately burst into laughter, holding her sides.
"Did you see his face?"
Kagome, giggling madly nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "Poor Inuyasha." She laughed again and shook her head. "Serves him right."
Miroku grinned and Shippou hopped over to swipe a finger across Inuyasha's plate. He tasted it thoughtfully and hurriedly grabbed for the drink box Kagome had brought for him.
"Wow," he breathed, "that was awful! I don't know how Inuyasha did it!"
"I must admit, it seemed more effective than the yelling and 'sitting' that usually occurs. Well done, ladies." Miroku bobbed his head and stood to his feet. "And now…I'm going to go make sure he didn't die."
Still laughing, Kagome and Sango cleaned up after the meal, and prepared to follow Miroku's exit.
o0o
"Inuyasha?"
The hanyou stiffened, and refused to turn in Sango's direction, continuing his steady gaze at the moon overhead.
"Come on, Inuyasha, you can't ignore me forever."
Still no acknowledgement.
Sango sighed and seated herself on the log next to the sulky half-demon. "You deserved it, you know. You really, really hurt her feelings when she worked so hard just to try and please you."
He grunted.
"I mean…she wants to make all of us happy, but…she goes out of her way to try and show you that she can do something right. And, when she feels she's let you down, it breaks her heart all over again."
He sighed, but remained silent otherwise.
Sango fingered the bowl in her hands.
"You really think…she's trying to impress me?" It was so quiet that Sango almost didn't realize he said it.
She looked back at him. 'Oh, Inuyasha, how can you not see?'
"Yes, Inuyasha. She is. She just…wants your approval over something she does. And, as insignificant as cooking may seem, it is just one small way in which she can try and make you acknowledge that she isn't entirely useless."
He looked down at his lap, arms crossed and hidden within the sleeves of his haori.
"You don't have to enjoy everything she makes. Just…don't rub it in her face that all her hard work is a waste on you. And…try and be grateful for the time and effort she sacrifices for us."
He nodded, and continued to study his lap thoughtfully. "This isn't just about her cooking, is it?"
It was more of a statement than a question, but Sango answered anyway. "No. No, it isn't. It's about appreciating what we have…appreciating what others do for us. It's about taking what we get, and being grateful for it."
He nodded again, ears flattening to his skull, oddly silent.
"I'm sorry we tricked you. Truce?" She held out the bowl of ramen in her hands.
He looked up at her and, taking the bowl, he smiled. "Truce."
She sat next to him and watched the moon as he slurped quietly at his food.
Without taking her eyes from the glowing orb in the sky she grinned. "You can't even taste anything now, can you?"
"Not a thing."
She laughed quietly, knowing the burning of his senses would die down by the next day.
He smirked. "I should eat some of that stuff before every one of Kagome's meals. Then my mouth will burn so much, I won't be able to taste any of it."
Still not looking from the sky, she kicked him gently, and he chuckled.
She shook her head and laughed with him.
o0o
Next:
Rule Number Eight:
Children grow up too quickly. Let them enjoy being young and free…and try it yourself sometime.
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Strike Redkite, JediK1, Tashachan28, thank you for your reviews! I appreciate it very much.
And Lucinda…lol, Muah! I love you. Thanks for pointing out the mistake. I tend to be a grammar nut too, but…I make mistakes , and it's helpful to me that you point out what I have looked over. Silly me. You're awesome, and thanks, I'll fix it right away!