Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-yasha and company (but I wish I would).
However, I do own Kiken, Koishi, Gin, Aliz, Chaz and Mike that may show up
in this fic (I use them in most of my fanfics).
Symbols are: "talking", 'thoughts', ***new place or time***
Chapter 21
Skating Under Night Sky
"Don't be afraid" Inu-yasha told Sango while he, on his skates, went over to her. The school had ended for Christmas and he was in a good mood. His friends had decided to come skating.
Kagome had been in good mood and Inu-yasha was happy for that, but he was sad that he couldn't bring the ghost here with him. She would have loved it, he knew.
The skating place was outside, under the sky. The sky was cloudless and the stars were shining even though you couldn't see them so well with all the lights around. In the village it was the only place where you could skate and so there was a lot of people.
"It's not hard" Miroku assured Sango who had never being skating. He took her hand and pulled her after him.
"Stop! Stop!" Sango shouted, almost tripping. She wasn't used to standing on skates any way.
"Don't worry" Inu-yasha said grabbing the girl's other hand. Miroku and Inu- yasha were skating back wards pulling her with them.
Kikyo was putting her skates on when Koishi sat down beside her. "What happened after the party?" he asked her. Kikyo looked up toward Inu-yasha. "He's been acting differently since then."
Kikyo sighed, staring at Inu-yasha with slightly sad eyes.
***Flashback***
"I don't think this will work, Kikyo."
Kikyo looked up at Inu-yasha. The both of them were standing on a balcony at Hojo's house. She had a terrible hangover because of the night before. She was wearing his coat because it was cold but he didn't actually have time to think about the cold at the moment.
"Somehow.It doesn't feel right anymore" Inu-yasha said and leaned on the barrier of the balcony looking down at people who were in the yard of the house drinking hot coffee.
Kikyo looked down as well. She felt cold but she also felt cold inside. When she looked up at him, she saw in his eyes that he had found something that made him feel alive. She wouldn't want to let him go but somehow she had always known that this would come before her and that was why she wasn't so upset.
Inu-yasha was silent and smiled a bit, looking at the white view. It was beautiful and he kind of wished that Kagome would be beside him now, looking at this great view. He mentally hit himself for that. Why was he thinking about the ghost just when he was going to brake up with Kikyo?
He turned to look at her and saw her looking down with calm but sad eyes. He felt bad, but to keep this feeling he had inside and not do what his heart told would be a lot worse to him as well to Kikyo. "I.I still would like to be friends, but." He went silent letting his smile disappear.
Kikyo sighed deeply and turned slowly to look at him. "If that is how you feel." she said forcing a small smile. She looked down and sighed again. Why was she doing this so easily? Maybe because she was always ready for this.
Inu-yasha stared at her. He couldn't believe how calmly she took it. After a moment he put his arms around her, surprising her but he still hugged her with all his heart. He still wanted to be friends!
***back to now***
"Nothing too special." Kikyo said silently and stood up after she had her skates on. "Do you skate?"
"Not really." Koishi answered, turning to look at the three friends on skates a little further away. He stood up and hid his hands into his jacket pockets. "It's been too many years since the last time I was skating."
Kikyo nodded having the usual coldness and the new sadness in her eyes. Koishi just stared at her as she went after her friends. He sighed, not understanding these people. He had been very worried during these few days because Sesshomaru happened to suddenly let Inu-yasha's secret out.Almost!
Sesshomaru had been talking about something, an attack and a graveyard, but Koishi couldn't put the pieces together. He also remembered when Inu-yasha said that he owed his life to Aliz. Koishi knew that all those were somehow connected to each other, but he couldn't figure it out.
"Just relax, Sango." Miroku said calmly, grabbing the girl's waist and Inu- yasha let her hand free. "I'll hold you." He grinned widely.
"Not that low, hentai!" Sango shouted, slapping Miroku across the face while Inu-yasha was skating away from them backwards with a smile and feeling very great.
"Watch out!" he heard a shout from the side and before he knew he hit his back on something and fell down.
Kouga came to him on skates and pushed Inu-yasha away. "You okay?" he asked. Inu-yasha thought that Kouga was talking to him but when he turned around he saw Kouga helping a girl up. The girl had short black hair and what was the strangest thing was that the girl didn't really have much on her and it was freezing cold.
"I'm okay, thanks." she said to Kouga and smiled a somewhat wicked smile. Kouga felt very uncomfortable after she smiled, but before he could say anything again she was gone and was nowhere to be seen.
Inu-yasha stood up and looked around in wonder. Where did that girl go so suddenly? Still, he had this strange feeling like someone was watching him. He looked behind him nervously, but saw no one who he knew or no one who would show any interest to him.
"That was a strange one." Kouga spoke his thoughts aloud making Inu-yasha turn to him again. Kouga shrugged his shoulders and with out glancing at Inu-yasha he started to skate calmly toward the rest of the friends.
Inu-yasha looked around again and then followed.
Koishi yawned and leaned his head on his hand, sitting in the snow. It was getting boring. All the others were skating and he knew not one of the people around him. Suddenly someone ran toward him. All he could see was something black because this someone ran too fast. Koishi turned around to look behind him and in the distance he saw a girl with black short hair running away.
He narrowed his eyes in wonder and then turned to look at the skating friends just when Inu-yasha and Kouga returned to the others. He shook his head and yawned again, wanting to go home and sleep, but he didn't.
"Good, Sango" Inu-yasha praised her while holding both her hands and skating backward. Sango finally relaxed because she was in someone else's, other than Miroku's, hands. Miroku was actually sulking at the side, but Inu-yasha knew that in truth the two of them were making up.
Kouga came, after a while, and changed places with Inu-yasha. Sango had finally started to move her legs and slowly gain her balance on her own. Kouga was holding only one of her hands. Inu-yasha was skating around them, a smile on his face.
How he wished that Kagome was here. He would want to see her smiling face and she would be able to see so many people here.
"So.Are we going to your place tonight, Inu-yasha?" Kikyo asked, coming up behind him. She grabbed his shoulder to stop herself. She wasn't so good with slowing down yet.
Inu-yasha took her other hand, helping her slow down. "I believe so" he said when she finally stopped. "My parents aren't at home and Sesshomaru won't be too much trouble if we just buy him drinks."
She nodded and smiled. She turned to look at Kouga and Sango. "It seems that she is finally starting to trust herself" she said. "That's what you need when you are skating. You need to trust yourself before anything else." She turned to look at Inu-yasha and he smiled.
"What's up with you two!?" Miroku shouted, coming toward Kikyo and Inu- yasha with full speed. Inu-yasha's and Kikyo's eyes widened when their friend came at them and before they knew they were already down on their backs, having a grinning Miroku on their bellies.
"Gosh, Miroku!" Kikyo gasped, trying to get out from under him, but Miroku's other knee was pressing into her stomach. "You are getting fat!!" she shouted.
Inu-yasha was too concerned with getting Miroku of to say anything. He grabbed the hentai's collar and pushed him away.
Miroku fell on his butt beside the two of them, when the former lovers were gasping for air. He smirked and rubbed his behind after standing up. Inu- yasha and Kikyo weren't quite ready to stand up.
"Watch out!!" Kikyo turned to look at their other side and there Sango was coming right at them. Her eyes widened and Sango slipped on her and Inu- yasha, making them gasp for air again.
Koishi looked from the side, realising for the first time that he was getting cold. It seemed like Inu-yasha was changing dramatically.
The Inu-yasha Koishi used to know wasn't like this. On top of that he didn't need much to know that Inu-yasha and Kikyo had broken up. He just couldn't understand what made his long-time friend so happy.
He stood up as the others came toward him laughing happily. What was there he didn't know?
**at Inu-yasha's***
"Wow! This house is really huge! Not only outside, but also inside!" Kouga gasped after stepping into the mansion where Inu-yasha lived. Koishi walked to the stairs and up like he would have lived there all his life.
Inu-yasha looked around like something was missing. "What is it Inu-yasha?" Kikyo asked while she took her shoes off.
"This is strange" he said, scratching his head. "Usually Jaken would come running down when someone comes in."
"Who's Jaken?" Sango asked, not noticing Miroku who stared at the stairs. Kagome was there looking carefully from behind the barrier. When she saw that he was looking at her she smiled as a greeting.
Miroku smiled and nodded. Kouga noticed that and turned to look at the stairs but he didn't see anything. "You should stop daydreaming, pal!" he said hitting Miroku's shoulder and taking his own shoes off.
"Oh, yeah" Miroku said, waking up from his thoughts. Of course Kouga didn't see and actually.It was better that way.
"Jaken" Inu-yasha repeated, stepping toward the stairs. "He's Sesshomaru's dog. A wicked one." He turned back to his friends. "Just be like at home!" He turned for the kitchen, grabbing some bags they had with them.
He quickly came back from the kitchen. "If you are not too afraid, I mean." He winked his eye and then disappeared to the kitchen again.
"Can we go to the living-room?" Miroku asked loudly and got an agreeing answer from Inu-yasha in the kitchen. "Lets go" he told his friends and they followed. He glanced at the ghost on the stairs who was still standing there. He nodded to her like it would be okay for her to go to the kitchen now.
Kagome didn't wait. She floated to the kitchen to see Inu-yasha.
Inu-yasha put the stuff they had in their bags (mostly drinks) into the fridge and felt the familiar cold breeze. "I don't believe they are around, right?" he asked, turning around to look at her.
She nodded, shyly standing by the doorway. "That's good" he said, walking toward her. "I'm sorry that you can't be around much tonight."
She tilted her head and looked at him. "Shippo went for food so he's not here" she said like he would never have said anything.
He sighed and nodded and thanked god in his mind. The little fox-demon would be the biggest trouble in the house. "Where's Jaken?" he asked her. He knew she knew for she was here always anyway.
"Went out with your brother, but I believe that they are coming back soon" she replied. The truth was that Sesshomaru had told her he wouldn't be out long, but just like Sesshomaru she neither wanted Inu-yasha to know that his brother knows about the ghost.
Inu-yasha studied her for a moment. "What's with you?" he asked. "You usually come at me for a big bear hug."
She blushed and slowly came up to him, giving a slight kiss on his lips. "You just have fun with your friends tonight, okay" she said winking her eye and disappearing through the roof of the kitchen.
"Bring some drinks, will ya?!" Kouga shouted when he came back to get his jacket by the door for something that Inu-yasha didn't know.
"Sure!" Inu-yasha exclaimed opening the fridge again. He knew that something was going on in the ghost's mind, but he still smiled.
***later***
"I said we'll watch sports!" Kouga shouted, taking the remote control from Sango while all five of them were sitting on the same sofa. Inu-yasha was sitting on the armrest on the other side when Kouga was sitting on the other side. Miroku was happily sitting between the two girls on the sofa.
"No way!" Sango shouted, taking the remote control just when Kouga had changed the channel.
"Might there be something for my liking?" Miroku wondered, grabbing the remote control and jumping off the sofa before Sango could take it back.
"I hope not" Kikyo said coldly while Sango ran after Miroku around the sofa. He tried to change the channels to find something for his liking.
After a moment Sango had knocked Miroku down and together with Kikyo she watched some late soup opera and ate popcorn.
Miroku got up after sometime and then looked over the backrest of the sofa at the TV. "You are so boring Inu-yasha, did you know that" he said and Inu- yasha who had been staring out of the window turned to his friend.
"You have no magazines of girls, you have no girl posters on the walls, you have no cute sister and on top of that you have no sex-channel!" Miroku shouted at the top of his lungs and Kouga who was too near to him had to cover his ears.
"Is there any sex-channel anyway?" Kouga asked when Miroku stopped shouting. You might think he sounded interested but he wasn't. He reached for the popcorn the girls had, but realized that he would need to fight for them.
"I don't know if there is" Miroku said sighing. "But I would have believed that a rich family like Inu-yasha's would have one."
"Hey!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, hitting Miroku. "We are not that rich. My father just got an old heirloom and with selling it he got enough money to move away from Tokyo and buy this house."
Miroku muttered and silence fell on them again. The only sounds were Koishi's distant steps from the fourth floor and the friends chewing on the popcorn.
Miroku sighed deeply, staring at the soap opera where some woman had found her future husband in bed with her best friend or something. That's boringly too common in soap operas.
When he got bored with the silence he stood up and shouted again. "At least you should have a cute little sister and-"
"Sorry for not being a cute little sister" Sesshomaru said, stepping into the living room.
Miroku's eyes widened and he jumped over the backrest of the sofa jumping right into the bowl of popcorn. The girls gave many protests on that.
"Sess!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, standing up. "I didn't hear you coming."
"Of course not" Sesshomaru remarked, folding his hands and smirking at the program the girls were watching on. "I'm a ghost after all" he said while stepping by Inu-yasha.
His words made Inu-yasha's heart beat hard. He didn't know why but somehow he feared that the rest of his friends would start to think he's crazy again and most of all he feared that Kouga had heard Sesshomaru's words.
He turned to look at Kouga, but he lifted his other brow when seeing him.
Even after fighting long with the girls about what to watch he was staring at the TV and the soap opera with a very interested expression just like the girls who hadn't noticed Sesshomaru at all, but Miroku, who sat on their food was too easy to notice.
Sesshomaru stared at Inu-yasha's friends from beside the TV. Kikyo and Kouga didn't even seem to notice him while they stared at the soap opera and Sango was too relieved to notice him when Miroku jumped over the backrest again to hide from Sesshomaru.
Thinking that the reason Miroku went behind the sofa again was her doing Sango proudly turned to watch at the TV again. Then she saw Sesshomaru and shouted, standing up on the sofa "What's that!?!?"
Kikyo and Kouga were surprised almost to death when Sango jumped and shouted. Inu-yasha turned to look at his friends just in time to see Kouga fall on the floor at the other end and Kikyo fall nose first off the sofa her legs still on the sofa. Between the two surprised ones Sango was standing and pointing toward the TV.
Sesshomaru turned the TV off with the on/off switch. "Is that anyway to greet me?" he asked in a casual voice.
Sango stood there confused for a moment and then she blushed, sitting down on the coach again. "You have wonderful friends, you know, Inu" Sesshomaru said, turning to his brother who sighed when Kikyo and Kouga got on the sofa again. "One steals all the food, one points at you like at a monster and.I still have to find something from these two." He pointed at Kikyo who rubbed her nose and Kouga who was hitting Sango for scaring him to death.
"Let it be, Sess!" Inu-yasha said, waving his hands. "At least I have good friends to hang with, unlike you." He would have wanted it to hit some sour spot or something, but no!
Sesshomaru didn't care about his brother's words. True friendship was something he had only once had and it was with Koishi's sister, Kiken, who he hadn't seen in many years. Now he had some people from college, but he didn't really consider them as good friends. Word "friend" didn't even mean anything to him.
At least that was what he told himself.
Sesshomaru sighed and then glanced beside him where he saw Kikyo crawling to the TV so she could put the TV on again. She wasn't able to do that with the remote control this time. "What are you trying to do?" Sesshomaru asked leaning his hand on the TV and tapping his fingers on it.
Kikyo stopped her finger just inches away from the on/off switch. She looked slowly up to meet Sesshomaru's unfeeling eyes. "Eheh" she swallowed when Sesshomaru's mouth turned into a smirk and he kicked her.
"Hey!" Inu-yasha shout running to Sesshomaru standing on his toes before his brother. "Is that any way to treat a girl?!?" He pointed at him with his finger, but Sesshomaru only yawned.
"Girl or boy." Sesshomaru said boringly. "Doesn't make any difference with me in any other but one matter."
Inu-yasha's finger trembled while he tried to keep his anger. He hated it when Sesshomaru was always so calm and somehow always made him silent. "Just leave us alone, alright!" he said turning his face away and walking to Kikyo.
"Maybe if you beg me" Sesshomaru said staring at his fingernails.
At this moment Miroku dared to take a little peek over the backrest of the sofa. Kouga stared at him hard, not understanding why Miroku feared Inu- yasha's brother so much. Sango was more like excited about this. She was eating popcorn like she would be staring at a movie.
"Beg?!" Inu-yasha shouted just when he was about to offer his hand, but Kikyo had to get up herself because the offered hand was taken away.
The younger brother turned around. "Didn't come up with anything more horrible?" Inu-yasha asked, biting his teeth together. Sesshomaru grinned knowing well that it would take a lot more than this to get Inu-yasha beg or even kneel down before you.
***elsewhere***
Koishi yawned while coming down the stairs. Before he knew it Jaken was again hanging on his pants, but he was somewhat used to it so he didn't bother to pull the dog off. Otherwise he would have maybe spent time with Inu-yasha and his friends, but he was too tired on the moment. He had been sleeping for two hours but he woke up when he got hungry.
He had decided to get some food so now he was on his way down. He heard some shouting from the lowest floor when he got to the second floor. He lifted his brows in wonder. What would make them shout so? He shrugged his shoulders and turned for the last stairs that would take him to the first floor.
He stopped half way down when he saw Sesshomaru come out from the living- room, hands folded and Inu-yasha pushing him. Koishi stared at the brothers long.
After a moment pushing Inu-yasha was satisfied with the distance between the living-room and his brother. Then he nodded and returned to his friends. Sesshomaru turned around and stared after his brother, hands folded.
Neither one had noticed Koishi and silently he watched on when Sesshomaru decided to go back into the living-room. It didn't take long when Inu-yasha was pushing Sesshomaru out again.
***a long moment later***
"Did you have to give him all the drinks we had?" Kouga asked when they finally got rid of Sesshomaru who didn't leave before he got all their drinks.
"He didn't take only the drinks" Sango said sniffing and holding her empty bowl. "He also took all the popcorn."
"Not to mention the TV" Kikyo said folding her hands and nodding toward the place where the TV should've been.
Inu-yasha listened to his friends. What a great start for an evening! "What should I have done?" he asked but all he got as an answer was glares from the three of his friends (Miroku was still hiding behind the sofa).
"You shouldn't yield so easily, jerk!" Kouga said snarling. "I had paid for most of the popcorn!!"
"Not to mention the drinks I paid for" Kikyo said gloomily.
Inu-yasha smirked and didn't want to meat his friends eyes. "Well.I.uh..." He muttered trying to come up with something. "I'll pay you back! I promise! Someday."
Kouga and Kikyo lifted their brows and glanced at each other. Sango was crying on the floor after her popcorn so she wasn't so overly concerned with burning Inu-yasha.
"You better pay back before Christmas or I'll burn your hair!" Kikyo threatened.
"I'll burn your clothes in front of the school" Kouga threatened.
"I'll film you in the shower and send it for everyone to see through internet" Kikyo said making it better.
Inu-yasha listened to his friends leaning heavily on the wall. They were fighting on which one of them could come up with a more horrible way to make Inu-yasha suffer. It wasn't fun, really, to listen to it.
"I'll make you an eunuch!" Kikyo said folding her hands proudly.
Kouga left his mouth open trying to say something worse, but come up with nothing. "Damn." he muttered under his breath in defeat.
"I won, I won, I won!!!" Kikyo shouted, jumping with happiness.
***at night***
Miroku opened his eyes. They had soon after Sesshomaru had taken all their fun gone to sleep. They were all sleeping in the living-room. Kikyo was on the sofa, Sango beside the sofa when Kouga, who preferred cold, was sleeping under the window.
Miroku himself was sleeping in the furthest corner because the girls wouldn't let him come near and Kouga's place was just too cold. The window was open anyway! He sighed lifting his head. "Hey, Inu-yasha" he whispered turning around pushing on the cover beside him.
"huh" He lifted his head and looked at the bundle. Inu-yasha wasn't there anymore even though he had decided to sleep with them in the living room. He stood up on his elbows and looked around. The white-haired guy was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly he heard whispering from somewhere outside the big room. He listened for a moment but then stood up deciding to go check on the whisper. He walked to the door seeing light in the kitchen. It was candle light because it was wavering.
He walked toward the kitchen very carefully fearing that he would find Sesshomaru there. He wished he wouldn't.
He sighed a big sigh of relief when he got there. It was only Inu-yasha and the ghost. Ghost was staring at the candle fire when Inu-yasha was turning the channels of a small radio. The voice of the radio was very low.
Miroku got the feeling like he would be interfering with something very romantic, but then the two of them noticed him. First they feared that it was someone else, but when they saw it was Miroku they relaxed.
"Hi" Kagome whispered waving her hand shyly to Miroku. Inu-yasha smiled and pointed to a chair for him to sit. Miroku sat down and listened to the radio. He didn't know what Inu-yasha was looking for.
"Do you like this?" Inu-yasha asked Kagome silently when he found a channel with calm music. Kagome leaned closer and listened. Quickly she nodded and grinned.
Miroku looked at her when she floated into the air above them and smiled. Inu-yasha leaned back in his chair smiling calmly. Miroku glanced at his friend and saw a strange sparkle in his eyes. A sparkle Kikyo would have happily seen in his eyes because of her, but no.It was because of this ghost; because of Kagome.
"Come on, Inu-yasha" Kagome said with a whisper, pulling on Inu-yasha's hand. "Dance with me! Miroku can make sure no one sees!"
Inu-yasha didn't first let her pull him but then he stood up and left a grinning Miroku to watch on while they were dancing. The boy with the pony- tail smiled and sighed. Maybe Inu-yasha couldn't tell, but Miroku could.
The reason why Inu-yasha broke up with Kikyo was that.He had fallen in love with this ghost, Kagome.
***outside***
"I promise you it's fun!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, dragging Kagome along him to the natural ice where they had been earlier on the day. Miroku was running after the two of them carrying his skates.
They had left the mansion with out a warning to the others, but maybe they wouldn't even notice their disappearance while they were sleeping. Miroku breathed in the fresh cold air when they got to the ice.
There was no one and no light beside it. It was dark but their eyes were already used with the dark so they saw well enough. If there would be problems anyway Miroku and Inu-yasha, both, had flashlights in their pockets.
Inu-yasha had his own and Sango's skates on his shoulder and he took them both down when they were at the ice. He took Sango's skates because he believed that Kagome could skate with them. The ghost had the skill to touch things when she wanted.
Miroku took from inside his jacket two thermos bottles of hot coffee so he and Inu-yasha wouldn't get too cold. He placed them down on the snow hoping that the cold snow wouldn't affect them.
After a moment all three of them were on skates. Kagome was balancing on Sango's skates using her ability to touch the skates. Inu-yasha was holding her hand when Miroku showed her what you could do with skates.
Miroku was really good with it and he even could act like a circus clown. Inu-yasha could skate, yes, but his skating ability was enough for playing something like ice hockey. Miroku was a lot better and Kagome was very ecstatic by Miroku's show.
After watching on Miroku the ghost got so excited that she was more than eager to try herself. She was jumping on her skates and then not realising it herself the skates started to glide from under her. Inu-yasha however grabbed her quickly before she would fall on the ground.
Falling wouldn't hurt her he knew, but still he wanted to treat him like a living girl. Miroku came to them when Kagome got her balance again. He grabbed her hand when Inu-yasha took the other and so they did the same as to Sango earlier on the day. The guys were skating backwards when Kagome hung on to them.
***not too far away***
Sango had followed Inu-yasha and Miroku. What she had seen days ago at the school was bothering her and so she had decided to find out it that night. She hadn't noticed Inu-yasha when he stood up at night, but she did wake up when Miroku stood up. She had been waiting under her cover until she heard them leave the house.
She had waited for a moment and then followed. She had also taken a short cut to the ice when realising that they were going there. She would, however, been there before them if she hadn't have slipped on the way.
Now she was finally by the ice and what she saw made her gasp for air. She saw the ghost clearer than ever laughing with Miroku and Inu-yasha. She went on her belly staring at her friends and the ghost.
She really had seen a ghost back then at school. Inu-yasha was never really crazy! There really was a ghost in the haunted mansion!!
She carefully stood up, hoping that the three skating wouldn't notice her. They were having too much fun to notice her she believed anyway. She carefully tried to get down the snow wall that was around the ice. It was the snow that you need to get away from above the ice to skate.
However she wasn't that careful it seemed because she suddenly slipped from the snow and fell on the ice on her side.
Miroku, Inu-yasha and Kagome turned around quickly when they heard the noise. They saw Sango lying still on the ice. The three of them went to her quickly, Kagome forgetting everything about the skates when she didn't use her ability to touch.
"Sango!" Miroku shout, lifting the girl head into his lap. He was the first one beside her and Inu-yasha came right after with Kagome. "Are you okay? Answer me!"
Inu-yasha kneeled down beside the two of them and Kagome stayed a bit further away. "What's she doing here anyway" Inu-yasha muttered while he checked if she was breathing. She was, thank the gods!
"Mmmm." Everyone stared at Sango hard when she moved her head slightly smirking in pain. Slowly she opened her eyes and the first one she saw was Inu-yasha's face. "Y-you.Really weren't crazy."
"Shhh, Sango" Miroku said softly. "You shouldn't force yourself."
Sango turned to look at the one holding her. Her eyes widened. "You hentai!!!" She slapped him and he lost his grip on her.
Sango got up quickly to Inu-yasha's surprise. "She seemed to recover fast" he whispered to Kagome beside him.
Poor Miroku was holding his sour cheek while he stood up. "Ow! That really hurts and here I was all worried about you!" he shouted at her.
"Well.I do have a terrible headache, but do you think I'll let you keep me on your lap, huh?!" she shouted putting her hands on her hips.
Inu-yasha and Kagome looked at each other. "I think coffee would be good just about now" he said and Kagome nodded even though she couldn't drink. They went where their bottles were hearing Sango and Miroku fighting.
"It seems she knows you as well, huh?" Inu-yasha asked from the ghost when he had a nice cup of coffee in his hands.
"Well.She did see me when I was at your school" Kagome said shyly.
"What? And you didn't tell me!" Inu-yasha shouted, but not out of anger.
"Well.I thought it wasn't important" she muttered silently. She was like a child who had done something very wrong.
Inu-yasha sighed. He stared at her. Suddenly he got this strange feeling.He put his arms around her and brought her beside him. "I shouldn't have shouted at you" he whispered pressing his warm cheek on her cold head. She wasn't cold to him though. To him she was warm. Warmer than anyone, because she warmed her heart and soul.
Sango stepped closer to Miroku, shouting and suddenly her legs went from under her. She was just about to fall again when Miroku caught her in mid- air. She looked up at him and met his dark eyes.
She had been shouting at him. She had been angry at him, but suddenly she felt like there was no more negative feelings. She got up on her own feet. Miroku kept his cheerful expression that somehow lightened everyone up.
Before she knew what she was doing she was already hugging him with all her heart. Miroku was first surprised but then he smiled. It seemed that all the anger in her was finally gone and she finally could forgive him.
Inu-yasha got a very uncomfortable feeling holding Kagome so close to him and seeing Miroku and Sango hugging and then kissing. All the white-haired guy could think of was the kiss he had given Kagome the night he was drunk.
Kagome was still red. She was very surprised when Inu-yasha had taken her this close, but she was also very happy about it. She looked up at him and saw him blushing. She smiled and leaned on him.
***in distance***
Behind a little shed that was beside the ice for the workers who would keep the ice clean was standing a girl in the shadows. She had short black hair and she really was the same girl from before. The girl who had been helped up by Kouga.
She was staring at the ones by the ice, but she couldn't understand why Inu- yasha was acting so strangely. Well.It was nothing to worry about! All she had to do was to inform the boss that.
"There is no reason for you to stay here" she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw another taller woman.
"Aliz" she hissed when Aliz whose leg was finally in a lot better shape walked toward her.
"Yes, me" Aliz said smiling wickedly. From her walking this time you could see that she was drunk like always, but the other girl noticed that Aliz's hand was on a sword that was hanging on her waist.
"Leave him alone" Aliz said stopping right before the girl.
"You don't know where you've gotten yourself" the other girl hissed.
"I hope you enlighten, Yura" Aliz said and saw the other girl hiss after hearing her own name. "Leave the boy alone and tell that to your boss as well."
Yura hissed, but decided to leave it for now when he saw another and a lot taller figure walk toward them. She knew well that this other one was Chaz, Aliz's older brother.
"Keep away from our business so you might survive, unlike your brother" Yura warned and then she was gone.
Aliz sighed and shook her head when Chaz came to her. "I hate this when innocent people get into this mess" she whispered glancing at the ones by the ice. Then she turned away to leave.
Chaz sighed and followed as well.
A/N: I'm very sorry to keep you waiting for this long, but I have been very busy with school. Literally school is killing me. Yesterday however I had some free time and I wrote this chapter that''s longer than any chapter before.
First it was ment to be two chapters mening that the night when they took the ghost to skate was ment to be 22th chapter, but I made it one long chapter for you.
I don't know when I can write again. It can be that it will take many weeks and that I have time first on next year cause Christmas is very busy when there is also my birthday and then I have school and lots of other stuff.
Still. I'm not forgetting this story and I somtimes update some information on the main page of my account (or whatever you call it). There I inform you what I'm doing with the stories.
Anyhow. I know the previous chapter was very confusing and the dreams have not yet atleast any big meaning. I kinda wanted to bring the real Inu-yasha in the picture, but I would say that those dreams are just ment to be confusing to Inu-yasha.
I still have an idea what they might mean but don't know will I use it.
This story near it's end. The Christmas is next and then comes a very busy new years. Then is also coming Sesshomaru's big part and then more about the attackers as well Koishi will find out the truth.
I know exactly how this story ends but when it do don't worry. I have a sequel for it ~_^
Now I ask only patience for the next chapter and I hope I won't lose all my readers for this.
See ya!
Symbols are: "talking", 'thoughts', ***new place or time***
Chapter 21
Skating Under Night Sky
"Don't be afraid" Inu-yasha told Sango while he, on his skates, went over to her. The school had ended for Christmas and he was in a good mood. His friends had decided to come skating.
Kagome had been in good mood and Inu-yasha was happy for that, but he was sad that he couldn't bring the ghost here with him. She would have loved it, he knew.
The skating place was outside, under the sky. The sky was cloudless and the stars were shining even though you couldn't see them so well with all the lights around. In the village it was the only place where you could skate and so there was a lot of people.
"It's not hard" Miroku assured Sango who had never being skating. He took her hand and pulled her after him.
"Stop! Stop!" Sango shouted, almost tripping. She wasn't used to standing on skates any way.
"Don't worry" Inu-yasha said grabbing the girl's other hand. Miroku and Inu- yasha were skating back wards pulling her with them.
Kikyo was putting her skates on when Koishi sat down beside her. "What happened after the party?" he asked her. Kikyo looked up toward Inu-yasha. "He's been acting differently since then."
Kikyo sighed, staring at Inu-yasha with slightly sad eyes.
***Flashback***
"I don't think this will work, Kikyo."
Kikyo looked up at Inu-yasha. The both of them were standing on a balcony at Hojo's house. She had a terrible hangover because of the night before. She was wearing his coat because it was cold but he didn't actually have time to think about the cold at the moment.
"Somehow.It doesn't feel right anymore" Inu-yasha said and leaned on the barrier of the balcony looking down at people who were in the yard of the house drinking hot coffee.
Kikyo looked down as well. She felt cold but she also felt cold inside. When she looked up at him, she saw in his eyes that he had found something that made him feel alive. She wouldn't want to let him go but somehow she had always known that this would come before her and that was why she wasn't so upset.
Inu-yasha was silent and smiled a bit, looking at the white view. It was beautiful and he kind of wished that Kagome would be beside him now, looking at this great view. He mentally hit himself for that. Why was he thinking about the ghost just when he was going to brake up with Kikyo?
He turned to look at her and saw her looking down with calm but sad eyes. He felt bad, but to keep this feeling he had inside and not do what his heart told would be a lot worse to him as well to Kikyo. "I.I still would like to be friends, but." He went silent letting his smile disappear.
Kikyo sighed deeply and turned slowly to look at him. "If that is how you feel." she said forcing a small smile. She looked down and sighed again. Why was she doing this so easily? Maybe because she was always ready for this.
Inu-yasha stared at her. He couldn't believe how calmly she took it. After a moment he put his arms around her, surprising her but he still hugged her with all his heart. He still wanted to be friends!
***back to now***
"Nothing too special." Kikyo said silently and stood up after she had her skates on. "Do you skate?"
"Not really." Koishi answered, turning to look at the three friends on skates a little further away. He stood up and hid his hands into his jacket pockets. "It's been too many years since the last time I was skating."
Kikyo nodded having the usual coldness and the new sadness in her eyes. Koishi just stared at her as she went after her friends. He sighed, not understanding these people. He had been very worried during these few days because Sesshomaru happened to suddenly let Inu-yasha's secret out.Almost!
Sesshomaru had been talking about something, an attack and a graveyard, but Koishi couldn't put the pieces together. He also remembered when Inu-yasha said that he owed his life to Aliz. Koishi knew that all those were somehow connected to each other, but he couldn't figure it out.
"Just relax, Sango." Miroku said calmly, grabbing the girl's waist and Inu- yasha let her hand free. "I'll hold you." He grinned widely.
"Not that low, hentai!" Sango shouted, slapping Miroku across the face while Inu-yasha was skating away from them backwards with a smile and feeling very great.
"Watch out!" he heard a shout from the side and before he knew he hit his back on something and fell down.
Kouga came to him on skates and pushed Inu-yasha away. "You okay?" he asked. Inu-yasha thought that Kouga was talking to him but when he turned around he saw Kouga helping a girl up. The girl had short black hair and what was the strangest thing was that the girl didn't really have much on her and it was freezing cold.
"I'm okay, thanks." she said to Kouga and smiled a somewhat wicked smile. Kouga felt very uncomfortable after she smiled, but before he could say anything again she was gone and was nowhere to be seen.
Inu-yasha stood up and looked around in wonder. Where did that girl go so suddenly? Still, he had this strange feeling like someone was watching him. He looked behind him nervously, but saw no one who he knew or no one who would show any interest to him.
"That was a strange one." Kouga spoke his thoughts aloud making Inu-yasha turn to him again. Kouga shrugged his shoulders and with out glancing at Inu-yasha he started to skate calmly toward the rest of the friends.
Inu-yasha looked around again and then followed.
Koishi yawned and leaned his head on his hand, sitting in the snow. It was getting boring. All the others were skating and he knew not one of the people around him. Suddenly someone ran toward him. All he could see was something black because this someone ran too fast. Koishi turned around to look behind him and in the distance he saw a girl with black short hair running away.
He narrowed his eyes in wonder and then turned to look at the skating friends just when Inu-yasha and Kouga returned to the others. He shook his head and yawned again, wanting to go home and sleep, but he didn't.
"Good, Sango" Inu-yasha praised her while holding both her hands and skating backward. Sango finally relaxed because she was in someone else's, other than Miroku's, hands. Miroku was actually sulking at the side, but Inu-yasha knew that in truth the two of them were making up.
Kouga came, after a while, and changed places with Inu-yasha. Sango had finally started to move her legs and slowly gain her balance on her own. Kouga was holding only one of her hands. Inu-yasha was skating around them, a smile on his face.
How he wished that Kagome was here. He would want to see her smiling face and she would be able to see so many people here.
"So.Are we going to your place tonight, Inu-yasha?" Kikyo asked, coming up behind him. She grabbed his shoulder to stop herself. She wasn't so good with slowing down yet.
Inu-yasha took her other hand, helping her slow down. "I believe so" he said when she finally stopped. "My parents aren't at home and Sesshomaru won't be too much trouble if we just buy him drinks."
She nodded and smiled. She turned to look at Kouga and Sango. "It seems that she is finally starting to trust herself" she said. "That's what you need when you are skating. You need to trust yourself before anything else." She turned to look at Inu-yasha and he smiled.
"What's up with you two!?" Miroku shouted, coming toward Kikyo and Inu- yasha with full speed. Inu-yasha's and Kikyo's eyes widened when their friend came at them and before they knew they were already down on their backs, having a grinning Miroku on their bellies.
"Gosh, Miroku!" Kikyo gasped, trying to get out from under him, but Miroku's other knee was pressing into her stomach. "You are getting fat!!" she shouted.
Inu-yasha was too concerned with getting Miroku of to say anything. He grabbed the hentai's collar and pushed him away.
Miroku fell on his butt beside the two of them, when the former lovers were gasping for air. He smirked and rubbed his behind after standing up. Inu- yasha and Kikyo weren't quite ready to stand up.
"Watch out!!" Kikyo turned to look at their other side and there Sango was coming right at them. Her eyes widened and Sango slipped on her and Inu- yasha, making them gasp for air again.
Koishi looked from the side, realising for the first time that he was getting cold. It seemed like Inu-yasha was changing dramatically.
The Inu-yasha Koishi used to know wasn't like this. On top of that he didn't need much to know that Inu-yasha and Kikyo had broken up. He just couldn't understand what made his long-time friend so happy.
He stood up as the others came toward him laughing happily. What was there he didn't know?
**at Inu-yasha's***
"Wow! This house is really huge! Not only outside, but also inside!" Kouga gasped after stepping into the mansion where Inu-yasha lived. Koishi walked to the stairs and up like he would have lived there all his life.
Inu-yasha looked around like something was missing. "What is it Inu-yasha?" Kikyo asked while she took her shoes off.
"This is strange" he said, scratching his head. "Usually Jaken would come running down when someone comes in."
"Who's Jaken?" Sango asked, not noticing Miroku who stared at the stairs. Kagome was there looking carefully from behind the barrier. When she saw that he was looking at her she smiled as a greeting.
Miroku smiled and nodded. Kouga noticed that and turned to look at the stairs but he didn't see anything. "You should stop daydreaming, pal!" he said hitting Miroku's shoulder and taking his own shoes off.
"Oh, yeah" Miroku said, waking up from his thoughts. Of course Kouga didn't see and actually.It was better that way.
"Jaken" Inu-yasha repeated, stepping toward the stairs. "He's Sesshomaru's dog. A wicked one." He turned back to his friends. "Just be like at home!" He turned for the kitchen, grabbing some bags they had with them.
He quickly came back from the kitchen. "If you are not too afraid, I mean." He winked his eye and then disappeared to the kitchen again.
"Can we go to the living-room?" Miroku asked loudly and got an agreeing answer from Inu-yasha in the kitchen. "Lets go" he told his friends and they followed. He glanced at the ghost on the stairs who was still standing there. He nodded to her like it would be okay for her to go to the kitchen now.
Kagome didn't wait. She floated to the kitchen to see Inu-yasha.
Inu-yasha put the stuff they had in their bags (mostly drinks) into the fridge and felt the familiar cold breeze. "I don't believe they are around, right?" he asked, turning around to look at her.
She nodded, shyly standing by the doorway. "That's good" he said, walking toward her. "I'm sorry that you can't be around much tonight."
She tilted her head and looked at him. "Shippo went for food so he's not here" she said like he would never have said anything.
He sighed and nodded and thanked god in his mind. The little fox-demon would be the biggest trouble in the house. "Where's Jaken?" he asked her. He knew she knew for she was here always anyway.
"Went out with your brother, but I believe that they are coming back soon" she replied. The truth was that Sesshomaru had told her he wouldn't be out long, but just like Sesshomaru she neither wanted Inu-yasha to know that his brother knows about the ghost.
Inu-yasha studied her for a moment. "What's with you?" he asked. "You usually come at me for a big bear hug."
She blushed and slowly came up to him, giving a slight kiss on his lips. "You just have fun with your friends tonight, okay" she said winking her eye and disappearing through the roof of the kitchen.
"Bring some drinks, will ya?!" Kouga shouted when he came back to get his jacket by the door for something that Inu-yasha didn't know.
"Sure!" Inu-yasha exclaimed opening the fridge again. He knew that something was going on in the ghost's mind, but he still smiled.
***later***
"I said we'll watch sports!" Kouga shouted, taking the remote control from Sango while all five of them were sitting on the same sofa. Inu-yasha was sitting on the armrest on the other side when Kouga was sitting on the other side. Miroku was happily sitting between the two girls on the sofa.
"No way!" Sango shouted, taking the remote control just when Kouga had changed the channel.
"Might there be something for my liking?" Miroku wondered, grabbing the remote control and jumping off the sofa before Sango could take it back.
"I hope not" Kikyo said coldly while Sango ran after Miroku around the sofa. He tried to change the channels to find something for his liking.
After a moment Sango had knocked Miroku down and together with Kikyo she watched some late soup opera and ate popcorn.
Miroku got up after sometime and then looked over the backrest of the sofa at the TV. "You are so boring Inu-yasha, did you know that" he said and Inu- yasha who had been staring out of the window turned to his friend.
"You have no magazines of girls, you have no girl posters on the walls, you have no cute sister and on top of that you have no sex-channel!" Miroku shouted at the top of his lungs and Kouga who was too near to him had to cover his ears.
"Is there any sex-channel anyway?" Kouga asked when Miroku stopped shouting. You might think he sounded interested but he wasn't. He reached for the popcorn the girls had, but realized that he would need to fight for them.
"I don't know if there is" Miroku said sighing. "But I would have believed that a rich family like Inu-yasha's would have one."
"Hey!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, hitting Miroku. "We are not that rich. My father just got an old heirloom and with selling it he got enough money to move away from Tokyo and buy this house."
Miroku muttered and silence fell on them again. The only sounds were Koishi's distant steps from the fourth floor and the friends chewing on the popcorn.
Miroku sighed deeply, staring at the soap opera where some woman had found her future husband in bed with her best friend or something. That's boringly too common in soap operas.
When he got bored with the silence he stood up and shouted again. "At least you should have a cute little sister and-"
"Sorry for not being a cute little sister" Sesshomaru said, stepping into the living room.
Miroku's eyes widened and he jumped over the backrest of the sofa jumping right into the bowl of popcorn. The girls gave many protests on that.
"Sess!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, standing up. "I didn't hear you coming."
"Of course not" Sesshomaru remarked, folding his hands and smirking at the program the girls were watching on. "I'm a ghost after all" he said while stepping by Inu-yasha.
His words made Inu-yasha's heart beat hard. He didn't know why but somehow he feared that the rest of his friends would start to think he's crazy again and most of all he feared that Kouga had heard Sesshomaru's words.
He turned to look at Kouga, but he lifted his other brow when seeing him.
Even after fighting long with the girls about what to watch he was staring at the TV and the soap opera with a very interested expression just like the girls who hadn't noticed Sesshomaru at all, but Miroku, who sat on their food was too easy to notice.
Sesshomaru stared at Inu-yasha's friends from beside the TV. Kikyo and Kouga didn't even seem to notice him while they stared at the soap opera and Sango was too relieved to notice him when Miroku jumped over the backrest again to hide from Sesshomaru.
Thinking that the reason Miroku went behind the sofa again was her doing Sango proudly turned to watch at the TV again. Then she saw Sesshomaru and shouted, standing up on the sofa "What's that!?!?"
Kikyo and Kouga were surprised almost to death when Sango jumped and shouted. Inu-yasha turned to look at his friends just in time to see Kouga fall on the floor at the other end and Kikyo fall nose first off the sofa her legs still on the sofa. Between the two surprised ones Sango was standing and pointing toward the TV.
Sesshomaru turned the TV off with the on/off switch. "Is that anyway to greet me?" he asked in a casual voice.
Sango stood there confused for a moment and then she blushed, sitting down on the coach again. "You have wonderful friends, you know, Inu" Sesshomaru said, turning to his brother who sighed when Kikyo and Kouga got on the sofa again. "One steals all the food, one points at you like at a monster and.I still have to find something from these two." He pointed at Kikyo who rubbed her nose and Kouga who was hitting Sango for scaring him to death.
"Let it be, Sess!" Inu-yasha said, waving his hands. "At least I have good friends to hang with, unlike you." He would have wanted it to hit some sour spot or something, but no!
Sesshomaru didn't care about his brother's words. True friendship was something he had only once had and it was with Koishi's sister, Kiken, who he hadn't seen in many years. Now he had some people from college, but he didn't really consider them as good friends. Word "friend" didn't even mean anything to him.
At least that was what he told himself.
Sesshomaru sighed and then glanced beside him where he saw Kikyo crawling to the TV so she could put the TV on again. She wasn't able to do that with the remote control this time. "What are you trying to do?" Sesshomaru asked leaning his hand on the TV and tapping his fingers on it.
Kikyo stopped her finger just inches away from the on/off switch. She looked slowly up to meet Sesshomaru's unfeeling eyes. "Eheh" she swallowed when Sesshomaru's mouth turned into a smirk and he kicked her.
"Hey!" Inu-yasha shout running to Sesshomaru standing on his toes before his brother. "Is that any way to treat a girl?!?" He pointed at him with his finger, but Sesshomaru only yawned.
"Girl or boy." Sesshomaru said boringly. "Doesn't make any difference with me in any other but one matter."
Inu-yasha's finger trembled while he tried to keep his anger. He hated it when Sesshomaru was always so calm and somehow always made him silent. "Just leave us alone, alright!" he said turning his face away and walking to Kikyo.
"Maybe if you beg me" Sesshomaru said staring at his fingernails.
At this moment Miroku dared to take a little peek over the backrest of the sofa. Kouga stared at him hard, not understanding why Miroku feared Inu- yasha's brother so much. Sango was more like excited about this. She was eating popcorn like she would be staring at a movie.
"Beg?!" Inu-yasha shouted just when he was about to offer his hand, but Kikyo had to get up herself because the offered hand was taken away.
The younger brother turned around. "Didn't come up with anything more horrible?" Inu-yasha asked, biting his teeth together. Sesshomaru grinned knowing well that it would take a lot more than this to get Inu-yasha beg or even kneel down before you.
***elsewhere***
Koishi yawned while coming down the stairs. Before he knew it Jaken was again hanging on his pants, but he was somewhat used to it so he didn't bother to pull the dog off. Otherwise he would have maybe spent time with Inu-yasha and his friends, but he was too tired on the moment. He had been sleeping for two hours but he woke up when he got hungry.
He had decided to get some food so now he was on his way down. He heard some shouting from the lowest floor when he got to the second floor. He lifted his brows in wonder. What would make them shout so? He shrugged his shoulders and turned for the last stairs that would take him to the first floor.
He stopped half way down when he saw Sesshomaru come out from the living- room, hands folded and Inu-yasha pushing him. Koishi stared at the brothers long.
After a moment pushing Inu-yasha was satisfied with the distance between the living-room and his brother. Then he nodded and returned to his friends. Sesshomaru turned around and stared after his brother, hands folded.
Neither one had noticed Koishi and silently he watched on when Sesshomaru decided to go back into the living-room. It didn't take long when Inu-yasha was pushing Sesshomaru out again.
***a long moment later***
"Did you have to give him all the drinks we had?" Kouga asked when they finally got rid of Sesshomaru who didn't leave before he got all their drinks.
"He didn't take only the drinks" Sango said sniffing and holding her empty bowl. "He also took all the popcorn."
"Not to mention the TV" Kikyo said folding her hands and nodding toward the place where the TV should've been.
Inu-yasha listened to his friends. What a great start for an evening! "What should I have done?" he asked but all he got as an answer was glares from the three of his friends (Miroku was still hiding behind the sofa).
"You shouldn't yield so easily, jerk!" Kouga said snarling. "I had paid for most of the popcorn!!"
"Not to mention the drinks I paid for" Kikyo said gloomily.
Inu-yasha smirked and didn't want to meat his friends eyes. "Well.I.uh..." He muttered trying to come up with something. "I'll pay you back! I promise! Someday."
Kouga and Kikyo lifted their brows and glanced at each other. Sango was crying on the floor after her popcorn so she wasn't so overly concerned with burning Inu-yasha.
"You better pay back before Christmas or I'll burn your hair!" Kikyo threatened.
"I'll burn your clothes in front of the school" Kouga threatened.
"I'll film you in the shower and send it for everyone to see through internet" Kikyo said making it better.
Inu-yasha listened to his friends leaning heavily on the wall. They were fighting on which one of them could come up with a more horrible way to make Inu-yasha suffer. It wasn't fun, really, to listen to it.
"I'll make you an eunuch!" Kikyo said folding her hands proudly.
Kouga left his mouth open trying to say something worse, but come up with nothing. "Damn." he muttered under his breath in defeat.
"I won, I won, I won!!!" Kikyo shouted, jumping with happiness.
***at night***
Miroku opened his eyes. They had soon after Sesshomaru had taken all their fun gone to sleep. They were all sleeping in the living-room. Kikyo was on the sofa, Sango beside the sofa when Kouga, who preferred cold, was sleeping under the window.
Miroku himself was sleeping in the furthest corner because the girls wouldn't let him come near and Kouga's place was just too cold. The window was open anyway! He sighed lifting his head. "Hey, Inu-yasha" he whispered turning around pushing on the cover beside him.
"huh" He lifted his head and looked at the bundle. Inu-yasha wasn't there anymore even though he had decided to sleep with them in the living room. He stood up on his elbows and looked around. The white-haired guy was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly he heard whispering from somewhere outside the big room. He listened for a moment but then stood up deciding to go check on the whisper. He walked to the door seeing light in the kitchen. It was candle light because it was wavering.
He walked toward the kitchen very carefully fearing that he would find Sesshomaru there. He wished he wouldn't.
He sighed a big sigh of relief when he got there. It was only Inu-yasha and the ghost. Ghost was staring at the candle fire when Inu-yasha was turning the channels of a small radio. The voice of the radio was very low.
Miroku got the feeling like he would be interfering with something very romantic, but then the two of them noticed him. First they feared that it was someone else, but when they saw it was Miroku they relaxed.
"Hi" Kagome whispered waving her hand shyly to Miroku. Inu-yasha smiled and pointed to a chair for him to sit. Miroku sat down and listened to the radio. He didn't know what Inu-yasha was looking for.
"Do you like this?" Inu-yasha asked Kagome silently when he found a channel with calm music. Kagome leaned closer and listened. Quickly she nodded and grinned.
Miroku looked at her when she floated into the air above them and smiled. Inu-yasha leaned back in his chair smiling calmly. Miroku glanced at his friend and saw a strange sparkle in his eyes. A sparkle Kikyo would have happily seen in his eyes because of her, but no.It was because of this ghost; because of Kagome.
"Come on, Inu-yasha" Kagome said with a whisper, pulling on Inu-yasha's hand. "Dance with me! Miroku can make sure no one sees!"
Inu-yasha didn't first let her pull him but then he stood up and left a grinning Miroku to watch on while they were dancing. The boy with the pony- tail smiled and sighed. Maybe Inu-yasha couldn't tell, but Miroku could.
The reason why Inu-yasha broke up with Kikyo was that.He had fallen in love with this ghost, Kagome.
***outside***
"I promise you it's fun!" Inu-yasha exclaimed, dragging Kagome along him to the natural ice where they had been earlier on the day. Miroku was running after the two of them carrying his skates.
They had left the mansion with out a warning to the others, but maybe they wouldn't even notice their disappearance while they were sleeping. Miroku breathed in the fresh cold air when they got to the ice.
There was no one and no light beside it. It was dark but their eyes were already used with the dark so they saw well enough. If there would be problems anyway Miroku and Inu-yasha, both, had flashlights in their pockets.
Inu-yasha had his own and Sango's skates on his shoulder and he took them both down when they were at the ice. He took Sango's skates because he believed that Kagome could skate with them. The ghost had the skill to touch things when she wanted.
Miroku took from inside his jacket two thermos bottles of hot coffee so he and Inu-yasha wouldn't get too cold. He placed them down on the snow hoping that the cold snow wouldn't affect them.
After a moment all three of them were on skates. Kagome was balancing on Sango's skates using her ability to touch the skates. Inu-yasha was holding her hand when Miroku showed her what you could do with skates.
Miroku was really good with it and he even could act like a circus clown. Inu-yasha could skate, yes, but his skating ability was enough for playing something like ice hockey. Miroku was a lot better and Kagome was very ecstatic by Miroku's show.
After watching on Miroku the ghost got so excited that she was more than eager to try herself. She was jumping on her skates and then not realising it herself the skates started to glide from under her. Inu-yasha however grabbed her quickly before she would fall on the ground.
Falling wouldn't hurt her he knew, but still he wanted to treat him like a living girl. Miroku came to them when Kagome got her balance again. He grabbed her hand when Inu-yasha took the other and so they did the same as to Sango earlier on the day. The guys were skating backwards when Kagome hung on to them.
***not too far away***
Sango had followed Inu-yasha and Miroku. What she had seen days ago at the school was bothering her and so she had decided to find out it that night. She hadn't noticed Inu-yasha when he stood up at night, but she did wake up when Miroku stood up. She had been waiting under her cover until she heard them leave the house.
She had waited for a moment and then followed. She had also taken a short cut to the ice when realising that they were going there. She would, however, been there before them if she hadn't have slipped on the way.
Now she was finally by the ice and what she saw made her gasp for air. She saw the ghost clearer than ever laughing with Miroku and Inu-yasha. She went on her belly staring at her friends and the ghost.
She really had seen a ghost back then at school. Inu-yasha was never really crazy! There really was a ghost in the haunted mansion!!
She carefully stood up, hoping that the three skating wouldn't notice her. They were having too much fun to notice her she believed anyway. She carefully tried to get down the snow wall that was around the ice. It was the snow that you need to get away from above the ice to skate.
However she wasn't that careful it seemed because she suddenly slipped from the snow and fell on the ice on her side.
Miroku, Inu-yasha and Kagome turned around quickly when they heard the noise. They saw Sango lying still on the ice. The three of them went to her quickly, Kagome forgetting everything about the skates when she didn't use her ability to touch.
"Sango!" Miroku shout, lifting the girl head into his lap. He was the first one beside her and Inu-yasha came right after with Kagome. "Are you okay? Answer me!"
Inu-yasha kneeled down beside the two of them and Kagome stayed a bit further away. "What's she doing here anyway" Inu-yasha muttered while he checked if she was breathing. She was, thank the gods!
"Mmmm." Everyone stared at Sango hard when she moved her head slightly smirking in pain. Slowly she opened her eyes and the first one she saw was Inu-yasha's face. "Y-you.Really weren't crazy."
"Shhh, Sango" Miroku said softly. "You shouldn't force yourself."
Sango turned to look at the one holding her. Her eyes widened. "You hentai!!!" She slapped him and he lost his grip on her.
Sango got up quickly to Inu-yasha's surprise. "She seemed to recover fast" he whispered to Kagome beside him.
Poor Miroku was holding his sour cheek while he stood up. "Ow! That really hurts and here I was all worried about you!" he shouted at her.
"Well.I do have a terrible headache, but do you think I'll let you keep me on your lap, huh?!" she shouted putting her hands on her hips.
Inu-yasha and Kagome looked at each other. "I think coffee would be good just about now" he said and Kagome nodded even though she couldn't drink. They went where their bottles were hearing Sango and Miroku fighting.
"It seems she knows you as well, huh?" Inu-yasha asked from the ghost when he had a nice cup of coffee in his hands.
"Well.She did see me when I was at your school" Kagome said shyly.
"What? And you didn't tell me!" Inu-yasha shouted, but not out of anger.
"Well.I thought it wasn't important" she muttered silently. She was like a child who had done something very wrong.
Inu-yasha sighed. He stared at her. Suddenly he got this strange feeling.He put his arms around her and brought her beside him. "I shouldn't have shouted at you" he whispered pressing his warm cheek on her cold head. She wasn't cold to him though. To him she was warm. Warmer than anyone, because she warmed her heart and soul.
Sango stepped closer to Miroku, shouting and suddenly her legs went from under her. She was just about to fall again when Miroku caught her in mid- air. She looked up at him and met his dark eyes.
She had been shouting at him. She had been angry at him, but suddenly she felt like there was no more negative feelings. She got up on her own feet. Miroku kept his cheerful expression that somehow lightened everyone up.
Before she knew what she was doing she was already hugging him with all her heart. Miroku was first surprised but then he smiled. It seemed that all the anger in her was finally gone and she finally could forgive him.
Inu-yasha got a very uncomfortable feeling holding Kagome so close to him and seeing Miroku and Sango hugging and then kissing. All the white-haired guy could think of was the kiss he had given Kagome the night he was drunk.
Kagome was still red. She was very surprised when Inu-yasha had taken her this close, but she was also very happy about it. She looked up at him and saw him blushing. She smiled and leaned on him.
***in distance***
Behind a little shed that was beside the ice for the workers who would keep the ice clean was standing a girl in the shadows. She had short black hair and she really was the same girl from before. The girl who had been helped up by Kouga.
She was staring at the ones by the ice, but she couldn't understand why Inu- yasha was acting so strangely. Well.It was nothing to worry about! All she had to do was to inform the boss that.
"There is no reason for you to stay here" she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw another taller woman.
"Aliz" she hissed when Aliz whose leg was finally in a lot better shape walked toward her.
"Yes, me" Aliz said smiling wickedly. From her walking this time you could see that she was drunk like always, but the other girl noticed that Aliz's hand was on a sword that was hanging on her waist.
"Leave him alone" Aliz said stopping right before the girl.
"You don't know where you've gotten yourself" the other girl hissed.
"I hope you enlighten, Yura" Aliz said and saw the other girl hiss after hearing her own name. "Leave the boy alone and tell that to your boss as well."
Yura hissed, but decided to leave it for now when he saw another and a lot taller figure walk toward them. She knew well that this other one was Chaz, Aliz's older brother.
"Keep away from our business so you might survive, unlike your brother" Yura warned and then she was gone.
Aliz sighed and shook her head when Chaz came to her. "I hate this when innocent people get into this mess" she whispered glancing at the ones by the ice. Then she turned away to leave.
Chaz sighed and followed as well.
A/N: I'm very sorry to keep you waiting for this long, but I have been very busy with school. Literally school is killing me. Yesterday however I had some free time and I wrote this chapter that''s longer than any chapter before.
First it was ment to be two chapters mening that the night when they took the ghost to skate was ment to be 22th chapter, but I made it one long chapter for you.
I don't know when I can write again. It can be that it will take many weeks and that I have time first on next year cause Christmas is very busy when there is also my birthday and then I have school and lots of other stuff.
Still. I'm not forgetting this story and I somtimes update some information on the main page of my account (or whatever you call it). There I inform you what I'm doing with the stories.
Anyhow. I know the previous chapter was very confusing and the dreams have not yet atleast any big meaning. I kinda wanted to bring the real Inu-yasha in the picture, but I would say that those dreams are just ment to be confusing to Inu-yasha.
I still have an idea what they might mean but don't know will I use it.
This story near it's end. The Christmas is next and then comes a very busy new years. Then is also coming Sesshomaru's big part and then more about the attackers as well Koishi will find out the truth.
I know exactly how this story ends but when it do don't worry. I have a sequel for it ~_^
Now I ask only patience for the next chapter and I hope I won't lose all my readers for this.
See ya!