Okay, here's a bit of light-heartedness. If you can't already tell by the chapter title, Sueko goes back home… so there's more Tamika and Keitaro! Have fun with that! And just to let you know, the ending is really weird, I know, but whatever. I'll explain it in the next post if it confuses you greatly…
I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I guess I've just been caught up in other things. Thanks, ICYGIRL, for the reply. I didn't think my characters were THAT original, but whatever… and thanks BlackTearsOfDarkness for being a faithful replier. Here's more!
I really like how I begun this chapter. Not really original since similar things have happened on the original show but whatever, I still liked it! Hope you like it to. :D
DISCLAIMERWhen I get 1st lunch again I'll own InuYasha. It's the new semester so we got new schedules. I used to have 1st lunch with all my friends but now I have 2nd lunch… and I swear all those people are jerks except for like one or two people that I can't have conversations with that well. And since I already tried and failed at getting a schedule change, I guess I'll never have 1st lunch with my best friend ever (at least in my freshman year). Anyways, if you haven't seen this stuff from any of Rumiko Takahashi's stuff, we own it. So don't steal! MY PRECIOUS!
((Sorry, I'm in a Lord of the Rings mood. ))
Okay, I need to get off the computer soon, so I should probably stop writing and upload the darn thing onto so you can read it! Hope you likey!
-
Chapter Fourteen: Modern Day VS. Feudal Japan
"Come on! Please? It'll only be for a little while—a week at the most—I promise!"
"No!"
"Look, do you actually think I want to do this? I'm only doing so because otherwise my dad'll kill me!"
"No!"
In response to InuYasha's foul expression and cranky tone, Sueko hit him aside the head.
"What was that for?" growled InuYasha, glaring at Sueko.
"You're being a insufferable jerk!" Sueko cried, putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't even think you wanted me around but now you're whining when I want to go home for a week—a week! That's only seven days! It's not seven years! And it might only take three days, anyways!"
"You don't need to go back to your own time!" snapped InuYasha, crossing his arms. "We're busy enough as it is! We don't need you leaving too!"
"But I have to take the final exam! If I don't take it I'll fail and then my dad will probably never let me come back here!" yelled Sueko.
"And why would that be?" snarled InuYasha.
"Maybe because he thinks I should be getting good grades but I'm not smart enough to get them so I don't bother to do any of the work so then I fail! The least I can do is take the exams so I have at least sixty percent!" hollered Sueko.
"At least that's a better excuse than Kagome's," muttered InuYasha, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, don't go bringing her up again!" Sueko shouted.
InuYasha opened his mouth to say something but before a word could come out Miroku had gotten up and hit him on the head with his staff. But before Sueko could go, "Ha-ha!" Miroku hit her on the head too.
"What was that for!" both InuYasha and Sueko cried out, rubbing their heads.
"Behave yourselves, you two," said Miroku sternly, looking solemn. "If Sueko wants to go back to her own time then let her, InuYasha. And Sueko… er… don't call InuYasha a jerk."
"Humph!" cried Sueko, who grabbed her book bag and went straight to the well without another word, seeing how they were only a few feet away from the well in the first place. It wasn't until she had fallen through the well and was just leaving the shrine it was in that what she had just said to InuYasha hit her.
"Was I really that rude?" Sueko muttered to herself as she slid the wooden doors closed. A wave of guilt hit her as she remembered the last thing she had shouted…
"Oh, don't go bringing her up again!"
She really shouldn't have brought up Kagome. That was just… well, mean.
'Now he probably won't want me back at all!' thought Sueko miserably.
Sighing, Sueko walked towards her house, trying to put on a happy face for her family's "Welcome back!"
-
Sueko lamely hit the snooze button five times the next day before grudgingly getting up and taking a shower. Getting dresses, having WW3 with her hair and grabbing a Poptart while saying good-bye to her mother, Sueko headed towards the door wishing that she didn't have school today and that she didn't have to wear a skirt. But just as she was lifting her hand to open the door the doorbell rang.
She almost dropped the Poptart in surprise. What was InuYasha doing here! Isn't he supposed to be mad at her!
'Wait a second…' thought Sueko. 'InuYasha probably doesn't even know how to use a doorbell, so it can't be him!'
Puzzled, Sueko put her hand on the doorknob and opened it, and this time she did drop her Poptart in surprise upon seeing who was standing there.
"T—Tamika? What on earth are you doing at my house!" cried Sueko, leaning on the door for support. "On second though, how do you even know where I live?"
"You said you lived next to the shrine!" said Tamika. "How many shrines are there in Tokyo?"
"You got a point there…" said Sueko. After a moments pause she added, "Why are you here, anyways?"
"To visit…" said Tamika. "You've been gone for ages! Where have you been? You're mom said you had breast cancer—"
"BREAST CANCER!" cried Sueko. "You think I'd get breast cancer if I have nothing there to get cancer!"
"Um…"
"I was in Feudal Japan! You know, through the well to fifteenth century Japan…" explained Sueko. Then, seeing Tamika's plain expression, she added, "You don't believe me, do you?"
"Well…" Tamika said thoughtful. "Keitaro did say—"
"I know it's hard to believe but it's true, okay?" said Sueko, sighing. After a sort of awkward silence Sueko, noticing Tamika's blue shirt with wide sleeves and light blue wavy skirt to match, asked, "Why aren't you in your uniform?"
"The question is, why are you in yours?" said Tamika, grinning brightly.
"Huh?"
"There's no school, silly!" said Tamika, putting a hand on Sueko's shoulder. "Winter Break started three day's ago!"
"Wh—wh—wha?" blinked Sueko.
"Today's the nineteenth!" laughed Tamika.
"But—but mom said there was school today!" cried Sueko in disbelief.
"Sorry…" said Tamika comfortingly.
"Wait… what are you doing over at my house at seven o'clock in the morning, then?" asked Sueko.
"Oh… well, I always get up around six…" said Tamika. Then she laughed at Sueko's expression (who was gapping at Tamika like she was an idiot). "Okay, do I get to come in there or are we just going to stand here all day? Because we have some business to attend to!"
"What do you mean by 'business'?" said Sueko suspiciously, but she stepped aside so Tamika could come inside.
Tamika didn't respond until they were in Sueko's room. Then, sitting on her bed and petting Neko the cat, which had jumped up to sniff Tamika before deciding she was safe, Tamika said, "Well… I was thinking of going shopping."
"Um… with me, I take it?" said Sueko, changing into a normal outfit (some worn out jeans and a white t-shirt because for some reason all her other clothes were in the laundry…).
"Yep!" said Tamika, moving her hand away from Neko, who had decided to start licking her hand. Upon moving the hand, Neko sat up on her hind legs and held up her paw, attempting to push Tamika's hand back down so she could continue licking it. "You have a very—erm—unique cat…"
"I know," said Sueko, sitting beside Tamika and putting Neko down on the ground. "She thinks she's a dog…"
"So, do you have any money to spend?" Tamika asked casually.
"Not really but I'm pretty sure mom would lend me some. Why?"
"So we can go shopping! Duh!" cried Tamika.
"Oh. Um… Tamika? It's seven a.m. What kind of stores are open at seven in the morning?"
"Well, I was thinking of having you come over to my house for a bit," said Tamika, "unless Keitaro's still mad at me…"
"Why would he be mad at you?" asked Sueko.
"Because she broke my computer!"
Sueko's head jerked up. The sight at her door made her fall off the bed.
"Keitaro, look what you made Sueko do!" cried Tamika, leaning over to pull Sueko back up, who was blushing profusely.
"Keitaro! What in God's name are you doing here!" cried Sueko, trying to look dignified even though she had just fallen off her bed and her face was bright red.
"I followed Tamika," shrugged Keitaro, who sat next to his sister on the bed.
"I thought you were mad at her…" said Sueko, confused.
Keitaro paused before answering. That was because Neko, who had been sitting next to Tamika's feet until Keitaro had entered the room, was now standing as far as possible from the bed, hissing at Keitaro and making weird yelping noises.
"What in the hell is up with that cat!" cried Keitaro, raising an eyebrow at it.
"Oh… she usually doesn't like guys. I have no clue why…" said Sueko, waving a hand aside. "Neko doesn't even really like my dad that much, and he lives here! Actually, he's at work all the time…"
"Is it hurt?" asked Tamika, looking concerned at the cat as it continued to hiss and yelp.
"I think it's trying to bark…" said Sueko. "I already told you, she thinks she's a dog!"
"You never told me that," said Keitaro.
"You weren't in the room…" muttered Tamika.
"Oh. Right."
"Anyways… if you're mad at her then why did you follow her?" Sueko asked.
"Um… uh…"
Apparently Keitaro was clueless as to why he did, in fact, follow his sister.
"Oh, you know you wuv me, don't yah?" cried Tamika, hugging Keitaro and rubbing his head with her fist.
"Hey! Stop that! Get off me! You're choking me!"
Sueko burst out laughing as Keitaro managed to wrestle his twin sister off. He crossed his hands and wore a cross expression so much like InuYasha's that it only made Sueko laugh harder.
"I'm glad my torturing entertains you," muttered Keitaro. This didn't help with Sueko's laughing fit.
"Breathe, Sueko, breathe!" cried Tamika.
Sueko gasped between bursts of laughter, "Tamika… shut… up!"
After Sueko managed to catch her breath again and calm down, she asked, "So, Tamika, you broke Keitaro's computer? How'd you manage that?"
"Well… I didn't really mean to break it…" started Tamika, but Keitaro broke her off.
"I was just sitting on the couch, minding my own business, you know? I had my laptop plugged in while watching TV—so I wouldn't waste the battery—and the Tamika just walks over to bug me, trips on the cord, and the computer just happens to fall on the one edge of the sofa where it would hit the plasma screen and break it! So now I can't even get it to work so I can't access any of my files!"
"I said I was sorry…" muttered Tamika.
"Maybe you should have just made it to where the cord wasn't stretching out, so no one would have to worry about tripping over it…" said Sueko thoughtfully.
"I didn't ask for a lecture," muttered Keitaro, glaring at Sueko. This too reminded her of InuYasha so she started laughing again.
"What's so funny?" muttered Keitaro.
Sueko stopped laughing and said, "I'm sorry! I really am! It's just… you're acting exactly like InuYasha!"
"Who?" said Tamika and Keitaro at exactly the same time (well, they are twins…).
"InuYasha! The half-dog demon!" cried Sueko exasperatedly.
"Erm…" said Tamika and Keitaro awkwardly, both wearing the same "How do I say this?" sort of expression and scratching the back of their head.
"Okay, that's it!" cried Sueko, standing up. "I'm going to go down that well and bring proof that there really is a way for me to get to Feudal Japan!"
"I thought only you could go down the well…" muttered Keitaro.
"Nope! InuYasha can too!"
"Of course…"
"Um… Sueko?" Tamika asked timidly. "Uh… can you do that later? Like, after the shopping thing?"
Sueko sighed and sat back down. "I guess. Besides, he's mad at me so he would never do it anyways."
"Did you break his computer too? Because if you did then that really makes sense," said Keitaro, glaring at Tamika, who stuck her tongue out at him.
"I don't think he knows what a computer is…" said Sueko. "He's from the 15th century!"
"Oh… right…"
"Anyways, let's go!" cried Tamika, standing up and pulling Sueko and Keitaro to their feet.
"What?" said Sueko and Keitaro blankly as they tried to keep up with Tamika as she ran downstairs.
"Shopping!" was all she said.
"Shopping? Why would I want to go shopping with you?" Keitaro cried.
"Wait! I have to ask my mom if it's okay!" cried Sueko.
"You can go dear!" Sueko heard her mother cry out. Sueko rolled her eyes exasperatedly and did her best not to trip and fall down the steps outside the house.
"What about money?" cried Sueko.
"Oh, shut up already!" cried Tamika.
-
A couple hours later she had finally arrived at Kaede's village. For a minute Yoshiko hesitated. She had never really entered the village before. She had just been in Kaede's hut for the time that she rested to heal. Other than that the closest she had come to it was the well that Sueko went through to go to her own time. Plus she had no idea if they were here anyways.
But as she came closer to the hut that Kaede lived in she heard familiar voices. It sounded like Miroku and Sango were discussing Kamatari and how they were going to deal with him. InuYasha had been a part of the conversation but as Yoshiko drew closer he stopped. For a minute she hesitated then decided to continue toward the hut.
'What is up with me? They're my friends, right?' thought Yoshiko, taking a deep breath.
Before she could even reach out to move the flap to go inside the hut InuYasha suddenly appeared. In surprise Yoshiko took a step back, eyes wide. At first it seemed like InuYasha was mad at her. But then he rolled his eyes.
"What took you so long? I figured you go see Sesshomaru then come back!" he snapped.
"Sorry. I guess I lost track of time," shrugged Yoshiko.
Behind InuYasha she could see Miroku and Sango peering to try and get a good look at her. Then she realized what they had just said.
"Hey! Why should I have to explain myself to you? You're supposed to be worrying about Sueko in that sort of way!" snapped Yoshiko, glaring at InuYasha. "Besides, what's it matter how much time I spend with Sesshomaru?"
"Wh-what?" cried InuYasha, taking a step back and going red in the face.
Suddenly Miroku was standing behind him, grinning mischievously.
"I see. So you have a thing for Sueko, do you?" he inquired.
"What would Kagome think?" muttered Sango, shaking her head.
"For your information she doesn't really mind!" snapped InuYasha, turning toward him. Then he stopped, realizing what he said. Everybody stopped to stare at him in confusion. "At least… I don't think she would mind…" tried InuYasha, shrugging.
"Well she's all ways has been a very forgiving girl," said Kaede.
"I don't see how she could stand you going after Kikyo," muttered Sango.
"Kikyo… Did she really love you too, InuYasha?" asked Yoshiko, sitting down in the hut, staring off in thought.
"How the hell…" started InuYasha. Then he looked down at Yoshiko and stopped. "I think so… why?"
"Well she gave me some advice on love and I wondered where she got it from," shrugged Yoshiko.
"Advice?" said Sango. "You mean, you met Kikyo?"
"Yeah. She said it complicated and even though it doesn't make sense it's all for a good reason," said Yoshiko.
"Sounds about right," muttered InuYasha, crossing his arms.
Yoshiko looked up smiling. But her smile held a bit of a hint of sadness. In an attempt of change the subject Miroku cleared his throat.
"So, what made you come back?" he asked.
"Oh. Tonight's the half moon," muttered Yoshiko, looking away in ashamed.
"Feh," said InuYasha, rolling his eyes. "And you didn't want to let Sesshomaru to know? You realize he'll probably figure it out."
"Yeah but… Oh I don't know! I needed to get away so I could think properly. Or something… Argh! I'm so confused!" cried Yoshiko, dropping her head into her hands.
"Well Sueko's in her time at the moment. When she comes back you can ask her for help to get these things sorted out," muttered InuYasha.
Suddenly Yoshiko looked up, eyes narrowed.
"What did she tell you?" she hissed.
"Uh…"
"Maybe I shouldn't have come back!" shouted Yoshiko, jumping to her feet and starting out of the hut.
But right then Sango stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. Yoshiko looked over her shoulder at Sango's smiling face and rolled her eyes.
"What?"
"We could talk," said Sango kindly.
"Yeah… but…" stammered Yoshiko.
She didn't get it. Every time she came back something was different. Somebody new trusted her. Or she missed something important that they had to catch her up on. Somebody was in love with somebody. And every time she was just ever more confused. The past 12 years she had been completely alone, use to being completely alone. Now suddenly, for the first time since Godric, there were people that were starting to accept her again. Somehow she just didn't understand it.
"Come on," said Sango, taking Yoshiko's hand and walking off into the woods.
They walked in silence for a little while before Sango finally stopped and sat down on a log. They were, in fact, not that far from the well. Yoshiko hesitated, hovering over the demon slayer for a while. Then Sango grinned and patted the empty space next to her. Yoshiko took it awkwardly.
"Why are you trusting me?" she asked suddenly. Sango laughed.
"Because you haven't given me any reason not to trust you," she said. "And Sueko trusts you."
"I guess…" muttered Yoshiko.
"Are you saying I shouldn't trust you?" asked Sango, raising her eyebrows.
"No! That's not what I'm saying at all!" cried Yoshiko.
"Okay, okay. Clam down," said Sango, holding up a hand. "So, what exactly are you afraid that Sueko told InuYasha?"
"Um…" said Yoshiko, blushing. She wasn't sure if she should tell Sango. She wasn't even sure if InuYasha had taken it well. Or if he had even understood what it was Sueko was telling him. "Well… it has to do with Sesshomaru…"
"I saw him after he came to see how you were doing," shrugged Sango. "Didn't look like he was there to kill anybody. So what is it?"
"Well… Sueko thinks… that… I may… like him," said Yoshiko, her cheeks turning even brighter red.
"Love isn't just complicated is also confusing," said Sango, with a sad smile. "You find yourself falling in love with the strangest people and can't even tell yourself why. But if you think about it long enough, it makes perfect sense!"
Yoshiko was a bit taken a back. Though Sango's voice was solemn she looked up smiling.
'How is it that everybody here seems to know so much about something like love?' thought Yoshiko.
"So InuYasha has a thing for dead girls," shrugged Yoshiko. "What's the big deal there?"
"Maybe you can tell me why I like a perverted monk," laughed Sango.
Yoshiko blinked many times before finally saying, "You like Miroku?"
"Strange, huh?" said Sango, looking away again. "I never did anything about it because I had been too into trying to save my little brother, Kohaku. Now he's gone and I should probably do something about my feelings. Except now we have Kamatari to deal with."
"You had a little brother?" murmured Yoshiko.
"Yes. He didn't deserve his fate. Kohaku had always been a kind boy that didn't really want to be a demon exterminator. But Naraku had him kill our best fighters, then get killed himself. Then Naraku brought him back to life, using a Shikon Jewel Shard to keep him alive."
"My brother became a healer. He was the son of a great warrior and he decided to become a doctor instead. But after our father went off and got himself killed after his second wife died the villagers didn't want me around anymore. When I fought them off in self defense Godric asked me to leave. He still became a famous healer but because he lived alone a demon came a killed him when he was 19. That was a year ago."
"What do you think killed your little brother?" asked Sango.
"Well… some demon that expected to get an element stone. My village was the protector of the Earth Shrine so my father had one of those stones. I guess what ever demon got his stone figured to get one out of his son as well," shrugged Yoshiko. "I don't really care. Revenge isn't going to do any good."
"Well… no… but it might make you feel better," muttered Sango.
"If I thought it would then I would have gone after this demon," said Yoshiko. "But I have reason to believe Godric made me leave so I wouldn't get involved in his life anymore because he was afraid I would get hurt. I didn't want him to get involved in mine after I left either. To me, he's been dead for 12 years and it doesn't matter anymore."
There was a moment of silence between them while they both sorted out what had just been said. Then Yoshiko stood up and looked down at Sango.
"So, when's Sueko coming back?" asked Yoshiko, feeling a bit awkward. She hadn't even told Sueko about her brother.
"Well…" said Sango.
"What happened this time?" sighed Yoshiko exasperatedly.
"InuYasha didn't want Sueko to go back but she said she had to so she could get good grades so her father didn't get mad at her," explained Sango. "Then InuYasha said that was a better excuse than Kagome's. For some reason that made Sueko mad because she snapped 'don't bring her up again.' Then she left."
"WHAT?" cried Yoshiko. "And InuYasha didn't even apologize?"
"Well... no. Miroku didn't give him time. Plus he wouldn't anyways," shrugged Sango. "What does it matter anyways?"
"They're so stubborn! At this rate they'll never get together!" shouted Yoshiko, her hands in fist.
With that she started her way back down to the village, stomping her feet as she went. A few villagers stared out their doorways but retreated in fear. When Yoshiko finally reached the hut she stormed in.
"InuYasha!" she shouted. "You're going to go and apologize to Sueko RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
"Wh-what did I do?" cried InuYasha, half way through eating a fish.
"Sango just told me what you said to her before she left! So now I'm saying if you don't go and apologize I'm going to force you down that well, block it up so you can't come back and keep your sword!" snapped Yoshiko. "Now get going!"
Miroku leaned it to whisper, "I would do what she has to say so she doesn't rip your head off."
"Uh…. Okay…" muttered InuYasha, slowly getting to his feet and walking out of the hut past Yoshiko without taking his eyes off her.
"You can be quite scary, you know," said Sango, coming in after Yoshiko.
"It was all an act," laughed Yoshiko, grinning.
"I will never understand you," muttered Miroku, shaking his head.
-
By the end of the day Tamika had spent about a hundred dollars on Sueko's "new wardrobe" because Tamika thought that Sueko's clothes were too "tom-boyish," and Tamika had talked Sueko's mom into letting Sueko spend the night at her house. And Keitaro was more grouchy then usual because he had followed a bunch of girls all day long while they did girly things—though why he just didn't go home Sueko didn't know. But there was one thing she was sure of.
"There's no way I'm going to wear half those clothes!" Sueko cried out for the millionth time as Tamika forced her into the bathroom to try on yet another outfit. (She had already tried them on, seeing how they were at Tamika's house and the clothes were already paid for, but Tamika wanted to see what each of the outfits looked like together, to the annoyance of Sueko, of course).
"Oh, come on!" cried Tamika happily, shoving Sueko into the bathroom with a handful of clothes before closing the door shut behind her. "You look so adorable in a skirt! Why you hate them so much I'll never know…"
"Skirts are great!" said Sueko from behind the bathroom door. "It's just when they're on me they aren't!"
"What I don't get," said Keitaro, crossing his arms and leaning on the door (if Sueko wasn't in the bathroom putting on clothes she probably would have started laughing again at Keitaro's imitation of InuYasha), "is why you could spend all that money on a bunch of girly things your friend doesn't even want but you can't replace my computer which you broke!"
"I didn't mean to!" cried Tamika innocently. "Besides, can't you just go on ebay and get a computer a zillion times better then yours for about fifty dollars?"
"I could… IF I HAD A COMPUTER TO GET ON EBAY IN THE FIRST PLACE!" bellowed Keitaro.
"Stop arguing, you two!" cried Sueko, opening the door. "You sound like a pair of newlyweds!"
"Hello, we're related!" cried Keitaro.
"Oh, you look so adorable!" cried Tamika, putting her hands together and wearing an expression full of pride.
"Come on! Red and orange so do not go together! I can't believe you spent twenty dollars on an orange skirt!" cried Sueko, crossing her arms. "And it's way too small!"
"That's the point, though!" cried Tamika. "It's a mini skirt! It's mini! It's supposed to make boys attracted to you!"
"I don't want boys attracted to me!" cried Sueko. "How am I supposed to stay invisible to the world if I'm wearing an orange mini skirt!"
Tamika ignored the last comment and turned to Keitaro. "Hey, Keitaro, don't you think Sueko looks attractive?"
"Um…" said Keitaro. "You are asking me why?"
"I need a man's opinion!"
"Oh… um… I guess so? I don't know, Tamika!"
"Are we done making me play dress up or not?" Sueko demanded.
"Fine! You two be a bunch of party poopers already!" said Tamika, rolling her eyes.
"Um… Tamika? Where are my clothes?"
"What?"
"You know, the ones I had on before?"
"Oh. I threw them away!"
"WHAT?"
"Oh, come on!" said Tamika, putting a hand on Sueko's shoulder and steering her towards her bedroom (Keitaro following sulkily behind). "I don't want to know how many holes that pair of jeans had! And that shirt was just way too small! You have a whole bunch of new clothes now!"
"Those were my favorite jeans!" cried Sueko as Tamika pushed her on the bed.
"Obviously…" muttered Keitaro, sitting on the desk chair and rolling his eyes.
"And may I point out that I have all new fancy shirts, all new nice skirts which I look God-awful in, but no pants! No normal shirts! I don't find it easy to swing a sword and cut a demons head off while wearing a mini skirt!" cried Sueko.
"What? Demons?" blinked Tamika.
"Never mind…" said Sueko. Then, to break the silence that lingered afterwards, she said, "I can't believe your parents let you have people over when they aren't home!"
"Oh. Dad doesn't care what we do, as long as it doesn't involve drugs, murder, sex, or breaking things," said Keitaro clearly as though he had said the same exact phrase so many times he had learned it by heart.
"What about your mom?" asked Sueko.
"I don't know about her. She's kinda dead…" said Tamika.
"She's dead?" cried Sueko.
"Yeah. But it's not sad or anything," said Tamika. "Well, I guess it is, but we don't remember her. She died having us."
"But the way dad goes on and on about her I'll assume that she wouldn't mind about us being alone with people over but would be extremely worried, like the moms on TV," said Keitaro thoughtfully.
"You know how weird that sounds?" said Sueko.
"I bet mom would think you look so adorable in your new outfit!" cried Tamika, putting her hands together and looking proud again.
"Um… Tamika? Yeah, um, red and orange don't go together!" cried Sueko, waving a hand in front of Tamika's face.
Tamika frowned. "I can see, you know."
Keitaro opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the front door (it couldn't be from Tamika's door because it was open and no one was there). He then said, "Who could that be?"
"Dad's friend from work?" said Tamika, shrugging.
Curiously, the three left Tamika's bedroom and walked over to the apartment door. Keitaro put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
Sueko felt her whole body go numb. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't think. But then suddenly tears were falling down her face and she ran up to hug the figure at the door.
"I'm really, really, really sorry!" Sueko cried out, hugging the person harder as tears continued to fall down her face. "I shouldn't have yelled at you! I really didn't mean what I said about—"
Keitaro interrupted Sueko's babbling to ask, "Who are you?"
"What are you wearing?" Tamika demanded to know.
"Erm…" started InuYasha, pulling Sueko off him while trying his best to look dignified with his pink cheeks. "What in the hell are you doing? I just came here to apologize! And what does it look like I'm wearing!" he cried, glaring at Tamika.
"It looks like a kimono to me," said Keitaro, "though why he's wearing one I have no clue. And I'm at a loss with the hair length too."
"You're not mad at me?" cried Sueko, rubbing her eyes hastily and attempting to hide her joy at InuYasha being here and not being mad at her.
"No! Why would I be mad at you?" cried InuYasha.
"Because I got mad at you mentioning Kagome…" said Sueko timidly.
"Oh. That. Well, Kagome did that a lot with Kikyo so it doesn't really matter," said InuYasha. "Besides, I'm sorta over her now."
"Hello to you too," said Tamika, waving.
"Oh!" said Sueko brightly, smiling. "Keitaro, Tamika: you wanted proof that I go down a well to Feudal Japan, right? Well, here's my proof!" And then she held her arms out at InuYasha in a "Tada!" sort of way.
InuYasha raised his eyebrows at her and Keitaro and Tamika blinked in confusion.
"Um… what's so special about him?" asked Tamika.
"Well, besides the odd hairdo," added Keitaro, making InuYasha glare at him.
"You don't see the doggy ears?" cried Sueko in disbelief.
"That'd be because I'm wearing a…. um…" tried InuYasha, but he seemed to have forgotten what the thing on top of his head was called.
"It's a baseball hat," said Sueko. "Where'd you get it, anyways?"
"You're mom gave it to me," shrugged InuYasha. "She also told me where you were, too, and how to get here… Plus you have a very distinctive smell so it wasn't that hard. Except your scent is everywhere… have you been all over town today or what?"
"Sorta…" said Sueko sheepishly.
"Okay, this is all very confusing…" said Tamika.
Sueko pulled off the hat on InuYasha's head and said, "See, dog ears. Wow, so amazing…"
"Oh!" cried Tamika, looking at them. "Are they real?"
"Of course they aren't real!" cried Keitaro exasperatedly. He rolled his eyes as Tamika reached over and rubbed InuYasha's ears playfully.
"Hey! Get off! I never said you could touch them!"
Just as Sueko pulled Tamika off InuYasha Keitaro walked over to InuYasha, crossed his arms and glared at him. Sueko had absolutely no clue what he was up to but it was an amusing sight to watch as InuYasha copied Keitaro—though he didn't look angry like Keitaro, just bored. Then suddenly Keitaro was uncrossing his arms and walking around InuYasha, lifting up his arms, smelling his outfit, picking up his hair, and pulling on his ears slightly. InuYasha rolled his eyes exasperatedly at all of this but when Keitaro tried to pull out the Tetsusaiga he glared and showed his claws threateningly.
"The sword is off-limits, Keitaro," said Sueko, pulling Keitaro away from InuYasha.
It was just then that the front door opened, and the sound made InuYasha jump up in surprise. Tamika's eyes widened and she cried out, "Yay, your home!" and ran over to the person standing at the door.
He was a very tall man with a narrow and long face, pointy chin, with an unshaven look on his face. Sueko found it really random that Tamika had ran over and hugged the guy, even though she figured he must be her dad.
The man looked surprised that Tamika had hugged him yet at the same time he didn't as though he was used to it. Sueko couldn't figure out how he could look surprised and not at the same time and thinking about it hurt her head. But then once Tamika let go and backed away a few paces the man asked, "So, who are these two people standing before me?"
It was then that Sueko's eyes widened and she hastily shoved the hat back on InuYasha's head while praying to God their dad didn't notice the doggy-ears.
Keitaro said in a rather bored voice, "That's Sueko, Tamika's friend, and that's… uh… InuYasha, I think is what his name is…"
"Yeah," said InuYasha in annoyance.
There was an extremely awkward silence after that—well, it wasn't really awkward, it just felt that way to Sueko. In fact, it was she who broke the silence as she cleared her throat nervously and said, "Um… I've got to be right back…" and she grabbed InuYasha's sleeve and rushed out of the room as quickly as she could.
"Are you okay?" InuYasha inquired as Sueko closed the door to Tamika's bedroom and sighed in relief. Though she must have made the wrong turn in her rush because the sheets were different and there wasn't as much blue or butterflies or girlie things that Tamika had in her room as there were in this room. There was a ton of shelves packed with DVD's, CD's and books, a bunch of posters of so many things (though there were quite a few Star Wars ones), and a table that was so full of clutter that Sueko wouldn't have been able to find anything on it. But just behind all the rubble you could see all the fancy technology equipment that any true computer geek owns which made Sueko realize that this had to be Keitaro's room.
Sueko blinked as a hand was waved in front of her face, and after looking as his impatient face she remembered what he had asked and said, "Oh, yeah, I'm okay…"
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm extremely sure," said Sueko, her temper rising. Then she sighed and slumped onto Keitaro's bed. (They looked like they were Star Wars sheets, which was extremely weird but at the moment she really didn't care).
"There's just too much happening in a very short time period, that's all," said Sueko.
"I just came here to apologize… about what happened before you left," said InuYasha. He looked a bit awkward though Sueko couldn't imagine why.
"That's okay. You didn't need to. I should be the one to apologize…" muttered Sueko.
"But you didn't do anything wrong!" said InuYasha.
"I did too! I said a whole bunch of really mean things that I really shouldn't have said," cried Sueko.
"But I shouldn't have even started yelling at you in the first place!" argued InuYasha.
"I'm the one who had to make the remark on Kagome," said Sueko shamefully. "I mean…"
"I already told you," said InuYasha clearly. "I don't mind about that!" He sighed, and went over to sit next to Sueko. "I mean, I miss her and I don't want her dead and all that, but I don't really mind it as much anymore. She's always sort of there with me anyways…"
Another silence appeared after that, and Sueko was pretty sure that she wasn't the only one who found it awkward. She could see InuYasha looking around the room curiously, which was a bit of a relief to Sueko because she felt as though she was about to cry but wasn't quite sure why she would want to cry.
Eventually InuYasha stood up and said, "Well… I think it would be best if I went back to my time…"
Sueko wanted really bad to stop him from leaving, but it probably was for the best. But she felt torn in two as she said, "Yeah, I guess you have too…"
Once they had said good-bye and Sueko was alone in Keitaro's bedroom, she was got up off the bed and went back to where Tamika and Keitaro were, wiping away the few tears that had escaped off her face with her sleeve.