Chapter 16
"InuYasha here, stir this, I have to watch the eggs" Kagome told him
"How long should I stir it for?"
"Till it gets creamy…"
"…A-"
"Stir it slow…got it…"she scolded
"Yea, yea…"
"You're it!" Souta yells at Steven as they both tear though the kitchen, earning then disapproval from both Kagome and the adults. Laughing happily they ran back outside to continue their game.
"Well they are getting along well" Kagome mentioned smiling
"Almost too well…"InuYasha added smirking
Kagome laughed, "Point taken…be ready for the worst…" they both laughed as they finished cooking lunch.
"Wow, this looks delicious Kagome"
"Don't thank me…InuYasha did a lot too…I only did the eggs and started the dessert…he made the rice and finished everything"
"Feh..." was all the hanyou uttered until Kagome jabbed him in the ribs, "What!" he defended.
"Your hopeless…"
"Wow, something smells good!" Robert said as he rounded the corner into the kitchen…he had just gotten up.
"InuYasha and Kagome cooked" Jenny said
"Really?" he asked surprised
"Yup" Kagome smiled
"Well then why areyou wasting time standing here…lets eat!"
"Men…" all the women muttered, then laughed at their common train of thought.
"Food!" yelled the two children as they jumped onto their seats, beginning to fill the plates in front of them.
Laughing everyone else sat down serving themselves, "so is everyone up to go for a trek around the city?"
Everyone's faces lit up, "yea!" Even InuYasha seemed interested.
"Are you guys interested in going for some hikes, or would you just like to spend the day in the park?"
InuYasha and Kagome looked at each other, "I wouldn't mind going on a hike…" they said in stereo with one another.
Kai laughed, "You wouldn't…"
"What do you see on a hike?" Souta asked curiously, never being on one made him wonder.
"Well that depends on what hike you take…but you normally will see some wildlife, and most hikes have wonderful view…it would be away from the city-"
"Really? Wow I wanna see!" never being out of Tokyo, Souta didn't know what it was like to be out in the woods.
"Ok, well then why don't we take you on one of out favorite hikes…it's a short one…just 4 miles round trip…and there is a beautiful lake at the top of the mountain. We love to go swim in it." Jenny commented
"Yea! We get to go swimming!"
Everyone laughed as they finished their food.
"Come on!"
"Yea!" responded both kids running to the van
Everyone was packed into the vehicle, swimsuits under their clothes (and in the boys cases they wore trunks instead of shorts) so they could go swimming and relax after they got to the top.
Driving into the state park Souta was amazed, he had never seen so much vegetation in one place before. "look at all the trees mom!" the child exclaimed ecstatic.
Kai smiled, "Yes Souta, they are beautiful"
Both InuYasha and Kagome smiled, it felt nice to be back in the wilderness…even if it was a different era and even a different continent, it felt more like home then any other place…and "home" was being missed by more than one member of the group. But as the green trees quickly shot by the van, the overwhelming sense of homesickness dwindled and made it much easier to relax…
Pulling up in a turnoff the group leapt out of the car, Souta was spinning around while jumping up and down, he was absolutely ecstatic…it was so new to him, so foreign, and even he sensed that the older two adolescents were much more relieved and not as tense.
The turnoff overlooked a valley on one side, and the edge of the turnoff had a very steep cliff, which InuYasha was standing comfortable on, enjoying the wind as it washed over his face and blew his hair out behind him, making it appear weightless. Kagome walked over slowly and nudged him as she stepped up next to him, "hey, you ok? We have to get ready now…"
He turned to her and smiled, "yea…ok, I think if we waited much longer to start your brother might explode…"
Kagome laughed and rolled her eyes, "come on…we are getting a late start, we need to be back by sundown…let me rephrase that, the group needs to be back by sundown…" the last part she added when she saw InuYasha about to respond.
Everyone put on a backpack that had a towel in it, assorted snacks, a light jacket and water and Gatorade. The boys got away with just carrying their own water, the two teens carried their towels, and they would be carrying Kagome's grandfather's weight too but, he insisted that he stay home, he wanted to rest some more as well as call some people, he also insisted that he would be a nuisance to everyone and should not be going on hikes at his age, everyone finally stopped bothering him and let the old man stay home, but it was probably for the best.
They all began to pad softly on the less than well-beaten trail, Steven and Souta bounded along in front with Kagome and InuYasha holding then back so that the adults could stay reasonably close to them. After about a mile and a half Kagome made everyone take a water break, no one was tired yet, but it was good to regroup, the trail had gotten tricky a few times and between the wind and water, InuYasha had grown nervous that one of the groups had taken a wrong turn because the adult's scent had grown noticeably fainter more than once, but they always seemed to get to the same spot eventually.
"Kids have way to much energy," Uncle Robert joked as he rounded the bend and saw the kids sitting on a group of boulders waiting patiently for them, taking drinks and laughing.
Kai laughed, "Souta will be exhausted by the time we get back…but I can't say the same for the other two…"
"Huh? Why not? Do they hike a lot?" rob asked curious, knowing souta didnt...how would those two they also lived int he heart of tyoko...as far as he knew.
"You could say that- oh look at that lizard!" Kai exclaimed ending the conversation
Robert didn't bother Kai again on the walk up to lake, but that didn't stop his mind from turning over… he just had to know what was going on, they were hiding something…and it had to do with Kagome and InuYasha…'what happened? They weren't like this 3 years ago when we saw them, what is it about those two? Why do I feel like this is a dangerous topic to peruse?'
"Water?" his wife asking him if he wanted a drink shot his mind from where it was.
"Well, can we go now?" Souta asked anxious, he had so much energy, he loved everything about the woods…the quiet, the wildlife, the forest itself…it was all new to a kid who grew up in a megatropolis.
"Wow, he sounds like you," Kagome laughed as she noted Souta's hurriedness.
"Feh, at least he knows that we have to get somewhere by a certain time…"
"We'll make it back on time…cool off" at this InuYasha gave her a strange look, "it's an expression…it means loosen up…k?"
"Feh"
"You really are impossible…come on lets go, everyone is ready..."
They finished the trek up to the top fairly easily, Souta would have been tired but he had so much adrenaline running though him because he was almost to the top it didn't even bother him, Kai was a little bit winded, and Kagome and InuYasha raced each other to the top…Robert and Jenny kept their pace and laughed when the two teenagers competitively took off in an all out run.
"Souta, Steven, come on!" Kagome yelled as she stripped down t o her bathing suit.
"InuYasha!" Souta yelled running at the hanyou trying to pull him the lake
"I don't think so…"he said picking the kid up and tossing him into the crystal clear lake. He then began to pull off his shirt (which still felt weird, why go swimming half naked?)
By the time the adults showed up everyone was slashing around in the secluded lake.
"Tag!" Steven yelled and began to swim away. Souta then whipped around and caught the unsuspecting Kagome.
"Hey!…ohhh InuYasha…" she smirked
"Ahh! Get away from me!" yelped the youkai
"Souta grab InuYasha!" Souta grabbed onto InuYasha's arm as he swam by not letting go
Struggling (since he learned how to swim a few days ago…) InuYasha flailed away from Kagome, but the girls superior grace and experience made it easy for her to catch him…and Souta wasn't helping.
The 4 kids danced around the lake a bit until Kagome finally decided she wanted to tag him…because taunting him was just as much fun…but the sec she touched him, the revered the hold Souta had and he now held the kid. "Ahhhh!" the boy yelled as InuYasha threw him over a ways.
"Wow…ohhh throw me next!" Steven pleaded
"Huh"
"Throw me! Throw me!" Steven yelled as he swam in front of the hanyou as Souta Surfaced. "WOW! That was SO much fun! Throw mw again!"
They were all happily tossed until Souta got the bright idea that InuYasha should throw Kagome "w-what?" he asked surprised
"Come on Kagome!" the pair yelled
"Its so much fun!" her brother reassured her…although his words did little
"It doesn't hurt!" Steven called
'Sure…now it doesn't but in a few hours…that is a different story…' Kagome scowled
"C'mon sis!" Souta yelled, InuYasha was sitting there in the water not sure what to do…not quite wanting to take sides…"but it would be kinda fun to throw Kagome…so if they get her over here...I guess I could throw her", her thought smirking.
The boys then swam over to Kagome and began to drag her over and she only fought then half-heartedly. "Guys…"she couldn't hold it in anymore…she started laughing, weakening her struggling.
By the time they got her over to the hanyou she was curled up and laughing so hard her eyes were tearing, but this did make it easy for InuYasha, if she was curled up he could toss her with ease.
Unfortunately for him just as he was about throw her she latched onto his arm, he shoved her off and tried again but she grabbed his other arm. He pulled her off again and turned her so she couldn't do that but instead she twisted her arm under his shoulder, antagonizing him still. This carried on for about 5 min before InuYasha just held her arms and legs and then threw her.
The boys cheered when Kagome was sent airborne, she untwisted herself from the way InuYasha was holding her and sprawled out, trying to prevent herself from traveling to far.
With a splash she disappeared under the crystal surface, emerging a short while later a threatening look on her face, "You better run cause I'm gonna get you!" she yelled as she started her approach on her prey.
The boys were well on their way to a large rock in the middle of the lake, lead by InuYasha.
The adults who were all on shore, feet in the water, were cracking up, all with tears in their eyes from laughing at the children's antics for the past few minuets.
They spent the rest of the afternoon jumping off a giant rock in the middle of the lake, having contest to see who could jump the highest, and farthest (I wonder who?) and they all loved to try new tricks, like spinning around, or doing a few motions to the Macarena.
By the end of the day everyone was exhausted, but they still had to get down the mountain, I was going down so it would be faster and easier, but it was still a few miles.
"I can't walk," complained Steven
"I'm to tired" souta whined
"Yes, you can" Kai scolded
"But-"
"No buts"
"Ahhh, I'm tired though"
Seeing this was going nowhere InuYasha spoke up, "I'll make you a deal, if you walk halfway then I'll give you a ride the other half"
"Huh?"
"Deal? But you can't complain, you just have to do as your mother tells you. Go it? But only this once, you need to make sure you have enough energy next time."
"Yea!" Souta agreed
"What about me? I'm tired to" Steven whined
Before InuYasha could volunteer again Kagome spoke up, "I'll take you, but you have walk half…k?"
"Piggy back?"
"Sure"
"Yea!"
"Come on let's go!" the boys yelled as they ran down the mountain.
"Wait up guys!" The others yelled down after them
it was almost ¾ of the way down before the boys slowed down enough to get there rides. "Get on…" InuYasha instructed as the elementary school kids got on and smiled
InuYasha had already scolded Kagome for saying that she would take Steven, he could have done it, carried one of then first and the other second. But Kagome yelled at him for underestimating her, but Kagome had been thinking, he had been acting so level headed and been so courteous everyone. Just as Kagome was getting tired they stumbled into the turnout.
"Yea! We're back!" Steven yelled and squirmed so that he could get down, running to the car. The adults arrived a little while later, "So, who is up for dinner?" rob asked
A mixed chorus of "me" rang out, some excited, some tired, some interested, and one amused. "Come on then…lets go"
Well that was interesting…oh by the way it is 7 in the morning…I was up all night typing this so it probably has its grammatical flaws…so yea and I was actually doing about six other things so I was not only doing this…and my media player decided to act funny on me…oh and yea some of you were wondering why Kagome's uncle wont drop it? well number one hae yu ever gotten that feeling that you have to know something? Even against your better judgment…well yea that has something to do with it, and that is how MY family would do that…they are that way…I mean don't ever get me wrong…I LOVE them all very much but yea they can be that way…oh yea all of this story is based on experiences I have had…so yea, all the hikes and stuff they go on…they all exist…maybe not exactly but yea…like this one there was a 3 mile, one way hike up to a crystal clear lake at the top of a mountain but it was in Sequoia and not in the regional park…although I love some of the hikes up there… plz review! I REALLY appriciate it!
Lunar :)
PS...I had this finished 2 days ago but fanfiction would not let me post it...so yea...lol sorry about that...hope you enjoyed... :) now i have to go finish my research project...lol