Ch 20 the beach

Everyone sat silently in the car as it moved down the highway, Robert was driving with Jenny in the passenger seat. Kai was sitting in the second row as well as Kar with Souta Squeezed in between them. And in the back sat Steven who was next to Kagome who was currently rolling her eyes at the hanyou on her other side. InuYasha was still eyeing Steven with a look of complete confusion. It had been a day since Kagome's family had found out they were a little bit away form normal the day before after the fight and had a night to sleep on it. Souta's cousin had been thrilled and was totally as amazed with him as Souta (which Kagome had laughed at) but even Robert and Jenny had accepted it reasonably well (they weren't as accepting as Kai, Rob was still not used to the fact he was housing something that wasn't even human…well all human ) and when questioned, Robert would say he had felt something ever since they arrived and new it was something that would affect everyone, for some reason and Jenny just smiled and said Kagome was destined to do great things since she was born, so she expected something from them, not that they knew how to respond to either they all decided to take it as an OK, and move on with life…and today that was the beach!

Pulling off the PCH (interstate 1) onto an empty parking lot Robert announces there arrival, greeted by a pair of happily yelling boys who jumped out as fast as they physically could, everyone else filing out in an orderly fashion.

"Come on you guys, I need help carrying this stuff down" Robert mentions as he gestures to the back of the van, full of beach objects.

"Yea!" squeals Steven as he grabs a bogie board, InuYasha was given both of the surfboards, and Kagome another bogie board, Kai took a gigantic tub of other sand tools: shovels, buckets, castle shaped buckets, shifters, that type of thing, and Robert took the cooler. Jenny went to pay for parking, carrying the umbrella and 2 blankets.

"This way, we have to go down the cliff to get to the beach" Called Robert, pulling the cooler beside him.

The boys scampered quickly behind him and began running down the path, having to be called to slow down, Kai was behind them laughing, dragging Kar so that he would leave Kagome and InuYasha alone.

"I feel like back in the feudal era, when I am always carrying your backpack…"

"Hey, I don't ask you to carry it you just do!"

"You get too slow after carrying all that around for awhile'

"Well, I am sorry Mr. I don't ever get tired of hurt…'

InuYasha looked at her for a moment, "feh!"

Kagome laughed, "Yup that's InuYasha!"

"Hey, when we get back tell Shippo he has to stop jumping on you like that, he's getting heavy and he could hurt you…"

"Come on InuYasha, he is just a kid"

"He is not just a kid! He is getting older…he needs to grow up"

"Well if he needs to grown up…then why don't you take him hunting?"

"Because he would get hurt! He has no idea about anything like that, I don't want him hurting himself for no reason…"

"You were hunting by his age"

"I was an orphan by his age…I had to hunt, I had no one"

"Well, he has a right to learn at least, don't you think?"

"Look, I know neither of you will admit it but you are like a father to him, have you seen the way the looks up to you, I know you are too proud to admit it but you think of him that way too…you prove it with the little things, like what you said a minuet ago, you don't want him to get hurt, and the look in your eyes change when you talk about him. He has grown up a lot since we met him, he has had to…and I know he has had it so much better than you but you of all people know what it's like to feel alone…to be unwanted, not let him think that…"

InuYasha just looked at the ground, "Why couldn't he get attached to Miroku?"

Rolling her eyes Kagome let out a soft laugh, "because he relates to you so much more, because you yell at him for doing things wrong, because you protect him, because you love him…Miroku protects him yes but he is more of a friend than anything else"

It was a few moment before either of them spoke, InuYasha thinking and Kagome waiting for him "what about you?"

They where walking onto the sandy beach now, "me, like with Shippo?"

"Yea…you're the one who "adopted" him in the first place…why couldn't he just get attached to you?" his voice wasn't angry but curious

Kagome smiled, "he is a boy…he needs a father to look up to! Yea he comes to me when you beat up on him, but it's totally different to have a dad to look up to…so will you take him?"

"Huh?"

"Hunting, will you take him when we get back?"

"Yea sure…"

Smiling profusely Kagome hugs him (which was very hard with him carrying 2 surfboards and her a bogie board… ), "thank you so much!"

"Kagome! InuYasha, hurry up!" the two looked at each other putting their previous conversation behind them and began running in the loose sand, neither of them aware that jenny was following softly behind them, listening to the whole conversation.

They all worked together to set up "camp." Jenny laid the blankets down, placing the huge umbrella in front of the blankets and the cooler next to everything else, the boards were put to the side and the sand toys up in front.

Kai grabbed Souta's arm before he took off, "sunscreen" she said simply and he pouted but took the bottle from her.

Kai also threw a bottle to Kagome who caught it and squeezed the whitish liquid onto her hand. Then handed it to InuYasha, who gave her a look, Kagome laughed, "here you take some in your hand like this and then rub it onto whatever part of you is exposed"

He didn't move so she squirted some onto his hand and then turned back to her hand, putting 3 fingers in the sunscreen and the rubbing it onto her arm, he rolled his eyes but copied her, when they were finished Kagome looked at his face and smiled, he had some white blobs on it, especially on his nose. Moving up close she reached up and whipped it away laughing.

"Hey Kagome, remember how to surf?" called Robert

"I'm a little rusty, but I can still out do you!"

"Wouldn't bet on that!"

"Your on!" picking up a Surfboard she told InuYasha to grab a bogie board and follow her, she had to beat her uncle.

"Wait!" jenny called, "I know you 2…get your wet suits on…no one is catching pneumonia while I am here." She rolled her eyes and grabbed a suit, throwing InuYasha one she threw her legs into it and pulled it over her green bikini. Pushing her arms into it, felling the rubber pull on her skin she smiled, it brought back memories of her family at the beach years ago. The looked over at InuYasha and laughed,

"It's ok, here let me help you, it is supposed to be tight…it keeps you warm…and even if you don't need it my aunt will throw a fit if you don't wear it." she helped him pull it over his red trunks that sported black dragons running over them (not that he hadn't scowled at them at first…a dragon had killed his father after all…) and then zipped up the back without catching his hair.

She then took his hand and led him out to the water. "Yea!" she teenager yelled as she leapt into the waves, that washed over her, sweeping away any worry she had. The ocean always did this to her. She turned to InuYasha and tried to smother a laugh, there he was trying desperately not to let the boggle board float away from him and stay still (yes it is attached to his arm…but that is of little consequence here…obviously )

"Here, you can ride it like this." She commented as she told him as he demonstrated. He nodded and tried it but wasn't very fast, he had no idea how to maneuver around the waves.

Kagome spent about 15 min teaching him how to maneuver the waves and catch and ride a few, then she went over to her uncle, telling InuYasha she would ride with him after there competition.

"GO SIS!" Souta yelled to his sister as she paddled over to her uncle.

Kagome laughed and nodded to her uncle telling him she was ready. After a wave or two a fairly large one started toward them, "might as well start out big, she commented as she began paddling, when she caught the wave she stood up smiling, the wind felt so good and the smell of the ocean was a welcome thing to her nostrils, she turned up the wave and began her way down when she shifted her balance and came down to sharp, "Ah!" she yelped as she fell quickly into the water.

Surfacing she gave her uncle a dead look…"see I told you I'm a bit rusty!" but she was only returned an eye roll and a smirk.

She stuck her tongue out and paddled back over to him, aware of all the eyes on her…especially those of the hanyou. He had almost swum to her aid, but something told him he would just be in the way…he watched as she laughed and considered the situation curiously.

Well Kagome did as she said, she totally out preformed her uncle, the first time she was on a surfboard she outperformed people twice her age with twice the experience, she was a complete natural, but Japan was not big on surfing, so she did not get much practice, but she picked it back up pretty quick, she smiled the whole time, and InuYasha was content to just watch everyone, it looked like fun, Kagome was having fun and for awhile Souta and Steven came out and bogie boarded with him. But true to her promise after she finished with her uncle she came over to teach him. The other board under her arm, she pushed the board at him and he gave the bogie board to Souta who smiled and thanked them and then went to play with Steven.

"So now what?"

"This is what" she replied with a smirk and it was then that InuYasha knew he was in trouble.

Hopping up onto the board Kagome gestured for him to copy her, he glared at her and then attempted to crawl onto the floating board, key word there it attempted…while lifting himself up he leaned on only one side of the board, flipping the board over and dropping himself into the water in one movement.

Watching him Kagome laughed, some things he still messed up at, being hanyou of not…

Surfacing InuYasha scowled, "how the hell am I supposed to get onto that thing?"

Rolling her eyes Kagome showed him where to hold the board so he wouldn't put to much weight on one side, and flip over again. Grumbling the hanyou pulled himself up. And paddled after the already moving Kagome, once they were out pretty far, she turned around then smiled at him, "ok when a big wave comes up face toward shore and paddle as fast as you can, once you catch the wave, slowly stand up. K?"

The hanyou nodded, "ok here comes a wave" Kagome said, turning herself toward shore. "Start paddling"

On cue InuYasha began to paddle toward shore, faster and faster, never feeling himself getting carried by the wave, he then hit shore, looking back confused, only to get splashed by the wave he was supposed to be riding. After he whipped his face he looked to Kagome, who was sitting on her board laughing. "What?" he asked confused as he slowly swam back out to her carrying his board.

"You…you out swam the wave!" she was now laughing so hard tears were seeping out of her eyes.

"Wha-what's wrong?" he asked confused

"Oh it's nothing…it's just you are so funny!" he regarded her with confusion, "here just keep up with me, and stand up when I do, alright?"

he nodded and they tried again, they caught the wave and started to stand up but the hanyou went ridged and fell off, Kagome smiled and turned around to help him, this went on for about an hour until InuYasha could ride to shore with little problem.

It was then that Souta asked to take a turn on the board and InuYasha relinquished his, it was then Kagome asked if he wanted to go tandem with her, giving her a quizzical look she explained.

"It is when two people ride at the same time, you will have to ride in the back since you weigh more than I do, other wise the nose will tip…and we all go swimming."

"Ok…so I'll paddle and"

"I'll stand up first and then you can follow, better not to stand up at the same time"

"Alright, lets try it"

InuYasha started to paddle on one of the larger waves and as soon as it took Kagome stood up, and InuYasha followed abet shaker. All was going well until the wave hit another wave and InuYasha changed balance, Kagome tried to compensate but the hanyou evened out, putting Kagome off balance, causing her to fall into InuYasha knocking them both into the water. Surfacing they both laughed, both clade they took a beach trip for their last day together

A/N: hey guys sorry sorry! I have been going insane! No really so much has happened, camps especially (I volunteer too much) but oh well oh and have you heard? I'm running in the Orange Country Marathon! And I'm doing it to help with Stroke awareness and research, if you would like to help me with my fundraising please take a look at my personal page.(found on my profile page) Yea I am going crazy I also have to read a book for honors English that a test is going to be taken on the second day of school! Grrr oh well thanks guys for waiting! I will try to get another chapter up before school starts! Thanks for all your help! PLEASE REVIEW I need it! oh and the first part of this is a little bit weird…I was kinda out of it! lol thanks guys Promise the next chapter will be longer! (this was so short)

Lunar :)