To the various people who've asked: I do know someone who is deaf actually. Her name is Erica, she's deaf with an implant and she is awesome!!!
Moonlit Shadow4: I've heard of your story!!! Of course, I can't read it, because it's rated 'R' and this computer has settings such that I can't go onto websites with any swear words on it. Some of my E-MAIL has been blocked on this accursed monster. I read some of it at school Secretly while I was supposed to be researching Buddhist myths and "On a Leash" was great... I got to about chapter seven, then my teacher almost caught me so I closed the window... sorry!!!
Kagome's Wish: I know that just because Inuyasha's deaf doesn't mean he can't speak, but a bunch of deaf people just haven't had the opportunity to learn. Plus the plot bunnies tell me to do. OBEY THE PLOT BUNNIES!
Random Reason why I'm a happy camper: I went to Suncoast Video yesterday to pick up the second volume of Mermaid Saga (Sooo... Good....) noticed they have the first season of Inuyasha in a boxed set... I was drooling. Literally. Such a pity it was $119. (To all of you who personally know me... CHRISTMAS/BIRTHDAY PRESENT. Is that subtle enough for ya?) I was examining Pretear after I stopped sobbing hysterically over the price, and a girl snuck in front of me to look at Ranma ½ and we sort of collided.
Me: "Heh. Sorry. I was in my Anime Zen mode. I'm waaay to obsessed."
Her: Yeah, me too. Gotta get my Ranma ½ fix.
Me: I love Takahashi! I like spend entire days writing Inuyasha fanfiction!
Her: do you use ?
Me: Yep! Do you?
Her: Yup! I'm Artemis (... short... attention... span...GAH. If you're reading this, tell me who you are!!)
Me: I'm sugarsprite... lame name... I know...
Her: Really? My friend read one of your fics!
(Spazzes) I love the world!!!!! Someone I've never met has heard of me!!! (Calms down and lets you guys read the flippin' story)
Sorry it's so late...
Enjoy!
Click
Click
Click.
Nothing's on. Just tellytubbies and infomercials.
Click
Click
Click
Kagome returns, holding two more steaming mugs of black coffee. I grin up at her from the couch.
"Anything good on TV?" she signs after putting the mugs onto a pile of my mother's fashion magazines.
Click
Click
Click
I shake my head no. A decided no. "Kagome?" I ask, "Do you know how to set the captions?"
"Yes," she replies, "I do it for a kid I baby sit." She smiles at the mention of the child. I decide to talk about that, instead of revisiting the fact that I'm still scared of the 'BOOM' of 'thunder' that appears every few minutes.
"Why does he use captions?" I ask. Pretty lame conversation opener, but then again we're not exactly socially adept.
She smiles again, "He's the cutest!!! He's deaf with an implant, so he needs SAP captions. You should meet him! He's called Shippo."
"Yeah, that would be... sweet." I sign, trying to regain my image with Kagome as an uber-cool ice god.
I pass her the remote and she fiddles with it until little black misspelled captions appear at the bottom of the TV.
I bring my hand down from my lips. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she signs, the remote sitting on her lap...
Wait a second there...
That's MY remote control. MINE.
I poorly disguise a scowl as she flips through the channels I should be flipping through. Click. She flips past the sports channel, Playing the WTWC, World Thumb Wrestling Championships Click. The home decorating channel, Playing 'The Wondrous World of Wallpaper' Click. and the hospital channel, Playing 'Plastic Surgery: How My Boob Job Changed My Life'
At least Kagome doesn't want to watch this crap.
She stops at a movie channel. It's at commercials. I twiddle my thumbs impatiently, trying to show my annoyance to Kagome without actually telling her.
"And now" says the announcer, with me reading the captions at the bottom of the screen, "It's 7:00 A.M... and it's time for our daily MUSICAL!!!"
I cock my head in confusion... a musical... I've seen those! They're really dumb!!!
A bunch of hills and mountains and churches and quaint European towns fill the screen. I make no attempt to hide my scowl now. I sink deep into the folds of the couch, my hands crossed over my chest in with a killer look on my face.
A stupid looking woman is twirling herself around on top a big mountain. Just as I'm getting ready to wrestle the remote out of Kagome's hands and change it back to tellytubbies, when the woman opens her mouth and begins to make a strange noise with her mouth, not unlike the music I hear when my mother listens to the radio.
I jump. Kagome wrenches her eyes from the screen. "What?"
"What is she doing!??!" I ask in horror. The noise is sort of trilling, like the noise birds make, but less high pitched and much more annoying.
"She's singing!"
"..."
"What's wrong with her singing?" Kagome asks, her eyes dangerous.
"There's nothing wrong with it... I just thought you only found those sounds on the radio... or the beginnings of movies."
"You've never heard anyone sing before?"
I pause to think for a moment. I don't think I have... I haven't been watching that much television... only sports and a few movies with the captions on and the volume barely loud enough for me to remember that I can hear it.
"Not properly."
She smiles pityingly, "Listen to this, then." She puts the volume all the way up.
Though I don't really understand what the blonde woman is singing, I must admit the sound of her voice is pretty.
We watch in silence for a while, the captions carrying me along plot-wise, every few minutes taking a great swig of coffee to keep from dying of sleep-deprivation.
BOOM.
I jump. Though I resist the urge to run to the bomb shelter again, Kagome notices the look on my face. She crumples into silent laughter, then pats my hand comfortingly. "It is loud." she signs kindly, "It's just... the look on your face..."
I give her what I hope is an endearing smile. She turns back to the television and I join her in watching a large musical number.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I look around to see a rumpled looking Miroku and Sango coming downstairs, holding hands. They both jump when they see Kagome and me sitting on the couch, dropping each others hands as though they just realized what they were doing.
"What're you doing here?" we all sign or say at the same time.
"We're watching a movie."
Miroku raises an eyebrow. "Right." He sulkily sits next to us, apparently very put out.
"Are you learning words from watching this, Inuyasha?" signs Sango, not bothering to speak.
"I guess." I sign. The woman on the screen says something as she's dragged into a pit of evil wild animals, "What does that mean then?" I ask out of pure curiosity.
"Help."
"That makes sense."
We watch as the woman kicks her assailants down there, all the while singing an inspirational song about empowerment. I snort indignantly. Like that would ever happen.
Thump. Thump. Thumpity thumpy thumpthump.
Souta comes running downstairs, closely followed by Kikyo and Dr. Higurashi.
He's completely and utterly naked.
Kagome jumps up, a look of pure terror and anguish on her face. She grabs her empty mug and one of my mother's magazines, then joins her family members in chasing the giggling little boy around the room.
She finally snatches him by a bony little elbow, then covering him up as well as she can with the magazine and coffee mug, she hands the struggling little boy to her furious mother.
I laugh so hard I nearly wet my pants.
Kagome curls herself up in a nearby armchair and pretends to be a cushion.
Still in stitches of laughter, I get up from the couch and walk over to where Kagome is in an embarrassment-induced coma.
"I'll...kill...him." she signs as soon as she regains enough composure to use sign language.
"We're even then." I declare, "You have you're little brother to your credit, I have the... thunder."
She grins up at me, "Deal."
I laugh to myself, then decide to be a host. When the Dr. Higurashi and Kikyo return, having licked Souta in the bathroom, I get up from the couch.
"Who wants breakfast?"
In less than five seconds flat, the room is empty. I suppose I really shouldn't cook anymore.