---Road to an Eternity of Wars---
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho and anything else that seems related to any other copyright item/game.
-Yawn-, let's just get this up before I fall asleep, Kay?
Chapter 7: A Fun Filled-ish day
In The Park…
Botan wiped off a little sweat as she swung her scythe at the last youkai, successfully slicing his head off.
((OK! I seriously don't know how you fight with a scythe! So…I'm going to use it sorta like a staff/sword and stuff. Deal with it if you don't like it. Hehehe. Lol))
They had been chatting while getting a little 'workout' at the park from a group of demons that had escaped Makai.
Keiko paused to catch her breath, then waiting for Miroku to finish purifying the battle area, then plopped down onto the grass, "So…You're saying that Midoriko told us that we had to attend a tournament of some sort?"
"Yeah" Sango agreed, "I think it was called the dark tournament…"
Botan, Keiko, and Yukina gasped.
"What?"
Botan explained to them what the dark tournament was and what the rules were and the changes they had added to the whole place and things this year.
"Ok then…at least we now know what to expect?" Kagome asked questionably, trying to make the best out of what they just found out.
"I guess so…" Miroku replied.
"I can't believe it! This means that Yusuke's going to be in it too! We're going to have to fight them more than once!" Keiko exclaimed.
"Ok guys, this means that they're going to try and make some excuse to get away for…what was it again? Two months? Yeah…and we're going to have to play along with it by the attitude we usually go by. After that, let's all get in cloaks and conceal our scents, aura and all and use other names" Sango suggested.
Kagome stared at her, bug-eyed.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Kagome shook her head, "No, I'm just surprised that you could come up with that plan in 2 minutes…"
"I agree with Kagome-sama!" Miroku added in.
"That seems like a good idea," Yukina told them.
"Yeah! And we can do other things along the way" Botan said.
"So this…hawk-like demon is going to be giving us our invitations?" Miroku questioned.
"Yes" she answered.
Just then, a portal opened up beside them and the girls (And boy!) backed away a little, on defense.
A lizard demon stepped out and faced them, "Kagome Higurashi, Sango Taijiya, Yukina Jaganashi, Keiko Yukimura and Botan Reaper?" ((Last names used for school!))
"That's us!" the girls chorused.
The green demon turned to them, "You have all been invited to the dark tournament-"
"Hey! Wait a minute! You're not the hawk demon who's supposed to tell us!" Sango cried out accusingly.
"Yes, but he's sort of…busy right now" the lizard rolled his eyes, pointedly shifting his head to the other side of the portal. Dimly, you could see the faint outline of a bird youkai, getting beat up by another demon, shouting something about notifying them too late about a tournament.
The lizard demon continued, "As you can see, due to…circumstances, we were unable to notify you sooner about this event. By failure to join, you will be putting your loved ones in danger. The dark tournament starts in a week. Meet at the docking port to sail to Hang Man's Island"
And with that, he walked back into the portal. Sadly, before it closed though, you could sort of see a blast of energy just about to hit the hawk demon, when the lizard stepped through and took the hit unintentionally, killing him…
The Higurashi Shrine…
The group sat their selves down at the polished table in the kitchen.
"So…" Keiko started, effectively breaking the silence that hung thickly in the air, but the tension still remained.
"I guess we'll be going then…?" Botan asked.
"Yeah…I recall Midoriko talking about this in the dream" Sango thought out loud.
"Hm…so we still go with the plan we created earlier?" Kagome questioned.
"Hai…I suppose so" Yukina responded.
"So…what will I be doing? Staying at the shrine?" Miroku pondered.
"I think you'll have to, seeing that we have to go and someone has to stay behind and make up a PROPER excuse for our absence, while still taking notes for us to study from" Kagome said, emphasizing the word proper, thinking back to her grandpa before he died.
The girls, hearing about Kagome's tale, agreed heartily on this.
"We need all the training we can get" Keiko suggested.
"Yes…we need to prepare a lot," Botan agreed.
"Well, since it's the weekend, we can just invite those boys over to play a bit before going. The guys would probably need training, but Yusuke and Kuwabara could never resist games and Hiei could go for some ice-cream…Kurama, I think would just go with them to make sure that they wouldn't do anything too rash, although they always did something like that. Besides, I think he'd most likely want to go to see you"
"Whaa-What? " Kagome replied, thinking about Kurama a little bit. She admitted (Not openly!) that she was a little attracted to him. Just a little… Kagome blushed.
Yukina, Keiko, Botan, and Sango snuck each other looks and while Kagome wasn't looking, signaled to each other to meet in Yukina's bedroom after dinner, when Kagome said she would take a little nap to regain energy tonight.
"So…whose turn is it to make dinner tonight?" Keiko wondered.
"Um…yesterday Kagome did it, so that would mean that it's…my turn" Sango worked out, "Well then, I guess it's time to make dinner, see you guys"
"We should go do things that we need to do before going to sleep" Miroku gestured.
After Dinner…
"Hey guys, I think I'll go try some training and meditating exercises in my sleep now. You can do whatever too so; I'll see you tomorrow! Oh, and maybe I'll pay a visit to Genkai tomorrow. Grandma might want a little visit" Kagome told them, and left the room quickly as to not waste any time.
"Goodnight, Kagome" the girls called out, and then walked into Yukina's room.
Miroku went to sleep a while ago.
Keiko and Botan openly gawked, while Yukina had a look of shock in her eyes.
"Genkai is Kagome's grandma?" Botan asked Sango.
She shrugged, "I think so, maybe that's why she was a little shocked when you told her that her cousin Yusuke was being taught by Genkai"
"I suppose" Yukina joined in.
"Yusuke…that reminds me that he skipped class yesterday!" Keiko fumed.
"Calm down Keiko, we're here to discuss Kagome, remember?" Sango laughed.
"Oh yeah…so who here thinks Kurama is perfect?" she snickered.
The girls raised their hands in agreement.
"I think she just needs a little push here and there," Yukina giggled.
"Then it's settled. Kagome and Kurama. Oh! This is going to be so much fun!" Keiko announced.
The Next Day…
Keiko was walking down the street when her communicator rang.
Everyone else seemed pretty busy that day. They were going to go back home later and call the guys. Right now though, everyone was off doing their own thing.
"Hello?" Keiko answered the ringing.
"Hey Keiko! It's Sango! Kagome told me that she sensed a demon in the park nearby, saying it was pretty large and could be a threat. She told me she would of taken care of it, but Genkai would've probably been suspicious if she got to the temple late. She's hardly ever late so…"
"Oh, ok! I guess I'll meet you there then?"
"Yeah! I could call Botan, but she's working right now" Sango answered.
"Sure then! Give me a minute"
"Ok. Stupid youkai…what makes them so drawn to the park all the time?" Sango muttered, mostly to herself.
Keiko giggled and turned off the communicator, running off to the nearby park.
At the Park…
Keiko arrived at the park to find that Sango hadn't come yet. Spotting the youkai, the stepped up to it, "Hey! You're going to die! You're not supposed to be here!"
The oni grunted and turned around to her. Clearly, it wasn't very intelligent, but it still was a threat, so Keiko had to get rid of it.
"You will die, ningen!" The large demon unsheathed a sword strapped to the side of his waist ((Which, if you looked, didn't really look like his waist. He sort of looked like a walking glob…)) and charged at Keiko, who shifted into a defensive stance.
At this point, Sango arrived and watched. She would leave this simple fight to Keiko.
But then, as the oni was charging, he tripped over his own feet…
The lower level demon fell on his face with a loud THUMP and the two girls sweat dropped.
Keiko stifled a giggle. The oni stood back up, steadying him a little bit, "You will not laugh at this Yishi!" he roared, before charging again, this time slipping on a stray leaf and slipping backwards, landing on the ground once again, a crack was heard from his spine, which they never even knew he had one.
The oni groaned in dismay. Sango couldn't take it anymore. She fell anime style and started laughing her head off.
"What type of demon are you…?" Keiko questioned.
Still on the ground, "A slug demon" he answered proudly.
Keiko's sweat drop grew even bigger as she just took out one of her daggers and tossed it where she assumed his head was. In a moment, he was dead.
Brushing some dirt and grass off her clothing, Sango walked over with an amused look on her face, clearly showing that she wasn't expecting this…demon to be that clumsy.
Keiko turned to her approaching friend, "That was awkward…"
"Yeah…I never knew demons like this existed" Sango laughed.
"Yeah…at slug demon at that too…we'll it's time to get back to the shrine, ne?" she smiled.
Sango checked her watch, "Hai, it's already 3:00"
Walking side-by-side, the two girls took their route home.
Route To Genkai's Temple…
Kagome whistled as she strolled down to Genkai's temple, a slightly small sack slung over her shoulder, bits of green herbs sticking out of the opening.
"Stairs…" she muttered absently, thinking if her grandma had changed since the last time she had saw her, which was when she was around 13 years old.
Having great stamina, the miko jogged up, not even breaking a sweat. She sensed that a few others were inside, most likely the boys.
Taking a deep breath in, Kagome lightly yelled out, "GRANDMA! I'VE COME FOR A VISIT!"
Inside Genkai's Temple…
Genkai, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Yukina were all sitting down sipping tea and discussing about the dark tournament. Well, Genkai, Yukina, and Kurama were drinking the tea. She had been told about their sneaking around in the Higurashi shrine and the additions to the tournament.
"So dimwit, this means that I'll be the 5th member?" Genkai asked.
"Yes, if that would be no trouble, that is" Kurama responded politely. He didn't want to push Genkai, but at the same time, they really needed that 5th member…
"Fine then. Someone has to keep you out of trouble anyways"
"HEY!" Yusuke and Kuwabara retorted.
Genkai just snorted.
"So you will be going to the dark tournament again," Yukina questioned.
"Yeah, don't worry, Koenma will pick you up again to watch" Yusuke told her.
Yukina's eyes slightly darkened at the comment. Everyone in the room took note of that.
"Ok then"
Before anyone could ask more on the subject, a loud yell was heard in the front of the temple.
"GRANDMA! I'VE COME FOR A VISIT!"
"Who was that?" Kuwabara asked quizzically.
"Oh, it looks like my granddaughter has come"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Yusuke nearly screamed.
Kurama and Hiei rubbed their ears in annoyance. Sensitive hearing could have its downsides.
"Yes. Yukina? Could you answer the door and bring her in please?"
Yukina nodded and left the room.
"You, Yusuke, came from her mom's side and I'm from her dad's"
"I've never seen Yukina's eyes like that before. They've changed a lot. Ever since that day the girls came back from shopping. Although, I don't really believe that it was shopping then…" Kurama mentioned.
"Yeah…" Yusuke pondered.
"Hn" Hiei was flaring inside. Did someone do something to hurt her?
They would've continued the conversation, but at that moment, Yukina walked in, followed by Kagome.
"Grandma! It's so great to see you again! How are you doing?" she exclaimed, running up to the pink-haired woman and hugging her tightly before letting go.
"Hello Kagome. I'm just fine. I was wondering what became of you over the past few years"
"Kagome?" Yusuke shouted.
"Hey Yusuke! What are you doing here?" she turned around and hugged him too.
"I'm here for a visit," he said, not explaining anything else. Kagome decided not to push on the matter, besides, she already knew anyways. Training, what else? But he clearly didn't want to train.
"Would you like some tea, Kagome?" Yukina asked.
"Sure! Thanks. Oh! Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara! Nice to see you!"
"Hello Kagome" Kurama responded, smiling. She blushed on impulse and looked down so nobody would see the tint in her cheeks.
"Hn"
"Hey" Kuwabara told her.
"Oh yeah! I was going to bring these to you! I thought you might like them because you live at a shrine. Especially picked from my garden" Kagome turned to Genkai, handing the bag to her in the process.
'She didn't have a garden yesterday when we visited…' everyone thought with confusion.
Genkai untied the little parcel and spread to content on the floor to examine them, but secretly giving the 4 spirit detectives a look too so they could figure out their thoughts.
'Impossible! These became extinct 500 years ago too! Could this do with the barrier we couldn't get through?' Kurama thought.
Yusuke took a glance at Kurama; 'He seems very shocked, could this do with that barrier yesterday?'
Kuwabara gazed at Yusuke and Kurama, 'Barrier and garden, right? Wahh…Yukina…'
Hiei read Kurama's mind, 'There's something more about the onnas that I didn't take notice of a month ago… ((Kagome and Sango))
Kagome didn't seem to notice any of their expressions, but turned around to Yukina and smiled at her.
'These herbs…but they've been extinct a long while back…' Genkai thought, her eyes widening a little.
"Well, I was wondering if you guys wanted to stay over at my house for the night and have a little fun. Just tonight, what do you think?"
The boys paused a little to think about their training schedule. It wouldn't hurt to take a night off to have some fun before they had to get serious. Hiei really didn't care.
"Why not?" Yusuke snorted, "I'm up for a night of partying" he added in, trying his hardest to hide most of his excitement of staying over at his cousin's house, witch somehow had received TONS of VIDEO GAMES.
"If Urameshi will, then I will" Kuwabara announced.
"I don't see why not. I'll have to contact my mother from there though"
Genkai decided to stay at the temple though.
"I'll be right back," Yukina told them politely, walking out of the room. She was going to go somewhere private to contact the three other girls and tell them that there was no need to phone the guys to ask.
She then came back into the room.
Walking out of the temple, the group walked to the Higurashi shrine, idly thinking of their separate things.
The Higurashi Shrine…
They arrived to find that Botan had somehow managed to sneak out of Koenma's office for this night off. Sango and Keiko had set up some snacks and drinks already and had placed sleeping bags all over the living room floor.
"Hi guys!" Botan exclaimed cheerily.
"Hey Keiko, Botan, Sango" Kurama, Yukina, Yusuke, and Kagome replied.
Hiei left off with an "Hn" and Kuwabara with a dazed look on his face.
The curiosity getting the better of him, Yusuke glanced around the room, "This is a multi-millionaire house! Where the hell did you get all this money and why didn't you share it with me, your COUSIN?" Yusuke whined.
"I just recently earned this money Yusuke" Kagome smiled, "Besides, I wouldn't want you wasting all of it now" she joked.
"Hey!"
They all settled down in the sleeping bags. Kurama in the green one, Kagome in the white one, Sango in the red one, Miroku in the purple one, Keiko with the orange, Botan with the pink, Yusuke in the yellow, and Kuwabara settled into the blue sleeping bag. Hiei claimed he didn't need such 'ningen items' which caused the boys ((Excluding Miroku)) to give a warning glance at him and the girls to be either feigning innocence or glaring.
The large group talked for a while until Kurama and the other 3 detectives told them solemnly that they would have to leave for 2 months because their boss told them that they had to go away on a business trip.
The girls then put up their 'acts' and the guys fell for it 100 percent.
Botan, Yukina, and Keiko got the 'point' while Sango and Kagome just wished good luck while giving looks to Keiko as to 'why was she crying?' and why was Yukina and Botan looking quite depressed.
Perfect. Now all they needed to do was train and put on their cloaks. Then, when they were discovered, then they were, well, discovered.
"So…I made a box of activities to do while you girls were gone," Botan and Keiko cheered.
She reached out for the small silver, metal box to her right. Opening it, the contents revealed small pieces of written-on paper, supposedly filled with suggestions of some sort.
"Each sheet of paper is filled with a game idea. There are over 30 games in here. One of you will have to draw out a sheet to decide the game we'll be playing now," Botan explained.
"Who wants to draw?" Keiko asked.
When no one answered, Kurama just shrugged and reached his hand into the box quickly, but unsurely. What could be so bad anyways?
Taking out a random smooth strip, he brought it to his face and read it slowly. The rest of the group seemed to stop breathing. What could be so bad to them? I don't know, maybe the mischievous glint in Keiko, Sango, and Botan's eyes…
Kurama stood there, stunned. What kind of stuff did they put into this box!
"So…?" Yusuke asked hesitantly. He had a bad feeling about the game Kurama just drew.
The red-haired boy glanced up at Yusuke,
"Spin the bottle"
Hey! What do you think? Huh? Huh? Read and Review onegai! And it's all part of the matchmaker's plans...lol
Ok then, until next time!
Ja-ne!