Chapter 28: And That's the Way it Goes
Inuyasha bounced happily to the loud techno music, along with Kagome. He was having one hell of a good time and even the loud music didn't bother his ears as much as before. As he jumped around he glanced at Kagome and seeing her enjoying herself by his side made him feel all strangely squishy inside, he hadn't seen her smile so much in his company and it felt extremely gratifying to know she was having fun.
The coloured strobe lights then changed and soon the ballroom was showered with bright, timed flashes. Confusion arose in Inuyasha, as he found himself watching Kagome move in sequence. Kagome squealed happily however, and began jumping around more energetically to the music. Inuyasha stood his ground and rubbed his eyes, looking up again and around the ballroom. Everyone was moving like that!
"Huh?"
He tried to wave his own hand in front of his face but he could only see it progress in a slow, series of movements. He shook his hand frantically.
"What the fuck is going on?" he shrieked. Kagome ceased to dance and stared at him questioningly.
"Are you okay, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha wheeled around to face her. "No!" he cried. "My eyes have gone all funny!"
He grabbed his hair and pulled at it desperately. Kagome glanced around at the flashing lights and at Inuyasha who looked extremely comical clutching at his hair. The lights made him appear like a crazy robot.
Finally the lights were replaced once again by the coloured strobe ones. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and tapped Inuyasha's shoulder lightly, which proved difficult due to the way he was tossing this way and that, hands full of his own hair.
"Uh…Inuyasha? It's alright now."
"Nooooo!...I've gone bliiiiiiiind!...Eh?" he glanced up. Seeing the flashy lights were indeed gone he straightened up and untangled his claws from his silvery mane.
"Oh."
OooOooOoo
The barman lined up the sixth round of shots for both Kagura and Sesshoumaru. The two demons narrowed their slightly hazy eyes at each other. Kagura hiccupped lightly and made a grab for the shot, lifting it up to her lips.
"Are you going to give up yet, Sesshoumaru?" She sneered, gazing at him, her eyes unfocused. Sesshoumaru smirked and downed his shot in one burning gulp.
"This Sesshoumaru never gives up."
Kagura gave a little laugh and swallowed her shot, slammed it down on the counter and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She glanced at Sesshoumaru and suddenly saw him double. She blinked rapidly and shook her head; she was determined to beat the great Lord of the Western Lands even if it was at something as insignificant as a drinking competition. She reached out blindly for the next shot, trying hard to make it look as though she were in complete control of all her limbs, when in fact she was close to toppling off the stool on which she was currently sitting.
Sesshoumaru watched her as her fingers brushed past the small glass and then fumble around clumsily before grabbing a hold of it. He smirked and with almost excessive ease, he leaned over and delicately lifted his shot from the counter and brought it to his lips, holding it completely steady. Although his vision was a little blurred, the rest of his senses were his guide, very handy in situations where he would find himself unable to see, be it by cause of poison spray or dense smoke.
Kagura cursed herself for being an offspring of Naraku. Having been born from filth, she would always be an inferior demon, despite being a full one. She threw back her head and gulped down the burning liquid. Putting the shot down, she wobbled slightly on her stool and she quickly placed a hand on the counter to steady herself. Sesshoumaru set his now empty glass on the bar and reached for another. He glanced at Kagura.
"Are you going to give up yet, Kagura?" He smirked, repeating her own question and using her name for the first time.
Kagura looked up and stared at the two Sesshoumarus bobbing in front of her. She blinked and they merged into one. She grinned, remembering his words from earlier on.
"This Kagura never gives up."
She raised a shot to her lips.
OooOooOooOoo
Naraku continued to dance around but this time, a little more cautiously than before, occasionally throwing glances around in case any one else tried to jump him. To calm his nerves, he turned to the only thing that would help him. Beer. After a few bottles of the stuff, he was feeling better…much better.
Naraku jumped up and down for a few minutes more, but stopped as he began to feel a little dizzy. He stumbled and his hands flew out to his sides to try and gain balance. Once he'd steadied himself he lifted his gaze and to his surprise he found his vision had blurred and merely blinking it away proved useless and shaking his head vigorously even more so, since it seemed to aggravate the pounding sensation in his temple. He held his hand up to his forehead and rubbed it.
"Ooooh…"
OooOooOooOoo
Kagome's feet were aching and so was every limb in her body. She looked down at her watch and with a jolt; she found it was past one in the morning. It was time to leave.
She tapped Inuyasha (who was still dancing like there was no tomorrow) on the shoulder and gesturing for him to come closer. The blaring music made it difficult to talk, so she leaned up to his ear.
"It's time to go!" she yelled, tapping her watch.
Inuyasha nodded. "Let's go find the others!" He shouted back.
Kagome followed him through the crowd until she heard a distinct voice yell out "HENTAI!" and a loud slap that rang out just above the music. Kagome grinned and pushed through the masses of people with Inuyasha until she reached Sango who was clearly fuming. Miroku was looking extremely sheepish and raised his hand to place it over his red cheek.
Kagome explained that it was time to leave so Sango and Miroku both volunteered to search for the others. Kagome turned to Inuyasha but to her surprise she found he wasn't there. Puzzled, she attempted to look for him, wondering where on earth he could have gotten to.
"Inuyasha!" she called out above the music. She took a deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth. "INUYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed.
"HEY!" yelled a gruff voice.
Kagome whipped around and spotted Inuyasha behind her with his hands over his ears and his eyes screwed shut. Kagome covered her mouth with a hand.
"Oops, sorry!"
Inuyasha removed his hands from his ears and wiggled the little white triangles around. Kagome began to giggle but stopped short when she noticed Kikyo floating beside Inuyasha, looking slightly sulky.
Kagome cleared her throat lightly. "So…I see you found Kikyo then."
Kikyo scoffed and crossed her arms. Inuyasha sniggered. "Keh! I found her trying to persuade some guy in black to go to hell with her. You shoulda seen the guy run!"
Kagome's eyes widened as she looked from Inuyasha to Kikyo. "Really?" she asked, her gaze fixed upon the priestess.
Kikyo shrugged.
Kagome struggled to keep her laughter in and with much effort she asked the both of them to follow her.
"Inuyasha," she began, once she had successfully bottled her amusement up, "Do you think you could sniff your brother out? I mean, who knows where he could be?"
Inuyasha stared at her incredulously. "What? Find his scent here! Are you nuts? There are like a bajillion smells in this freakin' place!"
Kagome sighed. She'd just have to do this the old fashioned, human way. She stomped off in search of Sesshoumaru and whoever was with him, and Kagome had an inkling as to who.
OooOooOooOoo
Sango and Miroku looked at each other apprehensively and then at the black haired hanyou who, by the way, was having some difficulty standing on his own two feet. Miroku was the one to take the initiative. He stepped forward.
"Erm…Naraku?" he asked awkwardly. Naraku stared at him stupidly. Miroku swallowed.
"We…have…to…go...now." He said slowly, hoping the alcohol hadn't greatly affected the demon's ability to process information. After a wobbling around on the spot, Naraku's confused expression changed and a broad grin appeared on his face.
"Okey dokey!" he cried, flinging his arms out and hugging the poor monk until nearly all the life was squeezed out of him. After abruptly letting go, Naraku happily skipped off and Sango decided quickly that it would be best to follow him, seeing that he was capable of causing more damage than the lecherous monk would. Miroku lay sprawled on the floor where Naraku had dropped him and was gulping in lungful after lungful of precious oxygen. After a couple of minutes he slowly got up, ignoring the pain in his ribs and proceeded to search for Sango.
OooOooOooOoo
Upon arriving at the bar, Kagome almost passed out with shock at the scene before her. The barman was placing yet another row of shots on the counter and Kagura and Sesshoumaru gulped down the burning liquid at an even pace. Their talking was limited now since the shots were appearing more readily than before, and disappearing just as much in addition to that. The barman had a broad grin on his face; he had been receiving a large amount of wagers for this. He had personally bet on the woman.
Kagome spun round to face Inuyasha. "Do something! Stop this!" she shrieked.
Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I ain't gonna do squat. If it means I'll be short of one brother then…"
Kagome cried out in exasperation. Why did everything have to go wrong now?
The slamming of a glass brought her attention back to the two demons sitting at the bar. Kagura was swaying more noticeably and her shoulders heaved with a belch. Sesshoumaru was looking no better but he seemed more in control than the female demon next to him. The both of them raised another shot to their lips and emptied the small glasses with no further ado. Kagura placed hers on the counter and blinked hard. She hiccupped and let out a groan before collapsing upon the smooth surface. She was finished. There were random cheers from the people that had gathered there to place their bets, not to mention groans from those who lost. Sesshoumaru set his own glass down calmly and smirked, ignoring his fading vision.
"I win."
And with that he slumped forward onto his arms, knocking one or two glasses over and remained immobile upon the counter. Kagome gasped and Inuyasha merely snorted.
"How are we going to get him to the hotel in that state?" Kagome shrieked. Things were not going well at all. Inuyasha simply shrugged.
"I say we leave him there." He grumbled. Kagome always had that particular habit of aiding anyone and everyone regardless of the fact that they didn't deserve any help at all. It was getting annoying. Kagome whipped round to face him and narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"You go and wake him. NOW." She hissed. Inuyasha swallowed hard and considered his options, he could say no and probably be slammed into the floor so hard he would reach the seventh circle of hell or…say yes and live with the memory of having helped his brother in his time of need. Tough one.
Inuyasha breathed a heavy sigh. "Keh. Fine." he grumbled. As Kagome went to Kagura's aid, Inuyasha neared himself to Sesshoumaru with all the reluctance in the world. He not too lightly thumped Sesshoumaru on the back in order to rouse him. The demon let out a grunt.
"C'mon ya bastard. I know beauty sleep is important to ya but we gotta leave."
Sesshoumaru lifted his head slowly off his arms and turned to stare at the hanyou groggily. He narrowed his eyes. Inuyasha took one apprehensive step back. Sesshoumaru stood up from his stool with much effort and swayed on the spot leaving Inuyasha unsure of whether to help steady him or run for cover. As the hanyou hesitated Kagome's voice cut abruptly through the air.
"Inuyasha! What are you waiting for?" she said impatiently. She had Kagura's arm slung around her shoulders as she supported the demoness. Inuyasha turned back to his brother, who wobbled perilously on his feet. The hanyou inched closer and took a firm hold on the demon's right arm, placing it around his shoulders and thus supporting Sesshoumaru's weight. Inuyasha puffed…his brother was heavier than he looked.
Kikyo was just staring at her nails and throwing dirty looks at Kagome. She heard a scuffling sound behind her and she turned around to find Naraku being held up on both sides by Sango and Miroku, both of whom were looking absolutely exhausted. Kikyo couldn't help a spiteful smile flood her features.
Naraku hiccupped noisily. "I don't wanna go yet!" he wailed childishly. At the sound of his voice, Kagome with much difficulty turned to the source and she almost cried with frustration upon seeing the completely inebriated state of the dark haired hanyou.
Naraku was completely unaware of the utter exasperation he had caused in Kagome, instead he flicked Miroku's little ponytail and chuckled.
"Heh heh. Boing."
Miroku sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha was finding it quite hard to keep him under control.
"I hate you. You stink!" Sesshoumaru said abruptly, wrinkling his nose. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows along with everyone else.
"Yeah, well…ya don't exactly smell sweet to me either." Inuyasha countered.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "I smell very very very good." He slurred, and jerked his head in Kagura's direction, grinning. "Ask her, she'd know."
Catching the last part of his barely understandable sentence Kagura turned crimson and hiccupped indignantly. "An jus' wazzat s'posed ta mean?" she garbled, pointing a finger at the dog demon.
Sesshoumaru waggled his perfect eyebrows at her. "Whaddya think it means, witch?"
Kagura crimson complexion turned a shade darker and she hiccupped again.
Naraku suddenly shrieked with laughter, scaring the living daylights out of Sango and Miroku and almost causing them to lose their hold on him. Naraku gasped for air.
"Ooooooooh! Kagura lovesSesshnomanu…wait…Sneshumano…no wait…Sesssss…ah whatever." Finished Naraku, looking slightly confused.
"No I don't!" said Kagura quickly, leaning further into Kagome for support. Sesshoumaru was chuckling to himself giving Inuyasha cause to feel a more than a little unnerved.
Kagome groaned loudly. "Please, let's just get to the hotel!" and she began to lead the way.
Inuyasha walked behind Kagome and Naraku, Miroku and Sango followed, Kikyo was last, bobbing up and down sulkily. Kagome noticed that the music was coming to an end and many screams (mostly female) were echoing from the crowd. She slowly turned around so that Kagura wouldn't get too dizzy, and squinted. She spotted Kouga throwing himself from the DJ stand and being caught by a multitude of fan girls, while Ayame followed jealously attempting to find a way to get to him.
"Whoa, thanks girls! You can put me down here now!" Kouga yelled above the cheers. He was dropped to the ground just beside Kikyo. Ayame huffed towards him and scowled and as the crowd dissolved she took the opportunity to scold him.
Kagome shook her head lightly and started moving. Sesshoumaru stumbled along inelegantly, chuckling at anything and everything he found on the way, and that included Inuyasha's face. One look at the hanyou's irritated expression and he was off again, furthering Inuyasha's annoyance. What was worse, Naraku decided it would be fun to crash (along with Miroku and Sango) into the two brothers and sending them all to the floor in a tangle. Miroku and Sango painfully got to their feet and attempted to grab a hold of the uncontrollable Naraku. Sesshoumaru groaned and rubbed his elbow, it being what he had landed on but Inuyasha on the other hand, flew to his feet with an angry snarl. He reluctantly helped Sesshoumaru up who in turn growled drunkenly at Naraku.
"You find that funny, imbecile?"
Naraku wiped a tear from his eye and grinned evilly. "Very."
Sesshoumaru gave Naraku a push, making Miroku and Sango let go abruptly for fear of their own lives. Naraku glared at Sesshoumaru. "Don't push me." He said darkly.
"Oh?"
Sesshoumaru pushed him again, apparently entertained.
"Hey! Stopit!" Naraku cried, getting upset.
"Hmph, you wanna make something of it?" Sesshoumaru drawled, giving Naraku one last push. Naraku opened his mouth to retort but a strange gurgling sound left his belly. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. Naraku skin became tinged with green and he swayed dangerously on the spot. Kagome's eyes popped,
"Uh-oh…quick! Kikyo! Take him outside! He's gonna be sick!" She shrieked. Kikyo grudgingly grabbed a hold of Naraku's arm and dragged him out of the dance academy. Kagome wiped her moist forehead with the back of her hand and started walking.
OooOooOooOoo
The cool night air whipped across their faces and carried the sound of…Naraku's retching from the bushes.
"BLEEEURRRGH! Pantpant GAAAAAAACK!"
Sweat poured down Naraku's face as he threw up. Kikyo stood beside him and screwed up her nose in disgust as she patted him on the back.
Kagome waited patiently for him to empty his stomach of all its contents and when he finally straightened up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve shakily, she set off with the others in her wake to the Yoru Hotel.
When they arrived they climbed the stairs and went to their rooms, boys to one suite and girls to the other.
Inuyasha heaved Sesshoumaru along trying to ignore the raspberries the said demon was blowing in his ear. The hanyou reached the nearest bed and dumped his elder brother on it who fell asleep almost immediately and was soon lightly snoring.
Naraku stumbled into the room, still pale, and raced to the bathroom slamming the door behind him and proceeded to throw up violently into the toilet. Miroku was the next to enter and he threw himself into the luxurious bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. Kouga swaggered in soon afterwards and decided to head for the kitchenette for a snack…or breakfast seeing that it was now two in the morning.
Inuyasha jumped into bed and lay there staring at the ceiling. He heard the bathroom door open and caught the sound of a groan as Naraku stepped out clutching his stomach. The black haired hanyou trudged to his bed and collapsed upon it, soon falling into an uneasy sleep. Inuyasha closed his eyes and grunted as he turned to his side.
"Last one to go to bed turns all the lights off!" He called out from his pillow. He failed to see the glare Kouga was giving him as he left the kitchen, a packed of Doritos in his hand.
Kouga grumbled to himself as he went to switch the lights off before he too went to bed.
Soon, Sesshoumaru's heavy breathing became the only sound audible in the room and the only sound that irritated Inuyasha, who grabbed a pillow and flung it at Sesshoumaru's head. The hanyou smiled as a grunt made it clear that he had hit his target.
OooOooOooOoo
Meanwhile in the girls' room, Kagome was having a hard time getting an inebriated Kagura into bed.
"Why does that demon have to be so damn hot?" slurred Kagura as Kagome tried to push her onto a bed. Kagome was certain the demon being mentioned was Sesshoumaru.
"He thinks he's so clever…that arrogant bastard…" she muttered as she allowed Kagome to tuck her in. "…but I still like him…"she mumbled and added something rather incoherent before finally falling asleep. Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow and then threw herself into bed. The other girls were all asleep (apart from Kikyo who was hovering somewhere in the area of the bathroom) and the lights were still on. Kagome sighed and got up to switch them off. She lay down in her comfortable bed and fell into a deep slumber.
OooOooOooOoo
The next morning, everyone got changed into their normal attire, that is, their feudal era clothes (apart from Kagome), and waited for Kagome to call for a minibus to take them to the Higurashi shrine.
Sesshoumaru as usual hid behind his calm, cool, indifference while on the inside he nursed a painful throbbing in his temple and an inexplicable dryness in his throat. He absolutely refused to ask for water. Kagura felt no better than he did, and in addition to that, she had no recollection whatsoever of the previous night while Sesshoumaru on the other hand had it fresh in his mind. He felt utterly humiliated every time he thought back on his appalling and childish behaviour.
Naraku was feeling better though, but he looked a little apprehensive when he caught sight of the minibus as he followed everyone out of the Yoru Hotel. However, this time he was provided with a sick bag for the journey.
Kagome made sure everybody was in the minibus before getting into it herself. She stared at the Yoru Hotel for a minute and smiled softly.
"We had fun, didn't we Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha blinked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Keh! If you say so."
Fun for him was watching his older brother fight the hangover he was currently experiencing and seeing his enemy Naraku bent over a sick bag. But Kagome was right. He did enjoy himself that week, and he had also learnt new things, met new people and spent time with the ones he cared most about. Suddenly it occurred to him that it wasn't all about the competing or the winning, it was about being there and having a memorable time where friends were your friends and enemies weren't your enemies.
And if it's with Kagome, then everything's gonna be okay. He thought as the minibus' engine revved up and the Yoru Hotel, along with the Dance Academy disappeared from view.
THE END
A/N: Yes. It is done. I'm SO TERRIBLY SORRY for the million billion year wait, but I haven't had internet for almost two months and plus I caught a stomach virus that's going around so I've been in bed for a while. Don't worry ppl this isn't the END END just THE END. I still have an epilogue left to write. Please read and review!
