Disclaimer: I do not own the series, "InuYasha" or any of the characters. All of them are of copywrite to Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I do own are Emeri, Korei, Hiromi, and Tetsuya.
Teenage Games
Embarrassment on High
Chapter 3: A Teenage Girl's Biggest Social Problem
The echo of 'three!' rang high in her mind. She wondered, had it worked? Had the theory of powering subjugation beads with Kagome's energy passed? Though, the only way to see if the mere thought could be made as the official way of letting everyone go through the well was by their actual sight. But, the thing was, was that Kagome was just too afraid and insecure to open her eyes. It was until she realized that her arms were still holding the little daemon fox child she had known and loved for many months.
Slowly, so as not to be too hasty with joy, Kagome opened her eyes. At first, near pitch black was all around, and nothing could be seen. Silence was so deafening, that it made Kagome's stomach curl into knots as each passing second came and went. That was, until Inuyasha broke the silence.
"How long are you going to stand down there? Miroku and Sango are already up here." His sentence had made the junior high student shoot her head up towards the opening of the well. With the daylight sneaking in through the open parts of the main doors in the well house, Inuyasha's hair glistened.
Smiling, Kagome reached for the ladder. "I'm coming, don't get your hair all up in knots," she said leisurely. The small amount of weight in her arms was lifted, and a tannish colored ball of fur flew onto Inuyasha's shoulder.
"So this is Kagome's home? Kinda of cramped, y'know," Shippou said while looking around. "It's really dark too."
Inuyasha's fist was thoroughly planted on the fox kit's head before another derogatory comment came out from his mouth. "Would ya shut up, Shippou! This ain't Kagome's house!" The half-daemon's eyebrows were furrowed tightly knit as a glare flared out from his eyes.
"I certainly hoped it wasn't, or we had traveled all this way for almost nothing." You could hear the soft clinks made from the hoops on Miroku's staff as he walked around.
"Kagome-chan, these doors are to the outside, yes?" Her silhouette could only be seen at the entranceway if someone were to look at Sango.
"Well, uhh, there's no other way of getting out of here except for the well itself. So yeah." Kagome could only smile at her girl friend, as she climbed over the lip of the dry, wooden well. Her eyes quickly shut as the sunlight came pouring in the moment Sango opened the doors. Note to self: never stay in darkness for more than a minute if you want to not suffer retina burn.
As Miroku, Shippou, and Sango took their first steps into the near 20th Century Era of Japan, it wasn't much a culture shock for them. Until they looked off into the horizon. "Kagome-chan, what exactly are those out there?" Sango looked warily at her friend, and pointed towards the tiny roofs of houses off miles away.
Kagome could only just stable the smile she threw on while still inside the well house. "Those are homes people live in. Or the roofing of them anyway." She soon shook her head before tugging Sango's arm toward her house. "But that's besides the point, what I need to do is for you guys to come with me, okay?"
"Y-yes," was all that Sango could respond with before she was dragged off once again. Looking at her male friends with a pleading expression, she got no helping looks back. Shippou was too enamored with everything around him, Inuyasha was following with a nonchalant look, while ignoring any and all things directed to him, and Miroku just gave a shrug with a helpless expression. This made Sango growl, but only very softly, so she wouldn't distract Kagome's attention. Thank you so very much for your gracious offerings of rescue. Jerks.
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"Hey, hey! Tetsuya, the drinks stay on the table! You don't move them!"
"And what good does that do? You know someone else is gonna move them when ya ain't lookin'." A young man about 6 feet in height, plopped himself down on the couch, a Cola held firmly in his hand. A short fizz sound came from the can before he began guzzling down the beverage like a dehydrated horse in the middle of desert.
Emeri spat, "look, I don't care what'll happen later. I just know that seeing as we're finishing up the preparations for the party, I want everything where I want them to be." Out of pure habit, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted left and right, supervising for anything she hadn't planned on.
"You realize that that ending sentence made no sense, whatsoever."
"Oh just shut up!"
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"Tadaima!" Kagome kicked off her shoes as she sped upstairs to get herself ready. Unfortunately, she left her culture-shocked friends back at the door, leaving them to the hands of Mrs. Higurashi, Souta, and the superstitious grandfather.
First to greet them was Kagome's mother. In all smiles, Mrs. Higurashi came out from the kitchen, rubbing her hands on her apron to clean them. "Hello, everyone. I'm guessing that you all are Kagome's friends from the past?" Without much thought, the kindred woman spotted the teenaged boy with the fluffy white ears. "Oh, I see you are here too, Inuyasha-kun."
Shippou nearly broke out in a laugh at the honorific Inuyasha received to his name. Catching this, Inuyasha glared at the little daemon boy shortly after nodding to Kagome's mother. "Uh-umm… My name is Sango. Nice to meet you," Sango greeted shyly. She bowed deeply out of nervousness, and being taught to be polite to anyone new she meets.
"The same to you, Sango-san," Mrs. Higurashi responded. She looked at Shippou and Miroku, smiling shortly after looking them over. "May I ask your names?"
Stepping forward before bowing to the woman, Miroku introduced himself. "They call me Miroku. I am a devoted monk under the name of Buddha." A small snort instinctively came from Inuyasha, making the delinquent monk shoot a quick glare towards the half-daemon.
"And I'm Shippou!" A childish grin spread across the fox child's face as he lept onto Sango's shoulder. "I'm a fox daemon, and a real strong one too!" He boasted to Mrs. Higurashi, puffing out his chest in hopes of making himself look manlier. Unfortunately, the only thing he could get was a small slip into Sango's arms.
Watching the childlike innocence resonate from Shippou made Kagome's mother smile even more. She missed seeing such innocence in her home, especially in her youngest. They always grow up too fast. But it seems this one has yet to join along in fashion of straying away. She walked over to him, and shook his small hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shippou-kun." A nod was given to Miroku shortly after her greeting to the fox boy. While standing upright, and able to get a closer look at her daughter's friends, Mrs. Higurashi soon had an idea spark in her mind. She walked over to the base of the stairwell, looking up towards the ceiling. "Kagome?"
A small pause of silence came before Kagome could finally answer. "Yes, Mama?"
"Are you bringing, Sango-san, Miroku-san, Shippou-kun, and Inuyasha-kun with you to the party?"
"Well, um, yeah. Why do you ask?" Kagome soon popped her head over the railing at the top of the stairs. From what could be seen, her hair was already tied up in a bun, or in the least, a ponytail.
Taking a few steps up, Mrs. Higurashi began speaking a lower volume. "What do you think about dressing your friends up for it? Don't you girls nowadays where Western style clothes?"
"Well, most of us, but I don't want to give them too much of a culture shock."
"But you might as well try it out. There's no way of knowing until you get first-hand experience."
Thinking it over for another moment, Kagome finally agreed to it. "All right, could you send Sango-chan up for me?"
"Yes, dear." Thus, Mrs. Higurashi walked back over to the Inu-gumi. "Sango-san?"
"Yes, ma'am?" Sango was currently positioned on the floor, Shippou slowly growing drowsy in her lap.
"Kagome would like you to go upstairs for something."
"Yes, ma'am." Slowly, Sango got up, took off her sandals, and climbed the staircase. Though, she was slightly distracted from the fact that the staircase was so cramped.
Mrs. Higurashi looked over at her daughter's male friends. "Now, if you gentlemen would follow me." Motioning with her hand, Kagome's mother walked towards the sliding door on the right, entering into the room with Miroku and Inuyasha in tow.
----
"U-um, Kagome-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Are you really sure that this is a good choice? Maybe something longer will work better."
"Sango-chan, this is the longest I've got."
"What!" Standing in the middle of Kagome's room, Sango blushed from embarrassment. She was quite stiff while moving slightly. Her eyes had rested upon the large mirror near Kagome's bedroom door. She was wearing a knee-length, navy blue skirt, with a satin white blouse. From anyone's view, they could tell that the clothing choice was horrible. "But this skirt is terribly too short for anyone!"
Kagome held in a giggle while she sat at her vanity desk, playing with certain styles for her hair. "Sango-chan, in my time, girls would comment that that skirt is too long." Suddenly at her closet, Kagome shuffled through her various articles of clothing. "I think I might have the perfect dress for you. It's near ankle length, and a great color!" And as soon as she finished her sentence, Kagome pulled out the dress she had been searching for.
"It's," Sango paused while gazing at it. "Quite pretty."
----
"I think I've done a miraculous job, don't you?"
"Uh… Sure."
"Though, these garments are quite close to the skin, are they not?" Miroku pulled at the long-sleeved, button up shirt's collar. He shuffled around slightly, giving a feel of the khakis around his legs. "My robes are much more spacious than these… What do you call them?" He lifted his head towards Mrs. Higurashi.
"Khaki pants, Miroku-san," she responded, smiling. As Miroku went back to testing the clothing, Kagome's mother turned her attention toward her dear daughter's best friend. She could instantly catch the annoyance in Inuyasha's face. Despite feeling slight disappointment from his reaction to the clothing, Mrs. Higurashi smiled at him. "Do they fit well?"
Inuyasha could not help but make a deeper scowl. "Not really, they're too snug. I can't move my legs without feeling some of the areas of these small hakama tighten around me. Also, these kimonos are weird. The sleeves are too small, and there's no opening in the front." It was the most animated complaint the hanyou boy had ever given, by anyone's experience with him. His hands moved about around the sleeves of his long-sleeved t-shirt to the hem of the denim jeans.
The feeling of disappointment had long since disappeared from Mrs. Higurashi's heart. She let out a small, soft giggle while moving toward the young man. She tugged at the collar of the t-shirt with one hand, carrying Shippou in the other. "I'm sure you will grow used to these clothes, they were my late husband's. I think he was around the age of Miroku-san when he wore these clothes."
"My condolences," Miroku said, bowing his head and giving a prayer in the process. Inuyasha just nodded quietly, holding a look of guilt in his face suddenly.
Waving her hand, Mrs. Higurashi kept her smile prominent. "I thank you, but you don't need to act so kindly to someone you've only just met."
"He was the father of one of my dear friends. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't offer some sort of solace for him." An actual pure-hearted smile appeared on Miroku's lips. Seeing this, Inuyasha raised his eyebrow at it.
"I thank you again, Miroku-san." Mrs. Higurashi bowed, shortly straightening her skirt afterward. "And if you two are now ready, I think it is time I go check on Kagome and Sango-san."
"I shall accompany you, Higurashi-sama." Almost like clockwork, a lecherous grin soon replaced the smile. Silently, Inuyasha shook his head in disgust.
"That's not necessary, but I thank you once again." Seemingly oblivious, Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter's philosophical companion. She once again reached the foot of the staircase, looking up towards the ceiling. "Kagome! Are you and Sango-san ready?"
"Um, yeah! Just one more minute!" Kagome stammered back.
"Quit lollygagging! We ain't gonna wait forever!"
"Who asked you, Inuyasha!" From her sudden change of tone, one could almost see the scowl on Kagome's face.
"What did you say! I dare you to say it again!" A near snarl erupted from the hanyou boy's throat.
"Inuyasha, just calm down. There is no reason to be so anxious." Miroku rested his hand on his dog-eared companion. A growl that quickly rose from Inuyasha made Miroku take his hand back and tuck it behind his back. "If you wish to act like this, I advise you to go outside. This is Higurashi-sama's home, and it deserves not to be destroyed."
Inuyasha just spat at his religious friend, "just shut up, Miroku. I don't want to hear your stupid ramblings."
Miroku stuck out his index finger to make a 'matter-of-factly' gesture. "Oh, but I assure you that you may need to hear my 'incoherent talk'."
"And I'm telling ya-"
"What are you two arguing about?" asked Kagome. With hearing her voice, the two young men turned their heads (with Inuyasha, his entire body) to see the young girl. Though, what met their eyes wasn't the sight of a junior high school girl, but Sango. Feeling slightly awkward with such a short-sleeved dress, an apparent blush was stained across her cheeks. The dress itself was cotton made, black, and ankle-length. The rare Japanese beauty that many girls in such day and age had definitely brought out in Sango. Her hair was loose, with just a hairclip of a cherry blossom stuck in the hair near her bangs.
Reaching the foot of the stairs, Sango noticed Miroku's long, glazed over stare at her. She could only blush more, the embarrassment rising high. "D-do I look odd?"
Kagome came in, resting on the railing while two steps away from the foot of the stairs. "You never looked better, Sango-chan," she said casually with a smile. "And I have a nice accessory jacket that'll make the dress look more casual. It's in the closet over in the foyer." For Kagome's wear, it had a much more informal sense. Her skirt was pure white and knee-length; the tank top being a floral pink, and lacy at the neckline as well as the straps; and a denim jacket to even it out. She tossed a lock of hair away while going through the foyer closet.
"Um, Kagome-chan, it's all right. I don't need any more of your clothes! Please! There is no need." For Sango, it was enough to just be wearing something as comfortable and wonderful as the dress her friend lent.
"Nonsense!" Kagome turned around holding out a thin, pink, short-sleeved jacket. "Now this will make you look more laid-back." She then helped Sango into the small accessory jacket, the thought of time flying straight out of her mind.
"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi chimed.
"Yes, Mama?" Kagome looked up at her mother.
"The time," she responded, pulling out a pocket watch, which flipped open. The hands in it were set exactly on 3:57. In seeing this, Kagome nearly let out a blood-curdling shriek.
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A/N: Not much to say right now. The only things I can think of is, here ends Chapter 3. Also, if the descriptions of what everyone was wearing were annoying, then just tell me. I tried to make it as small as possible in my sentences. Though, when I typed this up on my Microsoft Word Processor, the paragraphs for Kagome and Sango came out kind of big. I probably should have taken the same technique for the girls as I did for the boys. ; Oh well, won't know until someone says something. In which, CYA.