Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter thirty: A Day in the Life
"Good morning passengers, this is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 59A to Tokyo, Japan. We are now inviting all first class passengers to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you."
The generic and friendly voice of a female flight attendant spoke to the small crowd sitting in the terminal through an intercom system, interrupting the smooth jazz music that lightly played throughout the impressive John F. Kennedy Airport to keep its passengers calm and happy. It was almost one in the morning in New York City and the twelve hour flight would have the Taisho family – along with a handful of other people – in Tokyo, Japan by one o'clock the following day. Most of the people boarding looked like business men who had made the trip many times before, but for the small family sitting nearest the entrance to the plane, it was a first for most of them.
Kagome was sitting in Inu-Taisho's lap, her head resting on his shoulder with a sleepy expression on her face, when the flight attendant made her first announcement. Her droopy eyes fluttered for a moment when Inu-Taisho began to rouse before he gave Kagome's shoulder a gentle shake to wake her further.
"Kagome, get up. It's time to board," He said gently and helped ease her off of his lap and onto her own two feet. The sleepy girl groaned in dissatisfaction and stretched her arms and legs, rising up onto the balls of her feet, before looking around for a hand to hold that would guide her the correct way. Izayoi gladly stepped in and took Kagome's small hand in hers and they began to follow Inu-Taisho towards the flight attendant stationed by the entrance to the plane. Behind them, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru walked with a carry-on suitcase in each hand. The larger pieces of luggage had already been loaded onto the plane, with the exception of the four carry-on bags the family had, but it felt as if the carry-on bags were heavy enough to be considered for lower-compartment storage. Inuyasha was just as tired as Kagome appeared to be, but he had been snapped at when he started complaining while, on the other hand, Kagome was invited to take naps in the parent's laps when her eyes started drooping. When he mumbled something along the lines of 'double standard', Sesshoumaru just gave him a quick jab to the shoulder to shut him up. No one wanted to put up with any sort of attitude and the general consensus seemed to be that Inuyasha should keep his mouth shut until further notice.
"Here are our tickets," Inu-Taisho stayed true to his naturally distant behavior as he handed the older flight attendant the set of tickets. Izayoi and Kagome both showed enough excitement and enthusiasm for all three men of the family anyways. The uniformed woman kept her fake smile and checked all five tickets before handing them back, making sure to bow respectfully; no doubt something she'd been instructed to do considering who most of the passengers were and where they were flying to.
"Have a safe trip," she said kindly as the family shuffled past her into the long, covered runway to the airplane. Kagome was too tired to show her excitement about boarding a plane for the first time in her life, and moved with all the coordination of a mindless zombie as she and Izayoi brushed past rows and rows of economy and business class seats. They moved through the thin curtain separating everything from the first class section of the plane and the whole interior of the aircraft took a dramatic turn for the fancy and expensive taste. In it, the few seats available were positioned with much more space between them. There were just two rows built into the first class section of the plane, with five seats to each row. On both sides of the plane there were two chairs situated close together and in the center was a single seat, a small aisle separating it from the double-seats on either side. The Taisho family would take up the entire row closest to the cockpit, where the pilots sat behind a complicated and highly technical consol. Pretty flight attendants standing poised gladly took the luggage from Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's hands, storing them in the above head compartments on either side of the plane while the family settled into their seats. Husband and wife took the two seats on the left side of the plane while Sesshoumaru naturally took the single seat available in the center; leaving Inuyasha and Kagome the only option of sitting next to each other on a 13 hour flight.
"Inuyasha, help Kagome get settled in her seat please." Izayoi spoke gently, mostly because she was so tired, and lowered herself in the outside seat on the right-hand side of Inu-Taisho, who had already sat down in his window seat. They cozied up to one another, her head resting on his shoulder as his hand fell to her knee comfortably. Inuyasha bit back a groan and complied with his mothers wish, taking Kagome's hand to lead her towards the seats they'd be sitting in. She was a little more awake now and was gazing around the accommodating and impressively furnished plane with curious eyes. There were two large screen TVs mounted on the walls of the plane on either side of the doors to the cockpit, projecting the same images of the airline's logo. The windows were open, revealing a dark night littered with bright lights of the tarmac, mesmerizing the little girl until she felt her hand being taken unexpectedly.
"Why are you holding my hand?" She asked quietly, too tired to project her usually loud voice. Inuyasha just rolled his weary, golden eyes and led he to the pair of seats on the right side of the plane. Sesshoumaru watched with a subtle gaze as his brother gently pushed Kagome into the outside seat before he took the window seat greedily; not that Kagome had a strong preference. Yawning softly, Kagome took off her small, yet fashionable backpack and placed it on the floor in front of her seat before curling up in the large and comfortable chair with her legs tucked up against her chest and arms curled into her body to conserve warmth. It was obvious she was going to fall asleep at any moment, but Inuyasha knew she would need to be awake long enough for the plane to take off and find altitude.
"Kagome, you can't fall asleep yet." His voice was hoarse from lack of use and fatigue, and he too wanted to fall asleep, but Inuyasha couldn't let either of them rest just yet. He'd been on plenty of flights in his lifetime and knew the ins and outs like the back of his hand. Kagome groaned at his attempts to wake her up, but she did not budge out of her comfortable position and her eyes remained shut. A little annoyed, Inuyasha gave her arm a shove that was strong enough to give her a light scare, and sat back in his seat with an irritated look on his face. Kagome finally woke with a start and, though her eyes couldn't open all the way, she looked over at Inuyasha with a glare on her sleepy face.
"You're so mean. Why'd you have to wake me?" She questioned with a groggy voice, stretching once more in her seat before sitting up in a hunched over position. Her hair, now longer and starting to form in attractive waves rather than frizzy knots, bunched and draped around her shoulders in black sheets as her bangs fell over her forehead. She was wearing a pair of simple, faded jeans and a white, long-sleeve shirt. Her sense of style no longer leaned towards silly, graphic tees and girly accessories, but was sophisticated and simple. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and let his head fall back on the headrest as his body found a comfortable position in the seat.
"You can't sleep until after the plane takes off. So sit up and shut up." He stated bluntly, looking as if he'd fall asleep at any moment. Kagome sighed and rubbed her weary eyes in an attempt to wake up more, but it only made bright lights dance around in her vision. She just wanted to sleep, and was about to slip back into la-la land when a woman's voice spoke to them again. She was standing a few feet in front of Sesshoumaru, dressed in a flattering blue uniform, and had a pleasant smile on her face as she went through the safety instructions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board flight 59A with service from New York City to Tokyo. We are currently second in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately five minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table-trays are in the upright position for take-up. Please turn off all electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing American Airlines. Enjoy your flight~," She ended her spiel with another friendly smile before disappearing behind a curtained door that no passenger was allowed past, giving the family time to settle in and prepare for takeoff. After hearing the warning undertones of the woman's speech, Kagome was much more awake and worried now. Even if she'd only been exposed to television and movies for just four years, in that time she'd picked up and absorbed a lot of things, including what plane crashes looked like and how deadly they could be. She turned to Inuyasha after her seat belt was fastened and looked at him with a nervous expression on her face.
"Inuyasha, what happens if electronic devices aren't turned off?" Never one to let a good opportunity to mess with Kagome pass by, Inuyasha got let a sly grin appear on his face and he quickly took out his phone to start sending various texts; making sure to let Kagome see him doing it.
"The plane's machines stop working and the engines break down half-way into the flight. You'd think they'd fix something like that, but so far no one has been able to find a solution." His tone was completely nonchalant and unassuming, and the ever gullible Kagome bought his lie without a second thought. Her eyes shot open as horrible scenarios played out in her frantic mind, scaring her even more than Inuyasha's ominous words had.
"Inuyasha! You have to turn it off!" She pleaded and swatted at his hand, which caused the fourteen-year-old to jerk his phone away and lean away from her with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Make me," He grumbled and shoved her away with his elbow. Kagome gasped and opened her mouth to make an angry retort, but when the plane's engines began to turn on and she felt a sudden vibration throughout the structure, her anger turned to fear and tears welled up in her blue eyes. It quickly escalated into full on crying and Inuyasha tried to correct the situation before the rest of the family heard her quiet sobs and blamed him.
"Sssh, Kagome stop it!" He hissed under his breath and leaned in towards Kagome in an attempt to calm her down. She seemed inconsolable though and her shuddering noises attracted the attention of Sesshoumaru, who had been reading quietly. He looked over at the two with a quirked eyebrow, watching as Inuyasha patted Kagome's back with less gentile handling than he should have used and it only served to exacerbate things.
"Inuyasha, stop whatever you are doing." His voice didn't have a single hint of concern for Kagome, but the fact he spoke up at all got Kagome to quiet down some and look over at her long-time hero and companion. Things between them were still awkward, but she could tell he wasn't as angry at her as he had been before.
"Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha said that if electronic devices aren't turned off then the plane will crash. Is that true?" She asked worriedly, hoping for a comforting answer from him. Her reassurance was given by Sesshoumaru's condescending eye-roll and a few words to his brother.
"Inuyasha, stop scaring Kagome. Kagome, stop being gullible." It was a harsh way of handling the situation, but it did put the two in their places in time for the plane to start moving and Kagome to forget everything that had just happened as she experienced a plane taking off for the first time. As the aircraft's momentum began to pick up, her stomach began to tingle with a familiar butterfly sensation that only increased when the wheels separated from the tarmac and it took flight. Her face lit up with fascination and amazement as she grasped the armrests on either side of her. Izayoi noticed Kagome's reaction and bit back a giggle at the endearing sight. She nudged Inu-Taisho to look over as well and they both shared an charming smile at their daughter's genuine enjoyment over something that they barely noticed anymore.
"When are you going to tell her about the surprise?" The older man whispered into his wife's ear, earning a playful grin from her. She'd planned a special treat for her daughter upon their arrival to Tokyo before they embarked on the train-ride to Chichibu.
"In a while; she's still so tired. I say let them sleep a little and get comfortable." She answered back softly, but then had to cover a yawn with a dainty hand over her mouth. Inu-Taisho just chuckled and reclined his seat once the plane had found its altitude, followed suit by Izayoi who leaned into her Husband's side with her head resting on his shoulder. The two fell into a comfortable silence, as did the rest of the family as they all drifted off to sleep as the plane carried them closer and closer to their destination.
Seven hours into the flight and it was eight in the morning, the plane was traveling over a vast ocean miles below and the sun was bleeding in through the windows. It was quiet in first class, with only Inu-Taisho and Sesshoumaru awake so far. Izayoi still snoozed peacefully against her husband's side, her hair falling across his lap inconveniently, but he didn't have the heart to wake her and alleviate the minor annoyance. Sesshoumaru was sitting upright with headphones in and a school book in his lap, reading and minding his own business like he always did on plane rides. There was much to do in preparation for college, and the industrious young man was hell bent on going to the best of universities on a full-ride scholarship for swimming. He only had one more year of high school left to endure, and Sesshoumaru was definitely counting down the days. As he finished a page from his book, Sesshoumaru took a momentary break and looked around the spacious and lavished first-class compartment. But when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, the eldest son couldn't help but look over and notice how Kagome and Inuyasha were situated.
The two were fast asleep and in a strange position considering how much they detested touching each other when they were awake. Leaning into one another, Kagome's head was resting on Inuyasha's shoulder with his cheek propped up by her forehead. His hair draped over the two of them in sheets of silvery strands, which seemed to glow in the sun's light bleeding through the window. Kagome's face was peaceful as her dark lashes fell against the apple of her cheek, and Inuyasha's expression was one of serenity as well. They had naturally found a comfortable position, and no one had the heart to wake the slumbering teens. But that wasn't even necessary because soon after Sesshoumaru took notice of their intimate position, Kagome shifted as a mildly irritated expression flitted across her face when the sun became too much of a nuisance to continue sleeping.
With her eyes still shut, Kagome moaned softly and reached across Inuyasha with the intent of shutting the window to block the sun. But her fumbling and shifting was enough to rouse Inuyasha out of his sleep too and his eyes slowly opened and began to focus on the face just in front of his. It took a few seconds to realize what was going on, but when he did there was instant blushing and sputtering involved.
"W-what are you doing?!" He asked in an offended, stuttering voice. Inuyasha leaned as far back into his seat as possible and gave Kagome's shoulder a quick push in an attempt to put some distance between them. All the sudden movement and noise snapped Kagome out of her drowsy stupor and she too took up arms in shock and embarrassment. Her face became flushed and she returned to her seat, refusing to look Inuyasha in the eye. What had she been doing? And why was there a mildly painful crick in her neck? Rubbing the sore muscles of her neck absentmindedly, Kagome cleared her throat and chose to ignore Inuyasha altogether and focus on her school work. Inuyasha watched in shock and confusion as Kagome rummaged through her girly backpack for her winter-break homework, and waited for an answer to his question. When it became apparent that she would give him nothing, Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was relieved or frustrated; either way, he decided to ignore her presence like she did to him and put in his headphones.
Sesshoumaru had watched the entire interaction with skeptical, disapproving eyes but said nothing. He was still angry with Kagome, though the intensity of the feeling was significantly less than it had been before. She was disloyal in his opinion, but her attempts to warm back up to him were slowly starting to have an effect. Returning to his book, Sesshoumaru began to get absorbed in the literature again until half an hour later he was distracted by Kagome.
"Inuyasha, how do you solve this equation?" having seemed to completely forget the awkward and embarrassing incident from before, Kagome was speaking to Inuyasha again without the slightest hint of shame or guilt. In turn, Inuyasha didn't appear to be annoyed with her anymore and did his best to help her, though he was doing more damage than anything else as he fumbled through the simple math problem.
"Umm…you have to find the common denominator I think…or simplify the numerator to the lowest thing." He mumbled with a confused furrowing of his silver brow. Kagome looked down at her school workbook and tilted her head curiously.
"What lowest thing? I don't get it. I think the teacher said we have to multiply all the numbers with each other and that gets the final answer."
"That could be it…I dunno. Try it." Their combined confusion was starting to grate at the older-sibling's easily irritated, perfectionist nerves. He couldn't sit back and let the two think that what they were doing was correct, and finally spoke up.
"You're both wrong. Kagome, give me the book before Inuyasha fills your head with the wrong information." His deadpan tone and nonchalant attitude wouldn't have given most people pause, but Kagome couldn't help but stop and stare at him with disbelieving eyes. This was the most he'd said to her in a long time, and he was offering her help as well! With the biggest, most dazzling smile (that had always been reserved for only Sesshoumaru) Kagome snatched her book from Inuyasha and crossed the narrow aisle between hers and Sesshoumaru's seats to give it to him. As the seventeen year old looked over the problems and began explaining them to her, Kagome stood at his side like a dutiful and eager puppy, and had she a tail it would be wagging a mile-a-minute. She soaked up Sesshoumaru's random and minuscule offerings of affection and attention with a desperateness that turned Inuyasha's stomach. With a mild pout on his face, the fourteen-year-old turned away from the duo and returned to listening to loud and angry rock music to distract him as much as possible for the duration of the flight.
"Kagome, what are you doing?" Izayoi asked patiently. She had finally woken up and was currently flipping through a fashion magazine. It was nearing noon and in just an hour the plane would be landing in Tokyo, much to the relief of everyone on board. Kagome had gotten very antsy and anxious to be back on flat ground, and her natural tendency to move couldn't be quelled as she went up and down the aisles of the first class section. In her mind she was listening to the music for an upcoming dance she'd be in, and her feet went through the basic motions of her choreography as she memorized the complex footwork. Inuyasha was keeping to himself, as was Sesshoumaru, as they quietly listened to their music and stared off into oblivion in deep thought.
"Just practicing~" She replied with a relaxed tone, still dancing through the aisle with a graceful flair. Izayoi smiled to herself and closed her magazine slowly, finding its contents of little consequence.
"Can you come here for a moment? I have something I want to show you." There was a sing-song, playful tone in her pretty voice that piqued Kagome's curiosity and the dancing girl turned on her heels to stand next to Izayoi's seat, unaware of how excited she would become in the next few moments. Izayoi leaned forward and picked up her stylish purse to retrieve a sealed envelope with Kagome's name written on it. It was at this point that Inu-Taisho took interest and he leaned forward in his seat to watch Kagome's reaction. "I have a friend who is friends with a certain manager of a certain celebrity that you happen to love," Kagome's face slowly began to change from curious to confused, until it became an expression of hopeful realization. Her quick hands tried to reach out for envelope, but Izayoi was quicker and held it away from her daughter with a friendly laugh.
"Mom, who is it? What's in the envelope?" She asked eagerly, barely able to contain her excitement. Izayoi just kept smiling and gave Kagome the envelope to watch her tear into it with frantic intensity. When the paper envelope had been gotten rid of, all that was left in Kagome's hands were two concert tickets; only they were written in Japanese. Her brow furrowed in mild confusion and she looked back at Izayoi's and Inu-Taisho's smiling, amused faces.
"Who's concert is it?" Kagome was genuinely confused and it got Inu-Taisho to let out a soft, humored chuckle. Even he knew the intense admiration Kagome had for a certain singer and that her reaction to the news would be just as passionate.
"Who is it that you love listening to every morning?" She asked playfully, and let out a short laugh when Kagome began jumping and repeating the phrase, 'oh my god'. The vibrations of her jumping reached both brothers' awareness and they looked over at the ecstatic girl, both sporting mildly curious expressions.
"Is it Miyavi? Mom did you really get me Miyavi tickets!?" Kagome's voice was getting louder in volume and higher in pitch with each word, and her smile couldn't have possibly gotten any bigger when Izayoi answered her daughter with an affirmative nod. Like a bottle rocket, Kagome jumped suddenly and launched herself onto Izayoi's lap to hug the woman as tightly as possible. In return, Izayoi hugged Kagome back and couldn't help but smile at how effective her gift had been. She wanted this trip to be absolutely wonderful for the young girl, a distraction from sad, recent events and a turning of the leaf, so to speak, as Kagome moved onto a happier life hopefully.
"The concert is tonight, so once we land and settle into the hotel room, you and I are going to get ready and go get a bite to eat before the concert. Also, we have backstage passes so you'll get to meet him. Sound like fun?" Izayoi and Kagome were in their own world as they planned for their exciting night, getting a jealous glare from a certain fourteen-year-old. He was listening very carefully, ruing that Kagome was getting a special night with his parents.
"Wait, what are the guys gonna do while we're gone?" Kagome asked curiously, looking over at Inu-Taisho expectantly. Izayoi did the same, wondering if her husband had even thought of something to do with the boys. The man in question was prepared for this and just gave a subtle grin.
"I'm taking the boys to a traditional Japanese bathhouse, the kind I used to go to when I was a kid. It will be a good experience for them," his thoughtful plan brought an endearing smile to Izayio's face and she leaned over to give her husband's pale cheek a kiss. Her affection caused the stoic man to smile and take her hand in his, giving it a loving squeeze. Kagome marveled at her parent's special ways of showing their love for one another and couldn't help but think about Houjo and how different he was from the other boys their age. He was always so considerate and kind to her, opening doors and pulling out seats whenever possible. Sure, it got him teased, but his response was always, 'I was taught to be a gentleman and I'm not embarrassed by it'. Houjo had been raised with 'good, southern manners' and a change in location didn't make him a different person, and for that Kagome admired him even more. But that was neither here nor there and she quickly returned to the present. Kagome smiled and hopped off of Izayoi's lap, her dazzling smile hardly diminished.
"I'm gonna go back to my seat now." She informed the husband and wife, who were flirting lightly with each other still. Izayoi turned her head and smile at Kagome.
"Okay hunny. Do you want me to hold onto the tickets?" She asked and Kagome gave the precious tickets back to her mom before skipping behind Sesshoumaru's seat back to her own.
"Inuyasha! Did you hear? Mom got me tickets to Miyavi's concert! And dad is gonna take you and Sesshoumaru to a bathhouse!" Her excitement was returned when Inuyasha smiled back, no longer upset now that he was going to be spending time with Inu-Taisho. At this moment, the two had nothing to quarrel about, nothing to be jealous over. They shared in each other's great opportunity for a wonderful time with their parent.
"I know right? This is gonna be so cool! I bet this place is gonna be all high-tech and fancy. Dad never goes anywhere unless it's expensive and high-end."
"Mom and I are gonna go backstage and I get to meet Miyavi! I'm so excited! Can I borrow your phone so I can tell Sango and the others?" She smiled when Inuyasha gladly gave her his phone, happy that he was finally willing to share his things with her. The pair continued their friendly conversation until one of the flight attendants appeared from the flight deck.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriving at Narita International Airport in roughly thirty minute's time. Please prepare for landing and dispose of all trash and place all carry-on luggage in the overhead compartments. Thank you very much," Once she disappeared again, Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other with eager faces, but they were sudden stuck looking in each other's eyes without the hesitation that had once been a staple of their interactions. Inuyasha noticed, for the first time, that there was a strange fleck of green in the corner of Kagome's left iris. Had that always been there? Sure, no one ever had to think twice about what color Kagome's eyes were; it wasn't often that Asians were born with naturally occurring blue eyes. But since when had that fleck of green lived in that secretive corner of Kagome's iris? In turn, Kagome realized that Inuyasha's golden eyes were a shade darker than his brother and father's. They were warm and inviting, and for a moment Kagome forgot who it was she was staring at and the past they shared together. In this moment, she was more mesmerized by the fact she could see her reflection in his shining eyes. Thankfully, the two were quickly distracted when Inu-Taisho spoke up to the entire family.
"Look out your window, you can see Japan," Both children quickly turned and pressed themselves as close to the window beside Inuyasha as possible. Their twin looks of astonishment were perfectly matched, expressing their unabashed excitement and joy of finally seeing a place their father so often spoke of with fondness and nostalgia. Even Sesshoumaru couldn't stop himself from leaving his seat to peer out a window of his own to see the impressive sight. He had a much more strong personal connection to the place, as he had been born into a home that was so heavily influenced by it. Japan was just as much a part of his identity as swimming was, and his dream was to attend college in Tokyo or Kyoto.
"Dad, how long are we staying in Tokyo before we head to chihuahua?" Inuyasha asked from across the plane, smirking when he could practically hear his dad flinching at the purposeful mispronunciation. Rather than chastise him, Kagome stifled a giggle and spared a quick glance at Inuyasha's grinning face.
"Chichibu…and we are going to be in Tokyo one night, and then we'll be in Chichibu for three days for the festival and to visit my parents." Inu-Taisho's voice did hold a slightly irked tone to it, but when dealing with Inuyasha it was easier to just let things roll off of one's shoulders than harbor a grudge. Besides, this was the family's first trip to Japan and no one wanted to ruin it by starting a fight before they even landed.
It was a little past 1:30 pm by the time the Taisho family had landed and gone through the processes of leaving the airport. Right away, Kagome was bombarded by the culture shock that both intimidated and intrigued her. It was a completely different world, Tokyo was, and even the smallest thing impressed the naïve young girl. Bundled in coats and scarves, the family waited outside of the technologically impressive building for a private car to pick them up. Kagome looked all around, watching the other people and noticing how busy everyone seemed to be. They all had their eyes down at a cell phone or at their feet, seemingly ignorant of the beautiful surroundings that captivated the speechless young girl. She stood between Izayoi and Inuyasha, looking everywhere except for in front of her, and when the family began to walk forward she took one step and promptly fell flat on the cold concrete.
"Kagome!" Izayoi's sudden and drastic reaction got the attention of many people walking by, but it wasn't enough to stop them from continuing on their way. As Izayoi helped Kagome to her feet, the little girl had the deepest color of red spreading across her face and a mortified expression. "Are you okay?" Izayoi asked as she led Kagome towards the car, brushing off the light swatches of dirt that had collected at the girl's knees and elbows. The boys were all standing by the open backseat door to the car, waiting for the girls to get in first. Inuyasha bit back a laugh at Kagome's stiff nod as she all but ran into the car, desperate to flee the scene and forget her embarrassing blunder. It seemed that her klutzy ways would follow her to the ends of the earth.
As the rest of the family settled into the chauffeured car – Inu-Taisho taking a moment to show off his bilingual skills and tell the driver which hotel to take them to – Kagome tried to forget what had just happened and chose to be distracted by the spectacular scenery of Tokyo rushing past them as they began the drive. Inuyasha sat on her other side against the door and joined in on gazing out the window. It was his first time traveling here as well and there was as just a big an impact on him as there was on Kagome. At the sight of girls dressed in fancy Lolita fashion, Inuyasha grinned appreciatively.
"I think I'm gonna buy Kikyou one of those dresses…what about you Sesshoumaru? Want to see Kagura in a dress like that?" His attempt at sharing something in common with the older sibling only ended with similar deadpan looks from both Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Neither found his notion amusing at all, though Kagome had her own reasons. She didn't like that Inuyasha was so obsessed with Kikyou, or that Kikyou seemed just as obsessed with him. They were always together and Kagome could tell that Inuyasha acted differently around her than when he was around his other friends. In Kikyou's presence, Inuyasha lost interest in anything else and devoted himself completely to making her happy. He was always so stiff and unnatural when she was around, and Kagome knew that for a fact because he had no issues with being his normal, disgusting self around her or Miroku. Was it because she wasn't as pretty as Kikyou and that made him less inclined to care what she thought? Kagome wanted to pinch herself for the idea; why should she care if Inuyasha thought she was cute? While she was having such an internal battle, Sesshoumaru easily answered Inuyasha's inane question.
"No, Kagura isn't interested in things like Lolita fashion. She is a bit more substantial and deep thinking and doesn't waste her time on things like that." Kagome had to agree with him on that; Kagura was a fairly serious person and didn't pay much mind to things that didn't directly interest her. She was always busy with swimming or studying, the female version of Sesshoumaru, and only on rare occasions did she indulge her girlish desires by dressing up on the weekends for a date. It was assumed by both families that one day Sesshoumaru and Kagura would marry; it was just a matter of waiting for a convenient and reasonable time.
"I didn't ask if she'd like it. I asked if you wanted to see her in it. Gosh you act so old," Inuyasha mumbled and continued gazing out the car window, quickly forgetting all about Sesshoumaru and anything of consequence. Kagome just rolled her eyes, though not due to frustration or condescension, and turned her attention to Sesshoumaru. He noticed her as well and the two were stuck staring at each other, which Kagome greatly enjoyed and she smiled warmly at him.
"At the festival, will you play games with me?" She asked hopefully, but only got a dismissive 'maybe' out of the distant teenager; a sure sight that he had gone back to regarding her with indifference and Kagome was sad for a moment. She thought his helping her on the airplane had been a turning point in their relationship and he would start being nice to her again. As Kagome looked down at her lap in mild-dejection, she was about to start feeling truly sad when her focus was pulled back towards Inuyasha.
"Kagome! Look!" He shook her arm and she quickly noticed the large, colorfully decorated storefront he was pointing at. Outside of the busy establishment was a line of young boys and girls, all seemingly waiting to get inside where she could see various arcade games and bright, neon colors. Instantly she and Inuyasha perked up and got ecstatic over the notion of playing video games at an authentic Japanese arcade.
"Oh! Daddy, can we go to that arcade before we leave Tokyo? Please?" She asked with a desperate, pleading voice. Inu-Taisho looked up from his planner at the place they were asking about just before it disappeared from sight. He then looked at his watch and at Izayoi.
"Well, I suppose if we get up early enough we can stop by before we have to go to the train." He relented, more willing to give into the whims of his children while on vacation. This approval gave cause for Kagome and Inuyasha to cheer and look forward to the following morning with eager anticipation. Izayoi smiled softly and snaked her arm into his, unknowingly getting a dirty look from Sesshoumaru sitting on Inu-Taisho's other side.
"What game do you think they're all lined up for? I definitely want to play it if they've got a line going outside the place. I bet it's some kind of fighting game…or a dance dance revolution game! Aw we'd bust them so good at that." Inuyasha laughed with Kagome as she nodded in agreement; one thing they had in common was their affinity for video games. At hearing the word 'dance' Kagome sat up and clapped excitedly.
"Oh! If they have the new Dance Dance Revolution game I'm going to freak out. If you'll play the dance game with me, I'll play a shooter game with you. Deal?" Extending her hand out to him, Kagome smiled and waited for Inuyasha to shake it. Without a single hesitation, he did just that and the two smiled at each other before their attention was turned to Izayoi. She was leaning forward with a stylish, little camera pointed at them.
"Smile you two!" She said eagerly and laughed when Kagome leaned against Inuyasha and flashed the biggest, silliest smile she could muster. The young man groaned/laughed as he was pushed up against the door painfully and craned his neck to smile at his mother's camera. After the flash went off and the two were left with dancing lights in their vision, he playfully shoved Kagome away and the two went back to chatting about the exciting and mysterious arcade.
"Boys, are you ready yet? I told you we'd be leaving for the bathhouse at this time." Inu-Taisho said through the door. The room was one of the best provided in the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel, the Diplomat Suit came as fancifully furnished as the Taisho household back in New York was. There were two rooms provided, the master bedroom and a guest bedroom that the children stayed in. Kagome and Izayoi had already left to spend some time together before the concert, and that left the men of the family to entertain themselves in the form of going to a bathhouse. Inu-Taisho had on one of his more understated suits, which was reasonable considering where they were going. But at the sight of what his sons were wearing, Inu-Taisho had to do a double-take. "What are you wearing?" he choked out, trying not to laugh.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru looked as if they were ready to appear on the red carpet. They had on their best clothes and were accessorized with watches and necklaces and all sorts of things. Sesshoumaru's hair was styled neatly, and Inuyasha had on a pair of sunglasses that nearly covered the entire top portion of his face. It was comical and Inu-Taisho couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at the idea of dressing up for such an understated outing.
"What? You told us to get dressed! We're dressed!" Inuyasha yelled, feeling a bit annoyed with his father's teasing. Sesshoumaru, too, was confused by the reaction.
"Aren't we going to an expensive bathhouse?" He questioned once Inu-Taisho quelled his laughter. It was rare to see their father so emotional, and it usually put the boys at unease. But, this time, it was a rather light-hearted situation that tugged at the young men's heartstrings.
"Go put on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt. I'll be waiting by the elevator for you," Without offering an explanation, and leaving his two sons still confused, Inu-Taisho walked away with a absentminded grin on his face to call for the elevator to come to their floor. The bathhouse they would be using was not the most well-known and expensive one available to them, though it was one very close to his heart and one he'd spent many hours at. Inu-Taisho knew that he'd raised his children with a sense of entitlement and higher standards, but the self-made man also knew that it wouldn't take much to make his sons realize how privileged they were and that it was important to appreciate the simplicity of life as well. When his sons joined him in front of the elevator, dressed much more appropriately, Inu-Taisho said nothing as he put a hand on the back of Sesshoumaru's strong neck and the other on Inuyasha's muscular shoulder. He felt the strength of his two sons under his hands and pride swelled inside him that almost made Inu-Taisho shudder. Sesshoumaru was almost at his height, only a few inches shorter, and was already showing amazing potential to be something great. Inuyasha was finally growing up as well, and Inu-Taisho could see his once rebellious son starting to become focused and determined. It was a good feeling, and Inu-Taisho knew that his sons were his greatest success.
"Are there going to be girls at this bathhouse?" Inuyasha asked curiously, with an undertone of hope in his voice. Inu-Taisho just chuckled under his breath and sweetly ruffled the back of Inuyasha's head with his large, powerful hand.
"Yes, but there is a wall separating us from them." He said with a matter of fact tone, then let out a light-hearted laugh at his son's disappointment.
"Dad, are you serious? I'm not coming out in this!"
"Father, this is really not what I was expecting."
"Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha; this is what you do at a bathhouse. No one cares that you're naked. If it bothers you so much, wear the towel around your waist." Inu-Taisho stood outside of the changing room, his own impressive form clad in nothing but a thin, white towel wrapped around his waist, waiting for his two reluctant sons to join him. Just through the sliding door was the bathing area, a tiled room lined with rows of faucets, drains, and small stools for their personal use. When the family had first arrived, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were both surprised to see the modest outwards appearance of the bathhouse, but didn't mind seeing the pretty girls (fresh and clean with their dark hair still damp and a freshly bathed glow about them) leaving with playful smiles on their faces when they spotted the brothers. And when the two had been handed thin, blue robes to change into, they still didn't mind; though they were becoming somewhat wary of what was to happen. But now, as they stood behind the curtain to their individual changing stalls, the two refused to come out and be surrounded by naked strangers.
"I don't want to do this anymore dad..." Inuyasha sounded pitiful, but even Sesshoumaru had to agree. Finding no humor in the situation any more, Inu-Taisho let out a frustrated sigh and reached into the changing stalls only to pull both boys out with relative ease. Inuyasha let out an awkward cry of surprise, his voice cracking due to the onset of puberty, and scrambled to keep the thin, white towel around his hips from falling. Sesshoumaru was in a similar position, his hands tightly grasping the towel to prevent it from slipping too low.
"You act as if you've never been naked in front of other men before. Both of you are on sports teams and I know that you changed and shower in front of your teammates without a second thought. There are younger boys here who handle the situation with more maturity," Not willing to push their father any longer, both boys decided to keep quiet about the subject and looked up at Inu-Taisho with pouting expression, but it only made the amused father grin and laugh again. He led them over to the wall of small lockers available to the bathhouse guests and after putting all their clothes in individual compartments, Inu-Taisho took the boys into bathing area. As they passed through the sliding door, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were instantly hit by the sight of naked men of all ages sitting along a wall of faucets bathing themselves.
"What are we supposed to do dad?" Inuyasha questioned as he watched his father go to a wall and pick up three small wooden buckets, each containing the various items needed during the bathing process. The boys followed Inu-Taisho towards the line of faucets, keeping their eyes averted from looking at the other men in the room happily showering without a care in the world.
"We sit on these small stools here," The older man took a seat on one of the empty, white stools in front of a metallic faucet and placed one of the buckets he carried between his feet. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru copied their father, but they kept their legs shut tightly, towels secured at the waist, and bucket perched neatly in their laps. A few other men nearby saw the boy's trepidation and could tell that it was their first time, and their unsuppressed chuckles only made the Taisho children become all the more embarrassed. Inu-Taisho ignored it though and continued showing his sons how to bath properly. "Turn on the faucet in front of you, then start scrubbing and cleaning your skin with the soap and towel in your bucket. In a few minutes, we'll turn and scrub each other's backs. Don't forget to wash your hair as well. Just fill the bucket with water and pour it over your head," He instructed simply and began the familiar process he'd been performing since childhood.
With slower, less confident movement, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru followed Inu-Taisho's example and began washing themselves. As the relaxing, sauna-like setting began to take an effect; both boys calmed down until they were far less prudish about the whole ritual and didn't mind that their towels were beginning to fall. Inuyasha took a good amount of time to lather his hair up with the provided shampoo before he dumped a bucket full of water over his head, gasping for air after the last of the water had run down his face. Sesshoumaru was reluctant to use the generic soap on his impressive hair, but he couldn't be the only one out of the trio to forego it. He ruefully lathered his shorter hair and quickly rinsed, wiping away the remaining water from his face afterwards. A good thirty minutes later, Inu-Taisho nudged Sesshoumaru's arm and turned his finger in a circle to tell them to rotate as well. With a much more open attitude now, both boys complied and turned on their little stools so that they were all facing towards the entrance of the room. Sesshoumaru was a bit begrudging towards the fact he had to wash Inuyasha's back, but decided not to fight it and ran the washcloth over his half-brother's back in the same manner he felt Inu-Taisho doing to his back.
"How do you know to do all this?" The older brother asked quietly as he moved some of Inuyasha's long hair out of the way. Inu-Taisho smiled to himself and dunked his washcloth into the soapy water of his bucket and continued scrubbing Sesshoumaru's back.
"I used to come here quite often with my roommate. We enjoyed it much more than the dorm showers and it was our one big expense of the week most of the time. I always told myself I'd take my sons to a bathhouse like this at least once, and now I have. Are you enjoying it?" He asked hopefully, getting an approving nod from Sesshoumaru and a verbal response from Inuyasha.
"Yeah! This feels great! What comes after this?" Inuyasha turned his head to look back at Inu-Taisho over his wet shoulder. Apparently that made Sesshoumaru's task harder and the younger brother was quickly nudged to return facing forward, putting Inuyasha in a sour mood for a moment.
"We'll go soak in the hot bathtubs for a good while and then it's time to leave." True to his word, ten minutes later the three Taisho men were relaxing in the large tub at the back of the room, joined by a few other men seated at the other end of the rectangular, heated pool. Inuyasha was situated between his brother and father, and greatly enjoying the rolling, bubbling water around him. His eyes were just beginning to shut when there was a gentle nudge to his side.
"Yeah?" He asked his father, getting Sesshoumaru to look over as well. There was a playful smile on Inu-Taisho's face that was seriously creeping both of the boys out.
"Let's see who can hold their breath the longest. On the count of three, everyone go under and whoever comes up first loses." There wasn't any chance for them to fight back, because Inu-Taisho instantly went into the countdown and began submerging himself. Looking a little flustered, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha did the same, but it was only Inuyasha who felt another tap on his arm and he came back up for air to see what was the matter. He looked over at his father curiously, but stopped himself from speaking when he saw Inu-Taisho put a finger to his lips and silently mouth the words, 'We'll go back down when Sesshoumaru starts coming back up for air,'
Though it was such a small gesture, receiving any special attention from his father gave Inuyasha the biggest sense of joy. He put a hand over his grinning mouth to stop the laughter from bubbling out and the two watched quietly as Sesshoumaru remained oblivious, holding his breath for almost a minute before he began squirming. Taking their cues, Inuyasha and Inu-Taisho took in a breath and sank back underwater just in time for Sesshoumaru's head to burst back up, face red and chest heaving as he gasped for air. His white hair fell around his flushed face in wispy tendrils, sticking to the skin like a second layer, but it was quickly pushed back away from his face when Sesshoumaru looked over at the other two as they both came back up looking satisfied and completely normal. The bewildered expression on the teen's face sent his family members into a fit of laughter, spurring a silent treatment that lasted a good while.
It was nearly midnight when Kagome and Izayoi returned to the hotel room; and their presence was being waited on by all three men of the family. When the girls strolled into the front door, Inu-Taisho was on them in an instant with a relieved smile on his face. He took Izayoi's coat for her as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru entered just in time to hear Kagome begin the retelling of her exciting night.
"Daddy! I got to meet Miyavi! After the concert was over mom and I went backstage and we got walked over to where he was. Look! Mom got the whole thing on the camera. Where's the camera Mom? I wanna show Daddy and the others what happened!" Frantically searching Izayoi's pockets, Kagome found the small digital camera and easily navigated its inner-workings to find the desired video of her backstage antics. Everyone gathered around the small girl to peer down at the even smaller camera screen, but then Izayoi had a stroke of genius.
"Wait! I have the cable that hooks up to the TV. We can watch it on the bigger screen so everyone can see it clearly." Agreeing that Izayoi's idea was a much better one, Kagome eagerly helped set up the camera. While they busied themselves with that, the boys all stood behind them, Inu-Taisho taking a seat in the large, cushioned chair with his sons standing on either side of him. After a minute or two, the TV lit up with an unclear image of Kagome's excited face and a 'play' symbol in the corner of the screen.
"okay! Play it Mom!" Kagome laughed excitedly and ran over to sit in Inu-Taisho's lap, her small body still fitting in his like a glove. Izayoi smiled and pressed the play button on her camera, and instantly the film began rolling. Everyone watched as Izayoi captured all of Kagome's various emotions as she waited for Miyavi to make his way from the background over to her. Inuyasha was somewhat interested in the video, certainly more than Sesshoumaru was, mostly because it had recently become his dream to be a singer/guitarist and through Kagome, he had developed an appreciation for this man's music. He'd been playing the instrument for nearly two years and had gotten to an impressive level of skill with it, and when he sang there were hints of an interesting voice underneath the awkward pubescent tone it currently had. His, and everyone else's, attentions were grabbed when Miyavi began approaching and Kagome's familiar crying could be heard. With the camera zoomed in on her red face, it was apparent that Kagome had become overwhelmed with emotion that only escalated when the singing idol took her hand in his and knelt down in front of her. Sensing where this was going, Inuyasha's brow knitted in concern and he leaned in some towards the television, hoping that things didn't go the way he thought they were. Still in Inu-Taisho's lap, Kagome covered her mouth as a delighted squeal slipped out as she awaited the best part of the video.
"Touga, don't get mad at this part," Izayoi's voice interrupted softly, piquing the curiosity of all men in the room. They watched in horror as the singer said some romantic things to Kagome, which only a few of them understood, before he leaned in and planted a kiss to her cheek. Kagome's eyes shot open and her cheeks turned redder than they'd ever been before as she got her picture taken and got a tight hug from the older man. Inu-Taisho's neutral expression turned into a disapproving frown, as did Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's, as the video continued for a short while before ending abruptly. It was at this point that Kagome bounced in her father's lap with unabashed enthusiasm.
"Isn't that amazing Daddy? I got a kiss from Miyavi! I can't wait to show Sango and Ayame when we get back home. Isn't it so cool Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha?" The little girl was unaware of how much the boys disliked the ending of the video, but their reluctant smiles and unenthusiastic words of agreement did not permeate her naïve mentality and she hopped off her father's lap.
"Er…yes?" Inu-Taisho didn't quite know how to express his conflicting emotions over the small movie, but he knew well enough that saying anything negative about it would surely ruin the evening for Kagome and get him in trouble with Izayoi. Thankfully, Inuyasha spoke up for him.
"I think its gross a guy his age is going around kissing little girls. Don't they have laws against that kind of stuff?" He barked angrily, earning a seething glare from Kagome.
"Miyavi isn't gross! You're gross. He's beautiful and talented and you're just jealous." With an exasperated sigh, Kagome marched over to the TV and unhooked the camera before turning towards the bedroom that her luggage was in. Everyone could tell she was protective of her idol and would defend him to her last breath, but Izayoi was the only one in the room who found it amusing and stifled a giggle as Kagome disappeared into her bedroom. It was then Inu-Taisho stood up and let out a big yawn as he stretched his large body.
"Okay, it's time for bed. I'll wake you kids up around nine tomorrow so we can make that stop at the arcade. Goodnight boys," Both Taisho boys bid their father goodnight, Inuyasha also giving his mother sweet dream wishes, before they too disappeared in the bedroom Kagome had gone into as well. She was already in bed, dressed in blue-stripped pajamas and snuggled into the white sheets at the center of the mattress. In her small hand was the precious camera, her little fingers curling around it protectively. Both boys were too tired to care about the fact they'd be sharing a bed and nonchalantly changed into their pajamas before sliding into bed on either side of the little, slumbering girl.