Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Not the Author's Note: Hello all, this is Bruce. You may recognize the name as your precious author has brought me up before, albeit in unflattering tones. Why does the woman insist on referring to me as a shark? I don't get it.
Anyway, ya'll are probably wondering what I'm doing posting this chapter. Well, I'll tell you. I'm in Della's apartment because she is supposed to be cooking me brunch. However, there's a big thunderstorm going on right now, and she fell asleep out on the porch watching it.
Lucky for me, sleeping beauty left the door wide open. So naturally I came in and made myself comfortable. But not before I rearranged her spice cabinet and drank the rest of her soy milk. (She's been trying to get me to try it for months, so I really don't feel bad about that one.)
Now I thought I'd just read this chapter, which she has marked in her files as "beta-pending," whatever that means. The chic has labels for everything, it's really funny. Ask her how she organizes her closet sometime. You'd never guess someone could be so, I dunno, obsessive?
NEway, I thought I'd be my sneaky self and post this to tick her off. I owe her one for freaking me out by lacing some brownies she gave my roomates and I with dimethyline blue. (What nutter lets this hoon of a woman into the chem lab closets in the first place?) Once this is up, I'll make her lunch, and something chokkie for dessert, which will totally win me goodguy points, as well as keep her from noticing what I've been up to while she's out in her camp chair snoring and muttering in her sleep.
Now, any guesses on how long it'll take her to notice? I'm betting on two days. So if there's a Tuesday morning headline about a handsome, young, college student murdered, inform the police for me, okay? I say this because we all know I'm a goner once she reads this.
But oh, soooo worth it mates.
Chapter 18 – Operation Kouga
When Kagome returned home it was to find that her snare had been tripped. Noticing that her barrier had been replaced by one that was undoubtedly Sesshoumaru's caused a huge grin to brighten her features.
After dissolving the shield and going inside she noticed how it looked like he'd tried to take a few things, but subsequently found her power-flour sufficiently deterring. "Good," she grimaced as she felt the stinging in her arm. "I hope he choked on it."
She cleaned up the mess and then set about healing herself. She'd never encountered youki quite like the kind from that tail, and it was no mean feat to try and counteract it. In the end the effort was so much she'd triggered her Gaean ability to pull energy from the environment, which had the added bonus of leaving her feeling like she could run a 50K without even breaking a sweat. (Bruce: 50k is about 30 miles for all you Yanks out there.)
Of course, this wasn't the first time in recent weeks that she'd pulled up outside energy like that. With her studies and the exercises she had been putting herself through it was happening more and more frequently. It was a good thing too because what she'd been putting her body and spirit through wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but she knew it would all be worth it in just a few more days.
Jumping up from the meditative pose she'd assumed to heal herself she set out on her search for Chris. Micah had informed her that Sesshoumaru loved the irony of hiding things out in the open; it infuriated the poor sap doing the looking to realize what they'd been looking for was nearby the entire time.
She checked the neighboring streets, the parking lot of Information Front, and the shrine. He wasn't there. "Hmmm, I wonder…" She headed back to her apartment building and decided to look through the parking garage. There, just around the corner from her usual parking space, was her bike.
She ran up to it, leapt on and embraced the tank. "Oh Chris! How I missed you! That mean ol' nasty inu didn't hurt you did he?"
Now, some of you might be questioning the sanity of talking affectionately to inanimate objects, but if you are one of those, you've never owned a motorcycle you've spent months customizing. (Bruce: Crikey! This is Della for ya, the woman won't even let me near the keys to her bike without threatening to kill me!)
Look at it from a physiological/psychological perspective. The thrill of riding a motorcycle elicits all kinds of fun biological responses from the body; the release of endorphins, adrenalin, dopamine, physical sensations from the feel of the wind, etc. Now your brain learns to pair those wonderful, happy feelings with the bike itself and TAADAA… classical conditioning in the Pavlovian manner to the point where just looking at your bike makes you go all tingly in anticipation.
Mmmm, tingly…
But yes, back to Kagome! (Bruce: Egads, the woman is always going on about something or other in her psychobabble…)
She thoroughly inspected every inch of Chris, looking for any scratches or adjustments that might have been made. The fuel switch was still in the on position, the tire pressure was still at the right levels… "Hold the phone!" she said as she took a second look at the tires.
The tread seemed a little worn, it wasn't a huge difference, but she could still see it. Since she was looking at the back tire she checked out the front and found it was the same thing. "Well that means he wasn't doing burnouts, thank goodness. But how…"
She looked at the odometer. "THAT RAT BASTARD!" she bellowed.
He'd put over 500 miles on Chris.
"That effing…I'm gonna maim…who does he think he is…I'll get revenge…" She was so infuriated that in the end she was just repeatedly mumbling "Pain, lots of pain!"
(Bruce: You know it's really weird to see her swear in here, she never does when she talks.)
She wondered how he'd managed to figure out how to ride. Opening all of her senses she could faintly detect the lingering traces of an aura besides her own and Sesshoumaru's, and in a few seconds she'd identified it. "I'm going to make that swine squeal!" she vowed.
Not being able to stand the traces of others' auras on her bike she spent the next couple of hours washing, waxing, tuning, and ultimately pampering Chris. When he was positively gleaming she put on her jacket and helmet, and packed a bag with the rest of her leathers and a jacket and helmet for Shippou.
Picking him up at school was an interesting experience, as she found herself swarmed by admiring kids who all ooh'ed and aah'ed. They all seemed impressed with Shippou that he'd ridden on a motorcycle, and even had his own gear.
"Hi Mum," he smiled as he hugged her. "How come we're riding Chris?"
"Because I'm going to race tonight and I thought you'd have fun coming along."
"Really? Sweet!" he nearly squealed in delight.
"Well I'm glad you're excited," she laughed. "We just have to swing by Sango's place before we head out to the track, she and Miroku are coming along. Then once we're there we'll meet up with a friend of mine."
"Who?" asked Shippou. "Kouga?"
"No, her name is Ayame."
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Kagome had parked her bike by the track and met up with Sango and Miroku. On the way to look for Ayame they passed a familiar boar youkai. "Oh goody!" Kagome sneered. "Sango will you take Shippou and get him something to eat? I need to have a chat with that pig over there."
"Sure Kags, no problem." As the other three left her, Kagome flared her aura as she headed towards her quarry.
Every single youkai in the area froze.
"Hello Mad Hog," she said in a polite manner that nevertheless conveyed she was about to kick some butt.
"Ah, hello Hando-san. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked nervously. 'She can't possibly have figured it out already, can she!' he wondered in panic.
"Well, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to tell me how you were involved in the theft of one of my bikes," she said in a cool tone.
The collective gasp of the crown unnerved the boar. He knew Taisho-sama would keep his word and not tell Hando what he'd done, so he was sure she was bluffing. At least, he hoped so.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Hando," he attempted to say in a casual manner, though more than one person present detected the slight increase in his pitch.
"Wrong answer," Kagome replied as she used the same barrier spell she'd put around the pelt to confine the pig, only she left about two feet of space between his skin and her energy.
By this point everyone that had been standing in the proximity of the youkai had backed away to watch.
Kagome made the barrier shrink inward somewhat. "Let's try this again, shall we? What exactly was your role in the theft of my bike?"
He hesitated and she shrunk the barrier further. "Okay! Okay, I get the point! It wasn't my fault!" he screeched in fear. "Taisho just showed up and demanded I get the bike running and show him how to ride!"
More collective gasps from the crowd. Why would Taisho go after Hando's bike? How did Mad Hog get involved? Were the taiyoukai and miko feuding?
"So you hotwired my bike?" Kagome said with a death glare as she shrunk the barrier again.
"No! No I didn't touch the wiring, or the NOS, I simply gave him a skeleton key I had on hand which happened to fit!"
"So now a taiyoukai, with a personal vendetta against me, has an extra key to my bike, meaning he can come back and steal it again if he feels like it? And just how many of these spare keys do you have?"
The barrier was now less than an inch from his skin, and he was sweating from the burning energy that was starting to singe his hair.
"What was I supposed to do?" he hollered. "You said it yourself, he's a taiyoukai! Besides, if I hadn't told him how to ride, or convinced him to leave the NOS alone he probably would have wrecked it and then I'd definitely be dead!"
"Somehow I find your imminent death an appealing option right now," she calmly replied as she charged he barrier with even more energy.
"Holy crap, she really is going to fry him!" one youkai in the now large audience said.
"However, you're right in saying you may have kept him from wrecking it," she said as she dropped the barrier and watched him collapse from the ground. "Just realize that I do not appreciate it when others become involved in my personal affairs. Help Taisho or touch my bikes again, pig, and I'll have your ass for a BBQ."
She left to go find her friends, but not before sending a parting shot of energy over her shoulder.
When she found them they were happily eating fast food. "Hey Kagome," Sango greeted her. "Did you get done what you wanted to?"
Before Kagome could answer the group was distracted by a panicked squealing. Turning, they saw a naked boar youkai running down the street, desperately looking for some kind of cover.
"What happened to him?" Shippou asked in amazement.
"Oh nothing too horrible, I just purified his clothes off. He was the one who helped Sesshoumaru steal Chris."
"Oh," Shippou chuckled.
"Kagome you surprise me," Miroku added with a gleam to his eye. "I had no idea you could be so, forward, in your punishments."
He was rewarded with a smack upside the head from Sango. "Not in front of the kit!"
"It's okay Sango," Shippou told her. "Mum told me was a dirty old lecher."
"I am deeply offended!" Miroku cried. "I most definitely am NOT old!"
Their argument was interrupted by the appearance of a wolf youkai. She had beautiful, straight red hair that reached down past her shoulder blades and blazing green eyes like Shippou. She was wearing an outfit consisting of jeans, with a hunter green tank top and matching suede chaps. The tank exposed her well-toned and tanned arms, and its tightness hinted that her abs were most likely the same. On her forehead was pale, lilac colored star.
"Hey Kagome," she greeted. "Is this your son I've head so much about?"
Before she could answer Miroku was suddenly in front of the new arrival.
"Beautiful demoness," he said, grasping her hand. "Will you do me the honor of bearing my child?"
"And this must be that dirty, old lecher you warned me about," she said wrinkling her nose and extracting her hand from the perverted houshi's grasp.
"I am not old!" Miroku wailed, and then cowered at the heated glare Sango sent him.
"Yes and yes," Kagome laughed. "Ayame this is my son Shippou, my best friend Sango, and the pervert, Miroku. Everybody this is Ayame."
"Hi!" Shippou greeted enthusiastically. "Are you going to race tonight with my mum?"
"Ha, I'm not that crazy," Ayame laughed. "No, I'm a stunt rider. My specialty is trick riding, not racing."
"Wow, cool!" the kit enthused. "Will you show me? Please? Pretty please?" he asked with wide, pleading eyes as he clung to her leg.
"Kami Kagome, how do you ever tell this little guy no?" Ayame laughed as she picked the kit up. Turning back to him she said, "I'm going to be riding after your mom's race, so you should get to see me then. Will that be okay?"
"Okay!" he responded brightly.
"So Kagome," Ayame began. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course. It's the perfect solution for everybody," she replied.
"What is?" asked Sango. She knew the look on Kagome's face, she was up to something.
"Have you challenged him yet?" Ayame asked.
"Who?" Sango interrupted again.
"Kouga," Kagome answered Sango. "And I was just about to head over there and do it."
"You're challenging Kouga to a race?" Miroku asked.
"Uh huh!"
"But why, if you loose he'll be insufferable," Miroku began. At the glare from Kagome he hurried to finish his thought. "And if you win, which of course you will, you'll crush the poor guy's confidence, and put him down in front of his pack. What are you up to?"
"Just a little scheme I call 'Operation Kouga,'" she replied with a twinkle in her eye.
The group made their way back to the track where Kagome could feel the aura of Kouga and his gang.
"Hey babe," he grinned as she approached him. "I came to see you flatten whoever it is you're going to race tonight. So, who's the poor sap this time?" he asked with a wolfish grin, and everybody laughed.
He thoroughly enjoyed watching 'his' woman smoke every single one of her opponents. That first night he'd known she was beautiful and fun to be around, but he'd never have thought himself so lucky as to find as talented a rider as she was. She was amazing, and every rider in Tokyo knew they were close. 'And hopefully soon we'll be even closer,' he thought to himself as he waited for the laughter to die down so Kagome could respond.
"You."
Silence.
"Excuse me?" he gaped.
"I'm calling you out, Kouga. Ten laps, loser has to do everything the winner asks of them tonight," she smiled teasingly. "And I mean everything."
The flirtatious smirk and seductive stance she took earned several cat calls from the crowd.
Kouga was torn, he didn't want to have to humiliate Kagome and break her thus far uninterrupted winning streak, but a.) he couldn't turn down such a public challenge, and b.) he really, really liked the sound of the wager. He knew Kagome trusted him as a close friend and companion, but she'd been reluctant to progress past that and he couldn't for the life of him understand why.
"Deal, but you better live up to that bet Kagome," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He dipped his head for a kiss but she evaded him. "What, no good luck kiss?"
"Silly wolf," she said zipping up her suit. "Like I'm going to wish you luck when it's me you're facing."
The opponents went to their separate bikes. Kagome made a show of removing her NOS tank. Kouga, unwilling to look as if he was concerned, did the same.
Riders typically favor one brand of bike over another. Kagome was deeply loyal to Honda. Kouga, on the other hand, was a die-hard Kawasaki fan, as evidenced by his black and gold Ninja ZX-10R, which sported detailing of a howling wolf along both sides of the front.
His leathers were custom made to coordinate with the bike, just as Kagome's were. His were predominately black with tan and gold slash marks (as in claw-like marks), gracing the chest, back and legs. Kagome's were mostly white, with flame-like shots of color in red, silver and dark gray. Somehow in the swirl of colors you could still see a pictures of wings similar to those leathers she wore when riding Chris.
Assuming their positions on the track the pair waited for Ginta to give them the signal.
"You do realize what's going to happen when I win, don't you Kagome?" Kouga asked with a husky voice.
"Maybe that was my plan all along," Kagome winked back, not taking the bait he was dangling in order to distract her. Kouga, however, had to give his head a few rough shakes and force his eyes forward.
At the signal they both shot forward, though Kouga took the lead. As they flew along the track with the audience screaming for their favorite, it looked as though Kouga would keep the position.
Kagome made a few attempts to pass, but could never work her way into a good window.
"What is she doing?" Ayame stuttered from her place in the crowd. "She was supposed to be able to beat him!"
"Ayame what is going on?" Sango asked, turning her gaze away from the track momentarily.
The wolf demoness merely shook her head and began wringing her hands.
"Don't worry," Shippou chirped as the final lap was begun. "Mum always finds a way."
Down on the track Kagome's face was set in determination. She had made it look as if she was trying to gain on Kouga so far, but it was all part of her plan.
She'd seen Kouga race enough times to know he had a pattern. On his last lap he always entered the final turn a little late, forcing the bike into a quick and dramatic lean. In doing so he always left the tiniest spot open, but no one was crazy enough to make a move on it because if not timed exactly right it would result in a rather nasty collision.
As the pair approached the turn Kouga did not disappoint her. Seeing the opening she rolled the throttle back quickly and shot into it. The added acceleration caused her to lean so tightly into the turn that she knew she'd have to replace her knee pad from how much abuse it was taking in skidding along the pavement.
Kouga's front tire missed her rear one by mere centimeters as he came into the turn, and she could sense the incredulous amazement spiking in his aura.
Coming out of the turn into the final stretch she let her rear end slide out a bit, momentarily blocking Kouga from making a move forward.
The pair both rocketed forward, but Kagome's daring move had won her the race. As she crossed the finish line and braked hard, locking up her front wheel so that se came to a halt in a magnificent stoppie. (A/N: Where the rear end the bike rises up off the ground. Opposite of a wheelie.)
The two riders parked their bike and started removing their gear as some of the cheering crowd thundered down to them. No one had beaten Kouga in more years than could be counted on two hands, and this kind of an upset called for major partying.
"You, Kagome, are one sneaky little…" Kouga was slightly growling.
"Now now, Kouga. Seeing as you are my slave for the next while do you really want to go incurring my wrath like that?" Kagome teased. He 'hmph'ed and turned away as Shippou flew into his mother's arms, followed shortly by Sango, Ayame and Miroku.
"Mum you were amazing!" Shippou cheered, as Sango and Miroku agreed.
"Kagome that was insane!" Ayame nearly shrieked. "You could have been killed pulling off a stunt like that! Are you nuts?"
"You're welcome Ayame," Kagome laughed. "I knew what I was doing, and even if I had crashed I would have been just fine, so stop worrying. Now we better head over to the back lot so you can show us idiot racers there are better things to do with a bike, ne?"
The wolf demoness grinned. "Well as long as you can admit it," she said, still shaking her head. "Why don't you sit in the east stands, and I'll find you there after."
"Perfect," Kagome smiled as she waved her off to get ready. "Coming Kouga?" she called.
"Do I have a choice?" he pouted.
"No, and quit sulking. It makes you considerably less attractive!" she teased. She threw her arms around his waist in a friendly gesture and led him off, Shippou sitting on his shoulders.
"Don't feel bad," the kit said, placating the ookami as he patted his head. "It's not your fault Mum can't be beaten."
Kouga laughed and relaxed a bit. He had to admit; Hando was good, even more so than she let on. As they walked on he wondered what else she kept hidden up her sleeve, for as good a friend as she was, he knew there was still a lot about her he had yet to understand.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Ayame was amazing.
When she made her entrance she wasn't even riding the bike, but instead skidding along beside it, knees bent with a shower of sparks flying up from beneath her. As she wasn't wearing a helmet or jacket, her hair fanned out in the wind, catching the setting sun's rays.
"How does she do that?" Shippou asked in wonder.
"She sticks thumbtacks into the soles of her boots," Kagome replied. She looked over at Kouga, who was pretending to be uninterested, but who was really still impressed.
As Ayame slowed she hopped up onto the bike and brought it up into a 65 degree angle stoppie. When the back end came back down she did a few circles before hauling the front end up in a series of wheelies so straight she was actually tapping the rear lights on the ground.
"What kind of bike is that?" Kouga asked nonchalantly.
Ayame's ride was a deep hunter green with silver leaf patterns trailing back along the body. She'd removed all decals and done enough aftermarket adjustments to it that it made it hard to recognize.
"It's a ZZR 600, but she's put in some larger rear sprockets, a shortened exhaust system, and some other stuff to make it more suited to this kind of thing," Kagome replied, a knowing smile creeping across her face.
"She's a Kawasaki type, then?" His eyebrows had risen in unrestrained interest.
"Unalterably so," Kagome chuckled. Now Ayame was using short bursts of speed to put the bike into stoppies, and then swinging it around 180 degrees.
"How 'come I haven't ever seen her before?" Kouga wondered. He made it a point to know who all the serious riders in the area were, especially the ookami ones.
"Well she just moved here from Hokkaido. She was a mechanic for her grandfather's racing team, Northern Stars, but she talked him into letting her come to Tokyo to do some modeling," Kagome said matter-of-factly.
"Northern Stars? You mean she's Tsunako's granddaughter?" Kouga gaped. Tsunako was the leader of all ookami in the north of Japan, the equivalent to Kouga, as he himself was leader of the central Japan clan. The northern wolf was a powerful demon you did not cross.
"Yup!" Kagome replied in triumph.
Sango gave Miroku a nudge, and they exchanged knowing looks. It had finally dawned on them what Kagome was doing.
Ayame paused for a brief moment, taking a hair stick from her boot she quickly twisted her hair up and secured it.
For her final move she did another quick acceleration into a stoppie, only this time she started out crouched down, with both feet on the seat. When the tail came up she threw the bike into neutral, brought her left hand back to the seat, and pushed herself up into a handstand so that as the bike went vertical, so did she.
She managed to hold the position for a good 5-10 seconds, before gracefully letting herself come down straddling the seat as the rear tire hit the ground. She then put her feel on the back pegs and stood, making her exit while pulling one final wheelie.
"That was so cool!" Shippou enthused.
"I had no idea that kind of stuff was even possible!" Miroku gushed. "Perhaps I should ask her again if she would bear my child."
Sango whacked him upside the head while the women and kit laughed. Kouga, however, looked slightly offended.
"She's out of your league, houshi," he nearly growled. "She's of high rank, and you'd never stand a chance."
The group continued to tease Miroku for a few minutes till Ayame showed up, greeted by applause, cheers, and whistles from everyone in the crowd.
"Nice one, Ayame," Kagome congratulated her. "That last bit was phenomenal, I've never seen anyone do that before."
Ayame blushed. "Yeah, well, I can't stand racing, and in my family you've got to be spectacular at something involving bikes so…" she trailed off, trying to downplay her talent.
"You don't like racing?" Kouga asked. "Why not? I would have thought your ji-san's love of speed would be hereditary, or at the very least forcibly instilled in his heirs," he joked.
"Well it's not like I'm afraid of speed," Ayame laughed. "My track times are pretty good, but I just hate being surrounded by a whole pack of other riders. I like to have room to maneuver ya know?"
"Oh yeah, I can definitely appreciate that," Kouga smiled and Ayame blushed.
"So Kagome," Ayame said turning to her friend. "You up for dinner and dancing? I think between yours and my performance we deserve a little celebration." She already knew Kagome's answer, but she had to follow the script.
"I'd love to, but I can't," Kagome replied with feigned sorrow. "It's a school night for Shippou so I need to get him home, feed him, make sure he gets his homework done, all that good stuff."
"Aw Mum!" the kit whined.
"But Kagome," Kouga interrupted. "You won the bet, you're supposed to be ordering me around tonight, remember?"
Kagome put her finger to her chin and pretended to look thoughtful. "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten. But the thing is, I've had a crazy day. I had an early morning meeting with Kikyou and Inuyasha, Chris was stolen, I nearly lost an arm, my apartment was broken into…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sango cried. "What is all of that about? Who broke into your place?"
Simultaneously Kouga asked "Who stole Chris!" and Miroku asked "You were injured? Perhaps I should examine you."
"Taisho," she replied blandly to the first two and ignored the third. "But I'm really tired so…"
"But Kagome, you promised we'd get a chance to hang out," Ayame pouted.
"Tell you what," Kagome said with the air of someone who'd just had a brilliant idea. "Kouga, it's now your job to take Ayame out and make sure she has a good time. She's new to the area, so go somewhere entertaining."
Ayame pretended give Kouga a wary glance. "I don't know Kagome, are you sure you can't come? I was looking forward to some fun."
"Hey," Kouga said, mildly affronted. "I'll have you know I'm lots of fun! Trust me, one night and I'll have you convinced I'm the most fun guy in this whole city," he said, pouring on the charm.
"All right," Ayame replied uncertainly. "I guess that sounds okay."
"Fabulous!" Kagome trilled. "I'll see you guys next week then okay?"
"Okay, see ya Kagome," Kouga replied as he gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and immediately engaged Ayame in a conversation. As he drew her away he failed to notice the sly wink his companion sent back in the direction of Kagome.
(Bruce: Women are so, so rotten!)
Once they were out of earshot Sango turned to her. "Kouga was right, you are a sneaky little…"
"Hey!" Kagome protested. "I don't know what you're referring to!"
"Yes you do Kagome," she chastised. Then shaking her head she said, "You are so bad!"
"And that, my dear friend, is exactly why I am so good!" she grinned cheekily. Inside she was thinking, 'Operation Kouga, status: complete.'
"You know Kagome," Miroku interjected. "However good you are at your little schemes, you won't be able to persuade Kouga he's in love with Ayame if he is already in love with you."
Shippou suddenly became very small and still. He knew this was a grown up conversation, and his best chances for getting to hear the rest of it were to remain under the radar.
"I know," Kagome replied seriously. "But I honestly don't think he is in love with me."
"He could easily become so if you'd give him half a chance. He seems like a great guy Kagome. He's powerful, he likes some of the same things you do, and it would appear that despite the biker-gang image, he's capable of being serious and trustworthy," Miroku expounded.
Sango too, had become silent. It was one of those times when Miroku was showing how truly wise he could be, and she knew it was best to just let him work. She also really liked seeing him this way; it made putting up with his lecherous ways bearable, because she knew that despite the idiosyncrasies, a great man lay underneath.
"I know," moaned Kagome. "Believe me I know!"
"Then why hand him over so easily? I didn't think you wanted to spend the rest of your life alone."
Kagome sighed exasperatedly. "Because they're better for each other. He's really competitive, and I don't think my being able to defeat him both in racing and combat would ever be 100 okay. He'd live with it, and deal, but it'd always bother him not to be the strong one in a relationship. He needs to be the leader.
"Ayame is amazing, and one of the best at what she does, but her interests are different from his. They can be together without ever having to face off. She's used to powerful youkai, and she's strong enough to hold her own. Besides that, a match between the two of them would make both their clans happy."
Miroku opened his mouth, but Kagome beat him to it.
"I know that nothing I just said means it will work out between them, but they stand a really good chance, better than he and I ever would. He deserves someone like her, and I think they'll make each other happy." She sounded so sure of herself in this matter that Miroku knew it would be useless to object. However, he was by no means finished.
"Yes, but Kagome, when will you let someone make you happy?"
Sango and Shippou blinked, completely surprised at his audacity.
"I am happy," she asserted. He went to object but she cut him off again. "I know that's not what you mean, but really Miroku, I'm only 22, and in the past few months my life has taken some unexpected turns. But think about it, I've got a son who loves me, a supportive family, wonderful friends, and an extremely ornery taiyoukai all in my life right now. Don't you think that that's quite enough to be dealing with for the time being?" She smiled winningly at him.
"I suppose," he conceded. "Just make sure you don't spend so much time looking out for others that you forget you're a human woman who has her own needs."
"Well you would defiantly be someone who knew about women's needs," she teased him.
"Exactly, so anytime you need something, feel free to approach me. I'd be more than happy to help you out," he waggled his eyebrow suggestively.
The tension gone, Sango and Shippou felt free to breathe once again.
"No thanks," Kagome replied. "You're too for old me."
"I am NOT old!"
"Sure, whatever. Like I said though, I've had a long day and Shippou has school tomorrow. If I keep him out much later I'd be a bad mother. Thanks for coming you two, I had fun!" She hugged Sango and Miroku, picked Shippou up, and headed off for Chris.
"So," Sango said. "She's just removed Kouga from the picture, and it sounds as if she's still in full out war with Taisho-sama."
"I'd say that was a pretty accurate summary," Miroku replied.
"How long do you think before she cracks?"
"A week, tops."
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Bruce here again. I meant it, women really are rotten. And personally I think this Kouga bloke is way better than that Sess guy.
Now, guessing form the state I found this chapter in (it was a bit bodgy), I'm thinking 'beta pending' means she was waiting for her beta to edit it for her. If this is the case, add on those comments I threw in and I'm really in trouble. Oh well, might as well drown in ten feet of water as six.
Speaking of betas… Angel I'm sorry to step on your toes, but I couldn't resist, love. The opportunity was too tempting.
I tried to fix a few things, but I had to work fast because she almost woke up. By the way, don't you all agree she uses way too many adjectives? I think you all should tell her you think that. Also, if you wouldn't mind mentioning the fact you think I'm funny, and did NOT ruin the chapter, it might lengthen my lifespan considerably. And don't forget, if you see murder of a handsome college student in the headlines on Tuesday, call the cops.
Okay, one last dig: Ask her about the incident with the pixie sticks and campus security at the football stadium. Ha ha ha. I'm dead already, why not enjoy this while I can?
A/N: All right guys, you may have noticed that was not the chapter I gave you spoilers for. That is because this chapter, until recently, was not part of the outline for the story. So, please forgive me for changing things around on you, but I need this in here now to properly set up for something a little further down the road. Parent's Night really is the next chapter, and the spoilers for it are at the end of chapter 17. (Prepare yourselves - shameless hinting ahead…) However, if you ask me –coughinareviewcough- I'll send you another one.
Also, I promise to finally include some Kag/Sess progress/fluff in the upcoming chapter.