Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
A/N: Okay, first of all I want to address a few things. One, I DO NOT SNORE! I may talk in my sleep, but I never snore. Bruce, however, can make a hibernating bear sound like a baby cooing. Secondly, I do not use too many adjectives or psychobabble; I merely use descriptive words in an effort to afford greater clarity to those who read them. Third, I am not obsessive, just well organized. Organization is dead useful in the creation of chaos, trust me. Next, it took me only two hours to notice what that stinker had done, not two days. Also, I don't let him near my RS for a good reason. If you knew him you wouldn't either. Despite what he says, we women are not rotten (I secretly think he's just jealous).
Finally, several of you have inquired as to my reaction to/punishment of Bruce, and also the pixie stix story. If I am in a good mood by the time I'm done adding spoilers for the next chapter then perhaps I'll share. However, as the fabulous and forgiving Dark Crystalis, a.k.a. Angel, was kind enough to overlook Bruce's actions and once again beta this chapter, I'm sure I'll be feelin' peachy keen after reading it and you won't be disappointed.
Chapter 19 – Parent's Night
Wednesday Evening, 8 pm.
Kagome approached the school with a vague sense of foreboding. It had only been four days since her return from the camping trip, but so much had happened. Sesshoumaru had placed that ridiculous ad (forcing her to change her number to stem the tide of creepy calls), stolen her piano AND Chris, and that stupid tail had nearly fried her arm off.
One thing that puzzled her, though, was Sesshoumaru's lack of retaliation. She'd taken something very important from him, granted he must have found it by now, and Kikyou had informed her of the effects of her booby-trap, but he had mysteriously not reacted to either. She had expected her room to be trashed, her motorcycle racing to be interrupted…something! All yesterday she had been expecting some kind of ambush or challenge to pop up around every corner she turned, but no! She was perfectly capable of being patient, but that didn't she mean she liked it. "Men," she grumbled, "they always keep you waiting!"
Inside the building, she could feel the auras of a several hundred parents. The majority were humans, but there were also a respectable number of demons and priests or priestesses as well. A very familiar aura was unsurprisingly sticking out from the rest. Sesshoumaru, she could feel, was walking into the east wing of the building on the second floor. She also felt his aura reach out and probe her own.
Contemplating sending a small purifying jolt into his probe brought a grin to her face, but she wouldn't actually do it; she didn't want to alarm any other parents who might sense the interaction. Besides, she knew her own aura would be drawing enough attention as it was, not only because of its strength, but also because of its current state.
Truth be told, Kagome was exhausted, but with the wedding only a few days away, now was not the time to slack off. So, determined to make it through the evening, she tried to smooth out the flares in her powers and settle in for the upcoming event.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
As it turned out, Shippou's classroom was right next to Rin's. They were only a year apart, so their proximity wasn't surprising. However, it was annoying both the taiyoukai and miko that they had to endure the knowledge of the other's presence, along with the constant feel of their respective auras, without being able to do anything about it. The school was tied to the children, so it was a neutral port.
Not surprisingly, Kagome got some startled and suspicious stares from parents who were either demons or possessed spiritual powers. Except for Sesshoumaru Taisho, no one they had ever come across had that powerful of an aura. Kagome was used to this though, and continually gave reassuring smiles whilst making her aura seem as calm and soothing as possible.
Once the evening started, Shippou's teacher began by going over the curriculum for the year, and then led a discussion where the parents spoke about what they hoped their children would get out of it, and asked questions. Next, each parent, or set of parents, introduced themselves and told who their child was.
Listening to everyone made Kagome feel a little uncomfortable; all the other parents were older, more experienced, and had jobs with medical and dental coverage. Well, thanks to her miko abilities, she didn't need the latter because she could take care of anything Shippou came up with, but still… She suddenly felt immature and less confident. Thankfully, something soon cropped up to divert her attention.
The two fox youkai to her right stood up to introduce themselves. "We're the Sugawara's," the husband began. "We run a security firm together."
"That is, when we're not trying to keep tabs on our kit," the wife joked as several parents chuckled knowingly. "Tadahiko is seven and excels in trouble making and mischief, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize ahead of time to his teacher." Again the room laughed and Kagome found herself liking the humorous couple. "Oh, and one more thing," the vixen youkai said before she sat, "I was hoping to meet the parents of Hando Shippou, as our son seems to have taken a liking to him. I thought he said they were in the same class, but since I don't see any other foxes here, I guess he must be in another. Does anyone happen to know which?"
Kagome smiled and raised her hand. As the couple sat down she stood and began her own introduction. "You were right, Shippou is in this class. I'm his mother, Hando Kagome." The room blinked at her. They had been interested in who the young girl was, but they would never have guessed she would be a mother, and to a youkai child at that. Most had assumed she was something along the lines of an older sister.
"I know, I know, it seems strange," she laughed a bit nervously. "I adopted my son three years ago while living in America, and we just moved back to Japan a couple of months back. But don't worry, I've already persuaded him to drop most of his slang and he speaks Japanese very well so none of your children should come home saying odd things like 'sike,' or 'sup'." She sat down, but as she was the last in the room to introduce herself, the rest of the parents felt free to question her since there was no one to follow.
"What part of America are you from?" a female eagle youkai on the other side of the room asked.
"Actually, I'm a Tokyo native, I was just going to school over there, in the eastern mid-Atlantic region," she responded.
"And what is it that you do?" a woman whom Kagome knew to be a miko asked.
"Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that," Kagome answered evasively. "Right now I'm doing some freelance work in information and security." Well, at least that's what she should be doing anyways…if she actually had a job that is.
"My son said he thought you were part of Kouga's biker gang," a wolf youkai said. "Is that true?"
'His son must have been around when I picked up Shippou on Monday,' she thought. Noticing the disapproving glares from some of the humans, and a piqued interest from the youkai she was quick to answer.
"No, no, not at all. I am in no gang, Kouga is just a very dear friend of mine," she answered, trying to ignore the skeptical look on the wolf's face.
She could tell they had a lot of questions, but not wanting to reveal much about herself, she hoped they wouldn't ask them. She wanted to be active at the school and have Shippou be accepted. She didn't need suspicious parents hounding her steps, or whispering things to their kids that would make her son's life harder.
Sensing her discomfort, the vixen next to her leaned over and engaged her in conversation, successfully nipping in the bud the other parent's interrogation.
"Dear," she began, "you simply must exchange numbers with me, as I'm sure from what Tadahiko has said, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other as we shuttle our sons back and forth. I know, for instance, mine was hoping yours could spend the night this Friday." She smiled warmly at Kagome, hoping to be supportive.
Kagome smiled back, thankful for her help. "I'd be only too happy to…"
"Sachiko, and this is my mate Loki," the woman replied. They wrote each other's information down and switched. "So, Kagome-san, what about this weekend?"
"Oh, I wish I could say yes, because I know Shippou would love it, but my sister is getting married this weekend, so we're going to be pretty busy. How about the one after that?" she asked hopefully. She really wanted Shippou to have friends, and this family seemed so nice. They were even fox youkai, and she wanted her son to have contact with others like himself as he grew up.
"That'd be just fine," Sachiko smiled.
"So," her husband cut in, "what kind of security do you work in? There's no use pretending you're not trained in something. I can feel it in your aura, as can every other youkai within a five mile radius I'm sure," he said with a knowing smile.
"Dear!" Sachiko gasped. "Way to harass the poor woman!"
"Don't worry about it," Kagome chuckled. "Believe me, I'm used to it, and like he said, there's no use trying to deny it. To answer your question, I'd answer that I'm into several kinds of security. My experience is what you would call, broad."
"Mm hmm, mm hmm," responded with a nod and a smile. "I know I'm not going to get anything more out of you here, so perhaps you'd like to drop by sometime," he said, extending a business card. "I have a project or two that might just be the kind of thing a free lancer would enjoy."
"Thank you," Kagome replied. "But if I can ask, why so trusting?"
"Because any woman who voluntarily raises a kitsune, and a male one at that, has got to be someone who's clever, crafty, and patient," he answered with a sly grin. It was one Kagome had seen her son use on numerous occasions, usually when he was planning on being naughty. "All of which are qualities needed in the type of person I'm looking for."
"Yeah," Sachiko interjected, "and all of which you need to get along with him!" She poked him in the side playfully.
Kagome laughed at their antics. "Again, thank you. I'll give it some thought."
Suddenly the couple stiffened, staring at something that was behind Kagome. She however, didn't need to turn around to know what, or more specifically whom, had just caught the attention of the entire room.
"Feeling better Sesshoumaru?" she asked, turning to face him. She already knew the answer, but since the last time they had officially been in each other's company, he'd been nearly doubled up in pain it was only polite to ask. She noted that his burns had healed as well.
'Impressive,' she thought. 'That flour should've done a good amount of damage, but he seems to have gotten over it rather quickly.'
The graceful youkai entered the room, parting the sea of parents as he made a direct line to Kagome. "Despite your best efforts, Kagome, yes."
His cold reply stunned the entire room, not because it was cool, but because the most powerful being in Japan had just let some girl call him by his first name, and he didn't kill her in retaliation. Secondly, he'd called her by her given name, and furthermore, it sounded as if this young woman had done something to him. Curiosity over who exactly this Hando woman was increased tenfold.
"Rin has inquired over your health these past few days," he said in an almost bored tone.
"How very kind of her," Kagome replied with equal nonchalance. "Interestingly enough, Shippou has inquired after yours as well."
When the taiyoukai arched an eyebrow in response nearly everyone fell off their chairs. It was clear they were expecting either some kind of confrontation, or at least some other heightened interaction to take place. Kagome ignored the pleading looks of interest in their eyes.
"How may I help you?" Kagome asked when he had just continued to stand at stare at her.
"This Sesshoumaru does not need your help," he replied. 'But it looks as if you are in need of mine,' he thought to himself. For the first time since he'd known her she was wearing heavy makeup, which he suspected was to try and cover up how haggard she would look without it. Her aura was still powerful, but to anyone who knew her as he did, it seemed tired. She was trying to hide her exhaustion, but he could see through the disguise.
"Then what can I do for you?"
"I do not need your service either, most fortunately."
Both faces seemed impassive to the observing crowd, but some could feel the charge in their auras and even fewer could see glints in their eyes. Their postures were deceptively casual, but it was apparent both had tensed muscles, and were ready to move at less than a second's notice.
This was turning out to be one of the more interesting parent's nights some had ever been to.
"Then for what purpose, pray tell, have I the honor of enjoying your company this fine evening?" Kagome drawled out in lofty tones, falling back on her typical sarcasm and trying hard not to smile.
"I wanted to remind you that you are expected at no later than…"
"Ten AM, yes I know, but thank you for reminding me. I am unfailingly punctual, as you may remember," Kagome cut him off.
"On a weekday perhaps," Sesshoumaru responded in a mildly taunting tone. "But I also know that on weekends you have been known to sleep past noon."
"That was once," she countered, "and only because I was on an assignment that lasted all night and till six that morning, of which you are well aware. Still, I appreciate your concern and I shall make every effort to be on time."
"I have no concern for you," he sneered, "but I do for those who will be quite put out if you are not there by…"
"TEN AM, I got it, I got it." For a second Kagome was seriously wondering why he was even talking to her, but then an idea struck. "All the same, thank you."
"Hn," he replied as he turned and left the room, his posture tall and straight, hands held regally behind his back.
"Kagome-san," Sachiko began uncertainly, "may I ask…?"
"What that was about?" the younger woman replied. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think that was his way of being supportive…the arrogant snob." This last part caused more than a few eyes to widen. Not many people readily insulted Taisho Sesshoumaru in public. "As to what he was referring to, it was my sister's wedding. It's at his home and he was reminding what time I'm supposed to show up by."
"Your sister is getting married at the Taisho mansion?" Loki asked, unable to stop himself.
"Yeah, to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru's younger brother."
This time a few people did fall off their chairs.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Sesshoumaru could hear the gasps from other parents in response to Kagome's revelation and smirked, his plan had worked.
He'd been sitting in the next room over when he sensed Kagome's discomfort, and the curiosity, and even partial dislike, of the others surrounding her. When he'd heard them begin to question her, he almost interrupted then, but held himself back when the fox youkai began talking to Kagome.
He didn't like that she felt inferior to the other parents. He didn't like the stupid people sticking their nose in her business. Most particularly, he did not like it when she referred to that ridiculous wolf as 'very dear,' but that was beside the point.
He wondered how a child in this school would have gotten the impression that Kagome was a member of that ookami's gang. A possibility was that Shippou had spread the rumor, but he didn't find that likely. Annoying as the kit could be, he didn't seem the dishonest type.
Perhaps Kouga had come to the school with Kagome? But what would induce a youkai like him to take the time to come to a place as mundane and uninteresting as a school? Unless, of course, he was that involved in her life…
'But this is all beside the point,' he reminded himself. 'What was the point again? Oh, yes.'
As she was soon to become family, it meant that others should hold a similar respect for her as they did for himself, therefore, it was necessary that he make it clear just whom she was aligned with.
He himself had no problem harassing and abusing the girl, but that did not mean anyone else could. Why he felt this way he wasn't sure, but the excuse of family and respect was a good enough one to act on.
He also felt the need to act on his curiosity over her physical state. Looking around, he found her car was parked next to a large tree, so he leapt into it and simply withdrew his aura. If Kagome was at one hundred percent she would still easily detect him, but he was guessing in her current condition she'd miss his presence.
As a thunderstorm broke, he inwardly frowned at the fact that he was going to ruin his suit by staying out in the rain, but then again, he had a hundred suits, so the loss of one was nothing if it meant he'd be able to catch the miko off guard.
Waiting, he watched as nearly everyone else left and wondered what the devil she was doing, lagging behind. Just then, the girl in question appeared on the steps of the school and began walking to her car. Even though it was pouring rain and her car was a good distance away, she only walked, and surprisingly, with an upturned face.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Kagome had talked with the Sugawaras and Shippou's teacher for several minutes, and then took the time to wander the school and get a look at everything. Her senses calmed as more and more people left the building, their aura's no longer nagging at hers for attention.
Inwardly, she had to chuckle at the change in some of their attitudes after Sesshoumaru's little show. Those who had been distrustful of her were suddenly respectful, and those who were merely curious before were downright anxious now.
There had been a lot of people here tonight, probably well over two thousand, and all were concerned and or involved with their children's situation, so the strain on her aura had been a lot to take when she was already so tired.
'Hmph, I really need to learn how to tap outside energy at will,' she thought. 'It would really come in handy about now.' She slowly made it to the doors and out into the rain, savoring the feel of it on her skin.
She knew it was probably making her look like a fright by smearing and washing away her makeup, but she didn't care; it wasn't as if anyone could see her. Well, Sesshoumaru was lurking around somewhere she knew, but she didn't care. She could tell he had withdrawn his aura, but there was no way he'd ever be able to hide his presence from her.
She turned her face upwards and held out her arms, palms and fingers open to catch as much of the wonderful water as she could. She loved the feel of it, cool and soft, sliding along her skin and dampening her hair and clothes. It was so refreshing, as if she'd been a withered plant and the water was restoring her to health.
Now that she knew what she was it no longer puzzled her. Water was the element that was easiest to surround herself in completely while still feeling the weight of it upon her body. She could lie on the earth. Draw near to fire, or even feel the wind blow against her, but water could envelope and comfort her like nothing else. When she reached her car she decided she was just going to rest a bit before driving home, so she laid back on her hood and let the rain reach more of her body.
'The miko is going to fall asleep outside in the rain. How careless,' she heard in Sesshoumaru's voice. Strangely enough, it was if she had heard it in her head and not in her ears
'Baka, if only he knew how wrong he is,' she thought. "I'm not going to sleep Sesshoumaru, I'm merely thinking while resting with my eyes closed!" she said defensively and out loud. "Besides, I thought we were past the 'miko,' or 'girl' stage. What happened to you calling me by my name?"
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in amazement. He had not voiced that thought, yet she knew what he was thinking. "This Sesshoumaru did not say anything," he replied, landing gracefully beside her.
'Oh great,' she thought, 'another new power I have no idea what to do with. And if I'm going to start reading minds, then I definitely don't want to start with him!' If she hadn't been so tired, this new development would have generated more of a response, but as it was, she didn't think much about it and tried to brush the incident aside. "Oh really?" she asked nonchalantly, not even opening her eyes to acknowledge him. "Anyway, I know what you did inside, and I just wanted to say thank you." There was a moment where neither of them spoke.
"You know you are capable of killing anyone that was in that school tonight apart from myself," he said, breaking the silence. "Why do you let yourself be intimidated by them?"
"Because it is not just my battle," she replied, still not sitting up. "I can't just kill people I don't get along with, and the impressions those parents have of me will affect their children's opinions, and those children's opinions will affect their treatment of my son. So you see? In this case, it's not just me I have to be thinking of."
"The kitsune will have to learn to deal with real life sooner or later, why protect him now?" he asked, trying to get a rise out of her. Kagome's prone figure was bothering him. He didn't like seeing her like that. He wanted her up and staring him defiantly in the face, not looking pale and drenched whilst sprawled on her car. She didn't rise, but at least she looked him in the eye when she responded.
"Shippou was orphaned at three and was beaten by those who took him in. At three and a half he ran away and was living on the streets, scavenging what he could to survive for over eight months. My son has seen enough of the real world already, and he deserves all the kindness there is. If I can make his life a little easier by playing nice with the other parents then I'll do it." She wasn't angry with Sesshoumaru, but her tone let him know she left no room for argument. "You will never have to worry about this kind of thing, because the general population understands that hurting Rin in any way will result in a slow and painful death." Suddenly a wicked smile stole over her face and she grunted as she sat up to give him an evil look. "However, good luck once she hits puberty and starts asking for things like padded bras and maxi pads."
For the first time in her acquaintance with Sesshoumaru Kagome saw a tinge of fear creep into his eyes. "That is not the subject!" he snarled, trying to mask his apprehension with anger.
"Oh? Then perhaps you would be good enough to remind me what is," she smiled back.
Despite her attempts at levity, Kagome's appearance betrayed her. The rain had washed away all her makeup so the large dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her complexion were easily seen. She also looked drawn, as if she had been loosing weight, and she didn't have much to spare in the first place. 'How could such a drastic change take place in only a few short days?' he asked himself.
He wanted to ask "What have you been doing to make yourself appear so ragged?" but he knew she wouldn't answer that right now. Instead, he decided to try Rin's tactics.
"I take it you found your motorcycle."
"Yes I did, and in hardly any time at all thank you very much." A flicker of a grin spread across her face. "I take it you enjoyed yourself that morning, considering the amount of mileage you accrued."
"It was a surprisingly pleasant experience, although I was not warned about the effects of the wind."
"Ah yes, that boar has practically no hair, so he wouldn't have thought about it much."
"You know where I took it?"
"He may not have a strong aura, but he handled my bike and left his cooties all over it. I had to spend an hour cleaning them off."
"What are cooties?" asked a puzzled Sesshoumaru.
"Nevermind," she sighed, "it's not important. However, I hope you understand what it meant for you to be riding Chris."
"I'm sure you are more than willing to explain it to me," he jeered.
"A rider's attachment to their bike is intensely personal. What you did is on par with you stealing and wearing my underwear, or me trying to wield tokjin."
"Surely you jest," he said disbelievingly, his eyes widening.
"Not at all," she replied. "I spent months making adjustments and additions to that bike. It is a reflection of my skill, my taste, and my personality. I customized it with as much care as went into the forging of your sword."
"I doubt the two are truly comparable," he snorted.
"And I don't doubt that you do. One of your shortcomings is the willful ignorance of other people's perspective, unless, of course, it helps you to destroy them." Her shoulders were sagging again.
Unnerved by her posture, and angered by her comment, he sought to rile her up again. "And one of yours is the willful disregard of the experience-guided wisdom of others."
Kagome sighed. She did not have the energy to get into a fight, nor did she fancy feeling her ring scar burn on top of everything else. So, she changed the subject. "Did you find your ancestral tail?"
"Surely you did not expect that hiding it in the dryer would conceal its whereabouts for long?" he asked, feigning astonishment. He had hoped to engage her ire, but perhaps it was smarter to let her direct the conversation and see if it didn't lead where he wanted it to go.
"No," she laughed. "I had wanted to do something different, but I needed time to find Chris, and whatever it was that zapped me hurt like hell. I found myself anxious to be rid of the blasted thing."
Now that she was smiling he thought he had a better chance of finding out what he wanted to know most of all. "What have you been doing to drain yourself of your usual energy?"
"Apart from my effort to make your life difficult, a great many things, Sesshoumaru," she sighed, her shoulders slumping even further. "Let's just say it's for me to know, and you to find out. Don't worry," she interjected as a rumbling snarl came from the demon. "You won't have to wait long. Much will be revealed at the ceremony on Saturday if everything goes according to plan."
Uncertainty flooded him as visions of Kagome going ballistic and trying to destroy both him and his home whirled through his mind's eye. However, as much as he was reluctant to trust her, he also knew she would never do anything to hurt Kikyou or, he suspected, Inuyasha. She wouldn't pull a stunt at their ceremony.
"How did you hear my thoughts earlier?" he asked.
"No clue," she chuckled. When he frowned and made as if to speak she cut him off. "I know, I know, unacceptable right? But honestly, that was the first time that has ever happened and I blame you."
"Truly?" he asked huffily. "How is it my fault?"
"Everything about you is so intense; your aura, your youki…everything. I can feel you in my apartment when you are in town at Information Front, though from that distance it's more like a persistent buzz than the usual sting. So if my mind is going to start picking up on others, I'm not surprised you would be the first. If you don't like it, then tell me how to stop, because I'm pretty sure I don't WANT to know what goes through that head of yours."
Her speech had been delivered in an exasperated tone, and multiple parts sent red flags flying in the taiyoukai's mind, but there was one particular he wanted clarified.
"My aura stings?" he asked. "It actually causes you pain?" Once again he had no problem aggravating this miko, but he wanted to be in control of when and where. The idea of him causing her pain just by being near did not sit well.
"Perhaps sting is not the right word," she replied, rolling off the hood and wobbling to the driver's side door while getting her keys out. "It's intense, let's put it that way. Right now, the effect is lessened because you tried to withdraw you aura, presumably to hide the fact that you were lurking in a tree above my car for whatever nefarious reason, but I'm guessing that it would take about thirty to sixty miles between us before I couldn't sense you. Possibly even past a hundred if I was in top condition and you were feeling particularly murderous or powerful at the moment."
Sesshoumaru blinked unbelievingly at the young miko in front of him. "Why are you being so forthright this evening? Usually, I can't even beat a straight answer out of you."
"Because I'm grateful for your little display of support earlier," she smiled. "That, and I have a question of my own that I hope you will answer."
"Which is what?" Sesshoumaru prompted.
"In the employee manual for Taisho Command, it strongly advises against intra-company relationships, which coming from you really means a complete carpet ban." Sesshoumaru huffed at this. "Don't deny it!" she chided. "So, that being the case, why have you put up with Inuyasha and Kikyou, your two most senior employees, not only having a relationship but getting mated?"
Sesshoumaru knew the answer to this question, but he silently wondered how much, if anything, he should tell her. "I will not deny I have concerns over the matter, including the fact that one such as Inuyasha does not deserve one such as Kikyou," here he noted her eyes widen in shock, "but the bottom line is that in this case, the value of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
"Meaning that they are stronger together than they are apart," Kagome said.
"Precisely. You have not had much opportunity to observe, but I have noted that when they fight together, or to protect the other, they are fiercer, more deadly, than when they are alone or with anyone else. They bring out each other's strengths." Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome left her keys in the door, walked up to him, and put her hands on his shoulders. He contemplated backing away but pride demanded he not show weakness, whatever she was planning he would face it.
"Thank you," Kagome whispered. She tugged on his shoulders, making him lean forward as she stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek gently. Then she briefly stroked one of the stripes on his other cheek before tucking a strand of his hair that had fallen forward back behind his ear.
Before he could react she had returned to her car and slid in, while babbling in a loud announcer's voice "And that concludes this Q&A session folks. Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you back next week. Goodnight!" With that, she was in her car a driving away, leaving a now soaking wet demon to ponder what had passed.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
A/N: HAH! Bet y'all weren't expecting that, were you? Then again, I did promise some fluff, so maybe you were. Now, spoilers for Chapter 20 - Impromptu Rescue:
-"Something has happened," Sesshoumaru growled in anger. The idea of sitting there and doing nothing did not even cross his mind. Anything that would terrify the miko this much had to be a threat to more than just her. He was not sure how he knew she was terrified, he just did.-
- When she heard her name Kagome seemed to come out of a daze. She shrugged off her mother and stood, but still rested both palms against the ancient god tree. "Help me," she muttered as her forehead fell forward to rest against the tree's bark as well.-
- Kagome turned back to Sesshoumaru. "Okay we have to be fast so how do we get there? Do you have a chopper on hand?"
Sesshoumaru held out his hand. "I do not need a helicopter to travel quickly."-
- Ten minutes later as they neared their destination he slowed and set down on the ground. He waited for her to release him and stand on her own but she didn't move. "You can let go now," he drawled, "we're on the ground."-
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
Okay… if you're still reading everything at this point then you must really want to know what happened. Although, in exchange my sharing I think it'd be nice for all you fine and fair folk out there to review.
As for Bruce, all I am going to say is that he has learned his lesson after certain privileges were temporarily revoked. I've changed my passwords, he discovered I don't need to use violence to make a point, and we've moved on. Well, for the most part. That fact that last chapter was the second most highly reviewed has sparked a mildly heated discussion as to whether it's all thanks to him or no, but mildly heated discussions aren't necessarily a bad thing ;-)
Now for the pixie stix story… ( I know it's long but I can't help but elaborate on my moments of glory – although Bruce disagrees that this is one of those.)
First of all, you have to understand that I don't drink, and caffeine has no effect on me whatsoever. Sugar, on the other hand, does. Growing up I have had more than one friend's mother politely ban me from consuming anything more than a small amount of either frosting or pixie stix while at their homes on account of various incidents for which I still claim I am not solely responsible.
Second of all, (and I'd like to insert a big DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME WARNING), I've discovered that the trick to wriggling your way out of trouble with policemen, security guards, or other forms of authority, is to smile and present the attitude that there is nothing wrong with whatever it is you are doing.
Thirdly, my campus has a great stadium. It seats 66,000 (I go to a big football school.) It's a fabulous place to go for games, events, or even workouts (e.g. climb up the bleachers, run down the steps, do a set of sit-ups, a set of pushups, and repeat till you keel over). It is also always open except for the times when we've got a game coming up with one of our big rival schools (then it's heavily guarded against potential vandals.)
Got all that? Okay, moving on…
I was at a party last year with some friends who had foolishly given me access to those jumbo pixie stix, you know the ones that are thick and over two feet long? Well I had three: that's roughly about six or eight cups of colored, flavored sugar. Uh huh, yeah…
It was about 2 in the morning at that point, but luckily not everyone was tired yet. So, I grabbed some people from the dance floor, Bruce among them, and talked them into walking over to the stadium to go play. Actually, they only agreed because I was talking a mile a minute, would not shut up, and the thought the exercise would help tire me out.
Now, we weren't far from campus, but I was in heels so by the time we got there I took my shoes off and threw them to the side of one of the inner hallways. Besides, I needed to be able to move around quietly and heals make that click/clack noise.
We decided on playing mafia. That's where one person starts out as 'it', and everyone else gets a two minute head start to disperse to parts of a previously decided area (in this case the stadium). Then the person who is it has to sneak around in the dark and find everybody. When they do, you sneak up behind them, put your hands either on their shoulders or around their throat, and then they become part of the mafia and go searching for others to do the same. The last person to get caught by the mafia wins.
As I had been the one to suggest it, I was made 'it'. About half an hour into the game I saw someone, they were back in the hallway where we started and had picked up my shoes and were looking at them. I thought it was Bruce (curse him for having worn a black outfit that night), planning on hiding my shoes. So, I snuck behind him, and then decided to go all out so I jumped on him from behind, like a piggy-back with my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, and said "GOTCHYA!"
It was not Bruce.
It was a campus security guard out on patrol.
Now security guards are not policemen, but some are still apparently trained in self defense. Not two seconds after my error in judgment I found myself thrown rather forcefully onto my butt with a maglite shinning in my eyes.
"Oh," I said. "You're not Bruce." Brilliant, no?
The guard proceeded to ask, in a somewhat flustered and colorful manner, who I was and what I was doing.
Like I said, the trick to dealing with these guys is to act as if whatever you re doing in perfectly fine. Now it's not verbatim, but the following is our conversation.
"Good heavens you scared me! I'm sorry but I though you were my friend Bruce trying to sneak off with my shoes." I stood up. "Oww, that really hurt." Pout at guard with sad face while rubbing my behind.
"Oh, well, sorry, but you didn't answer my question miss, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"Oh, well I was at a party with some friends and we decided to go for a walk since it's so nice outside tonight. When we got up to the stadium we noticed the gates were all open so we thought it'd be okay to come in and play a game of mafia. We're not vandalizing or stealing anything, and like I said the gates were left open."
"Maifa? What the heck is mafia? You're not trying to beat each other up are you?"
"No no no! See, I was it right, so I have to look for everyone else and tag them while they try to hide. Once they're tagged, they have to look for others until everyone's been tagged. I'm sorry I scared you, but like I said I thought you were my friend Bruce." Bat my eyelashes innocently.
"Have you or your friends been drinking miss?" He shines the light in my face again, no doubt noticing my red nose and ears; they always go red when I eat a lot of sugar.
"Oh no, I don't drink at all. I've eaten a ton of pixie stix though, see?" I stuck my tongue out, knowing that it was a really dark purple color. I then smiled my most winning "You have to love me because I'm oh-so-innocent-and-adorable smile." I'm telling you, being the youngest of four has taught me some valuable life skills.
"Well I don't think it's a good idea for people to be running around the stadium in the middle of the night, miss."
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think it would matter because I've seen other people working out here late at night before, and like I said the gates weren't locked. (Note the continual reminders/underlying suggestions that what we were up to was perfectly fine because open gates are equal to an invitation.) But I guess you're right. (Always agree or acknowledge their opinion, it makes them feel smart and you seem respectful.) I'll get my friends and we'll head out." I started to walk off in a slow, measured pace. (Don't run, it only attracts their attention and makes you look guilty.)
"Hold on a second there miss."
"I'm sorry, was there something else sir?" (See how I established that we'd already solved the problem?)
"Don't forget your shoes."
"Oh! Hahaha, yeah I'm blonde for a reason I guess. (Humility works wonders.) Thanks for not tossing them in the trash or anything like my friend would have done if he'd found them."
"He's not a very nice boyfriend if he'd do that."
Okay, now I would never flirt to get out of trouble, but I was practically safe anyways and he started it so….
"Oh," I laughed. "He's not my boyfriend! But yeah, thanks again," and here I checked out his name tag, "Mr. Palminteri." I put my shoes down and then steadied myself before slipping them on by putting a hand on his shoulder. Hey, he looked to be about my age, and he was way cute (dark eyes, dark curly hair). Why not?
"It's Anthony."
"Oh, well nice to meet you Anthony, I'm Della."
So yeah, he decided to escort me around till I found all my friends to make sure "You all get out okay," and when his walkie talkie went off from another guard announcing he'd caught some of my friends, he looked at me, I smiled, and he told the otherguy to lte them go because he was taking care of the situation.
As we left, he reminded me it wasn't always safe to play at the stadium at night, especially if I was going to be wandering around lone in the dark. And yes, I did leave with his phone number. (Hahaha, Bruce didn't know THAT before. I can't wait to see what he has to say about it!)
Now, another good tactic is to wave when you leave, it makes them feel appreciated and shows you felt a connection with them as a human being.
So yeah, that's that. Bruce likes to tell me I'm shameless, but I prefer to think of it as effective. But the bottom line is Della+late nights+lots of sugarinteresting situations.
Happy now?
One more time: Please do not try this at home. I will not be held responsible for any unsuccessful outcomes.