Disclaimer: Yes...I...um...–gulp–...I own...eh, heh...you see...I really do...own...Inuyasha... Hey, look at all those lines go crazy! Does this mean I passed the lie detector test?
A/N I see you all liked last chapter! :D Yay! You liking it makes me HAPPY! Lol, don't mind my cranky author notes from last chapter; as you could read, I was tired and had no inhibitions or shame...or politeness, it seems...eh, heh...
Anymewho, oh! I'd like to add in a little note here that I was too brain drained to remember at the end of last chapter. I want to thank Casavenna for helping me come up with the Shikon necklace idea! It was a great idea and I think she deserves a round of applause! –claps enthusiastically–
Am I going to the Inuyasha movie, ChAnDrA16? Hmm...well...I've already seen it. ;) I saw it a while ago subbed and just recently I've seen it dubbed on DVD! Oh, and YTV did air Inuyasha over the summer where I live... And to answer your last question...if I did take that line, I was not aware of it... Is it really a line on the show? If so, I guess my subconscious memory is better than I thought...
Oh, and a big congratulations to KagomeHigurashi66 for being my eight hundredth reviewer! They're screwing with my reviews, but trust me; I have ten more than they're showing I have) –big, big smile– Thank you so much! You've been with me ever since chapter one, haven't you? THANK YOU!!!
Thank you all! I LOVED all your reviews from last chapter and I'm so glad you liked the chapter so much! To show my appreciation, here's the next much-asked-for chapter!
..:V:..
"Where are they?" Sango asked, checking her watch and tapping her foot impatiently.
Miroku shrugged. "We never really did agree on a meeting place... Maybe they don't know where we're waiting for them?"
"Lame excuse," Sango said jokingly. "I mean, why don't they just read our minds? Jeez...some people..."
Miroku and Sango chuckled for a few moments before they saw Inuyasha round a corner, see them and run up to them, Kagome hot on his heels.
"Um...practising for cross-country...?" Miroku hazarded a guess.
Inuyasha stole a glance at the red-faced girl beside him before coughing loudly and looking abruptly away. "Uh...yeah... We were having a race...that's it..."
Miroku and Sango shared a sceptical look. "You stick to that theory if it makes you happy..." Sango said. "And meanwhile, we'll assume the worst."
A sly, knowing grin slowly started to spread across Miroku's face. Sango caught sight of it and quickly smacked him upside the head. "Okay, when I said worst, I didn't mean whatever popped into your head! Shift your thoughts into what you think of as more or less innocent and you may catch my meaning..."
"Keh!" Inuyasha exclaimed loudly. "Whatever you two are thinkin', it ain't true! We were just...uh...you see..."
"Well...what he's trying to say is...um..." Kagome stuttered.
"Hey, guys!"
The four friends turned to see Kouga and Ayame saunter up to them, huge smiles upon their faces and one of each other's arms wrapped around their waists.
"Something tells us we missed something..." Sango said slyly. Ayame's response was to only give her a brighter smile.
Kagome gasped all of a sudden and fixed her red-headed friend with an incredulous stare. "You didn't...!"
Ayame blushed furiously through her smile and gave a barely perceptible nod.
Sango and Kagome let out cheers and gave each other high fives before running to their friend and crushing her in a hug.
Inuyasha stood looking on blankly. "........I got nothing..." he said dumbly.
Miroku stepped over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you out here, Inuyasha, buddy. You see, knowing the female mind, I naturally can interpret all their reactions and–"
Inuyasha cut him off by raising a hand. "Miroku...don't even try to convince me you know the female mind. I think the reappearing red hand prints on your face is proof enough of how much you know of it."
By this time, Kagome and Sango were hugging and congratulating Kouga, Ayame still smiling at his side. Once they'd mauled him enough, Kagome came skipping back to Inuyasha and asked, "Isn't this great, Inuyasha?!"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Once you tell me what the heck is going on, I might be able to tell you."
Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Duh! Kouga and Ayame are going out for real now! This is so awesome, don't you think?!"
Inuyasha blinked. "How the heck was I suppose to figure that out?! How the heck did you?!"
"Oh, please, Inuyasha. It was so obvious!" Kagome said, as if he were dense. "How could you have missed it?"
"Very easily, apparently..." Inuyasha muttered.
"Whatever," Kagome brushed the matter aside. "But now that you know, aren't you happy for them?"
"Uhh...I guess I'm happy for Kouga, but I don't think I'm so happy for Ayame... I mean, the poor girl's stuck with Kouga now... I pity her, actually..." Inuyasha said tragically before he was whacked in the head by Kouga himself.
"Shut up, mutt face," Kouga said, but the sting was taken out of it by the grin that still tugged on his lips.
Inuyasha surprisingly grinned as well and clapped his friend on the back. "Congrats, man. Just make sure not to make her run away screaming too soon..."
"I think I can manage..." Kouga said in a wry voice.
"Hey, everybody!" Sango raised her voice to be heard. "As great as this recent event is, if we don't get a move on, we'll end up going out tonight naked! Let's do some shopping!"
"I could go for that," Ayame agreed happily while all three boys let out a groan.
"What're we gonna do while you shop?" Inuyasha complained.
".........uh......."
"........umm...."
"............Emotional support...?" Sango finally ventured. The three boys rolled their eyes but started to follow the girls anyways.
The group wandered down a few streets for a good fifteen minutes before the girls finally spotted a somewhat chic store and decided to go in and see what dresses might be available there. The boys followed them in somewhat nervously, feeling completely out of place. Except Miroku, that was. He looked as if he were about to enter heaven.
The girls were greeted by some friendly ladies that worked in the store and they were almost immediately having dresses suggested and handed to them. Soon their arms were full of dresses and they had to escape to the changing rooms to try them all on.
The Kouga and Inuyasha slowly made their way to the back of the store with the girls, trying to ignore all the looks other female shoppers were sending them. Miroku, meanwhile, had lost himself in another aisle; looking at what, the rest of the group was unsure.
The girls, in separate stalls, started talking to each other about the outfits they were trying on. "Oh, this one looks kind of pretty..." Sango said as she eyed one dress. "I'll just slip it on...there we go...and–ahh! What the–?! Since when was my neckline down to my navel?! I must have missed that memo... Well, this one's certainly going back on the rack...damn cleavage Nazis..."
"Oooh, it's shiiiiiiny...." Kagome purred, reaching for a shimmering silver dress. "Let's see... Ack! So...tight! You'd have to be a stick to wear this! And then it wouldn't be attractive at all... Man, how could they do this to me?! I wanted the shiny!"
"We don't always get what we want," Ayame reprimanded her friend jokingly. "I mean, sometimes you have to discipline yourself and–oh! Sparkles!"
Kagome giggled. "I need discipline...?"
But Ayame wasn't paying attention to anything but the dress she was starting to try on. "Gimme! ...Eek! I thought it was going to be more of a reddish colour! There's no way I'm going to a banquet in a tacky, bright orange, sparkly dress!"
Everybody winced at this; even the two boys waiting outside the change rooms. Just then, Miroku sidled up, a mass of clothes slung over his arm.
"Sango, dear; I think I have found the perfect garments for you to choose from! Any one of them would be perfect to wear on our date!" he chirped happily, passing them over the top of the changing room door.
Little more than ten seconds passed before Sango burst out in the last dress she had tried on before Miroku's arrival. Her face was completely red and she held up two of Miroku's chosen items for the others to observe. Both were quite skimpy and Kouga and Inuyasha coughed loudly before quickly taking a step back from the fuming girl.
"Miroku...what...are...these...?!" Sango ground out between clenched teeth. "Which one were you hoping I'd wear more; the one that is practically see-through except for a few select spots, or the one where the lack of clothing outweighs the amount of clothing?!"
"My, my, Sango; such a temper. They were only suggestions," Miroku said innocently, though there was a smile playing on his lips.
Realizing the boy had been playing a joke on her the entire time, Sango threw the offending articles of clothing at him in exasperation. "You're impossible!" she sighed, storming back into her changing stall.
"I try," Miroku said whimsically, putting a hand to his heart.
"Idgit..." Inuyasha muttered.
"Inuyasha, what are you wearing to the banquet?" Kagome piped up from her stall.
"Uhh...clothes...?" he responded blankly.
"Could you be a wee bit more specific?" Kagome asked with a sigh.
"Uhh...pants...and a shirt...?" Inuyasha tried again.
Kagome made an exasperated noise in her throat. "Colours, Inuyasha! Colours! What colours are you wearing!?"
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Inuyasha said, irritated.
"I didn't think I had to..." Kagome muttered.
"Black pants and a dark red shirt. Happy now?" Inuyasha retorted.
"Ecstatic," Kagome chirped.
"What's the big deal, anyway?" Inuyasha asked. "Gonna write an article on it or something?"
"Don't be silly, Inuyasha," Kagome said primly. "But you'll find out...all in good time..."
Miroku approached Sango's changing room door. "Oh, Sango, do you perchance require a little assistance changing...?" he asked in a suggestive tone.
A shoe promptly flew over the stall door and thunked Miroku on the head.
"...I think you should take that as a no..." Kouga suggested helpfully.
"Ooooh!" Ayame squealed in annoyance. "I've narrowed it down to two dresses, but I can't decide which one I want!"
"......You do realize there's two banquets, right...?" Inuyasha asked.
"Oh! That's right!" Ayame said happily. "Score! I can get both! Yay, I'm done then!" A few moments later, she emerged in her regular clothing, and with a multitude of dresses slung over her arms. She then headed for the cash register with Kouga at her side.
"Are you wearing a red shirt to both banquets, Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired.
Inuyasha looked at her stall door in confusion. "What else would I wear...?"
Kagome sighed. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
Inuyasha shrugged and wandered back into the main section of the store.
Assuming Miroku had gone with him, Sango called to Kagome, "Hey, can you come out for a minute and zip up this dress for me? I can't reach!"
"Sure; just give me a sec," Kagome responded.
Sango exited her changing stall and loitered in front of it, her back to the direction Kagome's stall was in. A few moments later, she felt hands grasp the fabric and the zipper and do up the troublesome dress.
"Oh, thanks, Kagome," Sango said, starting to turn around. "I was just–ahhh!!!"
Sango whirled completely around to see that Miroku was the one behind her, doing up her oufit. He must have seen her entire exposed back! "Pervert!" she screeched, slapping him hard across the cheek. Vaguely, she noticed Kagome was peeking out of her changing stall and was snickering into her hand.
Miroku rubbed his raw cheek with his hand. "Ow... Sango, I was just doing you a favour! I mean, your back was showing to anyone who might have happened to walk by! And while I do admire your glorious back so very much, I would hate for you to become the victim of embarrassment when a complete stranger might have chanced upon the sight! My intentions were honourable, I swear!"
Sango gave him a highly suspicious glare before grudgingly conceding, "Fine. But warn me next time you pull a stunt like that, okay? Sheesh, you scared me half to death!"
"So sorry, Sango," Miroku apologized earnestly. "There will be no more scaring of you half to death in the future..."
"Glad to hear it," Sango said dryly. She then turned and walked back into her stall once more.
Discreetly to Kagome, Miroku whispered excitedly, "She said there'd be a next time, didn't she?"
Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes, closing her stall door. "Oh, Miroku..."
Once Sango and Kagome had decided on two dresses each, they exited the tiny changing rooms and headed for the counter. Quickly paying for their somewhat expensive purchases with their parents' credit cards, they grabbed the others and exited the stores. Somewhere in the middle of it all, the boys ended up carrying all of the girls' bags. Inuyasha was about to speak up about it, but Miroku put a hand on his shoulder and sagely shook his head no. Inuyasha's jaw snapped shut as he pouted sullenly.
"Ahhhh, what should we do know, guys?" Ayame asked, twirling around in the snowy street.
"Oooh, I need hair stuff!" Kagome spoke up.
"Hair stuff...?" Kouga asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You know!" Kagome said. "Hair...stuff! Like...clips and accessories and...stuff!!"
"Ah, of course," Inuyasha said as if he completely understood. "The universal category of 'stuff'."
Sango nodded earnestly. "Uh huh!"
"Alright, then..." Kouga sighed. "I guess hair...stuff shopping it is..."
The three girls cheered and dragged the boys once along with them as they inspected various stores. "Hey, look!" Sango exclaimed, pointing at a particular store. "Costume shop! Let's go!"
Once inside the store, the group split up and wandered aimlessly through the racks, looking at various articles here and there.
"Hey, Miroku!" Kagome spoke up, beckoning the boy over to her. "Did you need another stylish feather boa...?" Snickering, she held up another sparkly feather boa, except this time it was pink.
Miroku flushed slightly before choking out, "Somehow, I think I'll pass..."
Kagome pouted. "Hmm...wonder how come...?"
"Gee, that's a tough one..." Inuyasha said wryly, coming up to them and holding a headband with horns on it in his hand. He quickly placed it on Kagome's head and stepped back to admire his handiwork. "So suiting..." he said, chuckling.
Kagome stuck out her tongue and pulled a cheap headband with white animal ears on it off of a shelf. She deftly placed it over Inuyasha's head before he could react and then smirked. "There ya go! So suiting..." she added mockingly.
Inuyasha gave her a flat look. "You're never going to live this ear thing down, are you?"
"Nope!" Kagome said cheerfully. "Especially not after–" she cut off a gasp before she could utter a word of her bizarre dream to him.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Not after what...?"
Kagome's eyes grew shifty. "Uhhh...nothing... Nothing at all. I'm gonna...go over there now..." Kagome vaguely pointed to her left and quickly scooted in that direction. Unfortunately for her, Inuyasha followed her.
"Not after what, Kagome? It has to be something or you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place," Inuyasha said cockily.
Kagome racked her brains for a way to explain herself. Half truths were okay, right?
She coughed. "Well, you see... I just kinda had a dream... And in it you had dog ears! Yup! That's it! That's all that happened!" Under Inuyasha's suspicious look, Kagome quickly became flustered. "Yeah! It was you and adorable dogs ears! Adorable, cute ears! Adorable, cute you! I mean–ahhh!" Kagome smacked her crimson cheeks a couple times as if to beat out her embarrassment.
Miroku watched in amusement as red sprang to Inuyasha's cheeks at Kagome's statements. "Ahhh...young love..." he sighed blissfully.
Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched in anger, and he clobbered his friend over the head. "Shut up, Miroku..." he muttered.
"Are we having relationship problems over here?" Sango asked coyly as she walked up to them.
As Inuyasha let out a low growl, Kagome retorted, "Should you be talking, Sango?" Her point was soon proved as Miroku's hand reached out and grasped Sango's behind. She let out a yelp and was quick to slap him, however.
"Lovers' spats going on between you guys?" Ayame asked knowingly as she and Kouga sauntered up together.
"Could someone please tell me why you all think we are a couple?!" Inuyasha asked vehemently, indicating himself and Kagome.
Ayame shrugged. "I think the real question here is why don't you?"
"Hmph!" Inuyasha retorted intelligently, crossing his arms. The others laughed at his antics, except Kagome who was still quite red in the face.
The group soon broke up and wandered around the store looking for other interesting costume parts. Kagome was delighted to also discover that the store sold little hair accessories and was quick to purchase what she was looking for.
"Hey, Kouga!" Inuyasha called to his friend. "Try this on!" He threw a mask at Kouga.
The other boy caught the mask out of the air and slipped it over his head. The mask was a face with pale, greenish skin clinging to the skull and black holes for eyes. The nose was comprised of two slits and the mouth was full of long, sharp, ferocious-looking fangs. Inuyasha studied Kouga thoughtfully before saying, "It's minor, but I do think I see an improvement!"
Kouga snorted behind his mask and spied a pink dress hanging on the rack beside him. Grabbing it, he chucked it at Inuyasha. "Hey, dog turd; try that on, and you might gain some masculinity!"
Miroku snickered as he watched them, but his expression soon slipped as Ayame wrapped the pink sparkly feather boa around his neck from behind. "Beautiful!" she exclaimed, giggling.
Miroku was quick to recover as he smirked and flipped the boa over his shoulder. "But of course!" he proclaimed in a dignified, sophisticated voice.
After the group of friends had goofed off for a good quarter of an hour, they decided they had better stop causing havoc before the ticked off-looking manager took matters into his own hands. They laughingly wandered down the chilly street, splitting up only to recover the separated cars. Then they all drove to a local restaurant to enjoy a very late lunch before heading back to the ski resort and their separate condominiums. They would have spent more time all together, but the girls insisted that they needed to prepare for the banquet, and so the boys went grumbling off to their own condo, wondering why the heck the girls needed close to four hours to slip on some clothes and brush their hair.
Meanwhile, Ayame and Sango were rushing around, grabbing various hair stuffs and make up kits. Kagome was about to help them, but felt that first she should ready the postcards she'd bought earlier that day for her family and friends back home. She sat down at the coffee table in the main room and began to write them out. She soon began to get somewhat sleepy, however, due to her rude awakening so early that morning. Her eyelids began to droop and soon she was resting her head in her arms on the coffee table as she drifted off into dream land.
She was dressed in the most glamourous dress she could ever imagine. It was as if it were straight from a dream; a shimmering, silver dress whose upper half hugged her form snugly but comfortably. The straps were just off the shoulders and from the waist down, the dress flowed freely, swirling at her every movement.
Kagome smiled brilliantly and turned to see Inuyasha standing in front of her, this time fully clothed, and giving her a lazy smirk that made butterflies flitter in her stomach. He held out his arm for her and she giggled before running up to them and placing her arm through his. Together they turned and went through a pair of large, glamourous double doors into a large ball room filled with elegantly dressed, dancing couples. Soft musical strains reached their ears and if possible, Kagome's smile widened. Everything was perfect about this moment; everything!
"Hello, Inuyasha. Glad you could make it..."
A shiver went down Kagome's spine at the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly, she and Inuyasha turned to see Naraku standing before them. His long, silky hair flowed down his back and his red eyes burned as they regarded the pair in front of them. He was wearing a black suit jacket over a white pressed shirt and a classy black tie. As Kagome's eyes travelled downwards, she stifled a cry and shuddered.
It was like from a horror film...
Naraku was wearing no pants. Instead, he wore that tiny black speedo Kagome remembered oh so well.
"Ahhh!" Kagome screamed in revulsion, spinning around to face Inuyasha instead of that horrid sight.
But, right in front of her eyes, Inuyasha's silver hair faded into midnight black and became wavy. His features blurred and changed, along with his clothes. In complete horror, Kagome watched as Inuyasha turned into another Naraku in a speedo! But this time he didn't even half the top half of the costume; he looked just like he did at the pool! NOOO!!! Where'd her Inuyasha go?! How could he turn into....THAT!!!?!
Kagome made a mad dash for the other people in the ballroom, seeking immense solace. But one by one, they all started changing, just like Inuyasha.
And they all turned into the same person. All wearing the same thing.
Kagome whimpered and frantically looked back and forth as all the speedo-clad Narakus surrounded her and began advancing on her, their arms outstretched as if seeking a hug.
They were closing in, there was no escape. The original Naraku, still wearing his jacket, shirt, and tie, came forward slightly, gave her a perverse grin and said, "C'mon, Kagome. Give us a hug!"
Kagome screamed her head off and woke up with a start. She didn't cease her screaming even when Ayame and Sango came rushing down from upstairs.
"Kagome! What's wrong?!"
"What happened?!"
Kagome's screams died down until she was panting profusely and shuddering uncontrollably. "Oh, god... The horror...the horror..."
Ayame sat down worriedly beside her friend and took her by the shoulders. "Kagome, what's wrong? Tell us!"
"Horrible...terrible nightmare..." was all Kagome was able to get out between whimpers.
Sango raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Just a bad dream? That's what you're screaming your head off for?"
Kagome raised her head and fixed Sango with terrified eyes. "No...no...you don't understand... It was so much more than just a 'bad dream'...so much more..."
"Uh...you wanna tell us about it?" Ayame asked.
Kagome regarded her two best friends and something akin to bravery flashed in her eyes. "You guys are great friends and great people... I'm going to spare you from hearing my horrible, horrible dream... I'll...I'll tough this out alone..."
"Was it that traumatizing?" Ayame asked in concern.
Kagome rose, shuffling towards the stairs, her head bowed. "You have no idea...you have absolutely no idea..."
Sango and Ayame watched her go, twin puzzled expressions on their faces. "You know...she's got me all curious now...but if it's so horrifying she won't even share it with us...maybe she's right and we're better off not knowing..." Sango said slowly. Ayame nodded in agreement.
After a few moments of silence, they glanced at each other and exclaimed, "We still have to finish getting ready!" With that, they dashed back upstairs and to their respective rooms.
A few hours later, Kagome clipped in her second earring to complete her outfit. She was wearing a floor length scarlet gown that had thick straps going over her shoulders and making a square neckline. The gown was fit to her figure, but free enough to allow her proper movement. Her hair was done up in an elegant masses of curls and two small silver hoops dangled from her earlobes. Around her neck was the necklace Inuyasha had bought for her earlier that day and Kagome blushed while remembering the incident surrounding it.
As Kagome exited her room, she met up with Sango and Ayame, each clad in black and deep red dresses respectively. They looked gorgeous, Sango with her hair drawn back into a french braid, and Ayame with her hair brushed and let down to bounce around her shoulders.
The three girls smiled at each other. They were ready.
Now all they needed were the guys...
...Who were late.
Big surprise.
..:V:..
A/N There we go! Hope you guys had fun with this chapter; I know I had fun making total fun of how girls sometimes make no sense and make guys do the weirdest things. I mean, don't get me wrong; I'm a girl...but sometimes even I don't understand why my gender does half the things it does...
Anyways, join me next time for the grand banquet, and Miroku and Sango's big date! It shall be a very...amusing...chapter. ;) Talk to ya later, and get this: Déjà Moo – the feeling you've heard this bull before.