Waaaah! I know! I'm sooooo late in updating this thing! I'm sorry to all of my subscribers, but I'm so grateful that none of you sent flames my way because of my delays. These past few months have been absolutely nuts beyond belief. I'll spare you the gory details. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It really keeps me going. ^^ This chapter was so much fun to write. If I failed on the comedy, feel free to shoot me with a nerf gun. I luff you all so much!
-Savvy
Disclaimer: I own the Inuyasha and Mummy movies, not the franchises. This is fanfiction, where everything is made up and the plots don't matter! That's right! The plots are just like Freddy v. Jason 2, only with more yaoi!
Chapter 4
Accidents and Surprises
Cairo 1921
"Ah-choo!"
Kagome's face scrunched up with another obscenely feminine sneeze.
"Ah-choo!"
It sounded more like a squeak. On her it could be called cute, on her brothers it could be called anywhere from hilarious to awkward to downright humiliating. She pushed a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear and rubbed the dust from her eyes. Kagome loved working as a librarian at the museum, really, but she just wished that the library itself wasn't always so dusty…
She adjusted her hold on the books in her arms and began re-shelving them one by one.
"Maat, Mnemnosyne, Mummification: A Learner's Guide, Mummification: An Expert's Guide. Oh? What are all of these "A"s doing here? Hmm…"
She scampered down the rows of bookshelves in her modestly long skirt and "practical" shoes. Of course, assuming that practical was synonymous with hideously ugly.
"Akenaten, Amun-Ra, Ankesenamun, Archery… Archery…"
Her blue-gray eyes glanced at the long, rectangular box sitting on a nearby table. She took a deep breath and quietly sat the books down as she slowly stepped toward the table. Kagome undid the brass latch of the lid and tipped it back, revealing an ash-wood bow sitting on red silk and a few arrows tied together with a ribbon.
Left. Right. Her eyes darted around the room, pulse fluttering with the fear of being caught. Her small, white hands picked up the bow and strung it with one of those provided in the box. Putting an arrow to the string and shaft of the bow, Kagome took her stance. Heavy-lashed eyes closed as she began her breathing exercises.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Hold.
Release the arrow.
…
"Oh, no!"
Kagome opened her eyes, fearful of what she may or may not have shot. Oh, yes. She shot something all right. The plaster bust Nefertiti that sat as a display in front of one of the suit cases had the arrow, her arrow, going in one ear and out the other. The gray-eyed librarian hurriedly replaced the bow and shut the box. This is what she got for messing with the curator's new acquisitions.
Oh, well. At least she didn't knock down half of the bookcases in the library…
Again…
KA-THUNK
"What was that?"
The sound came from her right. Was it in the mummy display area, then? Kagome walked faster out of the library than was really deemed necessary, but not before she stuffed the ruined bust into a nearby storage closet. She had shot enough plaster people to know when removing the arrow was a lost cause.
Stepping slowly into the exhibit, she called out, "Hello?"
There was no response in the dimly-lit room. This part of the museum was closed to visitors during part of the week, and on those days, less than half of the gas lamps in the room were ever turned on. Her shoes softly tapped on the tile floor as she entered.
"Is anyone here?"
She walked through the room slowly, pausing before each exhibit to inspect it.
Achmed? Fine.
Ali? Stony.
Smenkare? Still had that ghastly look on his face, but the tourists ate it up.
Kagome sent a lingering glance to the Stone of Muso, called so because it was written during his reign. According to the Miko Sisterhood of Scholars, the writing on that stone told the exact location of the legendary Book of the Sun. She sighed and turned away.
… Only to feel strong fingers grip at her sides.
"Eeep!"
She turned, only to meet the laughing purple eyes of her elder brother.
"Miroku!" she cried, smacking his arms away with her free hand. "What on Earth do you think you're doing here?"
He smirked and pinched her cheek.
"Oh, you know, just bringing a little sunshine and joy to my baby sister's day."
"More likely hiding from the angry husband of a young lady you got too handsy with."
His expression flattened and a hand rose to his heart, as one mortally wounded.
"Ouch. Really, Kagome, I'm hurt."
She turned to place the torch in a nearby holder and put her fingertips to her temples.
"Miroku," she sighed, "I'm not in the mood for this today. I destroyed another plaster bust in the library and the Sisterhood rejected my application again. The rejection letter said I don't have enough experience…"
Miroku smiled sadly and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him.
"At least you've got me, sis. And, sooner or later, those ugly, old bats are going to realize what they're missing out on."
Kagome smiled and hugged him around the neck.
"Besides," he continued, "I have a little present for you."
She tilted her head back and sighed as he began to dig in his coat pockets.
"Miroku, how many more worthless pieces of junk am I going to have to sell for you? If I wanted to go into that business, I would've stayed home with Gramps. And for that matter-"
He held up a small, black, rectangular box underneath her nose. Hieroglyphs were carved into the sides of it, and Kagome could feel the bumps of them as the box settled into her fingers.
"Where did you-?"
"Not where," her brother interrupted, "But what? I've never found anything real in my whole career as an archeologist, Kaggy. Please, tell me I've found something."
Her fingertips prodded gently until certain spots sunk in, and in doing so, the top of the box popped open with a soft click and a spurt of dust.
"Miroku," Kagome whispered, "I think you've found something."
Inside of that little black box was a folded up piece of papyrus and a glittering, round jewel that flickered pink in the firelight.
Yay! I made this one extra long, because you all have been so patient. Kudos for those of you who guessed Miroku would show up in this chapter! He makes a great Jonathan, don't ya think? ;3 Critiques, comments, questions, and concerns are all welcome, but you can't give me any if you don't push that little blue link at the bottom of the screen. So do it. Do it like politicians don't do their wives!