Corresponding
Hiten looked genuinely furious. Anger riled up inside him as he yearned to feel the superiority he so desired. Both Kagome and Inuyasha noted this. She had heard of his behaviour through peers, but never bore witness to a full-blown tantrum. She felt intimidation pinch at her, however, her own temper stood its ground to match his. Inuyasha stared for a while in her direction, though to be carefully observing her demeanour. It was not until she glanced back for a moment did he shift his gaze toward Hiten.
With Jinenji and Inuyasha seeming to be unwilling to provide any moral support, she tried to reign in her own boiling anger. Clearing her mouth of dried saliva, and taking in a deep breath, Kagome stood with her back straight.
"Look around you, Hiten. We aren't just anywhere right now; we're in a group situation with a task to complete. By all means act this way in your own time, but you're sharing time with three other people right now. I'm not ordering you to fill this booklet, but you ordering us to only confirms you want it completed for one reason or another. I can tell you this now, as team leader, that isn't happening. If you want it done, do it yourself."
With a propelling silence, Kagome flipped around the bundle of papers to reveal Hiten's. She held it up in his direction, her face emitting an essence of persuasion. Her gesture made for a decision to be made: either Hiten to take back the booklet, or leave it with Kagome.
His nostrils, although still flared, had stopped breathing out at the force of a thousand lightning bolts. Hiten's face was still very tense, but this was only the debris of this almost outburst. As to speak, the storm seemed to have passed. "Keep it," he began. Striking a glare past Kagome's eyes, a lifeless manner encompassed his being.
"Your brainless leader will need it for kindling when none of you stupid fucks can make it to camp by six." A grin slowly widened. It spoke of selfish intentions devoid of any actual compassion, and once it fully spread across his face, he turned away from the group and headed down the path ahead.
Inuyasha winced at the remark, reaching across to grab the booklet from Kagome. She glanced to him, watching as he rolled the papers together and mumble something which sounded like a curse. He stretched his arm backward and released, pegging the bundle into the distance.
As if dropping a pebble into a well, a loud groan sounded back to them- indicating it had made contact. Inuyasha grinned, admiring his own skills. A confident ploy in his voice spoke, "I doubt we'll be seeing him for a while."
On Hiten's departure, Kagome heaved an exhausted sigh. Her brain rattled inside, each passing moment counting up another event and its consequence. Jinenji took to the side of the footpath and continued on the group's assignment. An atmosphere was choking at Kagome, putting her usual aura on hold- Jinenji and Inuyasha both realised this.
Unable to sit still, Inuyasha locked eyes with the back of Kagome's compressed figure. The air became more stagnant as humidity sunk in. Every remanent feeling made him more irritated and compelled to say something. Anything.
It was decided, and he would have to act quickly, or risk breathing a toxic mood for the next several hours. Inuyasha allowed his mouth to open, and left the rest up to organic conversation.
"That was pretty gutsy, I've gotta admit."
A voice blanketed her thoughts into mere static, and Kagome could feel herself being pulled back into reality's current. She felt a wave of uncontrollable fluster filter throughout her being, weakening her knees and tugging at her chest- a single voice hindering her incapable of composure.
"But take it from me, guys like that are stupidly dangerous." As Inuyasha continued, Kagome was certain she would burst at the seams. "If he went for it, you'd be in for a hurting." An overwhelming degree of emotion close to defeat kept her begging the gods for him to leave her be. The force at which she was holding her eyelids open dawned as an impossible feat, and gradually till her strength couldn't hold up any longer, the welled up pools overflowed.
Kagome peered over her shoulder, her face uncovered, unsure of how to take in Inuyasha's gentle words. "Funny thing coming from a guy who wanted to get me with his sword," she choked out, the tone of her voice obstructed by an anxious muffle of laughter and wails. He attempted a smile in retort, but concern obscured its legitimacy.
Jinenji peered over the two, passing Kagome a piece of leaf. "It's soft. You can wipe your face." She nodded, and mopped up the remaining tears with a pleasant smile. Although Kagome looked happier, Inuyasha made a growl in her direction. Unpredictable woman, I bet she manipulated me into feeling bad for her. He thought. "Whatever, I guess you know better than to get on people's nerves."
His comment was vague and sarcastic, a tone which came as a welcomed relief for Kagome. She widened her smile, striking a warm gaze toward Inuyasha. He averted his eyes, his gut churning a lump of embarrassment, "Quit it, would you? You're creeping me out." Looking for an escape from Kagome, Inuyasha gestured to Jinenji that it was time for their hike to move on.
Gathering camp items into her box, Sango examined its contents. All this paperwork… you'd think this was a months-long excursion, she thought.
"Not too much work for you?"
She averted her gaze to the group in front of her; they were other camp counsellors as well as the class's teacher. "Shouldn't be," she let out an appropriate laugh and smiled. As they went on ahead, Sango pulled out her cellphone.
The screen showed notification for one new message. On opening, there was no surprise who the sender was. She sighed, don't you ever give up?
"See you soon?"
-Miroku
The message enclosed an image file. It showed a clearing within a forest, as well as a small building which read Administration. In the centre was a fire pit with four logs around it, indicating the boundary. Without mistake, this was the campsite at the mountain's base. The same one she was required to meet at within the hour.
Her sigh turned into a frustrated groan. Returning the cell to her back pocket, Sango retrieved her keys and made her way over to the car park. The mountain was inside the grounds of a national park amongst many other mountains and lands in the area. Unlike most the others, this mountain included a semi-sealed road which climbed to its peak. Ages ago, there may have been a small village, shrine, or castle atop it, but now it was home to a dainty café spot and information centre (as well as a car park.)
Loading into the back seat her camp equipment, Sango looked once again at her cellphone. She pulled up the number for Kagome's group, contemplating calling just for venting purposes. An emergency call made? No, I have no idea what you're talking about, Sensei. Throwing her phone to the seat beside her, Sango closed her door and started the engine. "Maybe not the best idea," She mumbled, reversing out of her park and toward the exit.
A/N: We're almost at chapter twelve, and although the things beyond that are exciting- they aren't complete! Please look forward to more content, but I have to warn it may take some time to surface. It's already been taking time, but I guess I'm just saying this entire project is a constant work in progress. I probably want to finish it as much as you guys reading would love to see it finished. Thanks for the support, and I hope you'll still be around once it's done!