Chapter 3 - Shopping

Kagome slammed the door to her locker shut. This had been the worst week. Well, in comparison to most weeks.

Sango came bounding up to her. Kagome didn't like the look of the glint in her eye.

"So, Kagome," she said cheerfully. "Whatcha doing this weekend?"

"Err…" Kagome began nervously. "Homework… tidying my room…" she backed away slowly as Sango advanced on her. "Flying to the moon…"

"Cancel!"

"Help!" Kagome shrieked, turning to run.

Sango grabbed onto her arm and swung her round with her superior demon slayer strength, and began dragging her mercilessly towards her car.

"So, Inuyasha's having a party this weekend. Very selective guest list. Only a few people invited. He told me specifically not to invite you."

Kagome brightened. "Oh, what a shame."
"So, tonight we're gonna go shopping, find you and I something stunning to wear and a bikini to show off your figure, take a few spa treatments at my second cousin's resort where I get 70% off, then you and I will turn up together and Inuyasha will have to let you in, because if you don't come in then I don't come in, and if I don't come in Miroku will never forgive Inuyasha. Sound like a plan?"

"Err… rewind to the bikini part?"

"Inuyasha has a swimming pool, which nine out of ten times all the girls end up throwing the boys in."

"That sounds… dangerous. Sango, let me go!"

"Not a chance."

"Help! She's crazy! I'm being abducted! Kidnap!"

"Pipe down and stop making such a fuss."

"CALL THE POLICE!"

"Get in!"

"Never! I will not surrender to your tyranny!"

Unexpectedly, Sango released Kagome's arm, forcing her to tumble backwards. She climbed into the driver's seat, leant across and wound down the window.

"Look, Kagome. We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."

"How about no way?"

Sango sighed. "You force me."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a jangling object. Kagome's heart sank as she recognised her keys.

"Get in the car, or you walk home."

With a sigh, Kagome surrendered. "Alright. But NO BIKINI, got it?"

"What was that you said? I couldn't hear over the disappointed wailing of your soul."

Kagome gave up.

……………………………………………

"I think blue's your colour."

"Blue for what?"

"Your bikini."

"No," said Kagome, backing away. "Absolutely not. No way."

"Try it on, Kagome, go on!"

"NO."

"Try it on, or I'll hit you over the head with my Hiraikotsu."

"You wouldn't dare."

"But you can't really know that for sure, can you?"

Kagome glared at her. "I hate you."

"No, you love me really," said Sango brazenly.

Kagome grabbed the offending item and stomped off to the changing room.

……………………………………………..

"Kagome, come out of there!"

"No."

"Kagome, you can't always be so negative."

"I can and I will."

"Shut up and come out here."

Kagome pulled back the curtain. "Please don't make me wear this." She begged.

She looked gorgeous. A tank topped bikini hugged her curves in a light blue material, shot with threads of navy and cornflower, leaving her bellybutton exposed. The shorts had a tiny dark blue flower at the corner of the left leg, and exposed her creamy legs. The halter neck exposed the deep hollows around her shoulders and exposed the whole of her upper back. Her pale skin was thrown into the limelight, and the blue perfectly balanced with her black hair and her tawny eyes.

On her upper back was a long scar, a bleached white curve cutting through her delicate shoulder blades.

"You can wear it, or you can eat my fire-breathing demon cat," Sango said firmly. "Your choice."

Kagome sighed in exasperation, and threw the curtain closed again. Through the material she yelled, "What are you going to wear?"

"Oh, I dunno," Sango said cheerfully. "I expect I'll find something off the sales rack."

"Yeah right! What did you find?"

"Who says I found anything?" Sango interjected innocently.

"I do. I saw that sleight of hand, Miss. What are you hiding from me?"

"It's nothing."

"Sure it's nothing."

The pink costume which Sango had found was a one piece, with a diamond cut from below the ribcage to below her navel. The neckline was angular, and it fitted her snugly, showing her well-toned muscles. It was in a light colour, tinted with fading darker shades around the edges of the gaps. It also left her upper back largely bare, and her long chestnut hair swung down to modestly cover her shoulder blades.

"Now that the costumes are done, it's time to start on the clothes!" Sango called to Kagome enthusiastically, through the curtain of her changing room.

"Sango, it's already quarter to six!"

"This won't take long."

"Sure it won't. I'm gonna be late for dinner!"

"So we'll go to the food court and get something. You need to lighten up, Kagome." Sango emerged from the changing room.

"Yeah, well I've pretty much forgotten how to do that in the past year," Kagome said, frustrated, tears coming to her eyes. Memories swam past her eyes. Memories of what she had had… and what she had lost.

"Hey," Sango said, more gently now. "I know it's hard. You've been looking over your shoulder for ages, but you need to let go."

"I… I can't!" Kagome sobbed, terrified. "I feel like any time I become… I become happy, I have to let it go, pick up and move on, or… or they'll take it away from me."

Sango shook her. Then she wiped the tears from her face.

"I've been working with the demon slayers since I was a girl. I have seen some pretty cringeworthy stuff in my time, let me tell you. But what really gets me is not the grisly demons, ready to rip your arms off and feast on your eyeballs. It's the victims. The loss in their face, the panic, the terror. And then there's what comes afterwards. They have been through so much, usually in such a short space of time, they feel like it will happen again. Such a small thing changed their lives, they can't comprehend how to let it go. They feel like any time they feel complete again, another tiny thing will come and rip it apart. But you need to give it up, honey. Because we're all here. It's not going to happen again. We're not going to let it, and you can be as happy as you want, because the only thing that's going to spoil that happiness is when Inuyasha throws you in the pool tomorrow as payback for knocking him out in sports."

Kagome snorted through her tears. Then she nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"You're right. I know, you're right." She looked up at Sango. "Does Inuyasha really hate me?"

"Nah," Sango grinned. "He's just mad. Seems to me, he's looking forward to when you two have to go against each other in a power assessment. He is, and don't tell him I said this because his head's already inflated enough, the strongest demon there. Despite being a half. He hasn't had decent competition since the last time he fought his brother."

"They fight often?" Kagome asked, as they walked towards the food court.

"You kidding? It would take something considerably less than a sandwich to get those two at it."

After a light dinner of two turkey subs (each), a hot fudge sundae (each), several milkshakes and a packet of fries (between them), they continued hunting.

They stopped in a shop window.

"Perfect," Sango breathed. She turned to her companion. "What do you think?"

Kagome's eyes shone. "Can we really afford-?"

"Who cares?!"

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Hey, I hope you liked it! Please enjoy, and let me know what you think! Criticisms, opinions, suggestions etc are welcome, but no flaming please!