Chapter 6 Concentration Mixed with Irritation
After everyone had eaten from the pot of hot soup for supper, Kagome pulled out a box from the bags in Ah-Un's saddle bags.
"Let's get this game set up and have a Family Game Night", she announced to the group.
"But Kagome-sama, Rin thought that it wasn't Thursday yet?" said Rin.
"It's not a Thursday, but sometimes we can have an extra Game Night, if the circumstances and timing work out. Being stuck indoors due to weather seems to be a good excuse, don't you think?" answered Kagome
Both Rin and Shippou nodded vigorously. They quickly sidled next to Kagome as she opened the box, revealing many small squares of cardboard. On one side of each was the company logo and the word "Memory". On the other was a brightly colored picture, each seemingly different from all the others.
"Okay, this is a game called 'Memory' or 'Concentration'. We need to spread all the squares out into a grid, with the pretty picture side face down." Quickly following Kagome's instructions, Rin and Shippou helped to lay out the game on the flattest part of the cave floor.
"The way this game is played is each person takes their turn to flip over a square to the picture side up. If the two pictures match, the player keeps the pair and gets another turn. If they don't, you flip them face down again and it's the next person's turn. The one with the most pairs wins. You have to pay attention on the other players' turns so you can see what pictures they reveal in case you flip over the match. Who wants to play?"
Rin and Shippou were quite loud in agreeing to play. Sango and Miroku also wanted to play, though at slightly lower volume. Jaken, surprisingly decided to give this 'mere human amusement' a try. Inuyasha wasn't far behind. Sesshoumaru appeared to be giving it some deep thought, but when he didn't say anything, Kagome just started playing without him.
It took a bit of time, but eventually the first pair was collected by Shippou. Next, Sango collected two pairs. Gradually everyone else had accumulated a few matches as the number of unclaimed squares grew smaller.
A rumbly voice cut through the excited chatter of gaming. "I *know* this game. My mother plays it. It is not played with paper squares however. It is played with clam shells with painted artwork on each half," the daiyokai growled out.
"Keh, you're right! I remember my mother had a set of shells with pictures, too. Somewhere stored at Kaede's I have a pair of shells from that set. One of the few things I have of hers.", Inuyasha muttered.
"Again, miko, you share the pastimes of the nobility with this one's ward. "How do you have the entertainments of those above you in station so easily to hand?" Sesshoumaru demanded. "What ARE you?"
Kagome started at the intensity of Sesshoumaru's question. "What do you mean? I'm just me. Human, miko, schoolgirl. Same as always. Oh, and I guess time traveler."
"Don't forget shard detector", snickered Inuyasha. "And my best friend".
"Yeah, as if I'd forget either of those," retorted Kagome, "The point is, this is a normal family game at home. Not a 'noble pastime' or whatever. Maybe it is all that and a bag of chips here and now, but not when and where I'm from."
"'A bag of chips?' Is that another game? Or are you playing a game within these games you introduce to us? What else are you trying to hide within these Family Game Nights, miko? Or should it be 'hime'?" snarled Sesshoumaru. He would NOT be toyed with. The Lord of the West was not mere entertainment for some bored princess from the future.
Kagome dropped the cardboard square she was holding back on the table. She took a deep breath, before letting it out through her teeth, hissing slightly. "I'm not a 'hime'. I'm not hiding anything in the games I've been bringing for everyone to play. It was YOUR suggestion that I had a family here to do 'Family Game Night' with, remember? I just picked from the ones I had at home that I thought would be the most enjoyable and easy to understand, both for kids and adults. You've been bringing just as many 'noble pastimes' to the table as I have. Shogi most nights. The other games you've taught the children. I think you mentioned playing 'Go' next?"
"Yes, hime, but unlike you, I do come from a noble house. So did Inuyasha's mother, though it was only a human household. You say you do not come from such."
"I can't help it if the activities that used to belong to only the aristocracy are accessible to everyone in my time," Kagome was seething, her voice raising in pitch and volume as she stood up, glaring at the demon lord. "If you would look at the things I've brought back, they are all made of cardboard. Hardly 'hand painted clam shells' or 'hand carved, inlaid chess pieces. That's why my grandfather likes ordering from the company. They make traditional games in affordable materials so that even with money a bit tight at the shrine, we've been able to enjoy playing many games. They aren't the really new, popular, expensive games that my brother, Souta wishes we could get, but they are still fun. I just don't get why you seem to have a problem with this! Fine, then! You noble types can just go ahead and play your games without me. I'm done." And with an angry huff, Kagome tossed her hair and stomped off to one of the side caves, grumbling about 'purifying stuck-up, know-it-all demon lords and their clue-less family members'" while sparks of reiki crackled from her fingertips.
Inuyasha gaped in the angry girl's wake. "Now see what you've done? She's going to be pissed at all of us because you decided to say something stupid."
"This Sesshoumaru did no such thing. Merely inquiring as to the motive behind actions is not stupidity, it is the height of intelligent discourse. It is strategic negotiating"
"Kagome isn't the enemy, bastard. She isn't at war with you. She's trying to be nice. You're being a suspicious dog. Even I know better than to rile her up by accusing her of plotting. I got over that a year ago. She couldn't do a plot to save her own life."
Watching the exchange between the inu brothers, Sango and Miroku, murmured softly in the background. They then redirected the Jaken, Rin, and Shippou back to the game. The two youths were easy to distract, the kappa demon was also persuaded.
Inuyasha having finished his say, went after Kagome. He didn't apologize, after all it wasn't his attitude that caused the argument, for once. "Hey, K'gome. You know I don't think like that, right? I'm not a noble whatever. I don't think you're trying to do anything. I know you're just trying to keep everybody focused and amused while we hunt Naraku down." Tentatively he reached out to give her a hug. Best friend or not, he wasn't used to being the comforter rather than the cause of her distress.
Kagome sniffled, but allowed the awkward embrace, "Yeah, alright. I know. Thanks. It makes me so mad. Enemy, friend, enemy again. One night we're getting along, playing Shogi. The next – Wham! He's accusing me of who knows what. Blowing hot and cold. I just don't understand what he wants from me."
"I've never understood what the bastard wants either, other than my sword. But I don't let it bother me, because I don't care. Don't care about it and it won't make ya mad."
Considering that every other word out of Sesshoumaru's mouth made Inuyasha angry, Kagome didn't feel that his advice was particularly useful, but she understood his point, even if he couldn't see how ridiculous his assertion was. There was no reason why Sesshoumaru's attitude should affect her this way. He had always been an arrogant snob. Why did it suddenly hurt that he spoke like one to her?
They'd been getting along so well, playing Shogi most evenings, talking about a whole range of topics; medicine, politics, philosophy, even history a bit. He was curious what the future would bring, she was curious about what his life was like now. It had been…nice? No, it had been pleasant, almost friendly. Now suddenly he'd ruined the whole thing with his snotty comments, intimating she had some ulterior motive. Almost like he wanted to interrupt the game, like he disliked her playing with the others. If this had been a group of her school friends and one of their boyfriends had acted like that, they'd have chalked it up to jealousy. As it was, clearly, he was just being himself, a jerk.
Well, she didn't have to pay attention to him anymore. She could just enjoy game nights with the rest of the group. It's not like she had anything to prove to the supercilious daiyouki, even if she didn't have any proof that would absolve her of his accusations. How could she prove a negative anyway? She didn't have a document of intent. Or did she?
