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1�Don't drink. It's not healthy. o___O; 2�Kagome had unbuttoned the first couple buttons of her shirt, therefore revealing enough cleavage to.. distinguish her as a girl. Inuyasha noticed this, and automatically thought she was 'Kekki'. Check the last chapter to see WHY Inuyasha is convinced she's Kekki. (Hint: Miroku and Kagome give the excuse). In other words, Inuyasha still thinks that Kekki and Kagome are two different people. 3�From this point on, this story is dedicated to my dear friend Elly. :D She's so awesome, she's sending me most the anime episodes of Inuyasha! *dancedancedance* Now that that's done with.. let's get this show on the road! Chapter Ten: Like a big pizza pie! by Clara When Inuyasha finally pulled away from me, it wasn't because he wanted to. At least, I hope he didn't want to, because Lord knows I didn't. Actually, 'pulled away' isn't exactly the most accurate description for what happened. He was yanked away from me rather abruptly, leaving me over balanced and falling rather gracelessly from the table. Luckily, Sango was able to catch me before I hit my head on any pointy objects and killed myself. I don't think she was prepared for me, though, because after she caught me, we both went sprawling to the ground. "You okay?" Sango asked, a little breathlessly. I think I jammed her in the stomach with my elbow. "Ye-yeah, just a little dizzy," I answered, trying to fixate my gaze on a single object. This is where 'fun-drunk' became 'terrifying-drunk'. "That's good. NOW GEDDOFFAME!" Abruptly, I scrambled off of Sango, supporting a slightly nervous look. Sango offered me a crooked grin in order to reassure me that everything was okay, then turned her eyes to Inuyasha. Inuyasha. I almost forgot. I looked around the room for a moment, then a scream caught in the middle of my throat when I saw just where he was. "Kouga! What do you think you're doing?" I couldn't move fast enough towards them. It was like we were back at the shopp�, but instead of Inuyasha and Naraku brawling, it was Inuyasha and Kouga. And like at the shopp�, they didn't listen to me. Oh, crap. I was tearing apart this group one by one.. I spun around to look for help, but the only thing I saw was Kikyo's cold eyes staring at me accusingly. "This is all your fault," she bit out accusingly. Her voice was weighed down with tears, and for a brief moment I saw who the real Kikyo was. She was just as prone to heartbreak as I was. "It's all your fault," she said again, snapping her watery gaze to Inuyasha and Kouga, "that they're fighting like this. That you're breaking us apart!" This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to get Inuyasha, yes, but getting him wasn't supposed to break the group apart! I turned my head quickly again to the group, but my brain didn't follow as quickly as my head. A wave of nausea swept over me, and I reached up to clutch my temples. I wanted to cry, to scream, to sob, but all I could do is drop to my knees in sudden fatigue. The voices that were once deafening me faded into the background and was replaced by my beating heart and my laboring breath. My gaze turned fuzzy. "Inuyasha.." I breathed out in terror, then collapsed into unconsciousness. * When I woke up it was to someone gently brushing my hair from my forehead and whispering soothing words to me. The first person I thought of was, of course, Inuyasha, but when my eyes opened I was greeted by the sight of a rather worried Miroku. I frowned at him and tried to open my mouth. That was a bad idea. As soon as I moved, a tidal wave of nausea knocked into me. I let out a small whimper, feeling the corrosive taste of bile rise to my throat. Miroku creased his eyebrows. "Need to puke?" I shook my head no. Actually, that wasn't right. I felt like I needed to puke, but I knew I wouldn't be able to even if I tried. All I wanted to do was sleep, but even that was impossible at the moment. I needed to know that everyone was okay, especially, well... "How's Inuyasha?" Miroku frowned slightly, but I couldn't tell if it was at me or at this entire situation. "Sango's taking care of him. He's got a nasty bruise over his eye, and, well..." He stopped, and I could tell that he was trying to hide something from me. "Spit it out, Priest," I said, trying to keep my voice as lighthearted as I could. In reality, my heart felt like it was going to explode. "He keeps asking for you," Miroku said quietly. He was giving me this haunted look. "You scared him pretty bad, there..." I bit my lip, looking at the tired Miroku and suddenly getting the urge to cry. "Kikyo was right. This is all my fault. This wouldn't be happening if it weren't for me." Miroku, being the great mother he was, pulled the blanket that was resting on my stomach up to my chin. "Kikyo's jealous. Now get some sleep�everyone's freaking out about you. We'll get it straightened out." I sniffled pathetically. I suddenly remembered that it was Sango's birthday, and we were ruining it. And it was all my fault. * When I woke up again, Miroku was gone and Inuyasha was kneeling in his place. A thin stream of sunlight had broken through the cotton curtains and was playing across my stomach on the blanket. I concentrated on the light, too afraid to look at Inuyasha. "Hi," I said quietly, afraid to break the silence that had settled comfortably over us. "..Hi," he said back. His voice sounded weary. I turned my head to look at him. "Look, Kekki, I'm.. sorry about everything, and about the kiss, and.." he paused, then shook his head slightly. "Well, no, I'm not sorry about the kiss, since I.. ah.. liked it, but I AM sorry about kissing you without asking and I completely understand if you hate me now and you never want to see me again, but my only pathetic excuse is that I was drunk and I didn't know what I was thinking and.." He paused for breath, and I jumped in. "Did you kiss me just because you were drunk?" "NO! No.." he shook his head quickly. "I mean, I.. well, I like you and everything.." He tugged on his thumb nervously. "But.." "But you're confused," I answered for him. He looked at me in slight wonder. "Yeah. How'd you know?" "You're like an open book." I smiled a bit bitterly. "It'd be better for me to stay away for a while, anyway. I don't think Kikyo likes me very much, and I don't want to cause anymore trouble between you and Kouga anymore.." "Oh." Inuyasha looked away for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be better." We both fell into a tense sort of silence. I felt my heart break�and I have no idea how to explain how that felt. The closest word to describe how I felt right then was empty. Hollow. "But..." Inuyasha paused, then looked seriously at me. "When everything calms down again, we can.. ah.. try again, right? You know, without us both being drunk.." I forced a weak smile on my face, then nodded. It was fine for Inuyasha, he wouldn't have to see Kekki again until he was ready to. I, on the other hand, was going to have to suffer through seeing him every single day. Life sucked. * I had Sango come over the next night in recompense. We had a lot to talk about, anyway. "I'm sorry again, Sango..." Sango gave me a crooked smile. "Look, girl, this is the sixth time you've apologized since I've been here, and it's only been an hour. It's okay, all right?" She gave me a level look. "Just as long as you don't forget my birthday gift!" "After I get my paycheck." I laughed. "What did Miroku get you, anyway?" Sango snorted and fingered her necklace. "This gorgeous necklace and a pinch on my butt. I punched him for the last one, mind you." It was already nearing two a.m., and we were both still wide awake talking about, what else, the boys. Sango couldn't stop talking about Miroku for some reason, but most of what she was saying about Miroku wasn't necessarily good. Believe me, though, she had a lot to say about Priest.. "Hey, Sango," I started, lying stomach first on my bed. "How do you know Miroku?" Sango shifted a little, then blushed. "Miroku? Didn't I tell you once that we've known each other for forever?" "Well, yes, but besides that. How did the two of you meet?" Sango once told me awhile back that Miroku and she 'had been practically born in the same hospital room'. It turns out, there was more to that story than that. They had met each other when they were three years old in front of an old creek. Sango was had been about to stomp on this huge ugly beetle that terrified her when Miroku, surprisingly, stopped her. Of course, she had been surprised that he stopped her, and let her surprise be loudly known by wailing at him. He calmly sat through the wailing, then when she stopped crying he said something to her that she would never forget. "Why didn't you let me step on that icky bug?" Sango had yelled at him. Miroku looked at her calmly. "How would you feel if something a billion times bigger than you stepped on YOU?" Miroku countered. "No one would want to step on me!" "I would!" he had shouted back. "Girl's are GROSS!" ..... "He said that?" I asked, my eyes wide. "HE said that? OUR Miroku?" Sango nodded, a slight smile playing across her lips. "He wasn't always lecherous. He didn't turn into a pervert until we were about fourteen. Surprising, huh?" I nodded, a little too dumbfounded to say anything else. I couldn't picture Miroku, even three year old Miroku, not liking girls. I shook my head. "But how did that make you two best friends?" "I don't know, actually. We just kept meeting each other in front of that creek randomly." She smiled fondly. "We hated each other." I laughed. I couldn't help it. Hearing someone say they hated each other with that expression on their face was just hilarious. "Oh? It seems your opinion of him has changed drastically." Sango snorted, but didn't say anything. She was lying on a futon that was usually kept under my bed for guests and looked as if she was about to fall asleep. I didn't blame her, though, since it was about two a.m. In fact, I was about to fall asleep too when I suddenly heard this faint.. well, 'twanging' sound. YURA?! Sango was already to her feet and standing at the window. She had her blanket drooped around her shoulders and was making these short, gasping sounds. Her shoulders were shaking. That frightened me a little, and for one inane moment I wondered if she had epilepsy or something. Then I realized she was laughing so hard that it was coming out silently. I rolled out of my bed. I've never.. never heard Sango laugh this hard. Before I even made if half way to my window, the.. person, or rather, persons, who were under my window (yes, I was on the second floor), belted out the first verse of a very familiar song. "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, That's amor�!" I rushed to the window, a slightly disbelieving look on my face. I recognized those voices.. Sango had thrown my window open and was leaning precariously out of it, still laughing hysterically. I followed her example. There stood Inuyasha and Miroku, both looking utterly ridiculous in their pajamas and holding ukuleles. I joined Sango in dying with laughter. "When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amor�!" I (platonically) loved Inuyasha and Miroku. They were great guys, seriously. But let me tell you something... they could not sing. Or play the ukulele, for that matter. Which is what made this situation even more hilarious. Lights all over my neighborhood were flashing on and dozens of faces were peeking out their windows, trying to figure out what on earth that racket was. I could have sworn I heard someone shout, "SOMEONE PUT THOSE DAMN CATS OUT OF THEIR MISERY!" Inuyasha and Miroku ignored them. "Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling, And you'll sing 'Vita bella'. Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay, Like a gay tarantella." "What the hell's a tarantella?" I heard Miroku ask Inuyasha. "Beats me. Shut up and keep singing," was Inuyasha's response. "They're gay, though?" "Happy, Miroku. Now sing!" "When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool, That's amor�! When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, You're in loo~oove!" Both Inuyasha and Miroku did this quirky little dance on the lawn and Sango collapsed to her knees, hugging her sides. I heard someone running down my stairs. Tears streamed from my eyes at a steady pace. I couldn't stop laughing, but at the same time my heart was swelling to a point where it felt as if it were about to burst. No one had ever done anything that sweet for me in my life. "When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not, Dreaming signore, Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli, That's amor�!" My grandfather came charging from the house, waving a huge bat and wearing his old blue robe. That just made Sango and me laugh harder, half from the expression on the boys' faces, half from the fact that despite my crazy grandpa chasing them away, they were still singing. "When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie, That's amor�! When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amor�!" Inuyasha made a loud "woah" sound, dodging my grandfather and a vase thrown from the house next door. He bowed at my grandfather, blew a raspberry, then grabbed Miroku by the collar and charged back to his car, Grandpa at their heals. "Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling, And you'll sing 'Vita bella'.." The boys trailed off, quickly hopping into Inuyasha's car and quickly driving off. They thought ahead and left the car running, just in case a.. situation like this happened. Grandpa, as wacky as he was, half-heartedly chased the car. Even from my position at the window, even though my eyes were blurred from mirth-tears, I could see the look of amusement on Grandpa's face. Miroku poked his head out the window as they drove past. "Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay, Like a gay tarantella!!" He shouted that verse from the car, half hanging out from the window. He was grinning widely, eyes dancing with mirth, and then they were gone. For a long, long moment, Sango and I plastered ourselves against my wall and laughed our heads off. I heard Grandpa reenter the house and walk back up the stairs. He paused at my door, then just sighed and continued walking. I was sure he was going to give me an earful after Sango went home. When we finally controlled ourselves, we both crawled back to our beds. Sango tilted her head to the side, examining me curiously. "I thought you said you and Inuyasha agreed to stay away from each other for awhile?" she asked, pulling her blanket from her shoulders and her around her body. I shrugged, sitting on my bed. I couldn't stop myself from grinning. "I guess he changed his mind." Sango returned my grin with one equally large. "You don't sound very upset.." "Would you be after something like that?" Sango settled more comfortably, still grinning. Then, suddenly, her grin flattened a little. "Hey, Kagome?" "Yeah?" "They.. ah.. pretty much said 'I love you'..." My heart did a back flip, then a front flip, then stopped altogether. Inuyasha.. loved me? I shook my head. As, well, pleasant as that thought was, that seemed a little too much since we had only met a couple times. Thankfully, though, Sango read my mind. "Well, I mean, it's doubtful that Inuyasha loves you.. yet.. but.." She suddenly turned bright red and ducked her head under the blanket. "But that doesn't explain Miroku.." she mumbled. "Awww!" I squealed. "He loves you!" Sango didn't answer, but I had the feeling that her face was maroon. "I doubt that." "Well, how do you feel about that?" Sango pulled the blanket off her face, her blush fading only a little. I was right, she was almost maroon. "Well, I don't really know.." I snorted at her, correctly interpreting her next words. "I'll ask him for you, okay?" * When school started again, I still had a silly grin plastered on my face. Every time I saw either Miroku or Inuyasha I had to duck away because I knew I would either be laughing my head off or blushing furiously, but I couldn't hide from them for forever. Fortunately, though, they didn't gang up on me. Miroku found me first. I was sitting in my room, quickly trying to finish my homework that I had forgotten about when he bust in. He sat smugly on Hojou's bed, then tossed me this aloof, but radiant grin. "Soooo.. what did you think?" I pretended to think for a moment, tapping my finger against my chin. "I think..." I drew those words on for awhile, still pretending to think. "I think that next time you see Sango, she might try and jump your bones or something." Miroku stared at me for a moment, then grinned like a little boy. "YES!" He fell flat back against the bed, arms spread above his head. He was laughing almost giddily. "I also think Grandpa's gunna try and kill you if he ever sees you again.." I muttered, thinking about how Grandpa lectured me for nearly an hour about how I shouldn't have crazy boys coming to the house that late. Miroku ignored me, still laughing. He sounded so... happy. After Miroku stopped laughing, he pulled himself up into a sitting position and rest his elbows on his knees. He looked at me for a long moment, then grinned. I was pretending to do my homework, but kept looking at him discreetly. "Go ahead and ask me whatever's on your mind." I twirled my pencil idly around on my fingers, then grinned slightly at him. "So, you're in love with Sango?" Miroku blanched, then cleared his throat. "I don't think I would call it that.. yet. More like how Inuyasha feels for you. A lot of like." A lot of like. My grin widened, and it was my turn to let out a whoop of laughter. He grinned back. I took in a deep breath and released it happily after a few moments. He was staring at me expectantly, and I tilted my head to the side. "I have a feeling you have more to say." Miroku nodded. "One.." He held up a finger. "Baseball season's starting soon. VERY soon." BASEBALL! I forgot about that! "Two.." He held up another finger. "Expect Inuyasha to be calling 'Kekki' soon. Actually, tonight. So, ah, you kind of need to be home. Don't worry, I'll think up a way to cover for you." I stared at him, puzzled. "Why's he gunna call me?" "School dance tomorrow." He grinned at my startled expression. I felt like I was walking in the clouds. My week just went from good, to bad, to good, to great. Suddenly, though, my mood plummeted. "Uh, how is everything going between Kouga and Inuyasha? And Kikyo and Inuyasha, for that matter.." Miroku's grin didn't drop. "Didn't I tell you we'd straighten that out? Inuyasha and Kouga are.. okay again, I guess. They're kind of acting weird around each other, but that's to be expected. Anyway, Kikyo's the same as ever, but expect the cold shoulder from her." I frowned slightly. "How's that different from now, anyway?" He shrugged. "I guess you're right. 'Suppose she's always felt threatened by you." Suddenly, he was all grins again. "Hey, Kagome?" "Yeah?" "We rock." THIS, my friends, is what made Miroku one of my best friends. * At the end of school, I was heading towards my car (in order to rush home), when I heard a muffled groan. I paled, and my blood froze. "..S-Souta?" Oh please no.. I rushed to my car, falling the quiet whimpers I knew was coming from my little brother. I looked around wildly. "Souta? Souta! Where are you!" A hand grabbed my ankle and I let out a blood curdling shriek. Automatically, the hand jerked back from under my car, and I fell to my knees. My hand clutched my chest, and I leaned forward slightly to see just who was under my car. I could just hear horror-movie fans screaming at me, but I had the distinct feeling that there was no monster hiding under my car. "S-Souta?" My brother looked up at me with terrified eyes, blood dripping from his split lip. He was a mess, green bruises scattered across his face and one eye puffy and red. I felt a wave of nausea hit me, and I scrambled the short distance between me and my car. "Souta! Oh, God!" His arm was folded underneath him in a sickening way, and he looked almost terrified of me. I don't think he saw me, even though he was staring straight at my face. I had the melancholy feeling he saw someone else. "It's me, Souta, it's Kagome! You know, your big sis? 'Gome?" Souta continued to look at me blankly, and my heart stopped. I clawed at the gravel, as if trying to dig myself under the car. Tears fell from my eyes and onto the cement as my world stopped turning. "Ta-Ta.." I sobbed out. Recognition flashed in my brother's eyes, and my hopes soared. Very carefully, my brother dragged himself out from under the car. I pulled him into my arms when he came close enough and held him, sobbing into his hair. I was going to get my brother out of this school if it was the last thing I did. .:end chapter ten:. Okie dokie, I know I said there would be a dance and Yura stuff in it, but I kind of felt like I would be cramming this chapter too full of stuff. So therefore, that won't happen until chapter eleven. ^___^; School dance in the next chapter (I promise!), Yura-ness, and that mysterious teacher revealed. |