Part VI: Inu-Yasha at the Tendo Dojo ^o_o^

 

            Inu-Yasha was starving.  The Tendos and Saotomes only watched as he chowed down on Kasumi’s cooking.  “This <munch, munch> is so <munch> good!”  He swallowed and turned to Kagome.  “Why don’t you bring or make any food this good, Kagome?”

            She sighed and rolled her eyes.  “Because I never have time to take my time like Kasumi does, Inu-Yasha.  You love those instant ramen boxes because they’re good and fast, remember?”

            Inu-Yasha stopped for a moment and then looked at Kagome.  “I guess I can let you actually take your time.  I mean I’m letting you stay here while Naraku does god-knows-what back home.  Letting you cook will be a minor sacrifice of time after this.”

            Ranma sat up.  “Kagome, you can cook?”  When she nodded slowly, he whistled.  “Whoa, impressive.  Maybe you give Akane a few lessons!”

            “RANMA!!”

            Inu-Yasha looked up from his meal.  “Can you cook, pigtails?”

            Ranma blinked, turning his attention from Akane, who was ready to clobber him to Inu-Yasha.  “Uh…yeah…”

            Inu-Yasha blinked.  “I don’t see a problem then.  As long as one of you can, you won’t go hungry.”  He turned his gaze to Kagome.  “But fast food is still more convenient.”

            Kagome groaned.  “Hai, hai.  You’re just going to give the guilt trip the entire time, ne?”

            “If Naraku causes trouble, it’s your fault.”

            Ranma and Akane had calmed down, mulling over Inu-Yasha’s comment.

            “Uh…” Soun said after a moment.  The entire group had just listened to Kagome and Inu-Yasha.  “Who is this Naraku?”

            Kasumi put another plate of food in front of Inu-Yasha.  “He sounds like a disturbing fellow.”  Genma nodded in agreement.

            Inu-Yasha looked up and swallowed.  “He’s a youkai we’ve got to kill as soon as possible.”

            Everyone turned to Kagome.  She sighed.  “Hai. Inu-Yasha and I are chasing this particular demon down.  That’s why I wanted this vacation.  It wouldn’t do me any good to track him down and face him, if I’m not up to snuff.”  She eyed Inu-Yasha.  “Now, if you would only stop complaining…”

            Ranma whistled.  “No wonder you were so tough to beat.  You’re constantly fighting demons.  They’re probably a pain in the ass to defeat.”

            Inu-Yasha slurped.  “Only some.”  He swallowed and reached for another plate.  “Like Naraku and his offspring.”

            “Offspring?!”

            Kagome turned to Akane with a smile.  “Recent development.  Naraku has the ability to start spawning pieces of himself into other demons.  One of the ones he created was in love my previous incarnation.”

            Inu-Yasha suddenly stiffened at the mention of Kikyou.  Kagome turned her gaze to him and sighed lightly.

            Nabiki shrugged her shoulders.  “Well, whatever you guys do for a job is your own business I say.  As long as you’re getting paid for it.”

            Inu-Yasha looked at Nabiki for a beat.  He then turned to Kagome.  “She would get along great with Miroku.”  Kagome nodded, confusing everyone but Akane.

            Akane waved it off.  “The only question I’ve got is where Inu-Yasha going to sleep.  We’re already crowded in this house—”

            “Do you have tree?” Inu-Yasha asked.

            Kagome bonked him over the head.  “We’re not out in the wilderness hunting demons now, Inu-Yasha!  We’re on vacation!  Sleeping in trees is not necessary!  Mou!”

            “Ite!  What’d you do that for, Kagome?!”

            “Hmph.”

            “Eh?!” Inu-Yasha blinked at her and completely forgot about his food.  “O-O-oi, Kagome?  Kagome?”

            Nabiki burst out laughing.  Akane rolled her eyes.  Kasumi smiled.  “I think he’ll be fine sleeping with Ranma and Saotome-san.  There’s enough space in there, ne?”

            Inu-Yasha turned to her with an eyebrow lifted.  “Is that where Kagome’s been sleeping?”

            Kasumi giggled.  “Why no!  Kagome-chan’s been sleeping with Akane!  Why would you ask?”

            “Because I’m used to sleeping with Kagome.”

            “EH?!” was the collective cry of surprise.  Kagome turned bright red and Inu-Yasha followed when he realized how that sounded.

            Nabiki grinned.  “My, my, Kagome.  You two are just a couple and you’ve moved faster than my sister and her fiancée.  Maybe you could give them a few pointers.”  Akane and Ranma turned bright red.

            “NABIKI!!”

            “What?” she asked innocently.

            “Th-Th-that’s not what I meant!” Inu-Yasha said stumbling over his words.  “I meant that I sleep by her to p-protect her and because… well… we just…do…”

            Soun nodded.  “I understand, my boy.  But you won’t need to worry about that while you’re here.  You can rest easy and stay with Ranma and Genma.  Kagome is safe with Akane.”

            “Mm…” was all Inu-Yasha said and looked at Kagome.  She only turned red and studied her fingers.  Inu-Yasha turned red after her and took his gaze away.

            “WHAT A HAUL!  WHAT A HAUL!!”

            Every girl minus Kasumi groaned as the short old man entered.  Happousai had his bandana tied under his nose like usual and a huge bag of panties and bras strapped to his back.  Ranma’s eye ticked.  But suddenly…

            “Ouch!  Will you quit that?!”

            “Inu-Yasha!!”

            He turned to face Kagome after punching the old man.  “Nan da?!  Isn’t he a thief?”

            Ranma burst out laughing.  “You could definitely say that.  But unfortunately the little pervert lives here and what he steals are girl’s underwear.”

            Inu-Yasha’s eye ticked as he digested what Ranma said.  The short old man straightened and stared at Inu-Yasha.

            “Genma, Soun!  Who is this ruffian?!  And what is he doing in my house?”

            Tears streamed down Soun’s cheeks.  “B-but Master Happousai!  This is my house…”

            “Whatever.”  The old man turned his gaze to the growling boy before him.  “Well?  Who are you, boy?  And how dare you hit the great Happousai?”

            “You’re just a perverted jiji.  I don’t see any great master.”

            Ranma laughed harder.  Oh, he loved this Inu-Yasha guy!

            Happousai stared at Ranma with a vein pulsing.  “Ranma!  Tell me who this is if you know what’s good for you!”

            Ranma grinned.  “Sure, old man.  But I’m going to warn you now, you’d better stay out of Kagome’s drawers.”

            Happousai humphed.  “Why should I?  She was the most wonderfully smelling panties in existence.  I wouldn’t give up those beauties!”

            “NANI????”

            Happousai turned to the now fuming boy before him.  He looked back at Ranma.  “Who is this?”  Inu-Yasha’s knuckles cracked in the background.

            Ranma grinned.  “Kagome’s boyfriend, Inu-Yasha.”

            “Inu…Yasha…?  Doesn’t that mean… ‘dog demon’?”  Happousai turned to face the raging boy before him.  This kid had a…very strange aura… He slowly moved back.

            “Where are you going, JIJI?!” Inu-Yasha bellowed and jumped at the old man.  Happousai moved out of the way, but Inu-Yasha ended up grabbing onto the bag of underwear.

            “Noooo… My precious collection!!”

            Inu-Yasha blinked and found himself covered in hoards of pastel colored panties and bras.  He turned a bright red and then he noticed something.  He grabbed one that had green and pink checkers.

            “Oi?  Aren’t these Kagome’s?”

            “OSUWARI!!”

            “Chikushou!”

 

            Happousai grumbled all the way to his room after being pounded on by both Ranma and Inu-Yasha.  Genma, Soun, Kasumi and Nabiki had already left to the rooms as Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Ranma and Akane went to theirs.  They stopped in front of Ranma and Genma’s room first.

            Ranma motioned to Inu-Yasha.  “Here’s where you’ll sleep.  Come on.  Night, Akane.”

“Night, Ranma.”  He nodded and entered.

            Inu-Yasha blinked and turned to the two girls.  Akane waved at him and Kagome.  “I’ll wait for you in my room, Kagome.  Night, Inu-Yasha.”

            Inu-Yasha bowed his head and Akane went off to her room leaving Kagome and Inu-Yasha alone.

            “Uh…your friend and her family seem nice,” Inu-Yasha said.

            “Mm.  They are,” was Kagome’s reply.

            Silence.

            “Uh… why doesn’t your friend sleep with her fiancée?” Inu-Yasha asked.

            Kagome blushed a bit.  “This doesn’t work like that in this time.  They may be engaged, but their parents are the ones who decided it.  They’re still getting used to each other.”

            “Haven’t they been engaged for two years?!  That’s a pretty long time to get to know your husband or wife-to-be!”

            “Shhh… Will you lower your voice, Inu-Yasha?!” Kagome whispered to him.

            “Gomen.”

            Silence.  Blush.

            “Well, I guess you could say they’ve got relationship problems that are stifling them from growing used to each other,” Kagome said softly to him.

            “You mean like that rival of Ranma’s and the girls that took forever to say good night to him earlier?” Inu-Yasha queried.

            “Mm.  Plenty of relationship problems.”

            “Not too different from us then, huh?”

            Kagome shook her head.  “But they don’t have a resurrected ex-girlfriend that also happens to be my previous incarnation to stop their relationship from growing either.”

            Inu-Yasha winced.  “Kagome… About Kikyou…”

            Kagome waved him to silence.  “Daijoubu, Inu-Yasha.”  She looked up at him with teary eyes.  “I understand.  Everyone here assumes that we’re a couple.  We can try to act the part if you want to, or we don’t have to.”

            “O-re…” Inu-Yasha shook his head.  “This is a vacation, ne?”

            Kagome nodded.

            He continued.  “Then… in a vacation can we forget about our problems?”

            Kagome’s eyes widened as she looked at him.  “Inu-Yasha…”

            He shrugged.  “If we’re going to forget about Naraku, we might as well forget about Kikyou too, ne?  We’re on vacation… Let’s not think about our problems.”

            Kagome smiled.  “Arigato, Inu-Yasha.”  She lifted her hand to his face.  He placed his hand over hers.

            “Kagome…”

            She turned bright red and brought her hand down.  He still held onto it.  She smiled up at him, her cheeks still rosy.  She giggled.  “Now, if only Ranma and Akane could come to some sort of agreement too.”

            Inu-Yasha snorted.  “It seems like the agreement is the problem.  This Ranma guy is in love with her.  It’s so obvious.  His pride’s just in the way.”

            Kagome nodded.  “And Akane’s pride is in her way too.  But doesn’t that sound a little bit familiar to you?”

            He shrugged.  “My pride’s not our problem, Kagome…”

            She sighed.  “I know.  It’s your guilt.”

            “Kagome…”

            She shook her head.  “We said we were going to forget about it, ne?  So let’s just enjoy our time here.  You’ll like it.  All they do is fight!”

            Inu-Yasha chuckled and nodded.

            Kagome smiled.  “Well, oyasumi, Inu-Yasha.  We’ll have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow morning.”

            “Ah,” he said in agreement.  “Oyasumi, Kagome.”

            He was still holding her hand.  She gave his a light squeeze and then went off to Akane’s room.  He watched her go down the hall and vanish.  Inu-Yasha sighed and turned to enter the room.

            Little did either know that Ranma and Akane had watched and heard the entire exchange.