InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Carnival ( Chapter 18 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.14.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 16.9K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.14.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 16.9K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 18 – Carnival
Kagome ended up getting Inuyasha to agree to dress in modern clothes, though she’d done so by bartering with promises of many rewards for his cooperation. They both reluctantly agreed to have Souta help him into the strangely fastening garments, otherwise, they’d probably be late for the carnival.
Mrs. Higurashi had previously purchased a few select outfits for Inuyasha to wear in their time, so at least no last minute shopping was required. He wore a baggy fitting pair of black jeans that he found comfortable enough, along with a red t-shirt that said “Big Dog” on it. He had his long white hair loosely tied back in a relaxed ponytail, and a black bandana covered his ears.
Kagome dressed down as well, since it was a carnival, after all. She wore tighter fitting blue jeans, that Inuyasha said he could get used to seeing her in, since they showed off the curves of her butt. She made a quick crack about him having spent too much time around Miroku, and they both chuckled. She wore a snug fitting black princess cut t-shirt that said “I like big dogs” on it in white. When Souta had seen the two shirts hanging together at the store, he’d thought they’d be perfect for the couple, and as it turned out, he was right.
Heading out the door, they walked hand in hand towards the carnival, but Kagome could tell her mate was getting apprehensive as they approached, with the amount of sights, sounds and smells, not to mention the rather large crowd of people that were gathering in the single location.
“I’m sorry, I know you don’t like crowds.” she mumbled under her breath, as they approached the ticket booth. “We don’t have to stay long if you feel too uncomfortable.”
“Keh…you should be able to have a little fun in your time before we start hunting the shards again.” he answered with a small smile.
“Higurashi!” they suddenly both heard a male voice call.
Looking over towards the gate, it appeared that Hojo was by himself, at least for the moment.
This might work out even better than planned. Kagome thought with a smile.
“Hojo!” she called back with a wave, dragging Inuyasha by the hand over towards the gate once they purchased their tickets.
“I’m so glad you could make it.” Hojo said with a small smile, noting her male companion.
“We wouldn’t have missed it!” she said while returning his smile. “Thanks for reminding me it was tonight, I’ve been spending so much time at Inuyasha’s lately, that I’d completely forgotten all about it.” she added, before politely introducing... “Hojo, this is my boyfriend, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, meet Hojo, we go to school together.”
Inuyasha took his mate’s cue and bowed politely towards the young man in greeting, feigning ignorance to the youth’s affections for the miko at his side. While he would have preferred to just growl at the human and demand that he never lay eyes on Kagome ever again, she had made her desires for how they handled the situation explicitly clear, and, he supposed, her way still got the job done in the long run. Though Kagome and Inuyasha could both tell that he was hurt by her revelation, he retained his smile, and bowed slightly to Inuyasha in return. Well, at least he was taking it like a man.
While Hojo was taken aback by the news that Kagome had a boyfriend, he was more surprised than anything else, although he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed. He knew had to say something, because even if Inuyasha was unaware of his past pursuits of his girlfriend, Kagome was quite aware of the way he felt about her.
“Guess I missed out.” he said quietly to the girl in question, while offering a small smile and a bow in her direction next. Turning back to Inuyasha, he added...“You’ve got a great woman there.” with a shy shuffle of his feet.
“Yeah, I do.” Inuyasha replied, while nervously shifting his gaze to look in Kagome’s direction. He wasn’t all that good at these types of conversations, so Kagome quickly took her cue that it was again her turn to speak, as she apologized...
“I’m sorry, Hojo. I’ve tried to tell you, but the girls…” She let her words trail off, knowing he’d get her meaning.
To her relief, he chuckled slightly, assuring her he did indeed understand, as he waved off her apology, while commenting… “I know, I know. They can be a bit…persuasive.” He then gestured towards the carnival, and stated… “Shall we?”
Inuyasha quickly relaxed, no longer feeling threatened by the boy. Not that he’d felt ‘threatened’ in the first place, per se, but he wouldn’t have hesitated to defend his rights as Kagome’s mate, should it have come down to that, and he knew that Kagome disapproved of his possessive violence over her, especially in her time. Thankfully, the human boy seemed to respect his claim on the miko, despite the fact that Kagome had referred to him in what he knew was a more casual, human term, not necessarily implying the ultimate bonding that they truly shared with one another. Still, if he accepted that Kagome was off-limits, then that was good enough for him. So, once they were inside, and came across the refreshment stand (something her mother had explained to him) Inuyasha didn’t hesitate to ask her if she’d like something to drink…a gesture Mrs. Higurashi had explained was a popular courting ritual among humans in their time. Surprised but pleased, and fairly convinced her mother had something to do with it, she told him that a soda would be nice, and watched as he went over to purchase it for her, leaving her alone with a potential rival male. The fact that he so readily trusted Kagome alone in Hojo’s presence, even though he wasn’t that far away, showed her that he didn’t consider the human youth a threat, and that gesture, in all honesty, touched her heart even more than him getting her a soda did.
“You seem happy.” said human youth mumbled softly after a moment, taking advantage of their minute alone.
“I am.” she replied without hesitation, though also without any hint of hostility. She didn’t really want to lose Hojo as a friend if she could avoid it.
“Good.” he said firmly, yet with a smile, adding “I want to see you happy.”
Kagome reached up and touched his shoulder in a small show of friendship while uttering a quiet “Thank you.” She was glad that Hojo had not become an enemy.
“Kagome!” they both suddenly heard three girls call in unison then.
Again I distracted myself, bad Kagome, bad… she mentally groaned, before quickly throwing on a smile for her three girlfriends.
“We’re here!” Yuka piped up happily, having brought along her boyfriend Tojin.
“Hey guys.” she replied.
“Where’s Inuyasha?” Eri smirked quietly to herself, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the boy’s name, as if to suggest she doubted such a person even existed. Kagome wasn’t sure if she was meant to have heard the comment or not, but before she even had a chance to think of a reply, her mate beat her to the punch, as he suddenly arrived back on the scene, having probably remained within earshot throughout her entire conversation with Hojo.
“Right here.” he answered loudly as he approached with her soda, paying no mind to the fact that he shouldn’t (were he human) have been able to hear her comment from as far away as he was.
Eri’s jaw dropped as he stood beside Kagome, especially since Hojo didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest to this person’s presence. Ayumi was sporting the biggest smile Kagome had seen on her in years, and though she was still new at smelling emotions, she could tell that Ayumi was genuinely happy at the moment.
“It’s so nice to meet you!” she said with a giddy bounce in her voice, grabbing his hand to shake enthusiastically in the Western tradition. She was startled when she noticed that his hand seemed to have claws, and Kagome and he both smelled the spike of fear in her scent. It caused a change in Inuyasha’s scent that Kagome picked up on as well, that prompted her to quickly distract the curious seventeen year old.
“So Ayumi…what do you say we find you a boyfriend tonight!”
“What!?” she laughed nervously, claws forgotten. She then started twirling her hair as she quickly flashed a glance in Hojo’s direction, before shifting her eyes over the rest of the crowd, then back to Hojo, before back to Kagome, mumbling sheepishly “I guess it’s a possibility.”
Hojo wasn’t quite as inept as most people thought he is, especially what with his “Kagome” tract record, but nevertheless, he’d caught sight of Ayumi’s glimpses in his direction, and smiled to himself in response. He did like Kagome, but she was obviously taken, so who knows?
“So, where did you two meet?” Eri asked Inuyasha, as the group headed towards the bumper cars. Something in the tone of her voice was still…suspicious.
“The Goshinboku tree.” he answered matter-of-factly.
“Isn’t that on her property?” she asked next with a raised eyebrow.
“Actually, it’s public shrine property.” Kagome corrected, and received an ‘I didn’t ask you’ expression for her effort.
“So when did you two meet?” Eri asked next.
Inuyasha didn’t like the way she was giving him the third degree, and he could tell that this particular wench was doubtful that he and Kagome were truly together. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for her weak human senses that prevented his mating to Kagome from being obvious, but why would she have cause to believe that Kagome would lie about such a thing? Like what, would Kagome truly go find some male friend to “play” boyfriend, just to brush of Hojo?
At her last question, Kagome shot a glance in Inuyasha’s direction, wondering what his answer would be in regard to exactly when they’d met. But though he could sense her nervousness, he had everything under control.
“On her fifteenth birthday.” he answered without hesitation.
Eri would have continued with the line of questioning, but the group had reached the bumper cars by then, and suddenly Yuka and Tojin, who’d been keeping to themselves during the walk, chimed in simultaneously with “Come on guys!” “This will be fun!” as the two of them quickly ran into the attraction to select their favorite colors.
Kagome could sense Inuyasha’s sudden apprehension, so leaning in, she whispered so quietly that only he would hear her, the quick instructions on how to operate the vehicle. Bumper cars were far less complicated than real cars, after all, since there were only two pedals and a steering wheel to worry about. What was so difficult with stop, go, and turn, right?
Hell, if he could slay demons, then this would be easy…
He actually found himself getting the hang of it quickly enough, and had a genuinely fun time smashing into Kagome, once he realized she wouldn’t get upset at him for doing so, since she herself kept smashing into him, smiling and laughing all the while. He noticed that Yuka and Tojin were smashing into each other more often than other people, as well, and then smiled to himself when he saw Ayumi take after Hojo, and Hojo retaliate by heading straight for Ayumi. Apparently, it was tradition to go after the ones you cared about the hardest, rather than total strangers, he realized with a grin, as he headed for Kagome once more. Eri, whom in this moment suddenly seemed odd man out, was also trying to get in as many licks with Kagome as possible. Though he’d chosen not to say anything, he remembered from before that Kagome had told him that both Yuka, along with that Eri girl, were supposedly actively with boyfriends, yet here she was, no boyfriend, and his nose did not lie, she was still a maiden. When her scent spiked while she and Kagome were laughing, crashing their cars into each other, he wondered if he should mention it to his mate, or if she was familiar enough with her senses to recognize it herself.
After they left the bumper cars, they decided to wander towards the games for a while, and stopped at one in particular when Tojin decided to try to win Yuka a big stuffed teddy bear.
“So, how old are you?” Eri asked out of the blue, and it was the first time Inuyasha caught himself hesitating.
In actuality, he was about a hundred and fifty (since the fifty years stuck to the tree didn’t count) but he couldn’t very well tell her that. What did that translate into in youkai terms? He grew up at a rather normal rate, as Shippo will, so trying to remember when he’d reached physical maturity, and stopped aging so swiftly, he decided his physical age was around twenty.
“Twenty.” he finally answered.
“Why the hesitation?” she poked with a smirk.
“Why the questions?” he growled back with annoyance.
Deciding she wanted to change the subject, and quickly, Yuka chimed up with “Ooo, you’re twenty? That means you can buy-” She was cut off.
“No Yuka…” Kagome said while chuckling. “No sake.”
“Ahh, you’re no fun.” she fake pouted with a giggle.
Kagome giggled in return, thankful to her friend for the subject change.
“Nothing to it.” Tojin suddenly said, having won the largest teddy bear.
“You want me to win you one of those?” Inuyasha asked Kagome in a soft, caring tone, attempting to separate himself from the annoying conversation he was having with her friend. The game didn’t look too hard. All he had to do was knock down an entire stack of bottles with a single ball, and hell, that human had already done it…though after several tries.
“Just don’t break them.” Kagome whispered with a wink, as Inuyasha handed the man a ticket, and got a softball in exchange.
“Keh” he mumbled, before throwing the ball, knocking down the correct bottle that would, in turn, cause all the others to go toppling. Instead of the teddy bear, Kagome decide upon a large plush dog, since it was a Husky, and had Inuyasha’s ears.
As soon as she had it in her arms, she tweaked the plush’s ear in such a way, that it made Inuyasha blush. Fortunately, nobody else seemed to notice.
It was around that time that Eri finally noticed the silvery scar on the inside of Kagome’s right arm, just above the wrist. Earlier, she’d wondered if anyone was going to notice her bonding mark or not, figuring that if anyone was going to, that it would have been Hojo. Then as time went by, she’d started to doubt that anyone was going to notice, or comment on it at all. At least her t-shirt hid her mating mark, barely, which though it had also healed into a silvery iridescent appearance, was still in the distinctive shape of a dog bite. The mark on her arm was just a straight line.
“Is that a scar!?” Eri asked frantically as she grabbed Kagome’s arm.
“No…well yes…I mean, sort of…” Kagome mumbled, caught off guard.
“It’s a mark.” she heard Inuyasha say, and she flashed him a look, but quickly realized that he’d only muttered the comment to himself, and she’d been the only one who’d heard him.
“It’s not anything to concern yourself over.” she settled upon answering, giving Inuyasha a quick smile.
“Is anybody else thirsty?” Ayumi suddenly asked, sensing the tension in the air.
“I’m fine actually.” Kagome answered honestly.
“I could use a soda.” Hojo piped up, quickly asking… “What would you like to drink?” to Ayumi.
She smiled, and gave him her order. Tojin did the same with Yuka, and the two men swiftly went off to get themselves each a soda, as well as one for the respective girl they were buying for.
Yuka plopped herself and her giant bear down happily on a bench, while Ayumi sat down beside her, commenting on how cute the bear was, but chuckling that she’d have no place for such a monstrosity in her room. Yuka replied that neither did she, but laughing and sighing, added that she’d make room, somehow.
Kagome didn’t like the way Eri kept darting her eyes to look at her, while she pretended to be looking around at everything else. She’d seemed fine just a minute ago, when they were having fun with the bumper cars. She was smiling, and laughing, and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. There had been a spike in her scent at one point, but she wasn’t sure she recognized it, other than some sort of positive emotion. She was taking her time to learn the different scents on her own, because she didn’t want to annoy Inuyasha with her questions, having him teach her everything like she were some sort of youkai toddler. But if Eri kept acting funny, she decided that she might have to ask Inuyasha if he’d picked up on something she hadn’t. One scent she thought she recognized during her questioning, having picked up the same thing briefly, yet strongly, from Kikyou, would have to be jealousy. But that didn’t really make sense. Eri was jealous of Kagome? Did she like Inuyasha? They’d only just met, and right now, it didn’t seem like she liked him. No, as a matter of fact, Kagome was fairly certain that she hated him. Grumbling to herself, she decided that she obviously didn’t have the hang of her nose yet, thinking she must have been mistaken when she’d thought she smelt jealousy. Actual scents were so much easier to identify than emotions. She had no problem picking up when Hojo and Tojin were returning, for example, catching their scents on the wind.
“What do you guys want to do next?” Tojin asked after taking a moment to sip his drink.
“How about that thing?” Inuyasha asked, pointing towards ‘The Octopus’.
“You sure?” Kagome asked, surprised that he’d want to go on such a ride.
“Keh, looks like fun.”
“You guys can count me out.” Ayumi shrugged. “Makes me sick.”
“Great!” Yuka piped up, explaining… “Then you can hold my bear.” Ayumi flashed her a look before chuckling softly, and said “Sure.”
“I think I’ll sit this one out as well.” Hojo piped up then.
“Your loss!” Eri called as she ran after the others towards the ride.
The cars were large enough that they’d sit three, so Inuyasha and Kagome (who also left her stuffed dog with Ayumi and Hojo) ended up sharing a car with Eri. Inuyasha entered first and slid down towards the outer edge, so he’d take the brunt of the girls’ weight when the force of the ride smashed them into him. Kagome sat next to him of course, in the middle, with Eri on the other side. Kagome again thought that she smelled that same spike in Eri’s scent, and tried to sniff discreetly enough in order to determine what it was, when the ride suddenly kicked on, instantly distracting her from the task. All things were forgotten as they twirled and whirled in the air. Kagome loved rides like these. They reminded her of running through the woods on Inuyasha’s back.
Said hanyou found himself enjoying the ride, as well. He obviously wasn’t subjected to motion sickness, and traveling high in the air at fast speeds was something he was used to. He’d detected the spike in Eri’s scent once they’d boarded the ride, as well as the confusion from Kagome when he could tell she was trying to recognize what it was. He should have realized she wasn’t going to pick up on scenting emotions right away, and he should have volunteered to teach her how. But through their mark she was so in tune with his emotions that she picked them up nearly as strongly as if they were they her own, so he never really thought about it, until now. His realization that he’d been neglecting in this duty brought a small sense of regret to the surface that Kagome recognized in him instantly.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered so low that only he’d hear her, as the group of seven made their way over towards the haunted house.
“I should have trained you with scenting emotions.” he whispered back, also so low that only she’d hear him.
At his words she realized she’d been busted. “I’ll figure it out.” she mumbled, embarassed.
“Not quickly enough. That’s my job, and I didn’t do it. Training starts now.” he said matter-of-factly.
Kagome understood what he meant as soon as they approached the haunted house ride, because there was a whole bushel of emotions floating around their general area. As the group waited in line, Inuyasha discreetly pointed to a few people at random, and Kagome was to identify the strongest emotion in each of them. Actual fear was present mostly in the smaller children, and she quickly learned to differ between that, and the sensation of simply being startled. Focusing her attention on Yuka and Tojin, who were once again in their own little world, Kagome could tell that they were truly in love with each other. Hojo and Ayumi both just seemed decently happy at the moment, nothing really too strong to recognize on the surface other than that they were having a good time at the fair. When she tried to read Eri, the girl seemed reserved, nervous, anxious, depressed, and jealous. But for whatever reason, and what these negative emotions were directed at, she hadn’t a clue.
Glancing back at Inuyasha, she shook her head slightly, and projected that she was still confused.
Rolling his eyes and sighing, he took her hand in his and whispered something in her ear. As soon as Eri saw the two lovebirds, her spike of jealousy instantly increased. Inuyasha had known that would happen, and what he’d actually whispered was “Smell her now.”
Kagome turned towards Eri while smiling, and took a deep breath while pretending to simply be relaxing her body. She was hit square in the face with such hostility, that it reminded her once again of Kikyou.
She was about to turn toward Inuyasha once more, to let him know what she’d smelled, but right then it was their turns to all board the ride. It was in continual motion and they had to be fast as they stepped up onto the moving treadmill and climbed into the first available car. Eri automatically climbed into the three person car after Inuyasha and Kagome, so reserving herself to asking her mate about everything later, she decided to let the subject drop for now, especially since as soon as she turned to Eri and smiled politely at the girl who’d just sat down next to her, the scent of hatred seemed to once again diminish, at least temporarily.
Kagome decided she’d be polite to Eri the rest of the evening, since she didn’t like feeling such an intensity of hostility aimed towards either her or her mate. Her only reason for bringing Inuyasha in the first place was to detour Hojo’s advances, and since Eri always pressed Hojo on her the hardest, she figured that was probably at least part of her problem right there. She was there to have fun, though, not to make an enemy out of anyone, so if giving Eri a little extra attention made her happy, then she was happy to do it. Kagome also reminded herself that poor Eri was like the odd man out, since everyone seemed to have a date except her, so she made sure not to lead the group toward any two-seater rides.
A few mores rides and games later, everyone decided that they wanted to grab some food, and headed over towards where all the hot dog and hamburger stands were. The dinner conversation eventually made its way around to Kagome.
“You seem like you’re feeling much better.” Hojo commented politely.
“Yeah, no more bouts of sickness?” Ayumi agreed, asking for confirmation.
“Not lately, I am feeling much better these days.” Kagome confirmed.
“Does that mean you won’t be absent half your senior year?” Yuka asked, having a bunch of plans that she and Tojin could do with her and Inuyasha, were she not under the weather.
“Well, I’m actually going to go through home schooling for my last year.” she confessed.
“What!?” Eri snapped, genuinely shocked. Everyone was actually surprised at the news, so Kagome quickly tried to explain.
“My mom figured better safe than sorry, since the cooler weather always tends to get to me, and I’ll probably end up being sick again during the school year, anyway.” she said, repeating the excuse her mother had used for the school board. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back for all the tests, at least.” she added as an after thought.
She probably should have phrased that differently, though, because Yuka caught her comment of being back for her tests, and commented with a chuckle. “Oh I get it, you’ll be spending the school year over at Inuyasha’s shrine!” she smiled evilly.
Kagome chuckled nervously, and that, accompanied by her sudden blush, just about put a neon sign over her head that said Busted.
“Um, yeah well…” she tried nervously.
“It’s okay.” Ayumi giggled. “We totally understand”
“Just all the more we’ll have to catch up at WacDonald’s when you do come to school.” Yuka teased with a wink.
“Anyone else thirsty?” Kagome asked this time.
Inuyasha chuckled, and got up to get her another drink. Tojin and Hojo both went over towards the soda booth as well, talking amongst themselves. Yuka and Ayumi both started staring at Kagome so dreamily, that nobody really noticed when Eri went over towards the soda booth herself.
“So…?” Yuka prompted.
“So?” Kagome asked back, feigning ignorance.
“Were you ever truly sick?” she asked teasingly. “I seem to recall that you were never absent all that much before your fifteenth birthday.” she hinted.
“Kagome?” Ayumi asked in amusement.
“I bet the word busted is tattooed to my forehead right about now.” Kagome sighed, lifting her eyes to stare at her two friends, who were not upset, but rather, wanted details.
“You two do seem truly happy together.” Yuka said, agreeing with Ayumi when she’d commented earlier that the pair seemed perfect for each other.
“Things were bumpy at first, as well you know…” Kagome began. “For quite some time we were just friends,” she confessed. “But, we finally had the courage to admit our feelings for one another.”
“So how long have guys you been together?” Yuka asked next.
“Huh? You guys already know when we met-” she started, but Yuka interrupted with
“No, no, no. I mean together together.”
“Oh!” Kagome laughed nervously, as Yuka’s meaning sunk in. “About four months.” she admitted shyly.
“Really? Why’d you wait so long?” Yuka asked, genuinely surprised. The girl was seventeen now, after all.
“Kikyou.” was Kagome’s answer.
“The ex…” Ayumi sighed in understanding. “I’m glad that things worked out for you, Kagome.” she said next, adding “I always believed they would.”
“Thank you.” she replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha remained out of the loop regarding Kagome’s conversation with the girls, as he was greeted with an unpleasant distraction while waiting in line to purchase himself and Kagome a soda.
“Looks like your little plan worked.” he heard Eri chime in from right behind him. He’d known she was there, of course, but had been hoping that she was simply buying a soda, and would keep her mouth shut.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he grumbled, more frustration than genuine hostility present in his voice.
“Oh come on…” she pressed. “You two don’t feel that way about each other…it was just to get rid of Hojo.”
Inuyasha turned his attention towards where Hojo and Tojin were talking, as they headed back with their drinks, having been a few paces in line ahead of him. Since nobody else Kagome knew was there to overhear him, he decided to take advantage of this moment of privacy.
“Listen here, you little bitch.” he started, turning around to face a stunned and drop jaw Eri. “I don’t know where you get your delusions from, but even if that were true, which it so ain’t, it’d still be none of your business.” Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, which he’d found was a little easier since having bonded with Kagome, her presence soothing him through their marks, he counted to three in his mind, then continued. “Kagome was obviously not interested in Hojo from the beginning, so why you kept pushing him on her, especially since you knew she was with me, I have no idea-” He was suddenly cut off.
“She wasn’t with you.” Eri snapped back. “She’s mentioned you, and confessed her feelings, but you were always breaking her heart with some other girl.”
His ears drooped under his bandana at her comeback; it was the truth, after all.
“Well, that’s not an issue any more. Kikyou is gone for good.” he muttered low, but loud enough for her to hear him. He hated that this human wench actually had one up on him like that, but there was nothing he could do regarding his past with Kagome, except try his hardest to make it up to her each and every day.
“Yeah right.” Eri chuckled darkly. “Even if that’s true, you’ll just break her heart again with somebody else. You’re a dog, just like it says on your shirt!”
He had to stifle a chuckle at that one. After all, it was also true. After thinking it over a moment, he decided to roll with it.
“You’re half right.” he smirked with a grin. “I am a dog, and you know what? Dogs mate for life.” He smirked at her reaction to that remark. “Kagome’s mine, not yours, so get over yourself and leave us be.” he added firmly, yet not in a raised voice.
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her expression, not to mention the spike of panic in her scent, when he hit the nail on the head like he did. After gaining her composure, Eri turned and stomped away, not waiting to buy a drink. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but remained in line. He’d told his mate that he’d get her a drink, and unless he picked up from her that she needed him to return right away, he’d stay right where he was and get her that drink.
Everyone was surprised when they saw Eri storm back over towards where they were sitting, and ignoring everyone else, looked Kagome right in the eyes, as she also addressed only her, saying swiftly “I’m leaving Kagome, I’ll see you later.” before she turned tail and left the carnival.
“What was that all about?” Kagome asked everyone in general, to receive nothing but a bunch of shrugging shoulders, and confusion in response.
When Inuyasha returned a minute later, Kagome asked him “What happened with Eri?” since it was pretty obvious the two of them shared words, since they were alone for a moment right before she stormed off.
“Nothing important, I’ll tell you later.” he offered, not wishing to discuss it in front of everybody else.
“Well, I think she’s just jealous.” Yuka offered, standing up with her arm wrapped affectionately around Tojin. “Her boyfriend didn’t even bother to show up.” she explained.
“Yeah…” Ayumi sighed in sympathy, but quickly smiled when Hojo offered her his hand to assist her in standing back up as well.
“I suppose we should be heading back ourselves.” Kagome suggested towards Inuyasha, but addressing everyone else at the same time, before she added, “This was really fun.”
“Yeah, it was.” Hojo replied with a smile.
“Try to come back for more than just our tests, Kagome.” Yuka called as they started to walk away. “Maybe we can double date sometime!”
“You got it!” was heard called back by none other than Inuyasha himself, when he quickly sensed the longing Kagome felt at Yuka’s suggestion, and he did, after all, like the couple well enough. He found he liked Ayumi as well, after he caught the girl glance down at his claws on another occasion during the night, but no fear remained in her scent, merely curiosity. He had secretly held up his hand a moment for her to examine, and she’d smiled. She’d just been startled in the beginning, he supposed. Hojo he didn’t mind either, since the guy was no longer after his Kagome. Nope, the only one he had a problem with was Eri, and that was only because Eri had a problem with him, though at least he knew why.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 18 – Carnival
Kagome ended up getting Inuyasha to agree to dress in modern clothes, though she’d done so by bartering with promises of many rewards for his cooperation. They both reluctantly agreed to have Souta help him into the strangely fastening garments, otherwise, they’d probably be late for the carnival.
Mrs. Higurashi had previously purchased a few select outfits for Inuyasha to wear in their time, so at least no last minute shopping was required. He wore a baggy fitting pair of black jeans that he found comfortable enough, along with a red t-shirt that said “Big Dog” on it. He had his long white hair loosely tied back in a relaxed ponytail, and a black bandana covered his ears.
Kagome dressed down as well, since it was a carnival, after all. She wore tighter fitting blue jeans, that Inuyasha said he could get used to seeing her in, since they showed off the curves of her butt. She made a quick crack about him having spent too much time around Miroku, and they both chuckled. She wore a snug fitting black princess cut t-shirt that said “I like big dogs” on it in white. When Souta had seen the two shirts hanging together at the store, he’d thought they’d be perfect for the couple, and as it turned out, he was right.
Heading out the door, they walked hand in hand towards the carnival, but Kagome could tell her mate was getting apprehensive as they approached, with the amount of sights, sounds and smells, not to mention the rather large crowd of people that were gathering in the single location.
“I’m sorry, I know you don’t like crowds.” she mumbled under her breath, as they approached the ticket booth. “We don’t have to stay long if you feel too uncomfortable.”
“Keh…you should be able to have a little fun in your time before we start hunting the shards again.” he answered with a small smile.
“Higurashi!” they suddenly both heard a male voice call.
Looking over towards the gate, it appeared that Hojo was by himself, at least for the moment.
This might work out even better than planned. Kagome thought with a smile.
“Hojo!” she called back with a wave, dragging Inuyasha by the hand over towards the gate once they purchased their tickets.
“I’m so glad you could make it.” Hojo said with a small smile, noting her male companion.
“We wouldn’t have missed it!” she said while returning his smile. “Thanks for reminding me it was tonight, I’ve been spending so much time at Inuyasha’s lately, that I’d completely forgotten all about it.” she added, before politely introducing... “Hojo, this is my boyfriend, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, meet Hojo, we go to school together.”
Inuyasha took his mate’s cue and bowed politely towards the young man in greeting, feigning ignorance to the youth’s affections for the miko at his side. While he would have preferred to just growl at the human and demand that he never lay eyes on Kagome ever again, she had made her desires for how they handled the situation explicitly clear, and, he supposed, her way still got the job done in the long run. Though Kagome and Inuyasha could both tell that he was hurt by her revelation, he retained his smile, and bowed slightly to Inuyasha in return. Well, at least he was taking it like a man.
While Hojo was taken aback by the news that Kagome had a boyfriend, he was more surprised than anything else, although he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed. He knew had to say something, because even if Inuyasha was unaware of his past pursuits of his girlfriend, Kagome was quite aware of the way he felt about her.
“Guess I missed out.” he said quietly to the girl in question, while offering a small smile and a bow in her direction next. Turning back to Inuyasha, he added...“You’ve got a great woman there.” with a shy shuffle of his feet.
“Yeah, I do.” Inuyasha replied, while nervously shifting his gaze to look in Kagome’s direction. He wasn’t all that good at these types of conversations, so Kagome quickly took her cue that it was again her turn to speak, as she apologized...
“I’m sorry, Hojo. I’ve tried to tell you, but the girls…” She let her words trail off, knowing he’d get her meaning.
To her relief, he chuckled slightly, assuring her he did indeed understand, as he waved off her apology, while commenting… “I know, I know. They can be a bit…persuasive.” He then gestured towards the carnival, and stated… “Shall we?”
Inuyasha quickly relaxed, no longer feeling threatened by the boy. Not that he’d felt ‘threatened’ in the first place, per se, but he wouldn’t have hesitated to defend his rights as Kagome’s mate, should it have come down to that, and he knew that Kagome disapproved of his possessive violence over her, especially in her time. Thankfully, the human boy seemed to respect his claim on the miko, despite the fact that Kagome had referred to him in what he knew was a more casual, human term, not necessarily implying the ultimate bonding that they truly shared with one another. Still, if he accepted that Kagome was off-limits, then that was good enough for him. So, once they were inside, and came across the refreshment stand (something her mother had explained to him) Inuyasha didn’t hesitate to ask her if she’d like something to drink…a gesture Mrs. Higurashi had explained was a popular courting ritual among humans in their time. Surprised but pleased, and fairly convinced her mother had something to do with it, she told him that a soda would be nice, and watched as he went over to purchase it for her, leaving her alone with a potential rival male. The fact that he so readily trusted Kagome alone in Hojo’s presence, even though he wasn’t that far away, showed her that he didn’t consider the human youth a threat, and that gesture, in all honesty, touched her heart even more than him getting her a soda did.
“You seem happy.” said human youth mumbled softly after a moment, taking advantage of their minute alone.
“I am.” she replied without hesitation, though also without any hint of hostility. She didn’t really want to lose Hojo as a friend if she could avoid it.
“Good.” he said firmly, yet with a smile, adding “I want to see you happy.”
Kagome reached up and touched his shoulder in a small show of friendship while uttering a quiet “Thank you.” She was glad that Hojo had not become an enemy.
“Kagome!” they both suddenly heard three girls call in unison then.
Again I distracted myself, bad Kagome, bad… she mentally groaned, before quickly throwing on a smile for her three girlfriends.
“We’re here!” Yuka piped up happily, having brought along her boyfriend Tojin.
“Hey guys.” she replied.
“Where’s Inuyasha?” Eri smirked quietly to herself, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the boy’s name, as if to suggest she doubted such a person even existed. Kagome wasn’t sure if she was meant to have heard the comment or not, but before she even had a chance to think of a reply, her mate beat her to the punch, as he suddenly arrived back on the scene, having probably remained within earshot throughout her entire conversation with Hojo.
“Right here.” he answered loudly as he approached with her soda, paying no mind to the fact that he shouldn’t (were he human) have been able to hear her comment from as far away as he was.
Eri’s jaw dropped as he stood beside Kagome, especially since Hojo didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest to this person’s presence. Ayumi was sporting the biggest smile Kagome had seen on her in years, and though she was still new at smelling emotions, she could tell that Ayumi was genuinely happy at the moment.
“It’s so nice to meet you!” she said with a giddy bounce in her voice, grabbing his hand to shake enthusiastically in the Western tradition. She was startled when she noticed that his hand seemed to have claws, and Kagome and he both smelled the spike of fear in her scent. It caused a change in Inuyasha’s scent that Kagome picked up on as well, that prompted her to quickly distract the curious seventeen year old.
“So Ayumi…what do you say we find you a boyfriend tonight!”
“What!?” she laughed nervously, claws forgotten. She then started twirling her hair as she quickly flashed a glance in Hojo’s direction, before shifting her eyes over the rest of the crowd, then back to Hojo, before back to Kagome, mumbling sheepishly “I guess it’s a possibility.”
Hojo wasn’t quite as inept as most people thought he is, especially what with his “Kagome” tract record, but nevertheless, he’d caught sight of Ayumi’s glimpses in his direction, and smiled to himself in response. He did like Kagome, but she was obviously taken, so who knows?
“So, where did you two meet?” Eri asked Inuyasha, as the group headed towards the bumper cars. Something in the tone of her voice was still…suspicious.
“The Goshinboku tree.” he answered matter-of-factly.
“Isn’t that on her property?” she asked next with a raised eyebrow.
“Actually, it’s public shrine property.” Kagome corrected, and received an ‘I didn’t ask you’ expression for her effort.
“So when did you two meet?” Eri asked next.
Inuyasha didn’t like the way she was giving him the third degree, and he could tell that this particular wench was doubtful that he and Kagome were truly together. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for her weak human senses that prevented his mating to Kagome from being obvious, but why would she have cause to believe that Kagome would lie about such a thing? Like what, would Kagome truly go find some male friend to “play” boyfriend, just to brush of Hojo?
At her last question, Kagome shot a glance in Inuyasha’s direction, wondering what his answer would be in regard to exactly when they’d met. But though he could sense her nervousness, he had everything under control.
“On her fifteenth birthday.” he answered without hesitation.
Eri would have continued with the line of questioning, but the group had reached the bumper cars by then, and suddenly Yuka and Tojin, who’d been keeping to themselves during the walk, chimed in simultaneously with “Come on guys!” “This will be fun!” as the two of them quickly ran into the attraction to select their favorite colors.
Kagome could sense Inuyasha’s sudden apprehension, so leaning in, she whispered so quietly that only he would hear her, the quick instructions on how to operate the vehicle. Bumper cars were far less complicated than real cars, after all, since there were only two pedals and a steering wheel to worry about. What was so difficult with stop, go, and turn, right?
Hell, if he could slay demons, then this would be easy…
He actually found himself getting the hang of it quickly enough, and had a genuinely fun time smashing into Kagome, once he realized she wouldn’t get upset at him for doing so, since she herself kept smashing into him, smiling and laughing all the while. He noticed that Yuka and Tojin were smashing into each other more often than other people, as well, and then smiled to himself when he saw Ayumi take after Hojo, and Hojo retaliate by heading straight for Ayumi. Apparently, it was tradition to go after the ones you cared about the hardest, rather than total strangers, he realized with a grin, as he headed for Kagome once more. Eri, whom in this moment suddenly seemed odd man out, was also trying to get in as many licks with Kagome as possible. Though he’d chosen not to say anything, he remembered from before that Kagome had told him that both Yuka, along with that Eri girl, were supposedly actively with boyfriends, yet here she was, no boyfriend, and his nose did not lie, she was still a maiden. When her scent spiked while she and Kagome were laughing, crashing their cars into each other, he wondered if he should mention it to his mate, or if she was familiar enough with her senses to recognize it herself.
After they left the bumper cars, they decided to wander towards the games for a while, and stopped at one in particular when Tojin decided to try to win Yuka a big stuffed teddy bear.
“So, how old are you?” Eri asked out of the blue, and it was the first time Inuyasha caught himself hesitating.
In actuality, he was about a hundred and fifty (since the fifty years stuck to the tree didn’t count) but he couldn’t very well tell her that. What did that translate into in youkai terms? He grew up at a rather normal rate, as Shippo will, so trying to remember when he’d reached physical maturity, and stopped aging so swiftly, he decided his physical age was around twenty.
“Twenty.” he finally answered.
“Why the hesitation?” she poked with a smirk.
“Why the questions?” he growled back with annoyance.
Deciding she wanted to change the subject, and quickly, Yuka chimed up with “Ooo, you’re twenty? That means you can buy-” She was cut off.
“No Yuka…” Kagome said while chuckling. “No sake.”
“Ahh, you’re no fun.” she fake pouted with a giggle.
Kagome giggled in return, thankful to her friend for the subject change.
“Nothing to it.” Tojin suddenly said, having won the largest teddy bear.
“You want me to win you one of those?” Inuyasha asked Kagome in a soft, caring tone, attempting to separate himself from the annoying conversation he was having with her friend. The game didn’t look too hard. All he had to do was knock down an entire stack of bottles with a single ball, and hell, that human had already done it…though after several tries.
“Just don’t break them.” Kagome whispered with a wink, as Inuyasha handed the man a ticket, and got a softball in exchange.
“Keh” he mumbled, before throwing the ball, knocking down the correct bottle that would, in turn, cause all the others to go toppling. Instead of the teddy bear, Kagome decide upon a large plush dog, since it was a Husky, and had Inuyasha’s ears.
As soon as she had it in her arms, she tweaked the plush’s ear in such a way, that it made Inuyasha blush. Fortunately, nobody else seemed to notice.
It was around that time that Eri finally noticed the silvery scar on the inside of Kagome’s right arm, just above the wrist. Earlier, she’d wondered if anyone was going to notice her bonding mark or not, figuring that if anyone was going to, that it would have been Hojo. Then as time went by, she’d started to doubt that anyone was going to notice, or comment on it at all. At least her t-shirt hid her mating mark, barely, which though it had also healed into a silvery iridescent appearance, was still in the distinctive shape of a dog bite. The mark on her arm was just a straight line.
“Is that a scar!?” Eri asked frantically as she grabbed Kagome’s arm.
“No…well yes…I mean, sort of…” Kagome mumbled, caught off guard.
“It’s a mark.” she heard Inuyasha say, and she flashed him a look, but quickly realized that he’d only muttered the comment to himself, and she’d been the only one who’d heard him.
“It’s not anything to concern yourself over.” she settled upon answering, giving Inuyasha a quick smile.
“Is anybody else thirsty?” Ayumi suddenly asked, sensing the tension in the air.
“I’m fine actually.” Kagome answered honestly.
“I could use a soda.” Hojo piped up, quickly asking… “What would you like to drink?” to Ayumi.
She smiled, and gave him her order. Tojin did the same with Yuka, and the two men swiftly went off to get themselves each a soda, as well as one for the respective girl they were buying for.
Yuka plopped herself and her giant bear down happily on a bench, while Ayumi sat down beside her, commenting on how cute the bear was, but chuckling that she’d have no place for such a monstrosity in her room. Yuka replied that neither did she, but laughing and sighing, added that she’d make room, somehow.
Kagome didn’t like the way Eri kept darting her eyes to look at her, while she pretended to be looking around at everything else. She’d seemed fine just a minute ago, when they were having fun with the bumper cars. She was smiling, and laughing, and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. There had been a spike in her scent at one point, but she wasn’t sure she recognized it, other than some sort of positive emotion. She was taking her time to learn the different scents on her own, because she didn’t want to annoy Inuyasha with her questions, having him teach her everything like she were some sort of youkai toddler. But if Eri kept acting funny, she decided that she might have to ask Inuyasha if he’d picked up on something she hadn’t. One scent she thought she recognized during her questioning, having picked up the same thing briefly, yet strongly, from Kikyou, would have to be jealousy. But that didn’t really make sense. Eri was jealous of Kagome? Did she like Inuyasha? They’d only just met, and right now, it didn’t seem like she liked him. No, as a matter of fact, Kagome was fairly certain that she hated him. Grumbling to herself, she decided that she obviously didn’t have the hang of her nose yet, thinking she must have been mistaken when she’d thought she smelt jealousy. Actual scents were so much easier to identify than emotions. She had no problem picking up when Hojo and Tojin were returning, for example, catching their scents on the wind.
“What do you guys want to do next?” Tojin asked after taking a moment to sip his drink.
“How about that thing?” Inuyasha asked, pointing towards ‘The Octopus’.
“You sure?” Kagome asked, surprised that he’d want to go on such a ride.
“Keh, looks like fun.”
“You guys can count me out.” Ayumi shrugged. “Makes me sick.”
“Great!” Yuka piped up, explaining… “Then you can hold my bear.” Ayumi flashed her a look before chuckling softly, and said “Sure.”
“I think I’ll sit this one out as well.” Hojo piped up then.
“Your loss!” Eri called as she ran after the others towards the ride.
The cars were large enough that they’d sit three, so Inuyasha and Kagome (who also left her stuffed dog with Ayumi and Hojo) ended up sharing a car with Eri. Inuyasha entered first and slid down towards the outer edge, so he’d take the brunt of the girls’ weight when the force of the ride smashed them into him. Kagome sat next to him of course, in the middle, with Eri on the other side. Kagome again thought that she smelled that same spike in Eri’s scent, and tried to sniff discreetly enough in order to determine what it was, when the ride suddenly kicked on, instantly distracting her from the task. All things were forgotten as they twirled and whirled in the air. Kagome loved rides like these. They reminded her of running through the woods on Inuyasha’s back.
Said hanyou found himself enjoying the ride, as well. He obviously wasn’t subjected to motion sickness, and traveling high in the air at fast speeds was something he was used to. He’d detected the spike in Eri’s scent once they’d boarded the ride, as well as the confusion from Kagome when he could tell she was trying to recognize what it was. He should have realized she wasn’t going to pick up on scenting emotions right away, and he should have volunteered to teach her how. But through their mark she was so in tune with his emotions that she picked them up nearly as strongly as if they were they her own, so he never really thought about it, until now. His realization that he’d been neglecting in this duty brought a small sense of regret to the surface that Kagome recognized in him instantly.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered so low that only he’d hear her, as the group of seven made their way over towards the haunted house.
“I should have trained you with scenting emotions.” he whispered back, also so low that only she’d hear him.
At his words she realized she’d been busted. “I’ll figure it out.” she mumbled, embarassed.
“Not quickly enough. That’s my job, and I didn’t do it. Training starts now.” he said matter-of-factly.
Kagome understood what he meant as soon as they approached the haunted house ride, because there was a whole bushel of emotions floating around their general area. As the group waited in line, Inuyasha discreetly pointed to a few people at random, and Kagome was to identify the strongest emotion in each of them. Actual fear was present mostly in the smaller children, and she quickly learned to differ between that, and the sensation of simply being startled. Focusing her attention on Yuka and Tojin, who were once again in their own little world, Kagome could tell that they were truly in love with each other. Hojo and Ayumi both just seemed decently happy at the moment, nothing really too strong to recognize on the surface other than that they were having a good time at the fair. When she tried to read Eri, the girl seemed reserved, nervous, anxious, depressed, and jealous. But for whatever reason, and what these negative emotions were directed at, she hadn’t a clue.
Glancing back at Inuyasha, she shook her head slightly, and projected that she was still confused.
Rolling his eyes and sighing, he took her hand in his and whispered something in her ear. As soon as Eri saw the two lovebirds, her spike of jealousy instantly increased. Inuyasha had known that would happen, and what he’d actually whispered was “Smell her now.”
Kagome turned towards Eri while smiling, and took a deep breath while pretending to simply be relaxing her body. She was hit square in the face with such hostility, that it reminded her once again of Kikyou.
She was about to turn toward Inuyasha once more, to let him know what she’d smelled, but right then it was their turns to all board the ride. It was in continual motion and they had to be fast as they stepped up onto the moving treadmill and climbed into the first available car. Eri automatically climbed into the three person car after Inuyasha and Kagome, so reserving herself to asking her mate about everything later, she decided to let the subject drop for now, especially since as soon as she turned to Eri and smiled politely at the girl who’d just sat down next to her, the scent of hatred seemed to once again diminish, at least temporarily.
Kagome decided she’d be polite to Eri the rest of the evening, since she didn’t like feeling such an intensity of hostility aimed towards either her or her mate. Her only reason for bringing Inuyasha in the first place was to detour Hojo’s advances, and since Eri always pressed Hojo on her the hardest, she figured that was probably at least part of her problem right there. She was there to have fun, though, not to make an enemy out of anyone, so if giving Eri a little extra attention made her happy, then she was happy to do it. Kagome also reminded herself that poor Eri was like the odd man out, since everyone seemed to have a date except her, so she made sure not to lead the group toward any two-seater rides.
A few mores rides and games later, everyone decided that they wanted to grab some food, and headed over towards where all the hot dog and hamburger stands were. The dinner conversation eventually made its way around to Kagome.
“You seem like you’re feeling much better.” Hojo commented politely.
“Yeah, no more bouts of sickness?” Ayumi agreed, asking for confirmation.
“Not lately, I am feeling much better these days.” Kagome confirmed.
“Does that mean you won’t be absent half your senior year?” Yuka asked, having a bunch of plans that she and Tojin could do with her and Inuyasha, were she not under the weather.
“Well, I’m actually going to go through home schooling for my last year.” she confessed.
“What!?” Eri snapped, genuinely shocked. Everyone was actually surprised at the news, so Kagome quickly tried to explain.
“My mom figured better safe than sorry, since the cooler weather always tends to get to me, and I’ll probably end up being sick again during the school year, anyway.” she said, repeating the excuse her mother had used for the school board. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back for all the tests, at least.” she added as an after thought.
She probably should have phrased that differently, though, because Yuka caught her comment of being back for her tests, and commented with a chuckle. “Oh I get it, you’ll be spending the school year over at Inuyasha’s shrine!” she smiled evilly.
Kagome chuckled nervously, and that, accompanied by her sudden blush, just about put a neon sign over her head that said Busted.
“Um, yeah well…” she tried nervously.
“It’s okay.” Ayumi giggled. “We totally understand”
“Just all the more we’ll have to catch up at WacDonald’s when you do come to school.” Yuka teased with a wink.
“Anyone else thirsty?” Kagome asked this time.
Inuyasha chuckled, and got up to get her another drink. Tojin and Hojo both went over towards the soda booth as well, talking amongst themselves. Yuka and Ayumi both started staring at Kagome so dreamily, that nobody really noticed when Eri went over towards the soda booth herself.
“So…?” Yuka prompted.
“So?” Kagome asked back, feigning ignorance.
“Were you ever truly sick?” she asked teasingly. “I seem to recall that you were never absent all that much before your fifteenth birthday.” she hinted.
“Kagome?” Ayumi asked in amusement.
“I bet the word busted is tattooed to my forehead right about now.” Kagome sighed, lifting her eyes to stare at her two friends, who were not upset, but rather, wanted details.
“You two do seem truly happy together.” Yuka said, agreeing with Ayumi when she’d commented earlier that the pair seemed perfect for each other.
“Things were bumpy at first, as well you know…” Kagome began. “For quite some time we were just friends,” she confessed. “But, we finally had the courage to admit our feelings for one another.”
“So how long have guys you been together?” Yuka asked next.
“Huh? You guys already know when we met-” she started, but Yuka interrupted with
“No, no, no. I mean together together.”
“Oh!” Kagome laughed nervously, as Yuka’s meaning sunk in. “About four months.” she admitted shyly.
“Really? Why’d you wait so long?” Yuka asked, genuinely surprised. The girl was seventeen now, after all.
“Kikyou.” was Kagome’s answer.
“The ex…” Ayumi sighed in understanding. “I’m glad that things worked out for you, Kagome.” she said next, adding “I always believed they would.”
“Thank you.” she replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha remained out of the loop regarding Kagome’s conversation with the girls, as he was greeted with an unpleasant distraction while waiting in line to purchase himself and Kagome a soda.
“Looks like your little plan worked.” he heard Eri chime in from right behind him. He’d known she was there, of course, but had been hoping that she was simply buying a soda, and would keep her mouth shut.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he grumbled, more frustration than genuine hostility present in his voice.
“Oh come on…” she pressed. “You two don’t feel that way about each other…it was just to get rid of Hojo.”
Inuyasha turned his attention towards where Hojo and Tojin were talking, as they headed back with their drinks, having been a few paces in line ahead of him. Since nobody else Kagome knew was there to overhear him, he decided to take advantage of this moment of privacy.
“Listen here, you little bitch.” he started, turning around to face a stunned and drop jaw Eri. “I don’t know where you get your delusions from, but even if that were true, which it so ain’t, it’d still be none of your business.” Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, which he’d found was a little easier since having bonded with Kagome, her presence soothing him through their marks, he counted to three in his mind, then continued. “Kagome was obviously not interested in Hojo from the beginning, so why you kept pushing him on her, especially since you knew she was with me, I have no idea-” He was suddenly cut off.
“She wasn’t with you.” Eri snapped back. “She’s mentioned you, and confessed her feelings, but you were always breaking her heart with some other girl.”
His ears drooped under his bandana at her comeback; it was the truth, after all.
“Well, that’s not an issue any more. Kikyou is gone for good.” he muttered low, but loud enough for her to hear him. He hated that this human wench actually had one up on him like that, but there was nothing he could do regarding his past with Kagome, except try his hardest to make it up to her each and every day.
“Yeah right.” Eri chuckled darkly. “Even if that’s true, you’ll just break her heart again with somebody else. You’re a dog, just like it says on your shirt!”
He had to stifle a chuckle at that one. After all, it was also true. After thinking it over a moment, he decided to roll with it.
“You’re half right.” he smirked with a grin. “I am a dog, and you know what? Dogs mate for life.” He smirked at her reaction to that remark. “Kagome’s mine, not yours, so get over yourself and leave us be.” he added firmly, yet not in a raised voice.
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her expression, not to mention the spike of panic in her scent, when he hit the nail on the head like he did. After gaining her composure, Eri turned and stomped away, not waiting to buy a drink. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but remained in line. He’d told his mate that he’d get her a drink, and unless he picked up from her that she needed him to return right away, he’d stay right where he was and get her that drink.
Everyone was surprised when they saw Eri storm back over towards where they were sitting, and ignoring everyone else, looked Kagome right in the eyes, as she also addressed only her, saying swiftly “I’m leaving Kagome, I’ll see you later.” before she turned tail and left the carnival.
“What was that all about?” Kagome asked everyone in general, to receive nothing but a bunch of shrugging shoulders, and confusion in response.
When Inuyasha returned a minute later, Kagome asked him “What happened with Eri?” since it was pretty obvious the two of them shared words, since they were alone for a moment right before she stormed off.
“Nothing important, I’ll tell you later.” he offered, not wishing to discuss it in front of everybody else.
“Well, I think she’s just jealous.” Yuka offered, standing up with her arm wrapped affectionately around Tojin. “Her boyfriend didn’t even bother to show up.” she explained.
“Yeah…” Ayumi sighed in sympathy, but quickly smiled when Hojo offered her his hand to assist her in standing back up as well.
“I suppose we should be heading back ourselves.” Kagome suggested towards Inuyasha, but addressing everyone else at the same time, before she added, “This was really fun.”
“Yeah, it was.” Hojo replied with a smile.
“Try to come back for more than just our tests, Kagome.” Yuka called as they started to walk away. “Maybe we can double date sometime!”
“You got it!” was heard called back by none other than Inuyasha himself, when he quickly sensed the longing Kagome felt at Yuka’s suggestion, and he did, after all, like the couple well enough. He found he liked Ayumi as well, after he caught the girl glance down at his claws on another occasion during the night, but no fear remained in her scent, merely curiosity. He had secretly held up his hand a moment for her to examine, and she’d smiled. She’d just been startled in the beginning, he supposed. Hojo he didn’t mind either, since the guy was no longer after his Kagome. Nope, the only one he had a problem with was Eri, and that was only because Eri had a problem with him, though at least he knew why.