InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bottled Genius ❯ Five Tickets to Paradise ( Chapter 11 )

Author's Notes: Well the third movie is coming out soon, in December I presume. From what I know it's Inuyasha vs. Sesshomaru - and all I can say is that Inuyasha's pettiness must have come from his father's side since Sess seems to have a bit of it as well. How many times will those two clash swords for absolutely no reason other than the excuse of 'I don't like your face'? But then again, that's what's so great about them ^_^

Anyway, thanks to the problems with reviewing, I've now lost twenty odd reviews since June 9th - so if you reviewed between then and the 14th then I'm afraid it never showed up. That's annoying, but I guess it can't be helped.

Bottled Genius

Chapter 11

Five Tickets to Paradise

Grandpa licked his thumb absently to turn the page of the newspaper he was reading. Another flood on the coast? Damn… the weather was turning a bit nasty for summer wasn't it? Well, it was probably compensation for some other country getting a bout of strangely good weather.

The song playing on the radio finished and the old man half listened to the host whilst reading up on a beached whale.

"And now it's time to announce the winner of our 'Five tickets to paradise' lucky draw. Five fortunate people will be flown straight out to a privately owned tropical island in the Indonesian Archipelago - first class tickets no less! And folks - the weather forecast for that place sure is fine!"

"That's probably where all the good weather's drifted off to…" Grandpa murmured to himself.

"The winner shall now receive their call of notification." The host continued, and over the radio a dial tone could be heard.

Off in the kitchen the phone rang and Grandpa nearly chuckled. Wouldn't it just be great if that was the radio station calling up now? He shook off the thought with another laugh as he heard the sound of thundering feet above his head - obviously someone upstairs was rushing to answer the phone.

It stopped ringing before the feet had stopped running.

"Hello?" A woman said on the radio. Gee. She sounded a lot like his daughter. What a coincidence!

"Congratulations! This a Izu FM and you've just won yourself five tickets to paradise!"

"To where?"

Another female voice joined the woman on the radio. "Gimme the phone Mom - Hello?!"

Wow - that even sounded a heck of a lot like Kagome.

"You've won the lucky draw of the month - how do you feel?" the host was asking.

He didn't get a response seeing as the girl on the phone seemed to have dropped the device and was dashing away, her shouts of joy getting distant on the radio. Not soon after, Kagome shot past the living room with similar shouts of joy. "We won! We really did it! We're going to Paradise! Woohoo!"

"Hmmm." Was all Grandpa said as he put down his paper thoughtfully.

^_^

"We did it!" Kagome yelled as she launched herself into the bedroom and grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulders, shaking him ecstatically. "We're going to spend a week on a remote tropical island with restaurants and beaches and a whole villa all to ourselves!"

"I think my brain will come loose if you shake me any more!" he backed away sharply and flopped onto the edge of the bed, automatically folding his arms with a frown. "Well you seem happy."

"And you don't seem happy enough!" she tried to smile encouragingly. "Five tickets to paradise, baby!"

"Wha - wait! Five?!" he gaped at her. "You wrote four!"

"I… uh… might have changed it when you weren't looking." She told him earnestly.

"Why?! Who do you plan on taking with you?" he demanded.

She stared at him before clipping him around the ear. "You - you big dope!"

"Are you stupid or just a complete moron!" he snapped. "I don't need airline tickets to go - I can fit in the bottle and you can take me in your bag."

"And how will I explain you popping up on holiday to my Mom without coming on the plane with us?" she shot back. "Besides… it's fun going first class. I thought you might like to try it out with us? You know… have fun?"

He averted his gaze suddenly, looking down angrily at the floor. "I guess." He said jerkily.

Kagome sighed slightly as she watched him, before moving to sit down next to him. "Are you worried about Naraku still?" she guessed.

His silence was as good as any 'yes'.

"You shouldn't though." She reassured him. "I mean - the last time you two clashed claws, I seem to remember him being the one who ran away with his tail between his legs. He can't hurt you. Besides… it's not your fault about what happened to Kikyo anyway, so he's just got hold of the wrong end of the stick, that's all. I'm sure this whole misunderstanding can be cleared up and-"

"It's not a misunderstanding and it won't be cleared up." He snapped at her. "You wouldn't understand because you're too young and naïve to know what people like him are capable of. He doesn't forget and he doesn't forgive. He'll just keep coming back until his goal is obtained and then he'll move on without a second thought."

Kagome's brow puckered with a frown. "But… you still beat him - he won't be so quick to start a fight with you next time."

He turned a stare on her. "You just don't get it, do you? It's not me he's after. It's you. Because you're the spitting image of Kikyo. If he was only after me then I wouldn't be this worried - I wouldn't even give him a second thought if he was only after me! But you're not as strong as I am - he'd kill you in a second - or do worse to you and that I might not be able to stop!"

He turned his glare back to the floor as Kagome watched him, stunned speechless for a moment or two. Did he really care that much about her safety? Was Naraku really as bad as Inuyasha was making him out to be? Most of all… when had he started caring whether she was safe or not?

He must have been half naked again, because her heart was beating unusually fast in her chest. She swallowed nervously and tried a new tactic to cheer him up. "Well… if we go on holiday, then he won't be able to follow us there, will he?"

"I don't think he can… no…" Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome beamed suddenly. "So what's your problem - we'll have a whole week free of worries!"

"Nothing will get you down, will it?" he smirked slightly at her happiness, not unkindly.

"Nope." She tugged on his hand. "Just as long as you help me pack!"

"Dang it…"

^_^

"Don't you think Kagome's a lot happier than she used to be?" Mrs Higurashi asked her father as they packed up her clothes together (she had a lot, so she needed as much help as she could get, though she didn't want to ask Inuyasha again in case she blacked out and found everything packed up without her).

"Do you think?" Grandpa chortled.

"Well… when she came here she was pretty… well… peeved I think is the word I'm looking for. Upset that we had to take her out of the city. We couldn't crack a smile out of her - it was like trying to make a rock bleed."

"You know what it is, don't you?" he pointed out.

"What?" she blinked at him.

"It's that friend of hers, Inuyasha." Grandpa winked at his daughter. "She certainly started cheering up when he came along."

"That's true." She admitted with a smile. "He's a blessing in disguise."

"He's always hanging around her."

"She's always talking to him." Mrs Higurashi suddenly clapped her hands together before her chest as she gasped happily. "What if they're in love! Oh - that's so romantic! They're perfect for one another - a devoted boy like Inuyasha is just what she needs."

"And a stable sane person is just what the boy needs to keep his feet on the ground." Grandpa went on. "Who knows, perhaps Inuyasha won't be so inclined to pack up his bags and leave like he said he would."

"I hope not… that would break poor Kagome's heart and we'd never be able to bring a smile out of her again…" Mrs Higurashi nodded quietly.

A few minutes later the conversation had proceeded just a little bit further than usual.

"Big wedding or a small wedding, do you think?"

^_^

"Now don't worry Inuyasha," Kagome said in a deep calming voice as they passed down the walkway towards the place. The glass windows on either side of the little corridor gave them a good view of all the air vehicles along the runway. "It's not a demon or a huge metal bird - this is what we people of the future call-"

"An aeroplane." He said evenly. "Yes, I remember the Wright brothers were the first people to design and build a flying craft that could be controlled while in the air."

"Oh." Kagome blinked.

But he wasn't done yet. "Every successful aircraft ever built, beginning with the 1902 Wright glider, has had controls to roll the wings right or left, pitch the nose up or down, and yaw the nose from side to side. Three controls which let a pilot navigate an aeroplane in all three dimensions, making it possible to fly from place to place. The entire aerospace business, the largest industry in the world, depends on that simple idea. So do spacecraft, submarines, even robots."

She gaped at him whilst Souta applauded behind them. "Wow… when we get back can you do my homework?"

"You already asked that and I said yes!"

Boarding went without a hitch and they soon found the individual seats. It could basically be summed up in four words. "So much leg room!"

In fact there were only about four other people in the first class with them. Kagome stretched out happily and dug her fingers into the ultra cushy arm rests. Beside her Inuyasha was listlessly flicking through the radio channels on his own arm rest, trying to decide which music he liked best. He settled on classical.

"You'll love the taking off part." Kagome told him. She was sat in the middle of a three seat row, Inuyasha on her right and Souta on her left by the window. They hadn't even taken off the ground yet but Souta was already glued to the glass.

"They all look like ants!" he squealed happily.

"Souta… they're only a few metres away." She pointed out.

"I meant giant ants - about the size of my thumb."

She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the front of their section. "Oh my god - we have a wide-screen Tv - a-and plasma screen!"

"And air-conditioning, and digestible food." Mrs Higurashi told them from where she was sat with Grandpa in the row before them.

"F-food?" Inuyasha fumbled to remove his earphones (how the hell did he put them on in the first place?). "When's the food coming?"

"Not until we reach halfway."

"Aw… nuts."

Souta managed to tear himself away from the window long enough to grab Kagome's arm. "Hey - do we get to visit the cockpit and talk with the pilots?"

"You - you'll make them crash the plane." She scrubbed his hair affectionately. "But yeah, later on when we're up in the air."

"Cool!" he went back to watching the giant ants.

After fiddling around with the goodies available to them, and after lots of arguments between Inuyasha and Souta over who should sit next to the window (in which Kagome told Inuyasha to just stay where he was and for Souta to just shut up), they finally had lift off. A thoroughly enjoyable experience for everyone.

Kagome had to admit that she clenched the armrest a little tighter than necessary as they picked up speed along the runway - she'd forgotten how fast these huge lumbering planes were capable of going. Souta however was shouting for things to go faster and Inuyasha had one hand braced against his stomach.

"What's the matter?" she teased. "Scared?"

"I feel like I left my stomach back at the airport." And he kept getting this odd smell in his nose… perhaps it was the fuel from the engines. It smelt a little noxious for his liking, but it seemed to go away after a while. But all in all, he was having quite a lot of fun!

Once they were up in the air it was only a matter of time before they reached their destination… and their mid-flight meal of course. Inuyasha passed up the time by watching the in-flight movie, something with lots of explosions and fast cars. But eventually his growling stomach caught up with him and he tugged off the ear phones. "I'm hungry."

Kagome pointed to the baggage rack over their heads as she sipped on her bottle of diet coke. "I have some biscuits in my bag. You want one?"

"Or three?" he unfastened his belt and stood up to pull the handle on the small compartment. Almost at once he had to duck as a large, yellow bag flung itself at him. It hit the floor with a crack. Strangely enough, a shot of pain lanced through his insides in answer to the cracking sound. Kagome hadn't heard it though.

"Pass it up here and I'll get them for you." She held out her hands to receive it.

With a heavy feeling in his gut he sat back down and passed her the fallen bag. She opened the top and rummaged around for a moment before finally finding the packet of snacks she'd stocked up on. She held them out for Inuyasha to take. "Here you go." She smiled and dropped them into his awaiting hand…

Only… the packet slipped right through his hand like it was nothing but air and clattered to the floor in front of his seat. The hand in question seemed to lose its forms and furled away into the air like a dissipating red smoke. Kagome stared at him in horror. "What the hell…?"

Inuyasha was looking at his own hand in equal horror. "Shit… the bottle's broken…"

"What are you talking about - your bottle's right here in perfect condition…" she trailed off as she lifted the blue bottle out of the bag… except, the bottom of the delicate glass container was shattered and cluttering her bag with blue shards. "Oh no…"

"I'm fading." He said quietly, and so calmly that she didn't believe him for a moment. Though she quickly realised he was deadly serious. And if they didn't do something Inuyasha was just going to turn into a big cloud of smoke.

"What do we do?!" she hissed, trying not to alert Souta or the rest of her family to what was happening. She tried to push his arm down and out of sight, but her hand passed right through it, clothing and all… resulting in more of his flesh breaking apart into mist.

"Get a new container - quickly!" he hissed back, taking her point and attempting to hide his arm with his other arm, which was also beginning to slowly disintegrate.

"But - we're on a plane!" she squeaked.

"And we can't do it here - people will see!" he glanced at her, suddenly all business. "Get a container and get us some privacy - now!"

Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she suddenly got an idea. "Come with me!" she hopped up nimbly and grabbed him by the front of his shirt to haul him up with her and drag him off down the plane. She couldn't hold on too long since his shirt too began to become insubstantial between her fingers. She led him as quickly as she could to the nearest bathroom that wasn't being used - all the way back in second class among the throngs of people. She grabbed Inuyasha by the hair and pulled him into the toilet, not remembering to care what on earth the people outside thought. She was more concerned with the fact that even his hair was beginning to evaporate like some kind of gas.

"Here - privacy." She said breathlessly, locking the door quickly so there would be no more intrusions.

"Yes, but we need a container!" he said hurriedly.

"Just a moment." She unscrewed the top of her coke and quickly swigged down the last few mouthfuls of liquid. Inuyasha watched her impatiently.

"You can't take a drink when I'm about to die!" he hissed. Half of his face was beginning to merge with the air. Kagome gasped as she finished the drink, beginning to feel a little queasy, but pushing the sensation aside. She held up the coke bottle to him. "Here - one container."

He stared at it. "I think I'd rather die."

"Take it already!" she shoved it towards him, only her hand and the bottle passed right through his chest. He was fast losing any humanoid shape. "Do your thing already - hurry!" Alarm creeping into her voice.

The wispy deteriorated remains of his arm reached for the bottle she held in her fist. At first she though he would just pass straight through it like before, but she was surprised to suddenly find firm solid fingers clasp the bottle over her own.

His form started pulling itself back together, moving up his arm so quickly she nearly blinked and missed it. Within seconds he was solid again… and solidly glaring at the bottle they jointly held. Kagome couldn't help but feel acutely aware of how strong and warm his fingers seemed over hers.

"I was once kept in a sacred Urn for the dead." He said snippily. "And now this?"

He wrenched the plastic bottle towards him, out of her grip as he inspected it. "I feel… cheap."

"Well… look on the bright side." She tried to offer helplessly. "At least it won't break so easily."

Just to put that theory to the test, Inuyasha smacked the bottle against the side of the small bathroom. "Dammit!" he snapped when it didn't break. He smacked it a few more times just for good measure.

"Hey - stop that! Do you want to evaporate like some kind of cloud?!" she snapped.

"A cheap plastic coke bottle?!" he suddenly whirled on her, shoving the bottle under her nose. "Of all the containers in the world - you chose this common as muck thing we see here?!"

"It saved your life!" she snapped back.

It was not good to start an argument with someone in a room roughly two foot by three foot and was taken up largely by a toilet. For a start, it forced the two combatants to stand within inches of each other, shouting up and down their noses. Under normal circumstances, standing within mere millimetres of Inuyasha would have been Kagome's undoing. Too bad she was busy being angry with him.

"You could have at least had a Pepsi!" he growled. "At least those bottles look cooler - and the label isn't as stupid and gay!"

"You're stupid and gay! It's a perfect match!"

"WHAT?!"

"Maybe I shouldn't have even bothered helping you!" she gave him a shove in the chest, sending him back against the door with a thud. "Maybe I should have just let you evaporate!"

"Anything just to get rid of me, bitch!"

"Don't call me bitch!"

"Frog-eating wench!"

"Bite me!" she suddenly jumped. "Wait - don't bite me!"

"This is degrading and cheap and so demoralising that I, as an upstanding, well respected Hanyou Wishbringer of the 10th Generation, feel outraged!" he shouted. "And it's got your gob germs around the top!"

"Do I disgust you that much?!" she poked him in the chest again. But by then he seemed tired of being poked and shoved by the fairly petite girl and grabbed her hand, holding it stationary between them. But she'd asked a question and he was forced to answer.

"Of course you don't disgust me." he replied sulkily.

Kagome blinked in surprise at his statement, the hot anger began to leave her cheeks… only to be replaced by a slightly hotter blush for other reasons. Realisation hit her like a wet fish as she found how close she stood to him; how tightly he clasped her hand in his larger, warmer one; how both of them were a little too flushed and out of breath by expressing their anger in such a small confined and hot room… and how the anger was seeping out of his intense gaze as he began to realise the same things she had.

"So are you saying you want my gob germs on your bottle?" she blurted suddenly, feeling a little overwhelmed at the hopeless feeling that throbbed along with her heart. The effect of her words was like a bucket of cold water on them both… and the look he gave her as he quickly dropped her hand made her think she'd made a bad joke at a funeral or something.

"Whatever…" he mumbled and averted his gaze quickly to the sink beside them. That was what he usually said when he was speechless, it ended discussions and conversations quickly… she noticed he used that word a lot when she pried a little too close to private matters.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the hand that he had held as she also averted her gaze towards the toilet.

It was rather pathetic and childish of them both, she decided.

"We better get back or Mom will begin to wonder." She warned him and he quickly nodded in agreement and took a step towards her, backing her against the wall. Her heart leapt into her throat suddenly as she wondered what new stunt he was trying to pull…

Ah… only opening the door behind him… She mentally kicked herself for being so ridiculous.

He unlocked the door and stepped out into an awaiting carriage of applause, wolf whistles and hoots. Kagome staggered out behind him and peered over his shoulder to see practically all over the second class passengers cheering them.

"Welcome to the mile high club!" was the general cheer.

Kagome suddenly shrunk and hid her burning face in the back of Inuyasha's haori (the one that had been clumsily stitched up again). "Oh my god…"

Inuyasha scratched his ear. "What the hell's the mile high-"

"Stop talking and don't ask that again." She ordered, grabbing his arm and dragging him quickly back off to first class. Thank the mother of god that her own mother hadn't witnessed that. Inuyasha was still puzzled but unable to say anything about it as she pushed him back down into his seat and sat down herself.

"Where'd you two go?" Souta inquired.

"Cock pit." Kagome managed to stumble out.

"But… you were at the back of the plane." He pointed out.

"We joined the mile high club." Inuyasha told him. "Whatever that is."

"What's that?" Souta asked Kagome who was blanching heavily.

"I-I have no idea." She lied, praying to the grandmother of god that the two older Higurashi's with the headphones in their ears hadn't just overheard that…

^_^

Inuyasha settled down and forgot his short temper tantrum when the food was served up. Kagome figured he usually just got grumpy on an empty stomach, and made a mental note that in future, if ever his ears started to steam - to stick a biscuit in his mouth to shut him up before he went off.

The landing was the only part that no one liked. The jolt as the wheels hit the runway had everyone jerking in their seats.

"It's not normally that unsteady is it?!" Kagome panicked. "Are we crashing?"

"Uh…" Inuyasha listened and observed. "We seem to have stopped. But maybe…"

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. The pilots gave the low-down on the weather outside, whilst Souta watched the scorching heat make the air above the tarmac of the runway shimmer like some kind of illusion - making the airport ahead seem like a mirage.

"Wow…" he breathed. "This is the first time I've ever been abroad like this."

From the airport in the capital of Jakarta, it was just a matter of hopping into a pre-arranged helicopter to fly out to their little island villa where they would be staying. Kagome watched the water and reefs flash below them with avid interest, while Souta clung to her arm like a koala bear. Inuyasha just watched with a strangely mute expression… like he was thoughtful.

"What's the matter?" she asked him.

"I smell something odd." He replied, having to shout over the noise, "I smelt it on the plane too."

"Don't worry - probably just the fuel!" she gave him thumb's up to show it was all ok.

He nodded and turned his attention back to the flashing waters beneath. Actually… if the journey went on like this much longer, his mid-flight meal might be relived.

"Look - look!" Kagome suddenly bounced up in her seat beside him. She grabbed his neck when he seemed to ignore her and literally hauled him over. "There it is look!"

"I'm looking!" he pushed her hands off huffily, not liking to be disturbed while he was thinking (like most men). "What am I looking at?"

"That island there!" she pointed again, looking excited.

He followed her finger and nodded with a light smile. "Hey - I can see the villa."

It was in a good position too - right on a hill above a beach looking out to the east so it would catch the sunset in the morning. The weather looked fine (and would stay fine as they'd planned in the sixth wish) and Naraku seemed a million miles away. A heavy feeling that had been weighing on Inuyasha's heart since he'd heard Onigumo coming down the road lifted a little. Who said escaping your problems got you no where?

As soon as they'd landed Souta was already dashing off in the direction of the beach. Kagome jumped out onto the platform beside the helicopter and waved after him. "Hey! I'm not carrying your bags you know!" she blinked in surprise when Inuyasha shot past her, also on the way to the beach. "I'm not carrying yours either!"

"Don't have none!" he yelled back over his shoulder.

"Men." Her mother said as she dropped out of the helicopter beside Kagome. "Give them something fun to do and they're all little kids again." She commented as Grandpa also started toddling off in the direction of the beach.

When all the bags had been unloaded the helicopter took off again with a blast of wind short of a tornado. Kagome clamped her hands over her hair as it moved away from the platform and started flying away. Souta ran after it, shouting and waving his hands.

"Well here we are, marooned on the tropical island of our dreams." Mrs Higurashi sighed happily and lifted her arms to face the sun. "I could get used to this… But first we have to take all the bags into the… uh… Kagome?"

"They can wait!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she trotted down the rocky path from the helicopter pad to the beach. "They're not going anywhere!"

Mrs Higurashi watched as her daughter sneakily crept up behind Inuyasha who had been balancing precariously on an outcrop of rocks over the crystal clear waters, only to push him in and run away laughing. Naturally the boy wasn't just going to let that slide - and soon found herself dumped off the same rocky outcrop into the sea by a very wet Inuyasha.

Mrs Higurashi smiled to herself as she looked back at the bags. There was no one on this side of the island for at least a mile - so there was little or no chance of their bags being stolen. Well, if you couldn't beat them - join them! Kagome's mother shrugged and went after the rest of her family down the rocky path to the beach below.

^_^

"Bagsie my room!" Souta yelled, throwing himself down onto the bed in the largest bedroom in the villa. Kagome ran around desperately searching for the next size down. Unfortunately two of the remaining three bedrooms were occupied by Grandpa and her mother already. She cursed and settled her suitcase down onto the bed in the smallest bedroom. Well… at least it was a cool King size water bed! (Just like the one she'd wished for.)

"And where's my room?" Inuyasha strolled into the cosy room behind her.

Realisation hit Kagome like a ton of bricks. "Oops." She glanced back at him apologetically. "Remember when I changed the number of plane tickets to five? I may have forgotten to change the number of rooms in the villa to five too…"

"Oh well." He didn't look too upset. "I guess I can sleep away my nights in the cosy… coke bottle." She didn't miss the way he almost spat the word 'coke'.

"I said I was sorry… are you still mad?" Was he really that petty to hold ridiculous grudges?

"Nah, it's just that if I spend too much time in a coke bottle, I start smelling like coke myself…" he sniffed his clothes tentatively and pulled a face.

Great… he was trying to pull the guilt trip.

"Actually I kinda smell like seaweed." He remarked.

"Well… sorry about the mix-up." She moved and awkwardly patted him on the shoulder, earning an odd look from Inuyasha. She quickly retracted her hand and wondered why she'd done that… "But… I guess you can always take the sofa if you don't like sleeping in the bottle… it won't make anyone suspicious either, if you don't disappear at night, that is… right?" she suddenly smiled. "And Naraku hasn't shown his ugly shape-shifting face here has he?"

Inuyasha jerked an uncertain gaze to her. "Right…" he said quietly.

Damn… he looked so gloomy and serious. Kagome took it upon herself to do something about it. "Ok - I think we need another beach trip." She concluded as she grabbed his hand and began dragging him out the small bedroom to the French doors at the end of the corridor. She stumbled to a halt when Inuyasha reversed their grip so he held her wrist instead and began to drag her in the direction of the vast kitchen.

"We raid the fridge first - then the beach." He said firmly he informed her and Kagome giggled as she tottered after him.

"As you wish." She chortled happily.

AN: See ya!