InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Laying Down the Law ❯ Alone in couples ( Chapter 12 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: The Kouga Lucius Connection 
A chapter that examines three relationships that I felt were not touched on enough. The sleepover goes low key.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.22.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
A chapter that examines three relationships that I felt were not touched on enough. The sleepover goes low key.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.22.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
Thanks so much to everyone for their positive feedback! I've also had a brilliant suggestion from a reviewer who pretty much read my mind (GMTA) and it's given me a push in the right direction. It's much more definite than my pathetic ending was going to be so, Strawberry Tsuki, you're a personal hero of mine! Your idea is now one of the core plans of my story, but it won't be really coming around for about 20 chapters or so (sigh, me and my long stories...). Here we come with the second installment of the sleepover chapter. Sadly, I've already started planning a sequel to this story. I'm a total, fanfiction nerd...whose currently high off of AKon.
"How did this happen again?" Hiten asked moodily as he used a towel to sponge extra water from his ear.
Snorting rather belligerently, Ranbou replied, "Somewhere between seeing the Wildcats naked and getting busted by sprinklers...you know what, I dunno."
The boys were currently gathered like shamefaced children in the kitchen, toweling themselves off and sipping cold beers. The girls had gone upstairs to give the men their privacy, as well as some time to stew over their recent defeat, yet the fact that several good looking, wet gang members were downstairs in the kitchen didn't escape the girls. Occassionally, some rather high pitched squealing could be heard over the running of a blow dryer in the corner, which many of the boys were forced to use due to their long and cumbersome locks.
Inuyasha squinted as he picked a piece of wet grass from his cheek. "Whose dumbass idea was this anyway?"
The hanyou soon found himself buried beneath a mountain of towels, all of which carried the pungent scent of wet animals. Spluttering, he countered back, "Hey! It was just a question!"
Before anyone could offer another word in Inuyasha's direction, the in-house speaker system crackled above the noise; the transmission was coming from upstairs. "Boys? Hello..." came a voice through the speaker.
After exchanging rather fascinated glances with his friends, Kouga, who was closest to the wall speaker, took a step forward and pressed the receive button. "Uh, yeah," he said over the line.
"Sweet! You figured out how to work it! We had a bet going that you couldn't figure it out. Anyway, okay, we just wanted to know if there was any ice cream left in that tub on the counter."
At this point, it was clear that the mysterious voice belonged to Kagome, who sounded as though she'd had a little too much ice cream for her tolerance level. Kouga turned slightly around and spotted the tub, which was dented and torn from the many hands it'd passed through that night. He opened the lid only to see sticky remains on the white bottom. He pushed the talk button and said, "Nope, sorry. S'all gone."
When Kagome pushed the receive button on the other end, several girly protests and whines clouded over the background. "Oh, thanks anyway Kouga. Hey, ouch!" Kagome's voice faded slightly as she turned away from the speaker. "I said not to start yet. I wanna get in a snap or two!" A clear tone rang through once more as Kagome turned back to the microphone. "Uh, yeah, sorry, bra snaping war. I gotta go, but when you guys are done drying off, just buzz us and we'll come on down to chat! Bye!"
Before Kouga could say another word, the speaker went dead and Kagome was gone. Exchanging glanced with his friends, he decided it was best not to ask what a "bra snapping war" entailed and he went back to toweling off his ponytail.
"Dude, they looked so hot before," Inuyasha said suddenly, grinning to show his demon fangs.
The boys all smiled as they recalled the sight of several half naked girls covered in whip cream and chocolate, prettily flushed in anger and surprise. "Yeah," the others murmured, sighing contentedly; maybe this whole ridiculous plot had been worth it after all.
"YEOW!"
The boys were thrown from their pretty day dreams by the sound of someone in immense pain, followed by the multiple bumps which occur only when something heavy falls down a flight stairs. Exchanging glances, the boy hurried out of the kitchen fearing one of the girls might've hurt themselves. As the gang members had since left their shoes at the door, they were able to slide across the marble floors in their sock feet, arriving in the lobby on the smooth floor. At the bottom of the stairs was a mess of white hair and small limbs, which were scantily clad and quivering with rage.
Shitora leapt to her feet and pointed an angry finger up the stairs. "You asshole! That was one hell of an underhanded bra strap, you whore!"
"Ha ha, can't hold your own little puppy?" Ayame taunted from the top of the stairs, sticking out her tongue and dancing around in ridiculous circles.
"Grrr, that's it, I'm gonna take you down!" Shitora screamed angrily, preparing to rocket up the stairs and defeat her "opponent."
Before she could move, however, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she found herself completely immobile; this was an obviously muscular person. A familiar scent entered her nostrils then and, screwing up her face, Shitora growled, "Ranbou, off!"
"Mmm, un-uh. If you kill my brother's girlfriend, do you know what kind of pissy mood that'll put him in?" Ranbou replied with a sort of mock thoughtfulness. "Besides, you'll probably break one of Rin's vases...vaases...I don't even know what these are."
"GET OFF ME!" came Shitora's outraged scream as she released her claws with a distinctive "chink."
Sesshomaru, however, knew the one solid way to calm Shitora's ridiculous temper tantrums. Rolling his eyes skyward, as though wondering why he had to sacrifice his dignity for such a cause, he called out, "Hey, Shitora. Jiszm."
There was a defeaning silence as the other gang members turned violently to face their leader, who had just said the strangest word to ever come out of his mouth. Sure, everyone knew what jiszm was, but why exactly had the great Sesshomaru said it? The boys were too busying puzzling over this matter to noticet the strange change in Shitora's expression. Without warning, the girl's tough facade broke and she collapsed limply in Ranbou arms, laughing hysterically into his chest like a drunk at a comedy club.
Ranbou looked helplessly up at his friends, not quite knowing what to do with a laughing girl in his arms. He could deal with her just fine when she was angry and struggling, but laughter was a completely different matter. Hiten just smirked and made a rather obscene pelvic motion. He then mouthed the words, "You know what to do..."
Bankotsu, Hakkaku and Ginta concealed their chuckles slightly, turning them into coughs and rather odd sneezes. Inuyasha, however, had witnessed this little display all too clearly. Lowering his eyebrows, he appeared beside Hiten with demon speed at his aid, arms crossed and face hard. "So Hiten. What did that mean?"
Despite Hiten's own demon heritage, Inuyasha had appeared so quickly he barely knew what to say. While he stumbled over his words, Hakkaku jumped in with an excuse on his friend's behalf. "We were dancing, right guys?"
Bankotsu and Ginta nodded quickly, not wanting to tempt Inuyasha's infamous wrath. In kind, they began justifying their new dance by repeating Hiten's obscene pelvic motions, jerking themselves around and looking like rather drunk frat boys. Inuyasha watched, unblinking, for a moment before letting loose a tired sigh and stalking away from his friends; some things were better left unsaid.
Back with Ranbou, he was fuming over Hiten's insinuations while simultaneously trying to calm Shitora down. "Yo, Sukini, cut it out!"
All of his protests aside, Ranbou had long since noticed what an inherintly beautiful smell Shitora gave off. It was pleasant and warm on one side, like a calm summer day, yet held an edge of danger, almost like the smell of sex or motorcycle exhaust. He certainly didn't want to distance himself from this scent, yet he couldn't very well remain there much longer; it would look, to say the least, suspicious.
With one last, "feh," of apathy, Ranbou loosened his grip around Shitora and prepared to let her fall, intending to walk away without a single glance back. Shitora, who was midway through her hilarity, practically wrapped around Ranbou's torso, suddenly felt the wooshing sensation of air around her, accompanied by that hated feeling of falling. It might seem strange, unlike common fears such as arachnaphobia or things like that, but Shitora had a deadly fear of falling. Not of heights, mind you, but of falling. Even short distances scared her speechless and this was no different.
She let loose a scream, face overcome with intense fear as she fell back towards the wooden steps. Ranbou was preparing to take his leave when his eye caught sight of Shitora's frightened face. Somehow, that vision really got to him and he found himself unable to follow the plan. Retightening his grip around the girl's slender waist, he avoided her eyes as he murmured, "Sorry, slipped." He couldn't bring himself to remember how he'd wanted to drop her.
Shitora ignored her own quickened breathing, trying to focus on something steady and untrembling. All she could find at the moment was Ranbou's arms, yet she didn't remain there for long. Breaking away from his grasp, adopting a familiar scowl, she crossed her arms and turned up her nose indignantly. "Damn wolf, dropping women all over the place."
"Me?!" Ranbou shouted, pointing an angry finger at his own chest. "You're the one who was fallin' to fuckin' pieces over here!"
"Only cause Sesshomaru said the word!" Shitora protested, eyebrows lowering steadily.
"What? Jiszm?" Ranbou asked confusedly, watching as Shitora's resolve broke once more. Before they could finish their argument, Shitora was once more consumed with body racking guffaws. "Psht. Women," he muttered, walking away to join his friends.
"Ko!"
Kouga turned from his brief conversation with Miroku, smiling as Ayame came jogging down the stairs. "What are you guys gonna do tonight?"
Before Kouga could get as word in edgewise, Inuyasha replied stiffly, "Man things."
Ayame raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms delicately across her chest. "Oh? Man things. Hm. What kind of man things?"
Inuyasha's face became rather red as his golden eyes flared with irritation. "You know, man things!"
Rolling his ice blue eys plantively, Kouga stepped in front of his rash friend and addressed his girlfriend with a meaningful eye. "We weren't going to do anything important. Now that our stupid ass plan...or actually, Inuyasha's stupid ass plan, was a total failure, we were just gonna go, probably."
"I hate to break up the party, but that would probably be best. I don't want our nosy neighbors telling Dad I was having wild parties or something," Rin entered in as she came gliding down the stairs, smiling ruefully. "I may run around with a gang, but I'm still an eager-to-please-her-father Daddy's girl."
"Hey, the way I see it, he's good to you; why not be grateful?" Bankotsu agreed, giving Rin a reassuring smile. One aspect of gang society lay in appearances and Rin's was failing quickly; playing servant to your father's will didn't sit well with any sort of gang, especially not a rebellious, testosterone-driven teen one. Bankotsu was backing her simply because they were friends and, when one person's facade fell, that's what friends did.
By this time, the other girls had come jogging down the stairs, wearing boxers by this point, preparing to say farewell to the boys. Sesshomaru, in that habit of his, crept up behind Rin with nary a sound and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her pale neck. "Must I really go bond with these cretins, my lady?" he half joked, obviously alluding to his midnight rendevous with the other men.
Rin giggled, turning and intercepting Sesshomaru's lips with her own. "Just as I must bond with these prostitutes, my lord."
"Prostitutes? Where are the prostitutes?!" came Ranbou's cry from half way across the room.
Sighing, Rin met eyes with Sesshomaru, seeming slightly defeated. "I could say dirty words to you right now and everyone would hear it because half the people in this room are demons. Is there no privacy anymore?"
Shrugging, Sesshomaru replied blandly, "Next time I see some extra privacy laying around, I'll grab it for you."
"Thanks very much, Sesshy, I appreciate the effort," Rin quipped dryly.
Sango and Miroku, who were standing slightly off to the side, could only just hear the banter spanning back and forth between their leaders. Sango crossed her arms, shaking her head with a small smile gracing her lips. "The way those two talk, it's like they're married or something."
Miroku smirked, placing his hands serenely in his pockets. "Somehow, I've got a feeling they might be married someday. If they can't make it, who can?"
"Seriously," Sango agreed, brown eyes sparkling with mischief as she glance around the room. "There's so many opportunities to be had, but none of these people will take it. Like right there, see?" She pointed discreetly to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were talking rather easily about something, standing a noticeable three feet apart.
Miroku chuckled. "You would think one of them had herpes, they way they talk. Hell, Inuyasha might, I don't know...but Kagome seems about as pure as pearls."
Narrowing her eyes in a thoughtful way, Sango made a rather disappointed sigh in the back of her throat. "She is. Or at least she seems that way. I can never tell."
"I'm right there with you," Miroku agreed, cocking his head to the side as he watched Kagome slap Inuyasha playfully on the shoulder. Those brown eyes of her were light and sparkling on the surface, but somewhere underneath they were scarred, just like the rest of the gang members' were. He'd seen enough of those eyes to know what they looked like. "I have a feeling that she's a lot less naive than she let's on."
"I know. But she could never really accept gang life, not the way it really is. You and I both know that," Sango said bitterly, refusing to meet Miroku's eyes as she stared down at her reflection in the marble floors. As much as the quiet observer might like to think the gangs were legitimate, they couldn't be more wrong. Just as the other gangs had their illegal vices, the Fangs had theirs. They were never discussed out in the open, these matters, but only behind closed doors where the select few could hear the details. Every rose has it's thorns, or so someone said; this analogy fit the Fangs like a glove.
Sighing, Miroku turned to look at Sango's bowed head, refusing to look away. "Sango...do you still have a problem with...that aspect?" he asked, words sporadic and misplaced.
"I always will Miroku," Sango replied sternly, shaking her head. "It's just not something I want to be a part in and I've said that before, just like Rin and Ayame have. We just can't condone things like that."
Hearing Sango oppose something so vehemently, especially something he was a part of, made Miroku rather sick inside. "Understand, I do it as an obligation to my fr-" he started to say, only to be cut off.
"You don't have to justify yourself to me, Miroku. I know. I know, Miroku," Sango said, whispering her last words as she finally glanced up to meet the boy's eyes. Despite his anxiety mere moments prior, Miroku suddenly felt his heart doing the Conga in his chest. The way Sango was looking at him right then was the way he wished she'd look at him every day. Like she realized that he wasn't such a bad person underneath his gang man exterior. Like she realized what he felt...for her.
"...and so that's how we ended up in our underwear, dancing around the kitchen with ice cream listening to dirty rap music," Kagome finished, giggling at the expression on Inuyasha's face.
"Oh, well that explains everything," he joked sarcastically, smirking in the girl's direction. "Nice underwear, by the way. Hello Kitty's always been a favorite of mine."
Kagome burst out laughing at the serious expression on Inuyasha's face, knowing he was joking yet finding it too much to take. To hear the words "Hello Kitty" come out of such a tough characters mouth was almost more than the girl could stand, but she had to admit: it was certainly amusing.
"No, seriously, I really think she empowers women. Don't you?" Inuyasha continued, adopting a comical expression of intellectual severity.
"Mmmf, yeah, most definitely," Kagome choked out, still giggling and leaning forward on Inuyasha to keep herself balanced.
Inuyasha gave a delicate sniff, saying, "You just don't appreciate my theories, Kagome." While he appeared to be light and humorous on the outside, Inuyasha was really a mess of emotions on the inside. Having Kagome so close to him, touching him, was driving him to absolute distraction. Her scent was curling up his nostrils, floating around his head, constricting his brain to a point where breathing and other normal bodily functions lost all meaning or importance. What he really loved were her eyes, the way the changed to fit her mood at every second, as they now sparkled with happiness. That was the best looking sight of all, in Inuyasha's opinion: happy Kagome.
"Hey, you wanna go for a walk?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, glancing down at Kagome, who was regaining her balance against his shoulder.
Still in the after throws of her chuckles, Kagome managed to say, "Sure. Let's get out of here."
Without a word to anyone, the couple slipped quietly out of the room and out the backdoor, onto the freshly watered grass. The night air smelled like water and flowers, the product of Rin's carefully manicured garden. It appeared immaculate at first glance, but in the back of the property was where the real gardens grew; this is where Kagome and Inuyasha sought.
"I love the way everyone is so close," Kagome said suddenly.They were walking at just the perfect pace for conversation and intimacy, an intimacy which existed between two people flirting with the disastrous destiny of true love. When Inuyasha said nothing, she continued. "Everyone in that room back there has a relationship with everyone else in that room. It doesn't matter who they are, they've talked and they know each other on a different level than everyone else. It's amazing."
"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed, glancing up at the moon. "That's what happens when you spend every day of your stupid lives together. Every day of every week, every month, every year, I'm with them. And you think I'd get sick of em...but I never do."
Kagome chuckled, clasping her hands girlishly behind her back. "That's the other amazing part. It never gets boring or commonplace. It's like a huge family."
"Can't argue with that," Inuyasha snorted. Out of habit, he braced his arms behind his head and glanced restlessly up at the moon once more; his time of the month wasn't too far away, and he certainly didn't mean his period (god forbid.) No, his was slightly different, though he did tend to get rather moody. The others knew, of course, but families didn't talk about that sort of thing; they could tell when someone didn't want to talk about it. "I've known most of em since we were seven, at least. Kouga and Ranbou since we were...god, what were we? Four? Three? Who the hell knows. It's hard not to be close after that."
"How long have you known Miroku?" Kagome asked.
Scrunching up his nose in thought, Inuyasha finally said, "Eh, almost twelve years I guess. Feels like I've known him the longest though. Best friends an everything, you know."
"Yeah, I do," Kagome agreed. "I've never really had a best friend, but I've watched a bunch of best friends grow old together. It's a...gift, I guess. Kind of a stupid word, but it is. You really appreciate him, don't you?"
Inuyasha grinned. "There's more to Miroku that most guys think. He ain't just some up-the-ass pervert. He's a good guy. He'll make someone a really great husband, I bet. Probably Sango." When Kagome started laughing he blushed slightly. "What? It could happen."
"No, no, I know, that's why I'm laughing. I've been thinking the same thing since I met them," Kagome giggled, meeting eyes with Inuyasha. Everytime the two locked gazes, amber and deep, chocolate brown, they had a serious problem letting go. It was like a comfortable strong-man grip, one which brought uneasiness when broken.
Realizing it was his turn in their immortal battle to finally break the glance, Inuyasha looked suddenly away under the pretense of observing a flower in the garden. "Rin spends a lot of time out here, doesn't she?"
Blinking, Kagome replied, "I've noticed she disappears mysteriously out here sometimes. I guess this is where she goes. Being a gang leader, I bet she has a lot on her mind. You know, now that I've come here and seen her interracting with everyone, I can't imagine my cousin as anyone else but the Wildcat's ho leader. Funny, huh?"
The girl chuckled at the irony; this was a girl she'd played naked in kiddie pools with and now she was running around barely clad in leather and lace. Where was the dignity in that? But yet this question almost answered itself; Rin's job demanded that she be dignified and, somehow, despite her careless attitude and flagrant disregard for any rules, her dignity remained intact. This was one thing Kagome admired; Rin was amazing without even trying.
"If she's a ho, so are you."
At the comment, Kagome immediately stopped walking and turned to face Inuyasha, who stopped walking as well. His face was a picture of amusement and seriousness as he regarded the girl with a cocky one-fanged smirk. "Rin runs around without clothes on cussing, smoking and making people notice her. The only difference between you is the fact that you don't need to make people notice you; they do it on their own. Am I right?"
After a brief silence, Kagome cocked an identical half smile. "Yeah, I'm a ho. But the way I hear it, you eat out more than I do. And I'm not talking about Macdonalds."
Inuyasha just smirked and glanced up at the moon. "I'm like the town bicycle. But it's an expensive toll to ride the Inuyasha."
Kagome burst out laughing and gave the boy a playful whack in the chest. "You asshole! Why am I friend with you?"
Shaking his head slightly, Inuyasha watched the girl as she was thoroughly consumed with laughter, still outraged over Inuyasha's ridiculous comment. Hands shoved calmly in his pockets, the hanyou couldn't help but wish fervently for a cigarette, yet he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes away from her, even for a second. She was so beautiful, it was hard to stand when he looked at her. You're right Kagome...I don't know why you lower yourself to be friends with a guy like me...when you're perfect.
"I'm gonna go get a drink," she said rather quietly, leaving the group without anyone taking notice.
She hated situations like that, where she felt targeted and alone, yet forgotten and unnoticed at the same time. It was the same on those days at the mall where everyone seemed to be paired off but you, hugging, kissing, being in love. Shitora really wanted a part of that, but she didn't want to waste her time on a worthless relationship, one without value or merit. She wanted something real and, at this age, it was hard to find. This didn't mean her friends and family had to rub it in her face, however. "It" was the word Shitora used in her mind for finding true love. "It" was the perfect relationship. And knowing that the people closest to her had already found "it" really hurt her. Not that she would ever say it out loud.
Walking slowly into the recently cleaned kitchen, consumed by her thoughts, Shitora wasn't even looking up or catching scents on the air when she ran into someone's broad back. "Woops, sorry."
Ranbou turned around, beer in hand and eyebrow cocked. "Sukini? You okay? You look kinda high."
Snorting and almost finding herself too tired to care or argue, the girl replied, "Nope, not tonight. Just...thinkin. And getting tired of the relentless PDA in that room."
Despite the fact that Shitora was his mortal enemy, Ranbou couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, I hear ya. Why do ya think I left?"
"Um...to get a beer?" Shitora guessed, half joking as she smiled in the wolf's direction.
The boy's ice blue eyes gave a brief flash as he thought about just how wrong she was. Truth be told, he and Shitora were getting that same lonely vibe as they stood there, without boyfriends or girlfriends, feeling out of place and alone. "Yeah. To get a beer and save myself the agony of watching my brother dry hump his girlfriend."
"My thoughts exactly," came Shitora's muffled voice as she retrieved a beer from the refrigerator. Slamming the door shut, the girl popped the can top with a loud hiss and raised the can to the sky. "Here's to escaping unecessary dry humping, witnessed by unfortunate family members."
"Here, here," Ranbou agreed, clanking cans with the girl before the each took a swig.
Smacking her lips wildly, Shitora hopped backwards onto the counter top, swinging her feet gently against the cabinets below. "Why does everyone always pair off like this?"
Ranbou shrugged, walking over and leaning against the counter beside her. "Because they wanna feel like somebody gives a shit, so they grab someone who does and stick with em."
"That's sick shit," Shitora said dully, glaring down at her beer can as though it held the answer to her problems. "Why do they need someone like that anyway? What does it really matter? We're all friends, right? We all care, right? Right?!" As she spoke, her tone became slightly more desperate and, soon, she was staring at Ranbou with wide amber eyes, haunted by these questions for which she had no answers.
Sighing, the wolf shook his head and took a long drink from his beer. Finally, he said, "You and I get that cause we ain't runnin around lookin' for love. They're all love sick puppies, if you ask me. Beggin' for someone's romantic chump change...it's pathetic. They're just more needy than us."
Calming herself, Shitora looked away, embarrassed by her own miniature emotion explosion. "Yeah right. Needy. They are, aren't they? I mean, the funny thing is that they don't have to be making out to be a couple, you know? Yash and Kagome...that's messed up. Yash needs her more than she needs him."
"But that's always the way it is," Ranbou said, intercepting the idea with a gentle swing of his beer can. "One of em always likes the other one more. You can always tell which is which, too."
"Yeah," Shitora agreed, shaking her head. "And the lovesick one always looks like an idiot."
"Mhmm," Ranbou agreed, blue eyes half hooded as he stared at an indeterminable point across the room. There was no telling what he was thinking at that moment, but Shitora knew better than to ask. She glanced over, examining his face honestly for the first time in a while; he'd become quite handsome since their youth. His jaw was more refined than Kouga's, giving him a decidedly male look with his tan skin and firm nose. The way his dark hair fell in his face, just so, made him seem slightly mysterious, which Shitora reckoned he was, to a certain extent. Gangs in and of themselves were mysterious, and their members were the same.
"But you were always dating when we were younger," Shitora pointed out suddenly, furrowing her brow. "Do you date anymore?"
Ranbou snorted, turning to look at her. The way she was looking at him now, pale little face surrounded by her snow white hair, he had to admit she was almost angelic. She was like...a little frosted cake, if he could put a word to it. Delicate, sweet, perfectly crafted, painted with pastels and tender loving care. Shaking his head clear of such ridiculous thoughts, he said, "Eh, I still date sometimes. Every time I do I think, 'she's better than the last one, it won't be such a pain in my ass,' and every time I'm wrong. Stupid how I do it to myself, huh?"
Smiling, Shitora took another sip of her slowly disappearing beer. "Naw, I understand I guess. I've never really...dated. I've had flings, but never dated seriously. I mean, everyone dates just to make out and have sex, right?"
Ranbou blinked. "You mean...you're, like, not a vir-...I mean, not...have you had...Sukini?" He was stumbling over his words, something which made Shitora laugh if nothing else.
"I think you're trying to ask if I'm still a virgin. In answer to your question, I reply with another question: why do you care?" Shitora chuckled, eyes flashing with an evil sort of playfulness.
Under the girl's scrutiny, Ranbou stuttered out a few stupid sounds before lowering his eyebrows in frustration. "I don't care, Sukini, I just like to keep the company of people who're worth my frickin' time. And if you were just some ho, well..."
While Ranbou expected the girl to get pointedly angry and storm out of the room, a situation which he could've easily handled, she only smirked. "No need to worry, I'm not half the slut Kikyo was...or is. I don't guess being a pysch makes you any less of a slut. But no, I have my slutty moments, just not often."
"You actin' slutty would be like the apocalypse," Ranbou murmured, returning his lazy gaze to the other side of the room as he took a drink.
"Who, me? Why?" Shitora asked, puzzled. She dressed like a slut, didn't she? As much as the other girls, anyway.
The wolf shrugged menially. "Ever since we were kids, you don't pull that coy shit that all the other girls do. Rin does it, Kagome knows how, Sango'll do it sometimes, hell, even Aya does it. Trying to control guys with their...'feminine wiles' or whatever. But you...you've never done that. Cause you're different from all of them, you know? Can't you tell?"
Shitora let out a small laugh. "I know, trust me. Every time we're flipping through channels and they're like, 'romance, awesome' I'm like, 'wrestling, awesome.' I've gotten lots of clues like that."
Ranbou smirked, one of his fangs poking out beneath his lip. "I think most of the people on this planet would agree that wrestling beats romance.
Pushing herself off the counter, Shitora jerked her head back and downed the rest of her beer, crumpling it into a small frisbee in her bare hands. "And most of the people would be men. See ya," she said with a grin, throwing the can deftly into the trash can.
Ranbou followed the swaying motion of her hips out the door, once more enjoying the sight of that perfect, rocking ass. Before she left completely, however, she poked her head back inside and said, "P.S, I'm a virgin and P.P.S, stop staring at my ass."
With that she left for good, scent the only physical trait that remained inside the room. Ranbou eventually sighed, staring down dejectedly at his beer while simultaneously feeling the whole which her presence left in the empty kitchen. Rising decidedly from the counter, he muttered, "I need another beer."
Hey again, guys, sorry this one was a long time coming. I've been struggling through work outs and trying to balance out summer life. I got a job at Hot Topic, though, so my season's looking up. Anybody else out there got a job? Tell me in the reviews: WHAT IS YOUR JOB?
KOLU
"How did this happen again?" Hiten asked moodily as he used a towel to sponge extra water from his ear.
Snorting rather belligerently, Ranbou replied, "Somewhere between seeing the Wildcats naked and getting busted by sprinklers...you know what, I dunno."
The boys were currently gathered like shamefaced children in the kitchen, toweling themselves off and sipping cold beers. The girls had gone upstairs to give the men their privacy, as well as some time to stew over their recent defeat, yet the fact that several good looking, wet gang members were downstairs in the kitchen didn't escape the girls. Occassionally, some rather high pitched squealing could be heard over the running of a blow dryer in the corner, which many of the boys were forced to use due to their long and cumbersome locks.
Inuyasha squinted as he picked a piece of wet grass from his cheek. "Whose dumbass idea was this anyway?"
The hanyou soon found himself buried beneath a mountain of towels, all of which carried the pungent scent of wet animals. Spluttering, he countered back, "Hey! It was just a question!"
Before anyone could offer another word in Inuyasha's direction, the in-house speaker system crackled above the noise; the transmission was coming from upstairs. "Boys? Hello..." came a voice through the speaker.
After exchanging rather fascinated glances with his friends, Kouga, who was closest to the wall speaker, took a step forward and pressed the receive button. "Uh, yeah," he said over the line.
"Sweet! You figured out how to work it! We had a bet going that you couldn't figure it out. Anyway, okay, we just wanted to know if there was any ice cream left in that tub on the counter."
At this point, it was clear that the mysterious voice belonged to Kagome, who sounded as though she'd had a little too much ice cream for her tolerance level. Kouga turned slightly around and spotted the tub, which was dented and torn from the many hands it'd passed through that night. He opened the lid only to see sticky remains on the white bottom. He pushed the talk button and said, "Nope, sorry. S'all gone."
When Kagome pushed the receive button on the other end, several girly protests and whines clouded over the background. "Oh, thanks anyway Kouga. Hey, ouch!" Kagome's voice faded slightly as she turned away from the speaker. "I said not to start yet. I wanna get in a snap or two!" A clear tone rang through once more as Kagome turned back to the microphone. "Uh, yeah, sorry, bra snaping war. I gotta go, but when you guys are done drying off, just buzz us and we'll come on down to chat! Bye!"
Before Kouga could say another word, the speaker went dead and Kagome was gone. Exchanging glanced with his friends, he decided it was best not to ask what a "bra snapping war" entailed and he went back to toweling off his ponytail.
"Dude, they looked so hot before," Inuyasha said suddenly, grinning to show his demon fangs.
The boys all smiled as they recalled the sight of several half naked girls covered in whip cream and chocolate, prettily flushed in anger and surprise. "Yeah," the others murmured, sighing contentedly; maybe this whole ridiculous plot had been worth it after all.
"YEOW!"
The boys were thrown from their pretty day dreams by the sound of someone in immense pain, followed by the multiple bumps which occur only when something heavy falls down a flight stairs. Exchanging glances, the boy hurried out of the kitchen fearing one of the girls might've hurt themselves. As the gang members had since left their shoes at the door, they were able to slide across the marble floors in their sock feet, arriving in the lobby on the smooth floor. At the bottom of the stairs was a mess of white hair and small limbs, which were scantily clad and quivering with rage.
Shitora leapt to her feet and pointed an angry finger up the stairs. "You asshole! That was one hell of an underhanded bra strap, you whore!"
"Ha ha, can't hold your own little puppy?" Ayame taunted from the top of the stairs, sticking out her tongue and dancing around in ridiculous circles.
"Grrr, that's it, I'm gonna take you down!" Shitora screamed angrily, preparing to rocket up the stairs and defeat her "opponent."
Before she could move, however, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she found herself completely immobile; this was an obviously muscular person. A familiar scent entered her nostrils then and, screwing up her face, Shitora growled, "Ranbou, off!"
"Mmm, un-uh. If you kill my brother's girlfriend, do you know what kind of pissy mood that'll put him in?" Ranbou replied with a sort of mock thoughtfulness. "Besides, you'll probably break one of Rin's vases...vaases...I don't even know what these are."
"GET OFF ME!" came Shitora's outraged scream as she released her claws with a distinctive "chink."
Sesshomaru, however, knew the one solid way to calm Shitora's ridiculous temper tantrums. Rolling his eyes skyward, as though wondering why he had to sacrifice his dignity for such a cause, he called out, "Hey, Shitora. Jiszm."
There was a defeaning silence as the other gang members turned violently to face their leader, who had just said the strangest word to ever come out of his mouth. Sure, everyone knew what jiszm was, but why exactly had the great Sesshomaru said it? The boys were too busying puzzling over this matter to noticet the strange change in Shitora's expression. Without warning, the girl's tough facade broke and she collapsed limply in Ranbou arms, laughing hysterically into his chest like a drunk at a comedy club.
Ranbou looked helplessly up at his friends, not quite knowing what to do with a laughing girl in his arms. He could deal with her just fine when she was angry and struggling, but laughter was a completely different matter. Hiten just smirked and made a rather obscene pelvic motion. He then mouthed the words, "You know what to do..."
Bankotsu, Hakkaku and Ginta concealed their chuckles slightly, turning them into coughs and rather odd sneezes. Inuyasha, however, had witnessed this little display all too clearly. Lowering his eyebrows, he appeared beside Hiten with demon speed at his aid, arms crossed and face hard. "So Hiten. What did that mean?"
Despite Hiten's own demon heritage, Inuyasha had appeared so quickly he barely knew what to say. While he stumbled over his words, Hakkaku jumped in with an excuse on his friend's behalf. "We were dancing, right guys?"
Bankotsu and Ginta nodded quickly, not wanting to tempt Inuyasha's infamous wrath. In kind, they began justifying their new dance by repeating Hiten's obscene pelvic motions, jerking themselves around and looking like rather drunk frat boys. Inuyasha watched, unblinking, for a moment before letting loose a tired sigh and stalking away from his friends; some things were better left unsaid.
Back with Ranbou, he was fuming over Hiten's insinuations while simultaneously trying to calm Shitora down. "Yo, Sukini, cut it out!"
All of his protests aside, Ranbou had long since noticed what an inherintly beautiful smell Shitora gave off. It was pleasant and warm on one side, like a calm summer day, yet held an edge of danger, almost like the smell of sex or motorcycle exhaust. He certainly didn't want to distance himself from this scent, yet he couldn't very well remain there much longer; it would look, to say the least, suspicious.
With one last, "feh," of apathy, Ranbou loosened his grip around Shitora and prepared to let her fall, intending to walk away without a single glance back. Shitora, who was midway through her hilarity, practically wrapped around Ranbou's torso, suddenly felt the wooshing sensation of air around her, accompanied by that hated feeling of falling. It might seem strange, unlike common fears such as arachnaphobia or things like that, but Shitora had a deadly fear of falling. Not of heights, mind you, but of falling. Even short distances scared her speechless and this was no different.
She let loose a scream, face overcome with intense fear as she fell back towards the wooden steps. Ranbou was preparing to take his leave when his eye caught sight of Shitora's frightened face. Somehow, that vision really got to him and he found himself unable to follow the plan. Retightening his grip around the girl's slender waist, he avoided her eyes as he murmured, "Sorry, slipped." He couldn't bring himself to remember how he'd wanted to drop her.
Shitora ignored her own quickened breathing, trying to focus on something steady and untrembling. All she could find at the moment was Ranbou's arms, yet she didn't remain there for long. Breaking away from his grasp, adopting a familiar scowl, she crossed her arms and turned up her nose indignantly. "Damn wolf, dropping women all over the place."
"Me?!" Ranbou shouted, pointing an angry finger at his own chest. "You're the one who was fallin' to fuckin' pieces over here!"
"Only cause Sesshomaru said the word!" Shitora protested, eyebrows lowering steadily.
"What? Jiszm?" Ranbou asked confusedly, watching as Shitora's resolve broke once more. Before they could finish their argument, Shitora was once more consumed with body racking guffaws. "Psht. Women," he muttered, walking away to join his friends.
"Ko!"
Kouga turned from his brief conversation with Miroku, smiling as Ayame came jogging down the stairs. "What are you guys gonna do tonight?"
Before Kouga could get as word in edgewise, Inuyasha replied stiffly, "Man things."
Ayame raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms delicately across her chest. "Oh? Man things. Hm. What kind of man things?"
Inuyasha's face became rather red as his golden eyes flared with irritation. "You know, man things!"
Rolling his ice blue eys plantively, Kouga stepped in front of his rash friend and addressed his girlfriend with a meaningful eye. "We weren't going to do anything important. Now that our stupid ass plan...or actually, Inuyasha's stupid ass plan, was a total failure, we were just gonna go, probably."
"I hate to break up the party, but that would probably be best. I don't want our nosy neighbors telling Dad I was having wild parties or something," Rin entered in as she came gliding down the stairs, smiling ruefully. "I may run around with a gang, but I'm still an eager-to-please-her-father Daddy's girl."
"Hey, the way I see it, he's good to you; why not be grateful?" Bankotsu agreed, giving Rin a reassuring smile. One aspect of gang society lay in appearances and Rin's was failing quickly; playing servant to your father's will didn't sit well with any sort of gang, especially not a rebellious, testosterone-driven teen one. Bankotsu was backing her simply because they were friends and, when one person's facade fell, that's what friends did.
By this time, the other girls had come jogging down the stairs, wearing boxers by this point, preparing to say farewell to the boys. Sesshomaru, in that habit of his, crept up behind Rin with nary a sound and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her pale neck. "Must I really go bond with these cretins, my lady?" he half joked, obviously alluding to his midnight rendevous with the other men.
Rin giggled, turning and intercepting Sesshomaru's lips with her own. "Just as I must bond with these prostitutes, my lord."
"Prostitutes? Where are the prostitutes?!" came Ranbou's cry from half way across the room.
Sighing, Rin met eyes with Sesshomaru, seeming slightly defeated. "I could say dirty words to you right now and everyone would hear it because half the people in this room are demons. Is there no privacy anymore?"
Shrugging, Sesshomaru replied blandly, "Next time I see some extra privacy laying around, I'll grab it for you."
"Thanks very much, Sesshy, I appreciate the effort," Rin quipped dryly.
Sango and Miroku, who were standing slightly off to the side, could only just hear the banter spanning back and forth between their leaders. Sango crossed her arms, shaking her head with a small smile gracing her lips. "The way those two talk, it's like they're married or something."
Miroku smirked, placing his hands serenely in his pockets. "Somehow, I've got a feeling they might be married someday. If they can't make it, who can?"
"Seriously," Sango agreed, brown eyes sparkling with mischief as she glance around the room. "There's so many opportunities to be had, but none of these people will take it. Like right there, see?" She pointed discreetly to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were talking rather easily about something, standing a noticeable three feet apart.
Miroku chuckled. "You would think one of them had herpes, they way they talk. Hell, Inuyasha might, I don't know...but Kagome seems about as pure as pearls."
Narrowing her eyes in a thoughtful way, Sango made a rather disappointed sigh in the back of her throat. "She is. Or at least she seems that way. I can never tell."
"I'm right there with you," Miroku agreed, cocking his head to the side as he watched Kagome slap Inuyasha playfully on the shoulder. Those brown eyes of her were light and sparkling on the surface, but somewhere underneath they were scarred, just like the rest of the gang members' were. He'd seen enough of those eyes to know what they looked like. "I have a feeling that she's a lot less naive than she let's on."
"I know. But she could never really accept gang life, not the way it really is. You and I both know that," Sango said bitterly, refusing to meet Miroku's eyes as she stared down at her reflection in the marble floors. As much as the quiet observer might like to think the gangs were legitimate, they couldn't be more wrong. Just as the other gangs had their illegal vices, the Fangs had theirs. They were never discussed out in the open, these matters, but only behind closed doors where the select few could hear the details. Every rose has it's thorns, or so someone said; this analogy fit the Fangs like a glove.
Sighing, Miroku turned to look at Sango's bowed head, refusing to look away. "Sango...do you still have a problem with...that aspect?" he asked, words sporadic and misplaced.
"I always will Miroku," Sango replied sternly, shaking her head. "It's just not something I want to be a part in and I've said that before, just like Rin and Ayame have. We just can't condone things like that."
Hearing Sango oppose something so vehemently, especially something he was a part of, made Miroku rather sick inside. "Understand, I do it as an obligation to my fr-" he started to say, only to be cut off.
"You don't have to justify yourself to me, Miroku. I know. I know, Miroku," Sango said, whispering her last words as she finally glanced up to meet the boy's eyes. Despite his anxiety mere moments prior, Miroku suddenly felt his heart doing the Conga in his chest. The way Sango was looking at him right then was the way he wished she'd look at him every day. Like she realized that he wasn't such a bad person underneath his gang man exterior. Like she realized what he felt...for her.
"...and so that's how we ended up in our underwear, dancing around the kitchen with ice cream listening to dirty rap music," Kagome finished, giggling at the expression on Inuyasha's face.
"Oh, well that explains everything," he joked sarcastically, smirking in the girl's direction. "Nice underwear, by the way. Hello Kitty's always been a favorite of mine."
Kagome burst out laughing at the serious expression on Inuyasha's face, knowing he was joking yet finding it too much to take. To hear the words "Hello Kitty" come out of such a tough characters mouth was almost more than the girl could stand, but she had to admit: it was certainly amusing.
"No, seriously, I really think she empowers women. Don't you?" Inuyasha continued, adopting a comical expression of intellectual severity.
"Mmmf, yeah, most definitely," Kagome choked out, still giggling and leaning forward on Inuyasha to keep herself balanced.
Inuyasha gave a delicate sniff, saying, "You just don't appreciate my theories, Kagome." While he appeared to be light and humorous on the outside, Inuyasha was really a mess of emotions on the inside. Having Kagome so close to him, touching him, was driving him to absolute distraction. Her scent was curling up his nostrils, floating around his head, constricting his brain to a point where breathing and other normal bodily functions lost all meaning or importance. What he really loved were her eyes, the way the changed to fit her mood at every second, as they now sparkled with happiness. That was the best looking sight of all, in Inuyasha's opinion: happy Kagome.
"Hey, you wanna go for a walk?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, glancing down at Kagome, who was regaining her balance against his shoulder.
Still in the after throws of her chuckles, Kagome managed to say, "Sure. Let's get out of here."
Without a word to anyone, the couple slipped quietly out of the room and out the backdoor, onto the freshly watered grass. The night air smelled like water and flowers, the product of Rin's carefully manicured garden. It appeared immaculate at first glance, but in the back of the property was where the real gardens grew; this is where Kagome and Inuyasha sought.
"I love the way everyone is so close," Kagome said suddenly.They were walking at just the perfect pace for conversation and intimacy, an intimacy which existed between two people flirting with the disastrous destiny of true love. When Inuyasha said nothing, she continued. "Everyone in that room back there has a relationship with everyone else in that room. It doesn't matter who they are, they've talked and they know each other on a different level than everyone else. It's amazing."
"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed, glancing up at the moon. "That's what happens when you spend every day of your stupid lives together. Every day of every week, every month, every year, I'm with them. And you think I'd get sick of em...but I never do."
Kagome chuckled, clasping her hands girlishly behind her back. "That's the other amazing part. It never gets boring or commonplace. It's like a huge family."
"Can't argue with that," Inuyasha snorted. Out of habit, he braced his arms behind his head and glanced restlessly up at the moon once more; his time of the month wasn't too far away, and he certainly didn't mean his period (god forbid.) No, his was slightly different, though he did tend to get rather moody. The others knew, of course, but families didn't talk about that sort of thing; they could tell when someone didn't want to talk about it. "I've known most of em since we were seven, at least. Kouga and Ranbou since we were...god, what were we? Four? Three? Who the hell knows. It's hard not to be close after that."
"How long have you known Miroku?" Kagome asked.
Scrunching up his nose in thought, Inuyasha finally said, "Eh, almost twelve years I guess. Feels like I've known him the longest though. Best friends an everything, you know."
"Yeah, I do," Kagome agreed. "I've never really had a best friend, but I've watched a bunch of best friends grow old together. It's a...gift, I guess. Kind of a stupid word, but it is. You really appreciate him, don't you?"
Inuyasha grinned. "There's more to Miroku that most guys think. He ain't just some up-the-ass pervert. He's a good guy. He'll make someone a really great husband, I bet. Probably Sango." When Kagome started laughing he blushed slightly. "What? It could happen."
"No, no, I know, that's why I'm laughing. I've been thinking the same thing since I met them," Kagome giggled, meeting eyes with Inuyasha. Everytime the two locked gazes, amber and deep, chocolate brown, they had a serious problem letting go. It was like a comfortable strong-man grip, one which brought uneasiness when broken.
Realizing it was his turn in their immortal battle to finally break the glance, Inuyasha looked suddenly away under the pretense of observing a flower in the garden. "Rin spends a lot of time out here, doesn't she?"
Blinking, Kagome replied, "I've noticed she disappears mysteriously out here sometimes. I guess this is where she goes. Being a gang leader, I bet she has a lot on her mind. You know, now that I've come here and seen her interracting with everyone, I can't imagine my cousin as anyone else but the Wildcat's ho leader. Funny, huh?"
The girl chuckled at the irony; this was a girl she'd played naked in kiddie pools with and now she was running around barely clad in leather and lace. Where was the dignity in that? But yet this question almost answered itself; Rin's job demanded that she be dignified and, somehow, despite her careless attitude and flagrant disregard for any rules, her dignity remained intact. This was one thing Kagome admired; Rin was amazing without even trying.
"If she's a ho, so are you."
At the comment, Kagome immediately stopped walking and turned to face Inuyasha, who stopped walking as well. His face was a picture of amusement and seriousness as he regarded the girl with a cocky one-fanged smirk. "Rin runs around without clothes on cussing, smoking and making people notice her. The only difference between you is the fact that you don't need to make people notice you; they do it on their own. Am I right?"
After a brief silence, Kagome cocked an identical half smile. "Yeah, I'm a ho. But the way I hear it, you eat out more than I do. And I'm not talking about Macdonalds."
Inuyasha just smirked and glanced up at the moon. "I'm like the town bicycle. But it's an expensive toll to ride the Inuyasha."
Kagome burst out laughing and gave the boy a playful whack in the chest. "You asshole! Why am I friend with you?"
Shaking his head slightly, Inuyasha watched the girl as she was thoroughly consumed with laughter, still outraged over Inuyasha's ridiculous comment. Hands shoved calmly in his pockets, the hanyou couldn't help but wish fervently for a cigarette, yet he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes away from her, even for a second. She was so beautiful, it was hard to stand when he looked at her. You're right Kagome...I don't know why you lower yourself to be friends with a guy like me...when you're perfect.
*!*!*!*
Shitora had been standing patiently with Kouga, Ayame, Rin and Sesshomaru, adding in her opinion on the conversation every once and a while, though she felt sorely misplaced. Her brother's arm was placed firmly around Rin's waist and, on their left, Kouga and Ayame were holding hands, massaging each others fingers every moment or so. Finally, the hanyou girl felt too alone to even breathe anymore; she had to get out."I'm gonna go get a drink," she said rather quietly, leaving the group without anyone taking notice.
She hated situations like that, where she felt targeted and alone, yet forgotten and unnoticed at the same time. It was the same on those days at the mall where everyone seemed to be paired off but you, hugging, kissing, being in love. Shitora really wanted a part of that, but she didn't want to waste her time on a worthless relationship, one without value or merit. She wanted something real and, at this age, it was hard to find. This didn't mean her friends and family had to rub it in her face, however. "It" was the word Shitora used in her mind for finding true love. "It" was the perfect relationship. And knowing that the people closest to her had already found "it" really hurt her. Not that she would ever say it out loud.
Walking slowly into the recently cleaned kitchen, consumed by her thoughts, Shitora wasn't even looking up or catching scents on the air when she ran into someone's broad back. "Woops, sorry."
Ranbou turned around, beer in hand and eyebrow cocked. "Sukini? You okay? You look kinda high."
Snorting and almost finding herself too tired to care or argue, the girl replied, "Nope, not tonight. Just...thinkin. And getting tired of the relentless PDA in that room."
Despite the fact that Shitora was his mortal enemy, Ranbou couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, I hear ya. Why do ya think I left?"
"Um...to get a beer?" Shitora guessed, half joking as she smiled in the wolf's direction.
The boy's ice blue eyes gave a brief flash as he thought about just how wrong she was. Truth be told, he and Shitora were getting that same lonely vibe as they stood there, without boyfriends or girlfriends, feeling out of place and alone. "Yeah. To get a beer and save myself the agony of watching my brother dry hump his girlfriend."
"My thoughts exactly," came Shitora's muffled voice as she retrieved a beer from the refrigerator. Slamming the door shut, the girl popped the can top with a loud hiss and raised the can to the sky. "Here's to escaping unecessary dry humping, witnessed by unfortunate family members."
"Here, here," Ranbou agreed, clanking cans with the girl before the each took a swig.
Smacking her lips wildly, Shitora hopped backwards onto the counter top, swinging her feet gently against the cabinets below. "Why does everyone always pair off like this?"
Ranbou shrugged, walking over and leaning against the counter beside her. "Because they wanna feel like somebody gives a shit, so they grab someone who does and stick with em."
"That's sick shit," Shitora said dully, glaring down at her beer can as though it held the answer to her problems. "Why do they need someone like that anyway? What does it really matter? We're all friends, right? We all care, right? Right?!" As she spoke, her tone became slightly more desperate and, soon, she was staring at Ranbou with wide amber eyes, haunted by these questions for which she had no answers.
Sighing, the wolf shook his head and took a long drink from his beer. Finally, he said, "You and I get that cause we ain't runnin around lookin' for love. They're all love sick puppies, if you ask me. Beggin' for someone's romantic chump change...it's pathetic. They're just more needy than us."
Calming herself, Shitora looked away, embarrassed by her own miniature emotion explosion. "Yeah right. Needy. They are, aren't they? I mean, the funny thing is that they don't have to be making out to be a couple, you know? Yash and Kagome...that's messed up. Yash needs her more than she needs him."
"But that's always the way it is," Ranbou said, intercepting the idea with a gentle swing of his beer can. "One of em always likes the other one more. You can always tell which is which, too."
"Yeah," Shitora agreed, shaking her head. "And the lovesick one always looks like an idiot."
"Mhmm," Ranbou agreed, blue eyes half hooded as he stared at an indeterminable point across the room. There was no telling what he was thinking at that moment, but Shitora knew better than to ask. She glanced over, examining his face honestly for the first time in a while; he'd become quite handsome since their youth. His jaw was more refined than Kouga's, giving him a decidedly male look with his tan skin and firm nose. The way his dark hair fell in his face, just so, made him seem slightly mysterious, which Shitora reckoned he was, to a certain extent. Gangs in and of themselves were mysterious, and their members were the same.
"But you were always dating when we were younger," Shitora pointed out suddenly, furrowing her brow. "Do you date anymore?"
Ranbou snorted, turning to look at her. The way she was looking at him now, pale little face surrounded by her snow white hair, he had to admit she was almost angelic. She was like...a little frosted cake, if he could put a word to it. Delicate, sweet, perfectly crafted, painted with pastels and tender loving care. Shaking his head clear of such ridiculous thoughts, he said, "Eh, I still date sometimes. Every time I do I think, 'she's better than the last one, it won't be such a pain in my ass,' and every time I'm wrong. Stupid how I do it to myself, huh?"
Smiling, Shitora took another sip of her slowly disappearing beer. "Naw, I understand I guess. I've never really...dated. I've had flings, but never dated seriously. I mean, everyone dates just to make out and have sex, right?"
Ranbou blinked. "You mean...you're, like, not a vir-...I mean, not...have you had...Sukini?" He was stumbling over his words, something which made Shitora laugh if nothing else.
"I think you're trying to ask if I'm still a virgin. In answer to your question, I reply with another question: why do you care?" Shitora chuckled, eyes flashing with an evil sort of playfulness.
Under the girl's scrutiny, Ranbou stuttered out a few stupid sounds before lowering his eyebrows in frustration. "I don't care, Sukini, I just like to keep the company of people who're worth my frickin' time. And if you were just some ho, well..."
While Ranbou expected the girl to get pointedly angry and storm out of the room, a situation which he could've easily handled, she only smirked. "No need to worry, I'm not half the slut Kikyo was...or is. I don't guess being a pysch makes you any less of a slut. But no, I have my slutty moments, just not often."
"You actin' slutty would be like the apocalypse," Ranbou murmured, returning his lazy gaze to the other side of the room as he took a drink.
"Who, me? Why?" Shitora asked, puzzled. She dressed like a slut, didn't she? As much as the other girls, anyway.
The wolf shrugged menially. "Ever since we were kids, you don't pull that coy shit that all the other girls do. Rin does it, Kagome knows how, Sango'll do it sometimes, hell, even Aya does it. Trying to control guys with their...'feminine wiles' or whatever. But you...you've never done that. Cause you're different from all of them, you know? Can't you tell?"
Shitora let out a small laugh. "I know, trust me. Every time we're flipping through channels and they're like, 'romance, awesome' I'm like, 'wrestling, awesome.' I've gotten lots of clues like that."
Ranbou smirked, one of his fangs poking out beneath his lip. "I think most of the people on this planet would agree that wrestling beats romance.
Pushing herself off the counter, Shitora jerked her head back and downed the rest of her beer, crumpling it into a small frisbee in her bare hands. "And most of the people would be men. See ya," she said with a grin, throwing the can deftly into the trash can.
Ranbou followed the swaying motion of her hips out the door, once more enjoying the sight of that perfect, rocking ass. Before she left completely, however, she poked her head back inside and said, "P.S, I'm a virgin and P.P.S, stop staring at my ass."
With that she left for good, scent the only physical trait that remained inside the room. Ranbou eventually sighed, staring down dejectedly at his beer while simultaneously feeling the whole which her presence left in the empty kitchen. Rising decidedly from the counter, he muttered, "I need another beer."
Hey again, guys, sorry this one was a long time coming. I've been struggling through work outs and trying to balance out summer life. I got a job at Hot Topic, though, so my season's looking up. Anybody else out there got a job? Tell me in the reviews: WHAT IS YOUR JOB?
KOLU