InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Oh, No! Not Another AU?! ❯ Sitting In A Tree ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

~*A/N: Wow, this feels weird. Hey, minna, long time no see, eh? He, he . . . Well, I know it's been like . . . two years. At least I left off with some nice fluff, right? I could've lost my inspiration with a cliffhanger. So, yeah, life takes over sometimes. Let's just say between buying a house, planning a wedding, and working massive overtime to pay for both, fanfiction fell to the bottom of the list. But I'm back! Like the mighty phoenix, I've risen from my own ashes to continue my story . . . On with the show! *~

DISCLAIMER: Does anybody still do these things? *shrugs* Yeah, yeah, don’t own it.

Last time on “Oh, No! Not Another AU!”:

“Where are we going?” she asked when he turned left instead of right, away from their friends.

“Anywhere but here,” he replied, kicking open the fire door in front of them.

“Sounds great,” she said, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes. A contented smile graced her lips. Neither noticed the fire alarms going off.


Chapter Thirteen: Sitting in a Tree

“Let’s hear it once again for our final group, Funky K and his fly girls,” the announcer smiled at the crowd, then snapped his head up as fire alarms began ringing through the building. The crowd’s applause faded slowly into murmurs of worry and curiosity. “Onegai, minna; remain calm and make your way toward the emergency exits in an orderly fashion. It’s probably just a drill,” the sweat dripping down the announcer’s face belied his tension. The confused crowd, unable to detect a sign of fire, did as instructed.

~Outside~

Inu-Yasha strolled with no apparent direction, breathing in Kagome’s scent. ‘I must really be falling hard for her; I swear I hear bells. Wait, those don’t sound like church bells, though . . . ’ he thought, suddenly realizing the source of the sound. “Chikushou,” he mumbled, looking around frantically.

“Hmm?” Kagome asked, opening her eyes for the first time.

“Ah, this will do,” he said to himself, spying a tree nearby.

“Inu-Yasha, what are you - eeep!” Kagome’s inquiry was cut off as Inu-Yasha leapt up into the air, only to settle on a tree branch.

“We shouldn’t be bothered here,” he said, settling himself to lean against the trunk, a leg dangling on either side of the branch.

“Bothered?” she asked, making herself more comfortable by leaning against him.

“Baka,” he laughed, wrapping his arms around her, “don’t you hear the alarm?”

“Alarm?” her head cocked to the side, listening. “What’s the alarm for?”

“For the emergency exit door I just kicked open,” he chuckled at her dog-like behavior.

“Inu-Yasha!” Kagome scolded, awkwardly twisting her torso to look him in the eye without falling out of the tree. “Why’d you kick open an emergency exit?!”

“I didn’t realize it at the time,” he said, rolling his eyes at her.

“Don’t you read big RED signs when they’re posted . . . ” he put a silencing finger to her lips.

“Shh . . . they’re coming.”

“They?” Kagome’s question was soon answered by the sounds of a large crowd pouring from the building nearby. People milled about under the tree, but none looked up. The foliage hid the couple in the tree from view.

“Fancy meeting you lovely ladies here,” came a familiar voice from below.

“Miroku! Shippo! Sesshomaru! Have you seen Kagome, by chance?” Sango’s voice floated up to Kagome’s ears. Kagome moved to yell down to her friend, but halted as Inu-Yasha tightened his arms around her.

“Ie,” Miroku replied. “If she’s missing, I’m guessing we won’t be finding Yash anytime soon,” Miroku turned to say to his shorter companion.

Shippo smiled mischievously. “Inu-Yasha and Kagome, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” he chanted.

Kagome covered her mouth with a hand, stifling a laugh. ‘That’s not a half-bad idea,’ Inu-Yasha thought, using two fingers under her chin to turn her head, and suited action to words.

Suddenly the air fell silent; the incessant droning of the alarm cut off. “Attention, minna. Apparently someone accidentally exited through an emergency exit, and that is what set the alarm off.” The announcer stood near the building, a bullhorn in hand. “Fortunately, the final act of the day has finished performing, so at least no acts were disrupted. The judges will now take on the daunting task of narrowing it down to three final contestants. The final performances shall take place tomorrow afternoon. The results will be posted after dinner this evening. That is all,” the bullhorn let out a deafening squeal, and cut out. The silent crowd began to disperse, murmuring growing to talking, spurts of laughter punctuated here and there.
When the announcer began to talk about results, Kagome and Inu-Yasha had broken apart to listen. Kagome checked her watch. “It’s three o’clock now. Two and a half hours,” she murmured to herself.

“Looks like we’re not getting out of this tree anytime soon,” Inu-Yasha drew her attention back to him. She had been leaning forward to listen to the announcement, and now glanced over her shoulder at him. His golden eyes flashed, a hint of a smirk on his face.

“Oh, whatever will we do to pass the time?” she drawled, the back of her hand going to her forehead in imitation of Scarlett O’Hara.

“I can think of a few things,” he murmured, reaching for her.

~Elsewhere~

Sango had given up looking for Kagome. After Miroku and Shippo’s comments, she figured Inu-Yasha and she had gone somewhere private, and likely wouldn’t be seen until dinner. Rin had decided to bask in the afternoon sun by the pool, and Sango had declined the offer. ‘Not my thing,’ she thought, wrinkling her nose. She strode purposefully into the hotel gym, clad in a sports bra, sweat pants that had been cut off just below the knee, and running shoes. She glanced around the deserted room, spotting the treadmills. She smiled faintly, turning on the i-pod she kept in her armband. As the music started up, she set the speed of the treadmill to a brisk walk. ‘Now this is my thing.’ Gradually she increased her speed to a jog, settling her breath and footfalls into rhythm with the song playing in her ears.

‘I wonder where Kags went with him,’ she pondered, her body on auto drive. She stared at the blank wall in front of her, enjoying the mind-numbing exertion. ‘I hope Rin’s having fun at the pool. Shippo seemed rather excited about cannonballs when she suggested it,’ Sango grinned, shaking her head at the memory of the excited kit. ‘I wonder where Miroku went? He said he wasn’t interested in sitting by the pool. Odd, thought he’d want to check out all the girls in bikinis. I can’t believe he was watching me the whole time we were performing. I wonder where he’s going to school next year?’ Sango mused, a smile crossing her face. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice someone entering the room.

Miroku had been walking through the hotel’s halls, not yet ready to admit to himself that he was looking for Sango. He whistled lightly to himself, hands in his pockets, head swiveling from side to side. Movement in a room to his left caught his eye, and he had to step back to see what it was. ‘Sango,’ he thought, a smile spreading across his face. Quietly, yet casually, he walked up behind her. For a moment he just stood there, a few paces behind her, appreciating the fine physical form she presented. Shaking himself, he cleared his throat to get her attention. She maintained her speed. ‘Hmm . . . oh, earbuds. No wonder she didn’t hear me. Now, to get her attention . . . ’ his thoughts trailed off.

“HENTAI!!!” echoed into the hall, followed by a resounding slap.

~By the pool~

Rin reclined on a chair pool side, having changed into a neon orange string bikini, with oversized sunglasses perched on her nose. “CANNONBALL!!!” Shippo yelled, a flash of yellow and flesh speeding past her. At the edge of the pool he leapt into the air, clutching his knees to his chest. It seemed as if he hung suspended there for a moment before dropping to the water below. Rin drew up her knees and held up her hands, futilely trying to deflect the resulting splash.

“Shippo! Do you mind?!” Rin shouted, leaning forward.

“Nope, don’t mind at all,” Shippo stuck his tongue out at her, having swum to the side of the pool nearest her perch.

“Shippo, perhaps it would be best if you did not offend the young lady,” came a rumbling baritone from behind Rin’s chair. She looked over her shoulder to see a man with long silver hair clad in blue swim trunks and flip flops standing behind her, one hand resting casually on the back of her chair.

“Hai, Fluffy!” Shippo nodded, pushing off the side of the pool and swimming away from them.

“Ano, if you don’t mind my asking, why do they call you ‘Fluffy’?” Rin asked, her eyes following Sesshomaru as he moved to claim the empty lounge chair next to her. For a moment she thought he didn’t hear her; he had laid back in the chair and crossed his legs at the ankles, staring unfocused at the pool. Rin sighed quietly, resuming her former position.

“As a child, I had a favorite blanket. One of those faux fur throws. I carried it everywhere, just like Linus from Peanuts. I called it my ‘Fluffy’. When Inu-Yasha began to talk, he couldn’t pronounce ‘Sesshomaru’, so he called me ‘Fluffy’ instead. The nickname just stuck,” he shrugged. He had said all this in a monotone, his vision never straying from the scene in front of him.

Rin used this opportunity to study his profile. His strong jaw line and angled cheekbones lent him an aristocratic air; his eyes squinting slightly as a slight breeze ruffled his bangs. ‘He’s really rather striking,’ she thought, putting a contemplative finger to her chin. ‘A little too serious for my taste; I’m curious to know what he’s like when he’s not around strangers. Does he relax and goof off? Does he smile and laugh?’

“See something you like?” his voice interrupted her thoughts, a smirk turning up the corners of his lips.

“Ah-ano,” Rin stammered, her face flushing crimson. “Gomen nasai, Sesshomaru-sama. I was, uh, thinking, and I didn’t realize I was staring.” Her head was down, studying her hands clasped in her lap.

A clawed finger touched her chin, turning her head back to face him. He was studying her now, his golden eyes peeling back her protective layers. His lips turned up in a subtle smile, a small flash of white teeth showing. Reflexively, she returned the smile, drowning in the amber pools. “Daijobu,” he murmured. “I take it as a complement.”

“CANNONBALL!!!” was screamed nearby, followed by a large splash.

“SHIPPO!!!” echoed two voices simultaneously.

~Back to the tree~

“Ano, Yash?” Kagome said, stirring the hanyou from his daydreaming.

“Hai?” he replied, running his fingers through her raven locks.

“I think they’ve all gone.”

“So?” he brought his eyes out of the branches above them to rest on the profile of her face.

“Well, it has been awhile, and my butt is really starting to hurt from sitting on this branch. Can’t we get down and go somewhere else?” she asked, shifting slightly to accent her complaint.

“Fine,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her as he swung a leg over the tree branch. In one smooth movement he fell from the tree, landing at it’s base in a crouch, Kagome still cradled in his arms.

“Arigatou,” Kagome blushed as he set her on her feet.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, pulling sunglasses from his pocket and placing them on his face. “So where to now?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

“Ano, I should probably try to find Sango and Rin. They must be worried about me by now.”

“Doubt it,” he said, turning his head away from her to look around.

“Nani?!” her temper flared, pulling her hand out of his. “Don’t you think my friends care?!”

“Chikushoume,” he mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. “Hai, that’s what I meant, that your friends don’t give a flying fuck about you,” he replied, rolling his eyes behind shaded lenses.

Kagome glared daggers at him, mimicking his stance. “Always have to be so witty, ne? Can’t ever apologize for being a jerk, can you?”

“Apologize? For what?!” he shouted, dropping his arms to his sides and leaning toward her.

“You can’t intimidate me physically, Inu-Yasha, so just stop it,” she said, drawing herself up to her full height to look him almost in the eye.

“Feh, what d’you know?” he mumbled, turning away.

“Well, if this is the way you’re going to act, then I’m going to go look for my friends,” Kagome said, turning toward the hotel and taking a few hesitant steps. She stopped, looking hopefully back at him over her shoulder.

“Whatever,” he said, not turning to watch her go.

When she realized he wasn’t going to stop her, she turned away. Head down, she stalked toward the hotel. “Bastard,” she muttered under her breath.

“Wench,” he quietly replied, leaping back up to his perch in the tree.

~Elsewhere~

“Sango-sama, gomen nasai. Again, I truly did not mean to show you any disrespect,” Miroku was rambling. He held the Everlast bag tightly as Sango continued to attack it, varying the height and approach of her punches and kicks.

Sango wasn’t listening to the inane apologies of the sex-driven teen. She had tuned him out fifteen minutes ago, after he had agreed to hold the large punching bag for her. ‘What was he thinking, grabbing me while I was on the treadmill? I could have been seriously hurt! Well, maybe not seriously, but I could have fallen off! But he was behind me, and would have broken my fall . . . that’s not the point!’ She punctuated the thought by landing a rather forceful roundhouse kick.

“Sango, are you even listening to me?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. ‘Well, at least she didn’t do THAT to me before,’ he thought.

“Ie,” she huffed, panting from the exertion. She paused her attack, bent over with her hands on her knees, head bowed while she caught her breath. Miroku tentatively loosened his hold on the bag, taking a hesitant step toward her. And another. “Daijobu, Miroku. I forgive you,” Sango spoke, straightening back up.

“Honto?” he said, blue eyes wide and shining.

“Hai,” she replied, walking over to get a drink from the water fountain.

“So,” Miroku said, strutting toward her like a proud peacock, “does that mean that you’ll go out with me sometime?”

Sango shot him a suspicious glance out of the corner of her eye as she straightened up and turned back toward him. “On a date?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Miroku rolled his eyes. “Ie, to fight in a dark alley. Of course on a date!”

A thoughtful hand went to her chin, and he began to fidget under her stare. Suddenly a smile crossed her face, her eyes twinkling. She had made a decision. “I guess it wouldn’t kill me,” she answered.

Miroku returned her smile. “Why, Sango-chan, I do believe you are developing a crush on me.”

“Whatever, Miroku,” she rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amazement.

~Back to the pool~

Shippo was shaking. He was hanging upside-down, from his left leg to be exact. The hand wrapped around his left ankle was attached to a dripping wet, extremely agitated looking youkai with long silver hair. A low growl escaped Sesshomaru’s throat, audible only to the quivering kit and the drenched girl nearby. “Shippo, may I ask WHAT inspired you to do that?” he asked, shaking the kit to punctuate each word.

“Ano . . . Sesshomaru-sama . . . I-I didn’t realize . . . I didn’t think . . . ” he stammered, very conscious of the red color creeping into the other’s eyes.

“EXACTLY!!” Sesshomaru shouted, shaking Shippo again. “You. Didn’t. THINK!”

“Ano, Sesshomaru-sama?” Rin squeaked. Red-tinged gold flashed to her. “Daijobu . . . I mean . . . it’s just a little water, right? And we are both wearing our swimsuits?” she ventured, her eyes pleading with him to calm down.

He stared at her for a minute, his eyes hard and cold, and she began to think that he would turn his rage on her. She subconsciously crouched, readying herself to flee if necessary. Suddenly, Sesshomaru’s shoulders slumped, his expression softening as he noticed the tension in her stance. The red receded from his irises. “You’re right,” he sighed, setting Shippo safely back on the ground.

“Domo arigatou, Rin-chan,” Shippo said, bowing to her before hurrying away. Sesshomaru chuckled, shaking his head. Rin relaxed, beaming at him.

“Care to join me for dinner?” he asked, offering her his arm.

“I’d be delighted,” she replied, standing and looping her arm in his.


Reviews Revisited:

I’d like to thank SapphireDreamer, xXdArKn3sSxWitHinXx, BlondieLocks, and Hikaru 1617 for your reviews. Hope that you’re all still around to read the update!

~*A/N: When it rains it pours! I was gonna have a cliffy ending to this chapter, but I didn’t get that far. Instead I was inspired to write seven pages of fluffy goodness for you all. It was even Fluffy fluff! And I didn’t want to drag this one out any longer. I was getting dizzy from the location changes. So, yell at me, throw things at me, even be like “lulu” and tell me I’m stupid. But to do that you’ve got to press that sexy little button below! Ja ne, minna! And I promise it won’t be two years until the next chapter! *~