InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shards of Foxfire ❯ Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha, though Shards of Foxfire is mine!

The next morning, the crew arrived at the hotel early. They quickly checked in, and went back out to get their bags. Everything was unloaded from their tour bus, including the instruments, and was taken up the elevator. They dragged the heavy bags along, Inuyasha complaining all the way, until they reached the door of the suite. "Well, here it is!" Kagome said as she stuck the card into the slit. Greens light blinked once as the group trooped in with shock.

The suite was enormous, taking up nearly half of the top floor. It had a large kitchen, large living room, two master bedrooms, and two bedrooms with double beds, a dining room, large bathroom, and study with a big screen TV. The band explored for a while, enjoying the comforts of the hotel room. Then, Kagome called everyone into the living room to draw straws for the bedrooms. Kagome and Inuyasha got the first master bedroom (with Shippo, of course), and Miroku, Sango, and Kirara got the second master bedroom. Everyone else got a double bed, and Kagome's family would sleep on couches. Sango grumbled about the arrangement, but nobody else would trade with her. She sighed in exasperation as she lugged her bags into the bedroom. Miroku, however, look positively enlightened, with a dreamy expression on his face.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kagome ran to the door, and opened it to find that her family had arrived. She gave them all a big hug, and reintroduced everyone with a smile. She then left them alone to unpack while everyone else got ready to go to the beach for the day. Kagome's mother made sure everyone was alive and well, acting like they were all her kids. Sota wandered aimlessly until he found Rin and Kohaku, his best friends. Grampa started trying to plaster wards all over the walls, being held back by Inuyasha. Everyone else went to the bedrooms to get their stuff and get dressed.

They got changed quickly into more comfortable outfits, perfect for a day at the beach. Kagome wore an emerald green one piece covered in lighter green swirls, and black athletic shorts. Rin had a royal blue tankini with small yellow flowers, and a miniskirt. Ayame wore a purple bikini with jean shorts. Sango had on a light pink bikini with darker pink Hawaiian flowers, with a matching long skirt over it. Kagome's mother wore a bright sundress, not wanting to swim. Kikyo wore a plain black one piece with jeans. Inuyasha wore red swim trunks, Koga had green, Kohaku had dark blue, Miroku had black, and Sesshoumaru had lighter blue. They all wore black shirts with it. Sota was the most colorful of the guys, wearing a white shirt with blue and green striped trunks, though Shippo wore bright blue ones with darker blue splotches, disguised as a teenage boy for the day. Even Kirara was ready for the beach, sunglasses protecting her sensitive eyes from the bright sun.

As everyone trooped downstairs, Grampa staying behind to guard the room, they were almost attacked by crazed fans. Sango and Inuyasha reached for their weapons menacingly and they backed away. Inuyasha wore the Tetsusaiga because he carried it with him everywhere, and Sango had hers because the Hiraikotsu could be used as a really good surfboard. They made it all the way down to the first floor with no more mishaps, and then Inuyasha and Shippo saw the continental breakfast. They tried to race at it with top speed, but were held back by Sesshoumaru with ease. Everyone else got their food, and then Inuyasha and Shippo devoured all that remained.

Now that everyone had full stomachs, they all headed to the beach that was across the street. Kagome rented some umbrellas and beach chairs, and passed around the sunscreen. Kohaku and Inuyasha had set off to find a boat to rent, and maybe some water-skis or inner tubes. Shippo had already jumped into the water and made some friends from the multitude of people already there. Everyone else sat around, waiting for Inuyasha and Kohaku to return. The two guys had almost reached everyone else when Hojo ran up, waving.

"Hi Kagome!"

"Oh, uh, hi Hojo!"

"Would you like to go out to lunch with me a little later?"

Kagome saw Inuyasha approach, anger evident on his face. "Sorry Hojo, not today. Hey, have you met Inuyasha, my boyfriend?"

Hojo's face fell. "No. Hi Inuyasha."

Kagome felt sorry for Hojo, so she decided to introduce someone else. "Hey Hojo, you know Sango, right?"

Hojo smiled at her, and nodded. He turned around and saw Sango, and was struck speechless for a few seconds. "H-h-hi Sango." He blushed deeply. Rin giggled, making him even more nervous. "I-I think I'll go now…nice to meet you Sango!" He ran off again, making everyone laugh and feel sorry for him.

"So, did you get us a boat?" Sango asked after watching Hojo disappear.

"Yeah, it's over there! Let's go!" Kohaku pointed in the boat's direction as almost everyone headed toward the boat. Kikyo decided to stay behind with Kagome's family as the others boarded the boat. Sango had already hooked up her boomerang to the back, and Inuyasha quickly got onto the normal water skis. "I bet you'll fall off the first chance you get!" Inuyasha said as he watched Sango step onto her weapon. "Not a chance. Who wants to go with me?" Kirara jumped onto the front, and Miroku got on with her, hands on her shoulders to steady himself. "If you try anything, you're dead." Sango said as she gave Miroku the evil eye. Inuyasha just smirked as the boat began to start.

A few minutes into the ride, and Sango loved it. She laughed out loud as the boomerang threatened to capsize, nearly throwing her into the water. She looked over at Inuyasha and laughed harder. He was lying down on the skis, hanging on for dear life. Miroku, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, like Sango. His arms were around her waist for stability, but they suddenly tightened, pulling her close. She smiled and relaxed, enjoying herself. It wasn't until Inuyasha fell into the water with a splash that she even noticed anything around her. She laughed again as a wet and bedraggled Inuyasha hauled himself up again as the boat headed back to shore.

Inuyasha was still wet and grumbling by the time they got back to shore. He shook himself off like a dog, and shook his head a while, to get water out of his ears. Kagome thought this was a perfectly good time to play with his ears. Inuyasha whipped around angrily. "Why'd you do that? I don't play with your ears every time you-" But Kagome had leaned against him and sighed, ignoring the lecture as she played with his hair. He sighed as well, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the rest of the group staring at him.

"So, Inuyasha," Sango said slyly, "you have a good time water-skiing?"

Inuyasha bared his teeth at her, then smirked. "So, Sango, you have a good time with Miroku?"

Sango stiffened and walked off, blushing bright red. Kagome tugged his ears, hard, and said, "Inuyasha, I thought we had worked on your people skills!" She shrugged off his arm and ran to go comfort Sango, who was really upset. Miroku was confused about the entire thing, while Kohaku was glaring daggers at Inuyasha. Everyone else was trying their best not to laugh as they waited for the girls to return.

Sango and Kagome finally did return, and everyone went their separate ways on the beach. Koga, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru were racing from the shore to a big rock, where Kagome was sitting, waiting for them. Shippo was building a sandcastle, with Sota's help. Rin was floating in the surf, relaxing. Kohaku was looking for crabs to put into a watery pit he made for them for the day. Ayame, Mrs. Higurashi and Kikyo were just relaxing and enjoying the beach. After discovering Miroku bothering other girls, Sango offered to go surfing with him on her boomerang, since it fit two people. He agreed happily, and they had a great time. Kirara was on Sango's shoulder, enjoying the free ride.

Everyone was staring at the band, wondering if they were just an illusion or if they were actually there. Some chased after everyone, begging for an autograph. Inuyasha saved the day by threatening to use the wind scar unless they left the group alone. The fans walked slowly away, trying not to turn back around and bother everyone. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, except for when Shippo pretended to be a shark and scared everyone half to death. The group hung out at the beach until they got hungry, and had dinner and came back. Almost everyone was gone except for loyal fans, so when they brought back their instruments and gear, they cheered wildly and cleared out an area for a stage.

"We decided you guys have been waiting so long on us, and we want to give you our gratitude and have a short concert!" Sango yelled into the equally loud crowd. The band got ready to play, as Sango finished with the introductions. The band played Owari nai Yume, Yura Yura, Grip, I Want to Change the World, and finished with I Am. The crowd loved it, and lots of people filmed the impromptu concert. The band had a lot of fun as well, not having to stretch their abilities to cover a full concert, so they played much better. As they went back to the hotel, everyone was in a really good mood, ready to fall into bed and sleep.

After warning Miroku that if he tried anything, he'd be sleeping outside, Sango curled up into a small ball and fell asleep, Kirara in her arms. She relaxed, falling asleep in minutes. Miroku watched her until she fell asleep, then fell asleep as fast as her, trying hard not to even move in her direction.

When Sango woke up in the middle of the night, something was different. For one thing, she wasn't curled up under the covers; she was sitting up in bed. She was leaning against Miroku, his arm around her, and she was crying. He was stroking her back, trying to get her to calm down.

"Sango, what's wrong?"

"It's just a dream," Sango replied, trying to keep from crying again, "about Naraku."

"But Naraku's been gone for five years…"

Sango couldn't keep not crying for much longer. "For me, Naraku's still here, still haunting me. The boy I got back that used to be my brother was not my brother. He had no memories. Then, when everything was going great, he remembers everything, and begs me to get rid of his memory, and I start all over again. I hate it!" She burst into tears again, her face buried in Miroku's chest. He held her close to him, rocking with her like she was a small child. "It's okay, Sango. Don't worry about it. We all want to help you out. You're like everyone's favorite sister. Even Inuyasha thinks that way, though he'd rather adopt Shippo than admit it." Sango's muffled voice sounded quivery, like she had just stopped crying. "Sometimes, I feel like this is all a dream, that I'll suddenly wake up and lose all of you, wake up as a nobody with no friends or family, an outcast. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!"

Miroku said nothing for a while, just trying to calm Sango down. When she had finally stopped crying, he said quietly, "This isn't a dream, Sango, this is reality. I'm never going to leave you behind. You know that, right?" Sango just nodded her head. "You must hate me, for keeping you awake like this. This really doesn't happen very often, and when it does, I just need to get it out of my system." Sango said. She looked up, expecting to see anger or annoyance on Miroku's face. Instead, he was confused. "What are you talking about? How can I hate you? Sango, I love you!" She looked up in surprise, and he kissed her gently. She blushed bright red, and said, "I love you too, Miroku." He stopped for a minute. "Sango, y-you do?" She nodded and he smiled at her. "We'll help you get your life back together, Sango. But for now, let's just sleep." Sango got under the covers of the bed, trying to keep warm. Miroku moved closer to her, arm around her. She moved closer to him, and the two of them fell asleep, oblivious to the world around them. Kirara burrowed under the covers next to Sango, and she fell asleep as well.

The next morning, everyone looked well rested, except for Inuyasha, who apparently had a fight with Kagome that forced him to sleep outside. He had stomped through the suite at about three in the morning, waking everyone up except for Sango, Miroku, and Kirara. He was still mad about it, muttering and giving everyone dark looks before leaving to find some peace and quiet. Deciding to improve his mood, Sango and Ayame decided to cook breakfast for everyone. Though Sango and Ayame were the best at cooking, Rin and Mrs. Higurashi helped with breakfast. Persuaded by the smell of something not cooked by Kagome, Inuyasha came in, ready to apologize. Kagome warily accepted, and everyone was ready to eat.

The breakfast was delicious, with biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, and more. Even Kikyo had some, though she was dead and didn't need to eat. Sesshoumaru, being a full demon, didn't need food either, and opted not to eat. With everyone with full stomachs and a considerably better mood, everyone decided to figure out what to do for the day. Kikyo decided to go back to Higurashi shrine with Kagome's Grampa and Mom, as something strange had been happening for the past few days. The rest of the girls decided to go shopping at the mall, the best way to relieve stress. Miroku opted to take them there for three reasons, one because no one was going to allow him to go to the beach by himself, two because Inuyasha and the others refused to or couldn't drive, and three because he was on a mission of his own. Everyone else decided to hang out at the beach, to relax for the day. They all agreed to meet back at the hotel around three thirty, so they could go out to dinner at a nice restaurant together. Everyone went to go get dressed, so they would be able to relax almost all day.

As soon as the girls got dressed, they raced downstairs so they would have plenty of time to shop. Miroku was already in the driver's seat, ready to go, looking as if he had been ready an hour ago. Sango reluctantly got into the passenger's seat, while the other three girls piled into the back, Kirara in Sango's lap. Miroku turned on the radio as he left the hotel parking lot, straight for the nearest mall. Surprisingly enough, the song on the radio was Fukai Mori, one of the band's songs. Sango turned it up, and soon the car was full of music. The girls were talking about random nonsense and pointless things on the way, oblivious to Miroku. Tired of being ignored, Miroku reached an arm over and patted Sango's backside. She hit him on the head with her purse, because her boomerang was safely stored in the trunk. Getting the hint, Kagome started talking about their next concerts. Sango was perfectly happy to be ignored as the others struck up a conversation. She started singing Owari Nai Yume softly to herself as the car pulled into the parking garage. Miroku stopped the car, and everyone got out, Kirara jumping into Sango's purse as they entered the department store.

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