InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shingetsu Incorporated ❯ First Meetings ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 4: Movies and Friends

Inukigo trudged back down the stairs ten minutes later, now wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants, and a tight black t-shirt that showed off her midriff. Her hair was also free of the bun that she usually wore for work, now held back in a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck. Laughing to herself as she recalled the faces of the two teenagers she had caught in the living room earlier, she hoped that she hadn’t embarrassed them too much. When she reached the entrance to the living room, she saw that both Inuyasha and Kagome had cooled down, but her brother was still glaring at her fiercely. Inukigo laughed lightly and entered the room, sitting in the chair so that she was facing the couch.

“Inuyasha, stop glaring at me. I was just having a bit of fun.”

“Keh.”

“Oh, don’t be that way. Now, why don’t you introduce us?”

Inuyasha sighed, deciding to give up on his irritation.

“Inukigo, this is Kagome. Kagome, this is my sister, Inukigo.”

Kagome smiled and waved sheepishly, and Inukigo smiled back warmly.

“Have you already shown Kagome around the house?” Inukigo asked.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha nodded, then a realization struck him, “Except for the basement. You’ll like it down there, Kagome.”

“Why?” Kagome asked.

“The basement was converted into a dojo. Are you a martial artist Kagome?” Inukigo asked.

Kagome blushed and nodded as she straightened out her legs.

Inukigo leaned forward with interest.

“Really? For how long?”

“Almost 10 years now.”

“Well, how about we show you the dojo? And we’ll have to see how skilled you are before you leave.”

“Actually, sis, Kagome is staying over for movie night. She’s allowed to sleep over, but her mom wants to talk to you.”

“Oh. Well, can I have your number Kagome? I’ll call her while you two go downstairs.”

Kagome nodded and told her the number.

“Um, Inukigo, I kinda didn’t tell Kagome’s mom the actual sleeping arrangements when she asked…”

“What did you tell her Inuyasha?” Inukigo asked, setting a stern frown on her face.

“Uh…I didn’t tell her that Kouga would be staying. She thinks that Sango shares your room and Miroku takes the spare.”

“Why did you do that?”

“She was thinking about letting Kagome stay over, and I didn’t know what she would think if I told her that Kouga would be staying with you.”

Inukigo sighed and shook her head.

“I’ll explain it to her Inuyasha. Though you really shouldn’t have lied, I understand why you did it,” she said, giving him a knowing smile that had both teens blushing lightly, “Go on downstairs, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Thanks nee-chan.”

Inukigo waved them off and gestured them towards the staircase that went down to the basement. Inuyasha led the way with Kagome at his side. Just as they were getting ready to descend the stairs, they heard Inukigo begin speaking into the phone.

“Hello, Higurashi-san. This is Inukigo; Inuyasha’s sister. My brother has just informed me that you wished to speak with me…”

Her voice trailed off as the two teenagers made their way down to the basement-turned-dojo, Inuyasha in front with Kagome following behind him. When they turned the corner and Kagome saw the room, she could do nothing gape at it.

“Oh, wow…”

Inuyasha smiled at her reaction. The dojo took up almost the entire basement, save for a room that doubled as a storage and laundry room. There was also an impressive array of weapons and training equipment covering the walls, as well as a large punching bag off to one side. There was also a nearly full trophy case against the far wall.

“This is incredible.”

“It was Inukigo’s idea,” Inuyasha explained, “She had it done just before we moved into the house. Said that it wouldn’t be complete without a training room. We’ve had some pretty awesome matches down here.”

“So Inukigo is into martial arts too?” Kagome asked.

Inuyasha scoffed.

“Way more than just ‘into’ it. She’s a pro. She was in tournaments all the time when she was younger. She’s still invited to participate in tournaments occasionally. I’ve been in a few before too, but none lately.”

“I guess they were all private tournaments, I’ve never heard of either of you on the circuit before.”

“We prefer it that way,” came a voice from the stairs.

Both teens turned to see Inukigo at the base of the stairs behind them.

“Why?”

“Well,” Inukigo began, “we get enough heat because of the Takahashi name, as well as Shingetsu Incorporated. Fighting is something that we both enjoy, and we prefer to keep it private so it isn’t just another thing for the public to hound us on.”

Kagome nodded.

“I can understand that. I’ve never been in a tournament before, but I’ve seen what the pros have to deal with. I’m not sure I would want the fame either.”

Inukigo smiled at the younger girl warmly, then cast a glance at her brother.

“Inuyasha, you forgot to introduce Kagome to someone. She’s very disappointed.”

Kagome looked confused, while Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose.

“Aw, shit. Is she mad?”

Inukigo shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know, ask her yourself.”

Turning slightly back towards the staircase, Inukigo made a beckoning motion with one hand. Kagome heard the footsteps of someone coming down over the stairs, but it sounded like more than one person. She was shocked when a large white dog appeared behind Inukigo and seemed to glare and Inuyasha. Her shock faded almost immediately though, and she had to fight to keep from squealing.

“Oh my gosh! She’s gorgeous! What’s her name?”

Inukigo smiled again at the girl’s excitement.

“This,” she said, laying a hand on the dog’s head, “is Tenshi. Tenshi, this is Kagome. Be nice,” this was directed at the dog, then Inukigo turned back to Kagome, “Be a bit careful of her at first Kagome. She can be a little territorial around strange females sometimes, but I don’t think you really need to worry about it with Inuyasha and I here.”

Kagome was still delighted at the sight of the dog, seemingly unfazed by Inukigo’s slight warning. She crouched down so she was closer to Tenchi’s eye level and continued to observe the dog as she asked questions.

“Is she a pure-bred Akita?”

Inukigo nodded.

“Well…yes and no.”

Kagome looked up in confusion, and Inukigo began to explain.

“Tenshi has a bit of demon blood in her. I’m not exactly sure how much, but it’s less than half. It’s made her a bit bigger than a normal Akita by a few inches, she’s much smarter, and she’ll live quite a bit longer than the average dog. She’s also been know to hold a grudge for a time,” she said, giving Inuyasha a meaningful glance.

The younger hanyou sighed and approached the dog before kneeling in front of her and scratching her head affectionately.

“I didn’t mean to forget about you. I’m really sorry that I didn’t introduce you to Kagome right away, okay?”

The dog barked once then licked up one side of his face in what Kagome assumed to be acceptance of Inuyasha’s apology. Inuyasha then turned and motioned Kagome over beside him, encouraging her to get to know the dog. Both he and Inukigo were on alert in case Tenchi decided that she wasn’t happy with Kagome’s presence. They were surprised when the dog tentatively sniffed Kagome’s hand and gave it a lick. Kagome giggled and reached to scratch behind the dog’s ears, and Tenchi’s eyes immediately rolled back in her head and a contented growl rose up in her throat.

“She certainly likes you,” Inukigo commented, “It usually takes her time to get used to new females. She gets jealous so easily.”

Tenshi licked Kagome’s cheek, earning a giggle from the girl. Inuyasha smiled and looked up at his sister.

“How did the talk with Higurashi-san go?”

“Well,” Inukigo began, “she just wanted to make sure it was alright with me if Kagome stayed over for the night. I also mentioned that I had asked my boyfriend to spend the night without your knowledge. She was very understanding and said that she was perfectly fine with it.”

Inuyasha blushed and gave a small smile.

“Thanks for covering for me nee-chan.”

Inukigo waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not that big a deal. No more lying though, I mean it,” she said sternly.

“I got it,” Inuyasha replied with a nod.

“Good,” Inukigo then turned her attention to Kagome, “So, what do you think of the dojo?”

Kagome stood up with a bright smile on her face.

“It’s amazing! I’ve never seen a personal dojo before.”

“Well then, do you think that we’ll be able to test you some time before you leave?”

Kagome looked a little reluctant.

“I-I don’t know. I mean…you’re both half demons. I wouldn’t be able to measure up to you, since I’m only human.”

Inukigo gave her a soft smile.

“I know that we outmatch you in strength and speed; there’s no way around that. But we should be able to judge how skilled you are by how well you do against either of us,” she then seemed to have another thought, “Or we can have you spar against Sango, since she’s human and you would be more evenly matched,” her face brightened as another idea came to her, “Or maybe we can have a team tournament, girls against guys.”

Inuyasha was instantly opposed to the idea.

“Aw, c’mon sis. You know Miroku couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag. Why do we have to get stuck with him?”

Inukigo just grinned at him.

“It would be the best two out of three, so you and Kouga could still stand a chance at winning. It’ll be fun.”

“I guess so,” Inuyasha grumbled, “What do you think Kagome? You okay with it?”

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Kagome replied warily. She wasn’t prepared for something like this at all!

“Well, now that that’s settled, why don’t we go and get dinner ready. Any requests Kagome?”

“No, anything is fine.”

“Okay then, I’m thinking that oden would be good. Any objections?”

Kagome shook her head enthusiastically.

“No way, I love oden.”

Inukigo smiled.

Inuyasha wasn’t kidding when he said it was her favourite food.

“Alright. It’s my turn to cook, but would you two like to help?”

Kagome nodded and Inuyasha decided to go along with the women instead of being the odd one out.

“Good, then we can go out and get supplies for tonight after we eat.”

Inukigo, Inuyasha, and Kagome made their way back upstairs, with Tenshi following closely behind. Dinner was an enjoyable experience, where Inukigo confirmed that Inuyasha could indeed cook and declared that he would prepare lunch for everyone the next day as proof, much to Inuyasha’s embarrassment. After they had cleaned up, everyone -- minus the dog -- piled into Inukigo’s car and they set off in search of supplies for their upcoming movie night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

“Sis, did we really need all this stuff?”

Inukigo turned to look over her shoulder at her brother, though she couldn’t see his face behind the grocery bags he was carrying.

“Of course. We’re going to have our little tournament before we start watching movies, and I’m sure everyone will work up an appetite; specifically you and Kouga. I’d prefer having food prepared for that purpose, instead of everyone raiding the cupboards and refrigerator,” she happened to look up at the clock in the kitchen, “It’s nearly seven, the other’s will be here soon. Why don’t you two go set up the living room while I get food ready?”

Inuyasha dropped his bags on the island in the kitchen, and Kagome put down the few that she was carrying beside them.

“Okay. C’mon Kagome.”

Both teens moved to the living room and Inuyasha began to show Kagome what needed to be done in order accommodate everyone comfortably. By the time everything was ready, it was just about seven, and the front door opened and someone called out.

“Hello?”

Inukigo smiled as she replied.

“Hey Miroku, Sango! C’mon in.”

There was some shuffling in the front porch, then two people appeared and made their way to the kitchen, where Inukigo, Inuyasha, and Kagome were waiting. One was a man with black hair tied back into a short ponytail, deep blue eyes, and a kind, innocent face. He wore a short-sleeved, dark purple button-up shirt, un-tucked over black jeans. The other was a woman with long, chestnut brown hair, brown eyes, and a warm smile. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt that fit her snugly and light pink, form fitting track pants. Feeling just a little bit out of place in the room with the hanyou siblings and their friends, Kagome half hid behind Inuyasha in an attempt to avoid notice. Inukigo must have noticed the girl’s unease because she wrapped an arm boldly around Kagome’s shoulders and pulled her out into view.

“We have a new guest this time around guys. This is Higurashi, Kagome -- Inuyasha’s new friend from school. Kagome, these are Taijya, Sango and Houshi, Miroku.”

Kagome blushed from being put on the spot, but managed to gather herself enough to bow in greeting.

“Nice to meet you both. Inuyasha has told me a lot about you.”

“We’ve heard quite a bit about you in the last few days too, Kagome. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Sango replied.

“That it is,” Miroku agreed, then it seemed as though he just appeared before Kagome and was holding her hand, “I must say that you are every bit as beautiful as I pictured you to be. Kagome, I was wondering, may I ask-”

He was cut off by a fist connecting with his head.

“No you may not ask,” Sango seethed as she shook her fist at him.

“H-hai, Sango,” Miroku replied sheepishly while rubbing the lump on his head.

Kagome stood then in shock with a crimson blush on her face.

No wonder he has such an innocent face…it’s to hide the fact that he has absolutely no innocence! And Sango looks pretty mad…maybe they’re dating…will she be mad at me because he was flirting? Oh my…

Inukigo still had her arm around Kagome’s shoulders and noticed the girl’s stunned expression. She chuckled softly, catching Kagome’s attention.

“Don’t mind him Kagome, Miroku is always like that. He’s just a bit of a pervert, that’s all.”

Sango scoffed.

“‘Just a bit’? Sure, whatever you say.”

Inukigo began to laugh harder, so Inuyasha explained.

“What Inukigo means is that Miroku has this habit of asking every woman he meets to ‘bare his child.’ He doesn’t mean anything by it, he’s just been doing it for so long that he feels compelled to say it whenever he sees a woman.”

“Yeah,” Inukigo said when she got her laughter under control, “He’s been doing it since he hit puberty and discovered that girls weren’t as gross as he thought. I was his first victim…though back then it wasn’t just that stupid question,” she said, sending the nervous man in question an annoyed glare.

Inuyasha coughed and started laughing while Inukigo and Sango continued to give Miroku glares. Kagome still wasn’t sure what to make of everything.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the owner of the new voice, who was standing in the hallway just outside the dining room. Inukigo smiled and withdrew her arm from Kagome’s shoulders then walked over to the newcomer, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

“Hey, Kouga.”

Kouga smiled and put an arm around her, then gave her a quick chaste kiss.

“Hi babe. Looks like I’m the last one here.”

Inukigo gave a little laugh.

“As usual. Miroku and Sango only got here a few minutes ago though, so you’re not that late.”

Kouga looked up from his girlfriend and took notice of the new addition to the group standing behind and a little off to the side of Inuyasha.

“Oh, and who’s this?”

Kagome was sure her face would be permanently red if she was put on the spot anymore. Inuyasha was the one that answered Kouga’s question.

“This is Kagome. She’s just shy because nee-chan and Miroku embarrassed her.”

“Oh, is that so?” Kouga said, eyeing his girlfriend knowingly. He then walked around Inukigo and moved to stand in front of Kagome, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Kagome. My name is Ookami, Kouga, and just between you and me,” he leaned down a little closer to her ear, “Don’t mind these weirdos, you’ll get used to their antics in no time.”

Kagome’s eyes widened then a small smirk broke out on her face.

“Hey!” Inuyasha yelled indignantly, “Our antics? What about yours, mangy wolf?”

Kouga sent the younger half demon a smirk.

“What’s the matter? Afraid that I’ll make you look bad in front of your new friend, inukuro?”

Inuyasha blushed hotly and growled in retaliation.

“N-no! And I told you not to call me that!”

“That’s enough,” Inukigo interjected, coming to stand between the two boys in order to prevent a spat that she knew would result if she let them continue, “Now, both of you calm down. We have the whole night ahead of us, and I’d rather not start with a fight between you two. Alright?”

Both Kouga and Inuyasha nodded and backed off, letting Inukigo release a relieved sigh.

“Good. Now that that’s settled, I have an announcement to make.”

“Are you pregnant?” A voice interrupted.

Inukigo turned to pin a glare on the man who looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. Beside him, Sango was trying as well but not doing as good of a job.

“Funnnnny, Miroku,” Inukigo ground out, “Are you looking for a concussion tonight?”

Miroku continued smiling, but held his hands up defensively in hopes of warding off her anger. But then, everyone’s attention was drawn to a soft laughter coming from Inuyasha’s direction. Kagome was giggling lightly and trying to get herself under control.

“I-I’m sorry. I just think that I’ve adjusted to being around all of you now,” she looked up with her eyes filled with mirth, “It’s funny to hear you arguing, since I can tell that none of you really mean it. You must all be very close if you can fight that way.”

The rest of the room’s occupants smiled at the girl in return, and it was Inukigo who spoke to her.

“I’m glad that you feel comfortable around us all now, Kagome. Now, as I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” she said, sending Miroku another glare, to which he just grinned, “I have a little announcement. Inuyasha, Kagome, and I have decided that before we start watching movies tonight, we should have a little…competition.”

“Competition?” Sango asked, “What kind of competition?”

Inukigo smiled wickedly.

“A martial arts competition of course.”

Kouga, Sango, and Miroku all turned surprised looks to Kagome, who did a little better at keeping her blush down. Kouga was the one to speak first.

“You’re a fighter, Kagome?” he asked. Kagome nodded and smiled sheepishly, “You didn’t tell us about that Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha shrugged.

“I didn’t find out myself until today.”

Kouga nodded in understanding.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Me too,” Sango agreed, “It’ll be fun.”

Miroku, however, did not seem to share her sentiments.

“Just a second…I’m not so sure about this.”

“Yeah, well too bad. You’ve been outvoted Miroku,” Inukigo replied.

“But…but…”

“We’ll make sure you don’t get bruised up too much, Houshi,” Kouga said, throwing an arm over the other man’s shoulders.

Miroku looked to be anything but reassured.

“Don’t worry Miroku,” Inukigo said, “We’re going to be in teams of threes; boy versus girls. So you don’t have to worry about Inuyasha or Kouga beating you up at least.”

Miroku’s expression didn’t get any better, but Kouga and Inuyasha both had ‘aw, shucks’ looks on their faces.

“Enough of that now,” Inukigo continued, “Everyone go get ready and we’ll meet down in the dojo in ten minutes for a warm-up.”

Everyone agreed, though Miroku was a little reluctant, and went their separate ways in order to prepare themselves for their upcoming private competition.

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This chapter came together pretty fast, so I decided that I should go ahead and put it up now since it’s all finished. No sense in making you wait. The next chapter of All Things Come Full Circle is coming along as well, and I’m aiming to have it done and posted within a week (crosses fingers).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I’m glad you all liked the chapter. A belated Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year!