InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Spring Fever ❯ Surprise Thanks ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12

 

Surprise Thanks

 

“WHAAAAT!?” was the noise to erupt from the house at dinner time. Apparently the miko told her mother and grandfather why the boy was keeping to himself. The miko's friends had made a similar noise when they came over to see how she was, common curiosity on the bandage. She had eased them easily enough, and Sesshomaru was invited to see one of those movies if a few days. He didn't really see what was so exciting about a movie. It was getting together to TV, right?

 

Some frantic discussion began after the outburst, and Sesshomaru easily shut it out. Many subjects crossed his conscious, such as Rin and Jaken, Bashamon, his predicament, and how pieces were lined up to render the future as they had. He was pondering the burns in his hand again when the sun began failing the day, curling his fingers and thumb to see where the arrow had nestled in his grip. Looking down the tunnel of his gripped hand, he easily shifted his knuckles and lined them up to make a clear and decently sized hole where the bulges of his skin use to be.

 

He regarded approaching footsteps with a glance, and was intrigued to see the mother standing a good twenty feet away. She bowed properly to him, hands folded meekly over her lap as her waist bent.

 

“Thank you for saving my son, my Lord,” she spoke formally. So far, only the grandfather had called him a lord, so this was good to his ears. “It was very courteous and noble of you. My sincerest thanks are yours, and please allow me to return your deed in some way.”

 

She didn't expect a reply from him, for she bowed and reentered her home. This gave Sesshomaru something else to think about. She used the word noble in a manner he realized was new, in reference to him. She did not say regal, or stately, or even compliment him like his retainers always did with the word majestic. She said he was noble, and it made him feel… good. Very good. She wasn't seeing him for his class, but rather hinted at it while complimenting his character and moral, and it was a surprisingly great feeling.

 

Tenseiga shook with a giggle at him. Fine, let the sword be humored. Sesshomaru wondered if the blade remembered his father experiencing such a thing; someone not fearing him, and giving him an honest judgment.

 

He heard himself chuckling, and decided to enjoy the rare laugh. He didn't know if he was elated or joining Tenseiga in the humor, but either way it was good.

 

The sun set.

 

Lights were turned off.

 

The night had settled on the shrine, and Sesshomaru was sitting in his usual spot on the short wall against the stairs. It did give him an excellent view of the soupy collection of stars which dragged through the night like fine silk.

 

The moon was a few nights shy of being full. Sesshomaru arrived in the future on the night of a new moon, and he vaguely wondered how his half brother managed against Bashamon. Probably not well, but nothing was mentioned in reference to that in the scroll he had read twelve days ago.

 

He couldn't see the home from this vantage point, but could hear the door open and close. He listened to bare feet pad closer, and the miko rounded the nearby corner shortly after coming out. She was in a matching top and bottom, yellow with odd brown, round eared doll faces printed all over them, and a blanked over her shoulders.

 

She stood there, and they decided to stare at each other for a minute.

 

“Hey,” she greeted, her voice a tad shaky. Certainly she wasn't cold… She came and sat a few feet from him on the wall, and he waited to see what she wanted.

 

The wind gusted slightly, still warm from the day, but she tugged her blanket more tightly, fingers worrying its hem.

 

“I just wanted to say thanks while I wasn't crying,” she finally spoke. “That was very stupid of me. So, thanks for being there.”

 

There was a bit more silence, and her worrying was focused to her lower lip.

 

She began again with a soft giggle. “You know, I couldn't sleep with that playing in my head… It reminds me of what happened to Sango, and I don't think I would be able to deal with that. Not when it would be my fault… Um, Kohaku travels with you now, right?”

 

… The miko was trying to have a casual conversation with him? “Yes, he does.”

 

She smiled at him, features highlighted with the moon at her back. She was turned to face him though, so the light cupped her face like a cool hand. “I thought so. Sango was a little shocked by that, but we were guessing that he needed some more time to recover. So, thanks for watching him for her.”

 

“He wishes to stay with Rin, not under my care,” Sesshomaru commented.

 

The miko looked humored and, oddly, warmed by this. “Really? I haven't interacted too much with Rin, but she seems like a very sweet girl.”

 

“Hn,” he breathed, amused.

 

“What?” the miko inquired, tucking her bare feet up to hang her toes over the edge of the wall, arms wrapping around her legs.

 

“Rin is kind spirited, but too energetic. Jaken has trouble keeping up with her.”

 

The miko laughed heartily. “Yep, kids are like that! Does she play with Kohaku a lot now?”

 

“He watches her from afar,” he replied. It was different to be having such a carefree conversation with the miko, but not disagreeable.

 

“Aw, how cute!” she beamed, lighting up the night for a moment. “My brother went through that a while ago, and Inuyasha and I had to push him into asking her to be his girlfriend, it was adorable. … I wonder if Rin will go with Kohaku when he goes back to Sango. Think she'd handle a demon slayer environment?”

 

Sesshomaru rolled his shoulders slightly in response.

 

The miko shifted. “Do you miss them?”

 

…

 

…

 

Did he miss them? His conscious immediately said `no, this Sesshomaru misses no one,' but really… “I would be lying if I said I did not.” This conversation was a bit too personal, but that didn't really bother him yet.

 

“Well, we'll get you back to them soon enough,” she affirmed, staring wistfully at the sky. “I have a feeling that the well will open sooner than we expect.”

 

Sesshomaru didn't know where she based this feeling off of, but he nodded with approval. The future was interesting, but it wasn't for him. Not yet anyway. Everything was far too different and sudden for him to feel comfortable with.

 

“Why don't we go out and do something fun tomorrow?”

 

His mind was rudely wrenched from his thoughts and he blinked at the miko.

 

“It'll be my way of saying thanks, since just saying it doesn't seem like enough. Plus, tomorrow's the first day that- Or, I'll make it a surprise!” She stood and clapped her hands with a smile. “Yes! That'll be my show of thanks! And don't worry, the trio of hormones won't be there to bug you, they've all got plans!”

 

There really was nothing to say to that, other than asking what the surprise was. She turned away and waved over her shoulder at him with a bidding of `good night,' and hightailed it for her home.

 

A surprise.

 

From a miko…

 

Eh… Couldn't be too interesting. After all, he'd seen far too many things already to be surprised by whatever she had in mind. He'd let her give her manner of thanks as a secret, that was fine. Yes, perfectly fine, because Sesshomaru didn't mind surprises and was not curious in the least.

 

…

 

“What are you planning, miko?”

 

“Sheesh! Stop asking already!” she bickered, making some morning tea while still wearing her silly sleeping outfit. “I promise, if you ask me that one more time I am NOT talking to you until we get there, and if you keep asking after that then we're not even going.”

 

She was handling him like a toddler… And with how well she was doing so he was beginning to think he was acting like one.

 

She yawned and had a seat at the tall table, stirring a little sack of herbs into her hot water. “I can't believe you woke me up, you jerk.”

 

Some conversation starter…

 

“I enjoy challenges,” he replied.

 

She almost snorted her drink up her nose and laughed. “Yeah, well, the average human needs about eight hours of sleep a night anyway, and I was up late talking with you! I probably didn't fall asleep until two, and there you are knocking at my door when the sun was rising.”

 

Which brought up a topic of interest for him. “What do you mean by this surprise being `not open yet'?”

 

“M,” she hummed, setting her cup down to warm her palms against. “Places that are open, or being run and managed by people who work there, during the day are not usually open at night. In other words, no one's around to run the places you'd want to go to at certain hours, so they can't help you in buying anything. Everything is locked up tight and the employees go home to rest.”

 

“They do not possess servants?” Sesshomaru asked.

 

“Well, yeah, sorta,” the miko grumbled. “Some places seem to partake in slave ownership, but that's beside the point. There are no slaves or servants in most countries in the future. Everyone needs money to survive, so everyone is paid fairy. Also, human rights are in effect. Thanks to those, there's a minimum wage, and people go to work in the places that can pay them the most for their level of skill. Does that make sense?”

 

“Human rights??” he asked, his reality doing a sudden one-eighty.

 

“Yep,” she affirmed. “It wasn't always like that. Japan was one of the latter states to initiate complete rights. Even women didn't get civil rights until after world war two.”

 

“World war?” That sounded incredibly interesting. He had studied and participated in many wars, but a war to encompass the entire world? It sounded fabulous.

 

“Oh, that,” she began. “Oye, yes, examples of immense human stupidity. I'll get some library books for you to read if you'd like, you might find it entertaining.” She gave him a look then. “What language do you read anyway? Japanese, Chinese or even Korean?”

 

Um… Did she want him to list them off?

 

“Jindai moji, Hangul, kanbun, kojiki, man'yÅgana, hiragana, katakana, kanji-“

 

“Please stop talking!” the miko pleaded. “Oh, my poor, poor head…”

 

“Why did you ask?” he inquired.

 

“To be nice!” she whimpered. “Then you go ahead and spew all those out like it's an every day thing…”

 

He smirked. “That was not even half.”

 

“Well,” she sighed, “I don't envy you and your studies. I'd hate to learn all that. The last three though are what you need to know, so that's good. The rest are dead languages.”

 

“Dead?”

 

“Yeah. A side effect of a unified land and wars. Now the dominating language is English, which I'm pretty good at now.”

 

“English!?” Those oddly faced people from across the seas and lands?? What the… Sesshomaru must have died before the wars began, like hell he'd let that happen.

 

“Well, American English,” the miko stated.

 

“American?” A sudden ringing pierced the air and Sesshomaru looked up at the timer the miko had set for him to look at.

 

“M, yeah. Don't worry, you'll learn all about them if you're a fast reader.” She turned the annoying thing off. “Ready to leave?”

 

Sesshomaru was hard pressed to not listen, but after quite a bit of arguing and debating he left behind his armor and swords. The miko, satisfied, was called away by her mom who said something was ready, and asked that he wait a minute. It took a while, but she finally came back out wearing the darnest thing.

 

“Well?” she asked, displaying a dark blue summer kimono with a properly tied yellow obi and matching string bag, clacking over in lacquered sandals. Vivid red and white koi fish decorated the hem and sleeves, and when she turned in demonstration as she approached he saw some on her back as well. He never imagined that she would sacrifice her usual attire for something he was use to seeing, though the style was admittedly different. “My mom needed to find the obi, so that's what the delay was over. Other than that, now people won't be staring at you so oddly when we arrive!”

 

He opened his mouth to reply, and with a flush she talked over him.

 

“And I don't care if you don't care about what they think about you, because I do!”

 

That was a tongue twister, and when he made sense of it he smirked, which made her a little annoyed. “You look nice.”

 

She lost control of her face and gapped at him, then gave a horrible flush.

 

“Um, yeah, thanks,” she muttered, playing with the thin, lighter blue yukata sleeve hiding inside the kimono's. “Alright, let's not waste the daylight and get going!”

 

The day was off to a great start, for Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, got to ride in a shiny. It was such a smooth form of transportation! And by kami, what was in these seats?

 

“I figured you wouldn't want to be stuck on the side walks with people colliding into you,” the miko stated, sitting nearby in the last row of seating, wearing the `seat belt'. “This is a public form of transportation, and you pay depending on how far you go. It's called a taxi.”

 

Sesshomaru pressed a little button in the funny shaped door, and there was a sudden whirling noise. The sounds from outside leaked noisily in, and he learned that the button lowered the glass. He had the miko show him how to reverse what he did so as to avoid the smells and the heat. Speaking of heat, AC was a splendid thing.

 

The ride took them quite a ways. From the tall buildings and most of the crowds. Sesshomaru had never seen so many people in his life.

 

“Will you be needing a ride back?” the man asked when they stopped, regarding Sesshomaru through a mirror.

 

Sesshomaru looked to the miko.

 

“We'll bother someone else, thanks,” she said while digging through her small bag. “What's the damage?”

 

Damage?

 

“Two hundred yen,” he stated.

 

With a wince, she handed over the sum, then instructed Sesshomaru on how to open the door, and they exited the taxi.

 

“We're here!”

 

There was a vast expanse of road with stilled shinnies filling it, but the event seemed to be behind him.

 

…

 

Dear kami, what in the name of sanity was that?

 

“I'll bet you've never been to a fair before!” the miko giggled. “Come on, let's go get our tickets!”

 

Were there lines and tickets associated to everything that was fun? The miko had to threaten erecting a barrier around him after the first ten minutes of line waiting, and after another five they were promptly assisted and filtered through an odd gate.

 

“No, Sesshomaru, you let it turn as you walk through it, like I did,” she instructed on the other side, wearing a bright orange band around her wrist, another one in her other hand. So, his thighs had to push that odd tri-bared wheel, and then his rump would be pushed ahead?

 

The miko sighed, smirking for some reason, and grasping the bar she tugged it forward and made it click. “Want to jump over now?”

 

When they got into the walled area the miko insisted on putting the spare orange band on his wrist, and when he couldn't figure it out he allowed her to secure it for him.

 

“You see, this is why they do it for you at the window,” she was muttering, securing the little band as he stared at everything that was happening around him. It was all so… colorful. And loud. Very loud. Louder than the miko's brother. “Here, can you cut the excess off so it doesn't tug at your sleeve?”

 

It was snipped, and they were off.

 

“Anything look good?” she asked him once they reached the middle of the place. Or, he thought it was the middle. He couldn't tell, there were too many scents here to mark where he'd already been and everything was far too noisy. He told her this, and she nodded. “Okay, I know what will make you feel a little better.”

 

“Tickets please!” came several voices at various large machines. Thanks to the bands though, they were able to bypass all of the impossibly long lines and instead had to wait in short ones.

 

“They may cost a few months of allowance, but they're sure handy!” the miko commented, holding out her wrist to a man in a uniform vest and hopping through. Sesshomaru showed his and followed, watching as she clambered into a steel cage.”

 

“It rocks?” he asked, grabbing the wall when he sat down.

 

“Yeah. They tend to scare me,” she admitted. “I don't know why, but the Ferris Wheel is usually the one I hate the most.”

 

“That is what this is called?” he asked, grabbing the other side of their cage when the door was secured and manipulating his body weight.

 

“YOU JERK!!” she shrieked when they suddenly rocked, laughing nonetheless.

 

“Does this make a full circle?” he wanted to know, enhancing the swing. This was pretty fun.

 

“Yes, but we'll be kicked off and I chose this ride for your sake, you ass!” she giggled, clinging to her place. “If you want to spin then there are plenty of other rides to do that on, so please stop!”

 

He let the cage settle, but before it came to a full stop they were being lifted.

 

What a view.

 

“Alright, I just thought you'd like to see everything that's here before we started,” she stated, him shifting in his seat to look around. He saw quite a bit, but he wouldn't be able to get a proper view until they reached the top, so he stilled. She seemed relieved when he kept his seat, and placed her hands in her lap.

 

There was silence, which he didn't mind because that gave him time to think about all of this.

 

“They sell corn dogs here,” she commented, glancing at him with her sapphire blue eyes. “We can get some after this if you want.”

 

He nodded.

 

She fidgeted.

 

The ride moved.

 

“So, are there any rides that seem interesting?”

 

She didn't like silence. At least, not while she was alone with him.

 

“We'll see,” he replied, glancing out the wired over wall. They reached the top of the wheel's circle, and he explored. She took several deep breaths whenever he changed location, making the cart swing ever so gently. “It is all interesting,” he finally replied, looking down at her. She looked ready to be sick.

 

He was so glad Tenseiga wasn't nearby for this.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked when he braced the sides of his feet to the odd chairs where they welded to the floor. “Oh kami,” she breathed, looking ready to cry as he gripped the steel sides, his back now facing the door and the miko searching for a good hold in front of him. “Please, don-“

 

He yanked the cage right when the ride began its decent, and even though it moved only slightly she let out a scream. He built up its momentum, aiming for a full circle loop like so many people had tried to do while they were below and waiting in line.

 

“Sesshomaru!! Please stop!!” she screamed, cowering in on herself when the suspended cage turned even more sharply. He was enjoying himself, not scared in the least, and watched as her eyes went wide when her back was placed lower than her knees, her still sitting in the chair and looking straight up into the night. “SESSHOMARU!!”

 

He yanked it to the other side, and she lost her seat and clung to the meshed steal openings to avoid falling into the opposite bench.

 

“This isn't funny!” she cried, sinking back into her seat when the cage swung like a pendulum in the other direction.

 

“This is hilarious!” he informed her, actually laughing. She screamed again when her feet fell and she stood on the seat that was once opposite her, Sesshomaru's hair getting into his face. He hadn't had this much fun since he was a child.

 

He braced for the next swing, aiming for a three quarters turn this time around, but faltered. The miko defied gravity and lunged at him, grabbing as tightly as she could around his back and onto his shoulders from behind. He released one hand to pry her off, and the cage swung.

 

He hadn't calculated the momentum the steel cage would have in weight, and compensating for the motion his feet shifted automatically. With a world-spinning sensation his secured hand was wrenched loose and he sat heavily on one of the benches.

 

The miko gripped him harder when he fell and buried her scream into his chest, knocking some air out of his lungs when he landed with her colliding on top of him.

 

The cage spun, and his move to try and remove her had him not only sitting up but tipping over too, her clutching weight pulling him over her.

 

This was-

 

The cage spun again, a little more lightly, but still enhancing his movement too much, and he found himself laying on the bottom of the cage with the miko clinging desperately to him. Slamming his feet and arms against the walls of the seats he oriented himself. He was sprawled and very untidy, and the miko was being herself.

 

“Kami, this isn't happening!” he heard her whimper, their cage swinging them like a hammock now. “This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening.”

 

Sesshomaru was about to scold her, and the ride lurched to a stop.

 

She screamed in a very squeaky manner and completely overlooked Sesshomaru's comfort for her security, her arms completely wrapped around his torso and legs curving to his own as though he were her current brace in reality. This wasn't the best of things, because that meant she was squirming between his lifted knees while holding him like... that.

 

“Miko,” he stated, voice wavering ever so slightly. She didn't respond at all, and he felt that she was shaking with fear. “Miko!” She didn't reply, or move, until the ride began again and she dug her nails into the back of his haori, little fists knotting under his shoulder blades. “Kagome!”

 

Her head shot up immediately, the ghost of fear on her blanched face and shock widening her watery eyes. She saw his stern expression, and instead of registering her position and moving, her lips widened in a sobbing manner and her lower lids bunched to brace against tears.

 

“YOU BASTARD!!” she bellowed, fists thumping his chest harmlessly. “Why'd you do that!? You had me scared to death!!”

 

He gave up his brace and deftly grabbed her wrists, shifting slightly from the still rocking cage, and she cringed at the motion and didn't fight his restraining her.

 

“I don't want to die,” she breathed, so scared that her voice was level. Her eyes clamped shut as two tears fell onto his clothing. “God, these rides aren't always secure. I don't want to die.”

 

He felt his expression soften slightly. He hadn't thought of that. She was worried that their ride would go flying off its hinges and send them careening to the ground. He'd survive it, hands down, but she probably wouldn't at that height. He imagined how Rin would react, and was pretty sure that it would be worse than the miko's actions. It was a human instinct to save one's self in the best way possible, so he was only minutely begrudging of the whole situation he got themselves into. They could have landed in a better position, for starters.

 

Tired of sliding from side to side, Sesshomaru let the miko go and resumed holding himself in place, and the less the ride shook the quicker she recovered. When it slowed to the lull of ocean waves, she removed her fingers from the sides of his shoulder blades and braced her hands on the floor at his sides, lifting herself up.

 

Blinking a few times, the discomfort was worth her look of mortification.

 

“Oh!” she cried, jumping to her feet and slumping onto a bench. “Oh kami, you're going to kill me now, aren't you?”

 

He sat up, and lifted himself onto the opposite seat, and began brushing off. Ew. “When you get boring, probably.”

 

She was silent, kimono covered hands over her mouth, and after a short while she was giggling.

He threw her a questioning look, shanking his head slightly so his hair straightened out and organizing his layered clothing, which was a hassle.

 

“I...” she began, shoulders shaking. “I can't believe I just did that! Oh kami, are you sure you're not going to feed me my own legs?”

 

Feed her her what? “Keep giving me ideas, and I will be hard pressed not to consider them, miko.”

 

Her mirth disappeared, and a considering look crossed her face. “You said my name.”

He paused.

 

“You never said my name before,” she commented. “I guess if I want you to call me Kagome, I have to woman-handle you more, ne?”

 

He smirked. Some conclusion. “Add to that simple thought process the fact that next time you try as much this Sesshomaru will not be so merciful.”

 

She nodded, sucking on her lower lip, and looked with surprised over at the men opening the door of the ride. She almost tripped over her kimono as she scrambled out, snatching her bag off the floor at the last moment, and Sesshomaru followed.

 

“So, now I have to say sorry for two things,” she pondered aloud, pausing in eating her corn dog. “That's going to be hard.”

 

There really was no dignified way to eat corn dogs, was there? The miko had ordered a soda for him as well as food, and he was hard pressed to swallow the fizzy, sugary overload. She got him a water instead, and shortly after eating what she called an unhealthy breakfast she decided to show him what the buildings were.

 

The House of Mirrors was one of the most confusing places Sesshomaru had ever been in, because it was a maze of images of himself in a very dark room. He quickly concluded that he hated dead ends, and the miko came and found him more than once. At the end, there was an obvious door, and to get to it one had to walk past wall mounted mirrors.

 

The miko laughed, and he looked over. The mirror was revealing how she'd look with a small body and an overly huge head, eyes now the size of her brain and blinking.

 

“I look like a chihuahua!”

 

She looked even scarier than when she does after waking every day...

 

“Ready for a really fun ride?!” she asked excitedly once they had stepped outside.

 

Of course he was.

 

She walked briskly for the giant gleaming structure Sesshomaru had eyed in particular from the Ferris Wheel. It looked like a large and thick spider web, cut in various places, and people in connected roofless shinnies rode its top while screaming.

 

“Roller Coaster, here we come!” the miko cheered, running the rest of the way for the line that just came in sight.