InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The 500 Year Engagement ❯ The 500 Year Engagement - Girlfriends ( Chapter 3 )

The 500-Year Engagement - Girlfriends

By Majicman55

 

Disclaimer: The characters from “InuYasha” are not mine; they are the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I do not benefit financially from these writings. I just like to play with the characters.

 

“Higurashi!”

 

Kagome sighed and looked up. She'd recognized Hojo's voice, of course. Until now she had been paying just enough attention to reach school and avoid being hit by a bus on the way. “Oh, hi, Hojo.” If she'd been paying more attention, she might have avoided this meeting. Already, she was receiving a mental image of what InuYasha would like to do to the poor boy.

 

Hojo pushed a small package into her hands. “This is for you, Kagome.”

 

“I'm not sick, anymore, Hojo. You don't have to bring me things.”

 

“Just look inside.”

 

Kagome opened the top of the parcel. There, inside, was a corsage.

 

“It's for you to wear to the dance, Kagome.”

 

“That's right. Hojo still thinks I'm going to the dance with him.” She seemed to hear InuYasha growling in the back of her head. “But what am I supposed to do with it? Won't it die?”

 

“No, no. It's in water and there's an ice pack in the bottom of the bag to keep it cool. You can put it in your locker and take it home the end of the day.”

 

“Umm…sure thing.” She looked at the flower dubiously. It had already started to wilt. She looked up. “Listen, Hojo…huh?” She looked around and found Hojo almost to the school doors.

 

“Don't forget, Kagome. I'm picking you up early so we can get something to eat.”

 

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but she suddenly felt InuYasha's rapid approach. “Osuwa—“ She stopped. InuYasha had stopped, too. “Good boy,” she thought.

 

“Feh!” came the answer.

 

 

******************

 

 

After a brief stop at her locker…where (suspiciously enough) she found Ayumi, Eri and Yuka waiting for her and wanting to see the corsage Hojo had given her…Kagome eventually found herself in her first period class.

 

“Ohayo.”

 

“Ohayo, sensei.”

 

“Today, class, we have a new student joining us. Our new student's name is Rin…Rin Taisho, I believe.”

 

“Hai.”

 

Kagome looked up. “Rin?”

 

The girl smiled at Kagome, then sat beside her. “Hi, cousin.”

 

“Apparently our new student is related to Kagome Higurashi, and it was requested that she be given a seat next to her.” The teacher looked directly at the two girls. “I trust you'll wait till after class to catch up.”

 

Kagome and Rin looked at each other for a second, and then back to the teacher. “Hai!”

 

 

******************

 

 

It had been maddening to go through the day, finding out that Rin had been placed in all her classes, but not being able to talk with her. Finally, lunch arrived…and the two girls found a relatively quiet corner of the schoolyard.

 

“Rin! What are you doing here?”

 

“I might ask you the same thing, Kagome.” Something of the playful girl Kagome remembered from the feudal era appeared in Rin's eyes every time the girl smiled. “You certainly don't need to go to school. As I remember, you graduated about eighty years ago.”

 

“It's not the same thing. You know I want to graduate in front of Mama and ji-chan, and Sota.”

 

Rin smiled and shook her head. “Fluffy says it's an honor thing. I think he understands it more than I do.”

 

“Yeah, he would. But why are you here? It's not like you need to go to school.”

 

Sesshoumaru had seen to it that Rin's education was not neglected and the girl now had several advanced degrees. Somehow it was not surprising that the discipline which attracted her most was medicine, and it amused Kagome that Rin was both a doctor and a veterinarian.

 

“Oh, Fluffy asked me to keep an eye on you. Besides, I was bored.”

 

“Better stop calling him `Fluffy' or you'll get real un-bored real fast.”

 

Rin giggled. “Why? You think he'll punish me?” Rin pouted at Kagome. “Lord Sesshoumaru. Lord Sesshoumaru. Rin is sorry if she upset you!” Rin batted her eyes a few times and tears began to well up.

 

“Stop that!” But Kagome couldn't help giggling.

 

“I learned it from you.”

 

“Did not!”

 

“Pfft! You use tears on dog-boy all the time.”

 

“I do not!” Kagome protested.

 

“Ahem.”

 

“Okay. But I don't pout!”

 

“Sure, sure. Have it your way. All I know is that Fluffy agreed that it would be a good idea for me to keep an eye on you.”

 

“You'd better stop calling him that.”

 

Kagome was genuinely worried. A few years after Sango and Miroku had disappeared, after they had realized that mating with InuYasha had stopped her from aging, and after Sesshoumaru had taken Rin as his mate on the girl's sixteenth birthday (which did the same thing for Rin), the younger girl had become Kagome's best friend.

 

Not that Rin could ever replace Sango, but she was a friend when Kagome really needed one. And she certainly didn't want to see her friend suffering at the hands of the Great Lord of the Western Lands.

 

“Don't worry. I can control Fluffy. Besides (Rin grinned evilly), maybe I like getting him worked up now and then.”

 

“Rin!”

 

The first bell rang for students to go back in from lunch. Both girls gathered up their things, stood up and started walking towards the school door.

 

“Besides, it's not like you don't have your own issues.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I hear you have a `date' with Hojo this weekend. InuYasha can't be too happy about that.”

 

“How'd you hear about it?”

 

Rin smiled. “After your friends found out I was your `cousin,' they cornered me in the hall. Now, spill.”

 

The second bell rang.

 

Kagome looked back as she reached for the door handle. “After school. It'll have to be after school.”

 

“As you wish.” Rin watched Kagome go inside; then pulled out a cell phone and made a quick call. “Yeah. Kagome's being Kagome again. Tell Midori we're going to need her.”

 

 

******************

 

 

Finally, the school day was over.

 

“Oh dear,” thought Kagome, as she took the parcel from Hojo back out of her locker. She opened the top and it was as she had feared: the flower had not survived well at all. “With my luck, Hojo will be waiting outside. If he sees this, there will be no end of apologizing and carrying on and I just don't need it.”

 

She turned so she held the parcel between herself and the wall. The few students still in the hall wouldn't see anything. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

 

If someone else with spiritual powers had been there, they would have seen a pink glow around the package.

 

When Kagome opened her eyes again, she looked down and smiled. The corsage looked fresh-picked. She slung her book bag over her shoulders, picked up the flower and headed outside.

 

“Higurashi! Kagome!”

 

“Hi, Hojo.” Kagome did a slight doubletake. “What gives? You're calling me by my first name, now?”

 

“Well, we are going out, Friday. I thought we should be on a first name basis.” Hojo spotted the parcel. “How's the flower?” Secretly, the young man hoped it had wilted through the day. It would give him an excuse to drag the girl off with him to pick out another.

 

Kagome opened the top to show him. “It's fine. See?” Kagome spotted Ayumi, Eri and Yuka standing behind Hojo. The three girls had Rin with them.

 

“How can it be like that?” he thought. But he wasn't giving up. “Kagome? I was wondering if you'd like to…”

 

“Umm…I'd better get this home and into the refrigerator, Hojo. I'm sure you wouldn't want it to be wilted before the dance.”

 

“Uh, right.”

 

“Thank you.” Kagome dashed past Hojo and took Rin's arm. At least her friend's presence would be good for something. “Come on, cuz. I've gotta get this home, and it's time we caught up with each other.” Kagome pulled Rin along with her in the direction of home.

 

“We're coming, too!”

 

Kagome looked back to see Ayumi, Eri and Yuka following them. “Oh, great.”

 

 

******************

 

 

“What are we doing here, Kagome?”

 

“Yeah. I thought you said you wanted to get home and put Hojo's corsage in the refrigerator.”

 

The five girls sat in the corner booth in WacDonald's. Besides their drinks, in the middle of the table was a tray with the contents of three extra large orders of fries dumped on it. Kagome stood up and took Rin's arm to get her to stand, too. “We're getting more ketchup.”

 

“But, Kagome! We already have a dozen tubs.”

 

“You can never have too much ketchup!” Kagome smiled sweetly at the girls, this time grabbing Rin's arm and practically yanking her along to the condiment table.

 

“What's the matter, Kagome?”

 

“What's the matter? What's the matter? I'll tell you what's the matter. InuYasha's at home and the girls are following me there. They want to learn all about you…and through you, me and everything I've been up to. And the way my luck's been going, they'll probably run into InuYasha, too. That's what's the matter!”

 

“Oh, I see.” Rin looked straight at Kagome. “You're too nice. It's the same reason you're in this mess with Hojo. You're just too nice.” Rin picked up two of the ketchup tubs and turned to go back to the table. She murmured, “but we wouldn't have you any other way.”

 

“Girls,” said Rin as she sat down. “Kagome has asked me to come home with her so we could catch up with each other. Sort of a family thing. You understand?”

 

Kagome sat down. “Yeah, guys. Rin and I haven't seen each other in a while. Is it okay if we spend a little time together?”

 

Rin looked at Kagome as if to say “you're being wishy-washy again,” but the girls bought Rin's explanation. Not without protest, though.

 

“Awww, we wanted to know if you've met Kagome's jealous, overbearing, on again/off again boyfriend!”

 

“You mean dog-boy?” asked Rin.

 

“Dog-boy? What an odd thing to call him!” exclaimed Ayumi.

 

Kagome glared at Rin before adding her own contribution. “Well, you know what they say: all men are dogs.”

 

“You've got that right,” said Eri.

 

“Uh-huh,” agreed Yuka.

 

 

******************

 

 

Kagome closed the door behind her and Rin. “I'm home…and we have a guest.”

 

“A guest?” Kagome's mother hurried up to greet the new arrival. “You're a friend of Kagome's?”

 

“I'm sorry, Mama. This is Rin…an old friend who has transferred to my school…and I thought it would be nice to invite her for a visit.” It wasn't a lie. Rin was an old friend. She would reveal more when she got the courage to talk with Mama more about herself and InuYasha.

 

“I see,” answered Mama. Something tickled the back of her mind about the name, Rin, but she couldn't quite recall it. However, she was sure Kagome would tell her more about the girl in her own time. “You'll stay for supper? You'veheardKagome'sengagedhaven'tyou?”

 

“Mama!”

 

“Really?” One of Rin's eyebrows arched, a habit she had picked up from Sesshoumaru. She made a show of fawning over Kagome. “You didn't tell me that! How could you keep it from me?”

 

“Well, umm. I was waiting for the right time.”

 

Kagome's ji-chan finally spoke. “Our Kagome is just full of surprises.”

 

“I'll bet.”

 

“Uhh, Rin? I've never showed you my room. Why don't you come upstairs and we'll spend a little `girl time' together before dinner?”

Kagome was getting nervous…both over what Rin might reveal, and over the fact that she had felt InuYasha getting closer.

 

“Sure. Why not?” Rin bowed slightly to Kagome's mother. “I will look forward to having dinner with you. Kagome has told me so much about you, and especially about your cooking.”

 

“You're very kind. Perhaps after supper you can help us go through bridal catalogues.”

 

Rin smiled. “We'll see.”

 

Kagome took Rin's arm and the two girls went upstairs, followed by the sound of Kagome's door closing.

 

“An odd girl, that,” said Kagome's grandfather, “but she seems nice.”

 

“Very mature for her age.” Mama smiled. “I'd better make dinner. Something special, in honor of Kagome's friend. I know! Oden!”

 

 

******************

 

 

“So this is the room of the famous miko who defeated Naraku.” Rin walked around the room a bit, finally sitting on the chair at Kagome's desk. She pointed towards the bed. “I'm not sitting on that thing. It reeks of sex…and I don't have a youkai's sense of smell.”

 

Kagome reddened as she realized that her mother, who normally would have straightened or changed her bed linens, had neglected to do so. She could imagine why. “InuYasha…it was InuYasha's fault. He started…”

 

Rin held out her hand to get Kagome to stop. “You don't have to say anything. I'm mated to his brother, remember?” Rin composed herself. “So you're engaged, huh? Kind of late for that.”

 

“I tried to tell her. She had guessed that something was going on.”

 

“So you told her you were engaged.” Rin smiled. “It's so like you to try to break it to her gradually, but sometimes you just have to be blunt, Kagome.”

 

“But…”

 

“But you've been mated to InuYasha for five hundred years. You and dog-boy have over two hundred…”

 

“Stop!”

 

“What?”

 

“He's here.”

 

There was a tapping on the window and Kagome walked across the room to open it. “Hi.”

 

“Oi.” InuYasha kissed his mate; then looked up. “Rin. Haven't seen you in a while. How's the asshole?”

 

Rin smiled. “Fluffy's fine. He asked me to keep an eye on Kagome for you. Hence, I'm here.”

 

“Keh. Thought I smelled your scent at Kagome's school, too.” The hanyou looked over at Kagome, who was busy changing the bed. “What are you doing that for?”

 

Kagome flushed. “Because Mama didn't.”

 

InuYasha looked at Rin.

 

“Because the place reeks of it…and I don't have your nose.”

 

InuYasha blushed as he realized why his body had started to “respond” as soon as he entered the room. “Sorry, Kagome, but you were the one who attacked me.”

 

Rin shot a look at Kagome, whose ears were turning red.

 

“You were the one who forced me onto the bed and…”

 

“Osuwari!”

 

<THUNNNGGG>

 

“InuYasha!”

 

Rin was laughing. Apparently, the hanyou had gotten wiser over the years and had positioned himself at the foot of the bed in case his mate used “the word.” The result was that he had flopped onto the bed, ruining Kagome's attempt at making it.

 

While Kagome berated InuYasha for messing up the bed, Rin watched as the kotodama's spell wore off and the dent the hanyou was making in the mattress got shallower and shallower.

 

Finally, the hanyou turned slightly towards his mate, grabbed her by the front of her school uniform, and in one swift motion puller her down on the bed and got on top of her.

 

“Eep!”

 

“Now say it.”

 

“I think you two need some `alone time.'” Rin backed out of the room and closed the door.

 

 

******************

 

 

“Oh. You're making oden!”

 

“Oh, hi, Rin. Where's Kagome?”

 

Rin indicated the stairs with her thumb. “In her room. Her fiancé came in.”

 

Mama Higurashi finished putting the ingredients into the pot and turned the heat up for a moment. “He did?”

 

“Oddest thing, too. He came in through the window. Does he always do that?”

 

Mama turned the heat down and allowed the oden to simmer. She supposed she shouldn't tell Rin too much. “Not always.”

 

“I suppose it's romantic...but you might wind up with grandchildren that way.” Rin turned serious for a moment. “You can sure tell they can't wait for the wedding.”

 

Rin hadn't been able to resist teasing Kagome's mom, but when she didn't get an answer, she looked up to find the woman with a faraway look in her eyes and a silly grin on her face. “Mrs. Higurashi?”

 

“Oh!” Mama composed herself. “I'm sorry. I was just…thinking.”

 

“Sure.” Rin smiled. “Riiiiight.”

 

Just at that moment, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing and Sota came into the kitchen carrying a soccer ball.

 

“I'm home.”

 

“Good. Supper will be ready soon.”

 

“How long?”

 

“About 45 minutes.”

 

“I've got time for a shower, then.” Sota started towards the steps.

 

“Wait!”

 

Mama Higurashi and Rin looked at each other. They had said it at the same time. Sota waited for someone to speak.

 

“Your grandfather is working in one of the shrine storerooms. As long as you're already dirty, why don't you help him out for a little while until supper?”

 

“Awww.”

 

“Go on.”

 

There were a couple of thumps from upstairs.

 

Sota looked up the steps. “Sounds like they're wrestling again.”

 

“Go help your grandfather!”

 

 

 

A/N: Do InuYasha and Kagome have a future in professional wrestling? Could this be an interesting dinner? And who else might show up? Keep reading for answers!

 

As always, please read and review. Thanks! Oh, and again, more reviews = more inspiration for new chapters.