InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The 500 Year Engagement ❯ The 500 Year Engagement - Chicken of the Sea Youkai? ( Chapter 19 )

The 500-Year Engagement

Chicken of the Sea Youkai?

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.

 

 

The whole day had been uneventful and it was working on Kagome's nerves. She and Sango had spent the day sunbathing. Kirara, in kitten form, was curled up in the shade of their beach umbrella. The night before, InuYasha had driven back to the shrine to retrieve her.

 

It was useful to have a mate who didn't get tired like humans.

 

“Why are you smiling, Kagome?”

 

“Huh?” The miko woke from her reverie. “I was thinking how nice it was that InuYasha didn't need as much sleep as humans and could stay up all night if he wanted to.

 

Sango broke out into a huge smile. “Uh-huh.”

 

It took Kagome a moment to realize what the taijiya was grinning about. “Not like that.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“I…I mean, he can…but…” Kagome was blushing.

 

Kirara looked up, mewed, and settled back down again. Sango began giggling. “You've been sleeping an awful lot, Kagome.”

 

Kagome mused over how InuYasha had woken her after he got back with Kirara. She grinned as she thought about how long it had been till she was able to sleep again. She slumped down. “Busted.”

 

Sango laughed outright. “It's okay. When InuYasha opened our door to toss in Kirara, we were almost `busted' too.” The taijiya blushed as she lowered her eyes. It looked to Kagome like she was trying not to start laughing again. “In fact, it was almost a disaster for Miroku.”

 

Kagome wondered if InuYasha had seen them and that was why he had turned into such a horn dog…but she was puzzled by Sango's remark. “Huh? How?”

 

The taijiya was still blushing. “Remember that Kirara in her small form really is like a kitten. Given the position we were in, and given that Miroku's…uhh…family jewels were…swinging around…”

 

“Oh no!” Kagome thought back to the night before. She had taken the monk's scream for passion. She remembered how InuYasha had laughed so hard at the time. Kagome's eyes narrowed.

 

“Kagome?”

 

“It's nothing, Sango.” Kagome smiled again. “If you can hear my thoughts, dear, you'll get yours.” She thought she picked up a distant “gulp” from her mate. With nothing better to do, she dozed off again, dreaming of what she would do to teach the hanyou a lesson.

 

 

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

 

 

Kagome woke from her latest nap. Instead of dreaming about how to punish her mate, she had wound up dreaming about what he had done to her the night before. She decided not to punish InuYasha as severely, so long as he kept her up that way again. She decided, however, that it couldn't hurt to let him sweat a while. Miroku hadn't really been hurt, just badly startled…and Kirara would be useful for flying above the ocean and whatever threat lurked in its depths. She was grateful that InuYasha had driven all that way to get her.

 

It was true that flying on Kirara risked being seen, but they would do their best to confine that particular activity to the dark of night. They were obviously in a fight for their lives.

 

Fortunately, InuYasha hadn't needed to go to their home to retrieve Tetsusaiga, as their car had a special compartment for it in its trunk. Now it was in the sand under Kagome's beach towel…while her mate paced anxiously along the shore.

 

Unfortunately, the beach, while private, was common for everyone at the resort. In fact, the people from the next bungalow had several friends visiting and were having a cookout. Kagome winced every time any of them (especially a child) went into the water, but every person who went in came out perfectly safe.

 

This further confirmed the miko's suspicions that she was the target and that the “contest” had been a device to lure her here.

 

Considering there were youkai involved, she knew why.

 

She rested one hand on her side. “Well, old `friend,' it looks like someone is after you again.”

 

There was an answering and somewhat angry pulse from the jewel. It rather liked where it was, and it didn't like being disturbed.

 

Kagome went back to her musings. What she didn't know was why she had never heard of these sea youkai. She certainly knew that there were freshwater youkai who lived in lakes. Why hadn't she heard of these sea youkai? Over the years she had sharpened her ability to sense youkai till she could detect them better than InuYasha could, yet she had failed to detect these. Why?

 

“Lady Kagome!”

 

She looked towards the monk. Why had both Miroku and Sango felt something when she didn't?

 

Miroku was standing in water up to his knees and had a look of deep concentration. Kagome started to get up; then - hearing a loud wolf whistle - remembered that she'd unfastened her bathing suit top for tanning purposes. She flopped back down immediately; then looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

 

InuYasha was charging towards a group of young men from the cookout. “Don't make me say it!”

 

InuYasha's pulled up short and his thought came back to her. “But they keep talking about what a great set of `hooters' you have!” There was a pause, then, “What are hooters?”

 

Kagome smiled at how naïve her mate still could be. “Don't worry about it. We have more important fish to fry.”

 

“Feh!”

 

“And they're right. I DO have great hooters.”

 

A mental image of Kagome's “hooters” came to InuYasha. “Grrrr!”

 

“Easy, dog-boy. You're the only one who gets to play with `em.”

 

This mollified the hanyou enough that Kagome was able to turn her attention back to Miroku. The monk sat, meditating, in shallow water. Having fastened her top again, she stood up. “What is it, Miroku?”

 

“It's really quite remarkable. Come, stand in the water beside me.”

 

Kagome shrugged and ran to Miroku.

 

This elicited more growling from her mate. “They keep talking about how you `jiggle nicely.'”

 

“I do jiggle nicely. Now, shut up and join us.” She reached the water's edge and stepped in.

 

A flood of sensory perceptions made it so that she only dimly heard InuYasha shouting her name as the worried hanyou, having noticed her shocked expression, rushed to her side. She remained frozen. As soon as she had set foot in the water, it had been as though her youkai detection sense had gone into overdrive.

 

There were youkai all around her! The nearby ones were small, crab youkai and the like. Not particularly bright or dangerous, so she dismissed them, but when she reached further out, a cold shiver ran up her spine. “Yeah, there's something BIG out there, alright.”

 

InuYasha was just about to ask why she had done something so rash when it hit him too. The hanyou looked this way and that. “They're all around us! Why didn't I sense this before?” Not taking chances, he picked up Kagome and dashed back onto shore.

 

“You can put me down now.”

 

“Feh. You felt it, too.”

 

By this time, Miroku was out of the water and had joined them. “You can only sense them when you're in the water.”

 

InuYasha stepped into the water and out again.. “Yeah. Creepy.”

 

Kagome shivered again when she recalled her impression of that distant, large youkai. “I think it's time we called your brother.”

 

 

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

 

 

It had taken a good ten minutes to finally get around Jaken and talk with Sesshoumaru. In the end, Kagome had to call and ask to speak with Rin (Jaken knew better than to get between Kagome and Rin), who then relayed the call to “Fluffy.”

 

“What is it that you wish, brother?”

 

“First I want to pound that little toad into…”

 

Lord Sesshoumaru smiled when he heard the miko yelling “osuwari,” followed by the dull thud of the hanyou's face being planted. “It sounds like your impulsiveness has gotten you in trouble with your mate again, brother.” Lord Sesshoumaru couldn't resist rubbing it in.

 

While obscure grumblings, punctuated by the occasional discernable cussword, continued in the background, the miko was the next to speak. “What can you tell us about sea youkai?”

 

“Hn. They're not particularly dangerous if you stay out of the water.”

 

“Then you know of them?”

 

“Of course. There is a very old treaty...”

 

“But why haven't I heard of them?”

 

“Did you ever ask?”

 

Kagome stared at the phone. Was the Great Lord of the Western Lands joking with her? “At first I couldn't sense them…but then, when I stepped into the ocean, I could.”

 

“Hn. The barrier.”

 

“Barrier?”

 

“Yes. There is an extremely weak sea youkai barrier that hugs the surface of the ocean. Its only purpose is to prevent land youkai from sensing sea youkai, and sea youkai from sensing land youkai. But…once you step into the water…you have penetrated the barrier.”

 

“So that's why I could sense them.”

 

“And they could sense you.”

 

“I see.” Kagome thought for a moment. “Can they come ashore?”

 

“The ones who can take human form can.”

 

“Oh, great.”

 

“They are not nearly as dangerous on land. Certainly, they cannot take on their true forms on land.”

 

“True forms?” That was InuYasha. The subjugation spell had finally worn off and he was kneeling in the sand beside Kagome.

 

“Hn. An octopus youkai can turn into a kraken. There used to be whale youkai who transformed into behemoths. Ningens told stories of strange islands that would submerge out from under them. But the worst are the shark youkai.”

 

“I know about sharks,” said Kagome. “The bigger ones can reach over seven metres.”

 

“Hn. A shark youkai in its true form can reach thirty metres; but,” continued the tai-youkai, “it is not particularly dangerous unless you're stupid enough to go into the water.”

 

“Are you callin' me stupid?” raged the hanyou.

 

Kagome sighed and ended the call.

 

 

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

 

 

Mr. Sato finished his drink and picked up his binoculars. From where he was, the beachgoers were insects without them. Suddenly he leaned forward. “By the kamis, that girl has great hooters!” He had almost forgotten how good they were.

 

Why couldn't life be simple? Why couldn't the girl and her friends be like all his others…only interested in money? He glanced at the new girl in his boat. She had big breasts and a narrow waist, alright.

 

Mr. Sato looked through the binoculars again. “Incredible.”

 

“What is it, Mr. Sato?”

 

“Take off your top.”

 

“Now?” The girl smiled. “That will cost you extra.”

 

Mr. Sato scowled. “Consider it an audition.”

 

Visions of yen in her head, the girl slowly removed her top.

 

She drooped.

 

Mr. Sato grumbled, “get me another drink,” and went back to peering through his binoculars.

 

 

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

 

 

The unfortunate thing about Sango's swimsuit top was that, aside from being tied in back, the only thing holding it on was…her…which was why the woman at the fashion show had been so amazed at the taijiya's figure.

 

Like Kagome, and because the miko had suggested it, Sango had untied her suit for tanning purposes. When the taijiya began to get up, the bathing suit top remained on her beach towel. Sango realized this in time and arched over so that no one down the beach would see anything.

 

She didn't realize, however, that Kirara had become quite interested in the string-like top.

 

Now, if Kirara had been a normal kitten, she might have batted the string around a bit, no harm done…but Kirara was not just a kitten, and snatching the swimsuit top was child's play for her.

 

Sango “eeped” at the theft and was about to chase the fire neko when she noticed what was going on down the beach. Kagome, InuYasha and Miroku had started back from the water when one of the girls at the cookout had stopped them.

 

She didn't look too steady and she was shamelessly draping herself all over the monk…and the monk wasn't trying hard enough, to Sango's thinking, to extricate himself.

 

Holding one arm strategically in front of herself, she stood up and retrieved her Hiraikotsu from the sand beside where she had been lying. “Mi-ro-kuuuuuu!”

 

She saw the monk look up and freeze when he saw Sango holding her weapon. In turn, she growled when the monk didn't immediately dump the girl unceremoniously on her butt. (Miroku would explain later that he was mesmerized by Sango's breasts.)

 

She threw her Hiraikotsu. Fortunately for Miroku and the girl, she purposefully aimed high. She wanted to scare the monk, not kill him.

 

It had the desired effect.

 

Miroku pushed the girl out of the way and onto her butt, then ducked out of the way…the Hiraikotsu sailing barely one metre over his head. The taijiya was nothing, if not accurate.

 

Unfortunately, the Hiraikotsu, like all boomerangs expertly thrown, curved its way back to its master. This was unfortunate because it was returning to a taijiya who was sans bathing suit top.

 

“She's not gonna try to catch that thing, is she?”

 

“Nahhh. It's huge!”

 

`Yeah, they are.”

 

“The boomerang, stupid!”

 

Sango reached up and caught her Hiraikotsu. She was still mad enough at Miroku that she didn't realize at first that the action had exposed her to everyone on the beach.

 

“Wow!”

 

“Look at those…” The sentence was cut off when the speaker got a large piece of watermelon smashed over his head.

 

The girl who had approached Miroku stared at Sango; then appeared to ask the monk something. When Miroku nodded in the affirmative, the girl stared one more time at Sango, glanced down at her own chest, and scurried back to the main group of cookout guests.

 

Sango remained standing there, indignant, until it registered on her that Kagome was pointing at her own breasts and clasping her arms over them. “What the…?”

 

The taijiya suddenly remembered that Kirara had snatched her suit top. For a moment, she basked in self-denial. Then she looked down. “EEP!” She hurriedly pulled Hiraikotsu around in front of her.

 

 

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

 

 

Back in InuYasha and Kagome's bungalow, the four friends were having pizza for supper. Kirara was dining on a small fish that InuYasha had caught just offshore.

 

“With all the trouble you caused, I don't see why we should feed you,” snapped Sango.

 

Kirara mewed plaintively in response.

 

“Eat your fish.” She'd forgive the fire neko…later.

 

Miroku looked up from his slice. “You didn't seem so upset with Kirara the other night, my dear Sango.”

 

“You weren't hurt that badly.”

 

Kagome glared at InuYasha, who was trying his best not to laugh out loud…and not doing a good job of it.

 

It was making the monk suspicious. “You didn't have something to do with that, did you, InuYasha?” The monk wondered if the hanyou could communicate with the fire neko on a more sophisticated level than could Sango.

 

“Keh. That's for me to know, and you to find out.”

 

“InuYasha…”

 

The monk's eyes narrowed. Kagome had used a warning tone. He began to plot how he could get back at the hanyou.

 

While he was pondering, there was a knock at the door. The miko got up and answered the door. “Yes?”

 

“Package for someone named InuYasha?”

 

Kagome was immediately suspicious. “Who's it from?”

 

The delivery man looked at his tracking device before handing it to Kagome for signature. “Someone named Sesshoumaru.”

 

“Okay.” Kagome scrawled her signature and took the package. She closed the door and brought the package to the table. “Something from your brother.”

 

“You mean that bastard actually sent something to help?” InuYasha's claws made short work of the wrapping paper. “Chicken of the Sea?”

 

“Umm.”

 

“Feh! What am I supposed to do? Throw these cans at the thing?”

 

“Look,” said Kagome, changing the subject. “It's getting dark out.”

 

“Do you think those people will be off the beach now, Kagome?” The taijiya had insisted on leaving the beach as soon as possible after her little episode and would not even consider going back till the other people were gone.

 

“We'll go back as soon as it's dark,” answered Kagome. They were scheduled to go home tomorrow, so tonight would be their last chance to confront whoever, or whatever, was after her.

 

 

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

 

 

“Mr. Sato.”

 

Katashi woke up, sat up and looked around.

 

“Mr. Sato!”

 

It was dark out. How long had he been asleep? It was Kano calling him. He looked around wildly…then relaxed when he saw the dim outline of the girl where she had spread a beach towel on the deck and gone to sleep. “Kano?”

 

“Baka. Of course it's me.”

 

Mr. Sato swallowed his pride. “Did you get her?”

 

“Not yet. I detected her going into the water earlier, but it must have been right along the shore and only for a minute.”

 

Katashi looked again at the silhouette of the girl sleeping in the bottom of the boat. “So you want me to get your `dinner' ready?”

 

“Not yet. I think I'll…”

 

Mr. Sato wondered why Kano had suddenly stopped speaking.

 

“It's her.”

 

Was it his imagination, or had Kano's silhouette really gotten bigger as he swam off?

 

 

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

 

 

Kagome bobbed up and down with the waves.

 

She didn't like the idea of being “bait,” but she supposed it couldn't be helped. She looked up at the small flames in the sky above her. At least it was some reassurance to have Sango and Miroku above her on Kirara. The four small flames at the end of the fire neko's feet moved as she moved through the air to this vantage point and that.

 

Of course they couldn't detect an approaching sea youkai. They were depending on Kagome for that.

 

She wasn't sure where InuYasha was. Their mental connection was active, so she knew he was nearby.

 

“There!”

 

InuYasha's answer came swiftly. “You feel something?”

 

“Yeah. Closing fast!”

 

“I feel it, too. It's big. VERY big.”

 

Kagome looked up. “It's coming!”

 

“From where?”

 

That was Miroku. The monk and the taijiya were still in their bathing suits. If they fell off Kirara, they needed to be able to swim.

 

Kagome used a small amount of her miko power to generate a spiritual light she knew Miroku could see. “That way!”

 

“We can't see anything yet.”

 

Kagome gulped. Much as she could sense the approach of the sea youkai, she wanted to be able to see it. Through mating with InuYasha, she had picked up some of the hanyou's senses. Unfortunately, they only came to the surface when she was sexually stimulated…and while that heightened the pleasures of lovemaking, it didn't help her much here. She got an idea. “InuYasha.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Where are you?”

 

“Directly below you.”

 

“You are? How can you stay down there?”

 

“How many times do I have to tell you? I ain't no weak human!”

 

“I need you to do something for me.”

 

“What? You want me to go back and get you a slice of the leftover pizza, or something?”

 

“Umm, no.”

 

“What, then?”

 

“Ummmmmm.”

 

“WHAT?”

 

“Eat me.”

 

“Be serious, Kagome! That's what we're trying to stop this `thing' from doing.”

 

“All of a sudden, despite being underwater, InuYasha picked up the scent of his mate's excitement. “You're kidding.”

 

“It brings out my youkai senses, InuYasha. I really NEED to be able to see this thing.”

 

A moment later, Kagome felt clawed hands relieving her of her swimsuit bottoms. A moment after that she felt…

 

“Mmm-hmmmmmmm.”

 

“Are you alright, Kagome?” called down a worried Sango as she had Kirara drop lower.

 

“F-Fine! Fine.” Kagome looked up. There was a lot going on down below, but she didn't want to tell Sango and Miroku that. “Please go back up now. It's not safe this close to the water.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I have….umm-hmmmm…Inu…Yashaaa. Inuyasha. I'll be okay.”

 

Sango gave Kagome a strange look, but ordered Kirara skyward. “If you say so.”

 

“Anything wrong, Kagome?”

 

“You WOULD choose now to do your very best at that!”

 

“I thought you wanted to be able to see.”

 

Kagome looked out over the water and out to sea. Her night vision was getting better. To her, it appeared to be dusk. The more of InuYasha's “attention” she got below, the brighter it appeared above. The only trouble was that it was also a hell of a distraction and…

 

She was thrashing in the water. “Inu-Ya-shaaaaaaaa!”

 

Miroku's frantic voice came booming down from above. “Lady Kagome! Is there something trying to eat you?”

 

“N-Not at the m-moment!” Kagome collected herself as fast as she could. “GET BACK UP THERE!”

 

Kirara retreated before Sango even asked her to.

 

“Again!” she thought to InuYasha.

 

“You sure?”

 

“I have to be able to SEE!”

 

 

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

 

 

“There!” Kano turned towards shore and picked up speed. He had been following Kagome's scent in the water. Now there had been a thrashing…and that drew sharks.

 

Kano took on a grim smile. “And I'm a shark.”

 

 

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

 

 

“Faster…slower…faster……slower!&# 8221;

 

“Would you make up your mind?”

 

“I have to be able to see AND still be rational enough to react.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

 

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

 

 

Kano was feeling almost drunk.

 

“What IS it about this girl?” He could taste her arousal in the water. It was so strong that it masked everything else.

 

He was glad he had taken on his true form. He would take this delicious girl in one bite!

 

And the jewel.

 

 

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

 

 

Kagome had finally found a pace for InuYasha that kept her aroused enough to see well, and she even had the presence of mind to keep herself oriented out to sea. She noticed a distortion in the surface of the ocean that seemed to be heading straight for them.

 

It was if something the size of a small hill was traveling just below the surface. It wasn't a wave. She watched, fascinated, as it came closer. Finally, a huge fin broke the surface of the water.

 

It dawned on her what she was looking at.

 

She looked up. “Sango! Miroku! UP!” It was all she had time to say.

 

She thought about InuYasha, beneath her. Obviously the hanyou had become completely distracted by her arousal. She looked up just as a set of massive jaws rose out of the water!

 

“Osuwari!”

 

A surprised InuYasha sank like a stone.

 

Up above, Sango and Miroku saw a purple glow appear in the water.

 

It disappeared just as quickly.

 

Sango and Miroku were searching desperately when InuYasha broke, sputtering, to the surface.

 

“Ka-go-mee! KA-GO-MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

 

 

 

 

A/N: Kagome as bait? Now, was that a good idea? Especially now that it looks like Kano has taken the bait. But what was that purple glow? What has happened to Kagome?

 

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