InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Girlfriend ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

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

Disclaimer:Own Inu-chan I do not.
Own Itokuzu-pi(Sesshoumaru) I do not.
Own Miroku-san and Sango-san?
.......... -.- I don't and I wish I did.

Additional Disclaimer: I don't own author Valerie Frankel's book "The Girlfriend Curse", from which this story I've made a parody of(somewhat). So nobody sue me, or accuse me of plagiarism if you've read the book. I'm just altering some stuff, but the storyline remains indifferent all the same.

X) Oh yeah. The names of the characters, locations and events are plain fictitious.

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The train trip was tolerable so far, thanks to Sango's Gatorade bottle of vodka. She took a sip, grimaced a looked out the window. She was on the Shirosagi, a slow crawl up the North, with a few thousand stops in minor industrial Tokyo and several other towns, and a few thousand more in rural outposts. The trip from Hana Station to Shirokawa Junction would take seven hours. Then, she'd have to take a ferry and cross the gap between the two islands Honshu and Hokkaido, which might take one-and-a-half hour. She'd been on track, as it were, since 8 a.m. Not even halfway there.

Sango purposefully avoided eye contact with the other passengers. Stilted conversation with strangers would make the hours seem like centuries. Instead, she read Chie Higashihara's Ai no Toki, stared out of the window, drummed her thumbs on the armrest, drank her vodka-infused Gatorade.

She was celebrating. It was a holiday, after all--Labor Day, a time to relax. But one adventurous Japanese woman in a train car, venturing, blazing, striking, all those pioneer verbs, into undiscovered territory. Sango had been a dyed-in-the-wool Tokyoist. And now she was moving to the state where the wool was grown, to grab a virgin clump and start a new life, with new dye. Maybe green.

The train pulled into the station in Akita. Another stop, and another shuffling of people and luggage. She watched the bustling as several new passengers boarded her car. Two old ladies in support shoes were helped by a conductor. A few college girls giggled in their midriff-baring T-shirts, distracting the conductor, making him bump into one of the old ladies, knocking her into the seat next to Sango. On reflex, Sango raised her hands to catch the woman as she stumbled. For her good intention, Sango got a cane in the eye.

The conductor apologized, helped the ancient woman to her seat next to her companion and came back to ask Sango if she was okay. Rubbing her eye, Sango assured him that she would survive, and he turned around and walked out of the car.

Sango followed him out with her good eye. Just as he stepped off the train, a man stepped on. The train whistled, and she would have too, but her lips were suddenly as dry as sand. This was not any man. Rin would say, "A god in a mortal sheath."

He lugged a large duffel bag as he walked down the train aisle. Sango noted his not-too-tight jeans, sunny yellow T-shirt, and thick, shoulder-length, ebony hair tied back in a ponytail.

A bit younger than her, Sango guessed, licking her lips.

"Sit by me!" she shouted telepathically to him.

The train car, meanwhile, was about half-full. Plenty of seating options. But he must have gotten her message. As he approached Sango's row, he slowed, and stopped. And heaved his duffel onto the luggage rack over her head.

He barely looked at her as he eased his lanky body into the seat opposite Sango, facing her, his feet inches from hers.

Sango reached into her snack bag on the floor, and pulled out a big bag of kameda kinudoke. She opened it, waving it subtly. Let the smell waft into his nostrils.

"Cracker?" she offered the bag.

He turned towards her and grinned politely. He took a pack containing two, saying, "My favorite."

"Drink?" now offering her full back-up bottle of Gatorade cocktail.

He nodded, and washed down the crackers with a gulp. He handed the bottle back, and said, "That's the best Gatorade I've ever had."

She smiled uncertainly. He must have tasted the vodka. "I'll bet you're hot in those boots."

"Should I take them off?" he asked her.

Sango shrugged. "If it would make you more comfortable."

This man, this babe, leaned down, unlaced his Timberlands, slowly, deliberately, and pulled them off. Miraculously, the blue socks were unholed and clean. He wiggled his toes, making a few cracks as the bones released their tension. No detectable feet smell.

"Much better." he sighed. "What about you? Those flip-flops can't be comfortable."

She laughed and did so. "I'll take them off, then."

Sighing, she went on. "Since we're undressing, I should introduce myself. I'm Sango Fuyuzuki. From Tokyo. I'm moving to Hokkaido to start over," she said, holding out her hand, knowing and not caring if she was sharing too much.

Just let the Gatorade do the talking, she thought. Maybe he'd take off his shirt next.

"Kuranosuke Takeda. From Akita. I'm moving to Hokkaido for a month to, uh, do some work." he smiled at her, then looked out the window as the train picked up speed.

Sango examined his profile. He turned back to her, grinning for only second before opening his newspaper.

That was it? He sat on top of her, drank her booze, removed his clothing--and then nothing?

This was odd. Sango was accustomed to receiving more attention than this.

"Where are you staying?" she asked, keeping the conversation going.

Hmmm. No wedding ring.

"In Sapporo."

Obviously. There was only one town in all of Hokkaido.

"I can't believe it!" cried Sango, the Gatorade making her speak too loudly. "That's where I'm going! We'll be in the same town! And it's a pretty small town. Smaller than a single grain of rice! We're bound to bump into each other. Rub elbows at the general store."

He turned to look at her head-on, finally, proving that using the words "bump" and "rub" would intrigue any man with a functional penis.

"Any more of that Gatorade?" he asked.

She passed him the bottle.

Kuranosuke shifted in his seat. "I may not get into town much. The place I'm staying at, I'll be closely monitored."

"You're staying at a prison?"

"More like a spa."

"A prison spa?" she asked.

He shook his head. "A retreat."

"And you're working there?"

"I'm doing some work on myself."

Sizing up his perfect profile, Sango replied, "You know, in Tokyo, if someone says he's getting work done, it's code for plastic surgery."

He chortled. "I'm not getting a new nose."

"A new what, then?" Sango got curious.

"If I tell you, you won't want to bump into me. Or rub my elbow."

Okay, maybe he didn't have a functional penis.

He frowned. "You're cringing."

"I'm being intrusive." she backpedaled. "I wonder if the dining car is open."

"You've got a bag full of food." he pointed out her groceries. "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong."

There was hesitation, deciding whether he should say more.

"I'm doing a program." he finally admitted vaguely.

"Like Alcoholics Anonymous." oops on the Gatorade.

"No, it's not like that." he answered, still reluctant to give her the details. "I'm not getting surgery, and I'm not an alcoholic."

"Don't be shy." Sango told him, being curious. "You know you want to tell me everything."

Kuranosuke laughed and shook his head. "I'm not supposed to be talking to beautiful women at all."

He thinks I'm beautiful, she thought, smiling and taking a swig of Gatorade, and crossed her legs, absentmindedly rubbing her knee.

"I'm sorry, Kura-kun. I didn't mean to press you."

He'd pricked up at both the name and the word "press".

Kuranosuke watched her hand, moving up and down, skirting across the skin of her knee, and asked, "You've heard of someplace in the U.S. named Outward Bound?"

She cocked her head in thought. "They give you a fish hook, a candy bar and a piece of string and expect you to live in a forest for three days."

He nodded. "You're supposed to learn survival skills. Teamwork. How to scale a cliff with a rubber band."

"So you're doing an Outward Bound thing in Hokkaido?" she asked, not certain why he was so reluctant to talk about it.

He shook his head. "The place I'm going to teaches survival skills of a different kind."

"What kind?" she asked.

He blushed, his cheeks apple red. And it gave Sango an idea that she thought was probably accurate enough for her to guess.

"You're going to sex school."

"Why does everyone think this is about sex!?" he became frustratedly defensive. "I've had some disappointments with girlfriends! I just had another bad breakup! A friend told me about this place. So I thought I'd check it out. And now I'm completely embarassed! If you'll excuse me, I'll get my stuff and jump off the train!"

He stood and reached for his bag.

"Don't go!" Sango sprang to her feet. Standing beside him, she was impressed by how tall he was. She touched his wrist, lowered his arm from the luggage rack. She sighed.

"I've had disappointments too. But not with sex. Never with sex. The sex is always great. I have a very sexual appetite. Crackers?" she offered. "Gatorade?"

He allowed her to smooth away his embarrassment, let her settle him into his seat. He smiled as she sank into the seat next to him(instead of opposite). His eyes were brown like dark toffee.

"Why aren't you supposed to talk to women?" she queried.

"I can talk to women." he answered. "But I was warned not to talk to anyone I'm attracted to. I'm supposed to be free from distraction."

"So why did you sit so close to me?" she asked, moving even closer to him.

He shrugged. "Old habits. You were alone and gorgeous. I couldn't resist."

"Alone sounds right. I've left everyone I know. My home, my job, my family and friends, just to start over."

"Running from an ex-boyfriend?" he asked.

Sango snorted. "I'm running from seven of them. Each one dumped me. And within six months of letting the axe swing, they all met and married another woman. I'm the Last Girlfriend. I'm moving to break the pattern. But it's probably unrealistic to think I can leave my problems behind. I've probably brought them with me."

Kuranosuke blinked, dark toffee eyes stirring, and then he started laughing.

She squinted at him, annoyed. "Go on, laugh. My misery is so damn hilarious."

"Sorry, Sango." he apologized, regaining control. "I'm only laughing because I can. If you're the Last Girlfriend, then I'm the Last Boyfriend!"

"How many?" she asked incredulously.

"Four."

Sango felt a rush of blood to her head.

This had to be fate, she thought. Was Kuranosuke Takeda her reward for taking a risk? She had no idea the payoff would be so, well, quick. But she wasn't going to question it. She would answer the call of destiny instead.

He grinned. "My friends think I should start charging women to date me."

"My friend said the same thing to me." she smiled.

"We could go into business together." he suggested.

"I don't mix business with pleasure." she told him, and pushed her right breast against his arm.

Kuranosuke shifted in his seat. "Okay, I'm officially distracted."

"So, what's the name of this place?" she asked, never taking her eyes off him. "The Last Resort for Romantic Misfits?"

"Inward Bound."

"No wonder everyone thinks it's about sex."

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Kameda kinudoke - soft rice crackers; a popular Japanese snack next to Pocky (X9 Yum!). ;) This is my favorite! They're salty and they're great!

A/N: (:) So. You guys hate me yet? Or do you wanna kill me now before I could update the next chapter? Which I'm sure would make you want to tie me to a post and set me on fire! XD
(:( Just so you know, I HATE that stuck-up, snobby, air-headed, clueless, butt-kissing nimrod. Deeply, truly, and sincerely. Just makes me wanna...
... X( take my Chinese cleaver and hack him to pieces!
):) Anyway, R&R please, and thank you to the beautiful Demon Exterminator Barbie and SanMirLover for being such wonderful reviewers XD! As for the rest of you! Authors need to hear the thoughts of their beloved readers in order to continue! Otherwise, I'll leave you cliffhanging here, and you'll NEVER see your darling monk appear! And let me tell you! It's WORTH seeing him here, after reading the book!