InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Marching Dragons ❯ Parade ( Chapter 4 )

The Marching Dragons

Chapter Four: Parade

{Disclaimer: I own nothing within the contents of this and other chapters.}

Authors Note: Hi again everybody, it's Adish again. Flame was being stupid this past two weeks or so. ::a moan is heard from the bed across the room and Adish snickers:: Flame's band camp started a few days after Otakon and she wasn't too smart about it. Long story short she started coming down with heat stroke. So here I am to update and let Flame rest, though I made her get up long enough to write the review responses. I hope you enjoy. Review responses are below.

Sesshyangel: Thanks, I always try to keep them straight, but it gets away from me sometimes.

Flare-Chaa: lol. I never thought of Gome looking like that, but now that you've brought it up it fits.

Crandberry Sauce: …So I made that mistake a long time ago, cam we please drop it. You of all people have seen the keyboard I was using at that time, half the letters were missing. I'm glad you like this one too, and you're in this chapter, I made sure Adish put you in. And I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate the whole Band Crack thing. It'll probably be in a future chapter or something like that.

-Adish

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I think I've found a major drawback to this whole Marching Band thing. First off, I had to get up early, like six `o clock in the morning early on a Saturday. Why? Because uniforms were distributed during band camp and I missed out. So I drive to school to get my uniform fitted and find out the colors…black and red. Normally I wouldn't mind, but it's wool uniform. That combined with dark colors and heat…it's not pretty. Today was supposed to be around 85 degrees, and it was.

So once that was all taken care of, I had to put the pants on and carry the rest with me. I think I would have gone on strike if they didn't allow us to use our shako boxes. I had to carry my black gloves, with the fingers cut off so I could play my flute, my red gauntlets, my red plume, my black and red jacket, black shako, and my red vestie. As I said, I was beyond glad they allowed us to use the shako box.

Before we could leave though we had to check in with our section leader to make sure we had everything. I was no exception, though I wish I had been. Our section leader was by far one of the most annoying people I have ever met. Cydnie was her name. I shall forever fear it.

Once all that was done we where then able to get on the bus to go to the parade. Gome had grabbed me and dragged me to the back of the bus with the drumline. Apparently I've been adopted into their tightly knitted group. Why? I have no idea, it most likely has something to do with Gome, she seams to be the ringleader of everything. If something happens, Gome's most likely connected to it in some way.

So I got to sit there and listen to them and their chatter. Nothing really important was said and they wouldn't leave me alone. Every one of them, with the exception of Gome, kept asking if Kikyou had been over, what I had done to make her life hell, why wasn't I doing anything? Why wasn't I doing anything? Because I don't want to. As soon as marching season's over I'll never see these people again, so why should I bend to their will?

Thankfully the bus ride wasn't too long, but what came next was the worst part. We had to put out instruments together and out uniforms on so we could wait for our spot in the parade. The three other high schools were here and all of them had cooler uniforms then us. Northern high had white and silver. If that's not cool, I don't know what is. Talk about repelling heat. Eastern high had a green and gold combination, and Southern high was blue and tan. Why were we the only ones in the dark colors?

And that's where I am now. Standing in the middle of a field of grass in the hot sun wearing black and red. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, what else could possibly go wrong? "Shou!" I just had to ask. I would know that voice anywhere. I turned around to face my section leader with a rather annoyed look on my face. "Did you not hear the Drum Majors? They said parade block."

I didn't say anything as I walked past her and took my spot in the parade block. I stood there and looked around. The clarinets in front of us were acting like complete fools. They were like that in my other band too; it must be a clarinet thing. Although, they're nowhere near as foolish as the drumline. I could see them quite well, considering the clarinets had yet to stand in place. All of the drummers were joking around and whacking each other with their drumsticks and such, except for Gome.

She stood at parade hest with her head lowered and her eyes closed. I had a feeling what she was thinking about. I had overheard Inuyasha speaking with her last night. It seams her mother's gotten worse. Inuyasha suggested going and visiting her in the hospital to make her feel better and I could have sword I heard her laugh bitterly over the phone line.

I was tempted to go over and put a hand on her shoulder and talk with her. I think I'm the only one she knows that's lost their mother. I can relate to her and she needs that right now. Before I could move though Annette gave us a command.

"Band, attend hut!" Everyone snapped to parade attention and looked at the Drum Major expectantly. "Detail left hase!" We turned to the left. "Detail right hase!" We turned right. "Detail about hase!" We all turned around and faced Miroku.

"Band, parade hest!" He yelled and we spread our feet apart and lowered our heads. "At ease." We all relaxed and looked up at both of the Drum Majors as Annette walk over to stand next to Miroku. "We'll be going in a few minutes, right after Eastern high."

"Make sure all of your instruments are in tune and working. If you drop anything, don't stop and pick it up."

"Leave it there. Someone will come by and pick it up for you." I find it rather amusing how they switch off speaking like that. They must spend a lot of time working on that. It most likely is their idea of the whole one band one sound thing.

So everyone started tuning and tightening screws. As each person finished they lined up with the person in front of them and waited. Just as Miroku said, it was only a few minutes before it was our turn. "Band, attend hut!" Annette's no-nonsense voice filled the air. "Mark time mark!" We started lifting our heels in step with each other.

"Forward harch!" And off we went. We marched through the field and up to the street. The drumline was playing taps, simple clicks on the drums to keep us in step, while we waited to go. Not long after we reached the street we were directed to go by one of the parade people. Then, the drumline switched to our cadence. We marched through the streets and I watched the people on the sidelines. They were happy. Their faces held such joy and excitement all the annoying and inane things that happened this morning seamed like nothing at all.

By the time we were shouting our school motto we were turning and new faces came into view. We brought up our instruments to play our school fight song and little children burst into smiles and clapped their hands. I don't think I've ever felt so good sine my mother died. The thought that I brought those smiles to their faces warmed my soul.

That's how the whole thing was, until we reached the last curve. I almost froze in place when I noticed who was in the crowd. My father stood as close to the street as he could in casual clothes and a smile on his face. His eyes were even filled with what looked like pride. If it weren't for the shout of the school motto I probably would have stopped. I haven't seen my father in casual clothes in years, let alone smile and look at me with pride. I couldn't believe he even came, I didn't even know he knew about this.

"Detail halt!" I quickly stopped as Annette's voice snapped me out of my musings and looked up. We were at the end of the street and thus, the end of the parade. "At ease!" Moans were heard from many of the band members, mostly the flutes and clarinets. We all moved out of the parade block and over to the grassy hill next to the sidewalk as someone came around with bottles of water. Just as long as they're cold, I'm happy.

I took my bottle and drank about half of it before I flopped back and looked at the sky. That couldn't have been my father. He would never come to one of these things. He's never gone to one of Inuyasha's football games, then again I would never know, I never went to any myself.

"What ya thinking about? You look like you just laid in something you shouldn't have?" Gome's concerned honey-brown eyes locked with my own and I sat up.

"How daintily put. I think my eyes were playing tricks on me near the end."

"Oh?" She asked and sat next to me. "How so?"

"I thought I saw someone is all."

"Who?"

"My f---" Before I could finish though I was interrupted.

"Maru." I froze. That was my father's voice. My eyes weren't playing tricks on me. He really was here. I stood and turned around to face my father.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

"I came to see you march. Why else?"

"How did you find out about this?"

"Inuyasha told me." I should have figured. I'll have to have a `talk' with him once I get home.

"If I wanted you to be here I would have told you myself." I said and turned. I was walking away when I heard Gome shout my name. I felt her run after me and couldn't help but listen to her.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Ice was still in my voice and I felt her falter a bit before she continued to follow me.

"He was your father, wasn't he?"

"What of it?"

"How can you treat him like that?"

"Easily, I assure you."

"He only came to support you. Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes."

"Oh really? How so?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Then enlighten me."

"You want to be `enlightened'?" I turned and must have looked at her with what felt inside because her eyes widened in fear a bit. "All right then, I'll `enlighten' you. My mother died in the hospital from a gunshot wound she got from protecting me during a bank robbery. I visited her everyday and everyday she got worse and worse. Everyday she asked me how that man was and everyday that man never once came to visit her. She died like that. Right before my eyes without seeing the man she loved more than her own life one last time. If he couldn't do anything to save her the least he could have done was visit her before she left, but no as soon as she was gone he was remarried to Inuyasha's mother and brought him into the family. He was at least five by then, proving the whole time he was having an affair with that woman while my mother never knew and loved him unconditionally." She stood there frozen for a bit as I stared into her shocked eyes. "I have every right to treat him the way he deserves." With that I turned and walked back to the bus, only the other bus so I wouldn't have to sit with Gome on the ride back to the school.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax through the whole trip. Once we got to school I changed out of my uniform and was one of the first to hand it back. I wanted to get out of here as soon as I could. Thankfully I didn't run into Gome again before I left the school. Too bad that luck only worked inside that building. She was waiting for me at my car, changed and everything.

I ignored her as I slipped my key into the lock and opened my car door. "I know how you feel." She said and I stopped.

"How do you know how I feel?"

"My father left to be with another woman. I suppose it's not the same thing, but still. If you ever need to talk just call me." Before I could tell her I wouldn't need to she walked away. There was nothing else to do, I got in my car and drove home. It didn't surprise me when my father's car wasn't in the driveway. It didn't surprise me when Inuyasha's car was gone too. I was home alone, and that's how I liked it.

I opened the door to the house and walked up the stairs to my room. I opened my door and leaned against the hard wood. How could Gome know how I feel? She didn't have to watch her mother die slowly in front of her like I did. I should have known making friends with her would have been a bad idea. I've never told anyone about how my mother died.

I sighed and flopped on my bed. What am I suppose to do now?