KAMIYA DOJO

Half an hour later, the entire group sat in the Kamiya Dojo. Kenshin cooked some small fish over a portable stove. Inuyasha eyed Kagome maliciously, who sat a lot closer to Kenshin than he would have liked. Sano watched the fish crackle and pop on the stovetop, still chomping on a fishbone from earlier that day. Everything was surprisingly quiet.

Well…for a little while.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru stomped into the dojo.

"Oh, hello, Kaoru-dono! How are--"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT, MISTER!" the girl screeched, brandishing her shinai[1]. "I TOLD YOU TO PICK UP SOME RICE FOR DINNER!! NOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO EAT?!"

"Oro?"

"Don't you 'oro' me!!" the shinai flew through the air, conking the rurouni in the head and knocking him over backwards. As he fell, he dropped the fork he had been using to turn the fish, flipping one of the small trout into the air. It fell into his open kimono.

"AIIIIII!!" Kenshin started doing a frantic dance, trying to get the burning hot piece of meat out of his kimono.

"Ten points," Sanosuke jeered.

"Oh, we have guests?" Kaoru's cheeks flushed pink as she gave a surprisingly polite bow. "Forgive my behavior. It's just that I asked SOMEONE to pick up some rice so we could eat tonight, and SOMEONE didn't do so."

Inuyasha snorted and said nothing. Kagome smiled, kicking him in the shin. "Oh, it's quite alright. I find that you have to be rough with men a lot or they won't LISTEN." She put extra emphasis on the word 'listen', shooting a pointed glare at Inuyasha.

"Oh, I know what you mean!" Kaoru skipped over, settling onto the floor beside Kagome and taking the fork. The fish crackled as she turned them over. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru. And you are?"

"Hm? Oh! I'm Kagome Higurashi. That's Inuyasha. He's not very pleasant."

"Bite me," Inuyasha muttered.

"K-K-K-Kaoru-dono, a little help if you please!" Kenshin was trying to reach the scorching fish that had somehow found its way around to his back.

Pointedly ignoring the rurouni, Kaoru went on, "That's a new one. I've never heard that before." She shot a glance at Kagome's clothes. "I'm guessing you're foreign?"

"Uh, you could say that…"

Sano plucked a fish off the griddle. "Foreign doesn't even begin to cover it. She says she's from 1995."

"Hey! That's my fish, you asshole!" Inuyasha stood. "I haven't eaten in over a week!"

"I don't see your name on it," Sano mocked, turning the fish around as if to look on all sides.

"I claimed it!"

"Since when?"

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Inuyasha tackled Sano, and the two rolled across the dojo.

"1995?!" Kaoru exclaimed, "but how?! This is only 1864! Are you some kind of a magician???"

"No no, of course not!" Kagome said quickly, waving a dismissing hand. "It was this well I have in my shrine. Somehow it connects to the Feudal Era and vice versa. But this time…" she trailed off, eyes casting downward.

Kenshin, who was still dancing around trying to get the fish out of his kimono, tripped over the two hagglers on the floor and sprawled across the dojo. The fish shot out of his shirt and flew through the open door.

Kagome laughed. "Safe!" she chortled.

Kaoru rubbed her temple. "Please ignore the peanut gallery. But are you really from the future? I'm not saying you're lying, but it IS kind of hard to believe."

Sano finally managed to wrestle the fish away from the hanyou and was now sitting atop of him, munching contentedly. "It's true. I saw her come through with my own two eyes."

"BAKA[2]!" Inuyasha screamed. "Get your heavy ass off of me!"

"But you make such a comfortable seat!" Sano said, adding a few extra bounces just for good measure. Then he got to his feet and started over to the rest of the group.

Kagome eyed him nervously. "I wouldn't make him mad…he's got a reputation for violence."

Right at that moment, Inuyasha lunged for the fighter-for-hire. Kagome stood up. "SIT!"

Inuyasha fell to the ground in mid flight, skidding across the dojo, knocking into Kenshin, who was still on the floor. Both went flying out the door.

"Maybe I put a little too much wax on the floor," Kaoru commented absently. "Kagome-san, are you sure you're not some kind of shamaness? That was a pretty impressive trick."

"Oh, I'm sure."

"GOD, WOMAN!" Inuyasha came back in, dragging Kenshin by his hair. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

"I wish," Kagome muttered. "Put the poor man down, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha dropped Kenshin in disgust. "I don't have to stick around for this farce," he spat, turning on his heel and walking out the door.

"But seriously," Kagome continued, "I really need to find a way back to my time. My family is going to be so worried…"
"Well, I don't know what we can to help, but we'll certainly try. Right guys?" Kaoru looked at Sano and Kenshin with a smile.

"Yes. This one will be happy to do whatever he can."

"Whatever."

"See?" Kaoru said. "We'll help you. Don't worry. We'll get you back to your own--"
Just then, Yahiko burst through the door to the dojo. "Kenshin, come quick! A group of hunters were in the woods, and they came across a half dead demon! They need someone who can finish him! COME ON!!"

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Yayishness. I hope that wasn't too goofy for you. R&R!!