Chapter Seven: Vacation in Hokkaido Part 1
Sesshoumaru nudged the body on the ground with his foot. "How can a person just freeze and then collapse from hearing their name?"
"If the person yelling for them is Houjo," Kikyou answered matter-of-factly as if that answer was as normal as, "3 is the answer to 1 + 2."
Sango was shaking Kagome vigorously but the raven-haired girl continued to lay there without moving an inch. Everyone, except Sesshoumaru began to panic when they thought they couldn't feel a pulse from Kagome.
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. He walked over to a table and picked up a half-filled glass of water and poured it over Kagome's face. Kagome instantly sprang to life, greeting Sesshoumaru with a generous sneeze in the face.
Kagome wiped her nose with her sleeve and looked around at the many confused faces. "Man, I just had a horrible nightmare."
Sesshoumaru was scowling as he wiped his face with a towel. "It's hard to believe that you came from a wealthy family with your manners."
Once again, Kagome ignored Sesshoumaru's rude comment. She looked down at herself and asked, "Why am I wet?"
"You peed in your sleep," answered Inuyasha, earning two slaps on the back of his head from Kikyou and Sango.
Kagome rubbed the back of her head, wincing when she felt a bump on her head. "That nightmare felt so real. I thought Ho—"
"Kagome-san!" Houjo burst into the room, carrying many blankets and pillows.
Kagome shrieked and attempted to jump out of the window, if it weren't for Miroku and Sango pulling her back inside.
"Kagome, we're on the second floor! Suicide is not the answer!" Miroku was yelling as he pulled the screaming girl back inside. Kagome escaped Sango and Miroku's grasps, but she quickly hid herself behind Sesshoumaru's suitcases near a futon.
Kikyou gently pushed Houjo out of the room. "Listen, Houjo, sweetie, Kagome is a bit under the weather so you should leave. It might be contagious. Bye-bye!"
Kikyou pulled the shoji door closed and sighed heavily. "Evidently, Shippou forgot to tell us about Houjo working here at his parents' inn."
"You think?" screamed Kagome from her hiding place behind Sesshoumaru's suitcases. She stopped her hysterical sobbing and yelling when a book fell out of one of Sesshoumaru's suitcases. She looked at it with a quizzical look. "What's this?"
She started to open it but Sesshoumaru quickly snatched it away. "You're fine now, so get out of my room."
"But Sesshoumaru! What is it? It looks like a journal. What is it?" Kagome tried to grab the book but Sesshoumaru kept it out of her reach.
"It's none of your business. Now everyone leave!" His voice boomed tremendously leaving no room for objections.
Everyone shuffled out of the room, grumbling amongst themselves.
"Hey, Inuyasha," Miroku eyed the back of Sango as he spoke.
"Hmm?"
"How come you're not sharing the room with Sesshoumaru? Not that I mind rooming with you, but I was hoping to…you know."
"One: Fat chance, you perverted loser. And two: Sesshoumaru said that in the middle of the night, he'll throw me out of the window if I snore."
"You snore?" Kikyou popped in.
"It's not my fault! I have a nasal problem!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and glowered the whole way to the girls' room.
Mr. Higurashi looked at the table grimly. He bit his lips as his eyes traveled across the table looking for any new openings. He brightened when he noticed an opening; quickly seizing the Jack of spade he placed it over the ten of hearts.
"Master Higurashi, you have a phone call." A maid had entered the room, placing a silver tray on Mr. Higurashi's desk.
Mr. Higurashi sighed as grabbed the small pot of tea on the tray and poured himself a cup. After taking a few slow sip of the tea, he picked up the phone.
"You rotten, old man! Why didn't you renew the restraining order?!" A voice screamed through the phone.
Mr. Higurashi could've sworn that it was Kagome's voice, but he knew it couldn't be her. It just can't. "She's never called me old before."
He pulled a small mirror out of the drawer in his desk. He turned his head to different angles. "Just one or two gray hair. I…can't be old. I have daughters almost in…"
His voice trailed off as he realized with horror that he was old. "…their twenties."
"Are you listening to me, you old coot?!"
"K-Kagome, dear? Is there a problem? Aren't you having fun at Aunty's inn?"
"Houjo's here, and he told me that the restraining order expired. Five years ago." Kagome's voice was very bitter and very murderous.
"Really? I was so sure I…" Mr. Higurashi's voice came to a sudden halt as he noticed something in one of his drawers. He quickly pulled out an ivory folder with a post-it on it that says (in big, all caps, and underlined letter), "RESTRAINING ORDER. MUST BE SENT OUT TOMORROW."
"Of course, I did," Mr. Higurashi said confidently as he stuffed the folder into his briefcase. "Now, I will investigate on this Kagome, dear. Meanwhile, have fun and bring home news on yours and Kikyou's wedding dates with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha."
Mr. Higurashi quickly hung up, but not before hearing, "You freakin' old fart!"
He shook his head and then muttered in an astonished tone, "Where did she learn to talk that way? Must've been from her mother…"
Sesshoumaru tapped his pen gently on the table, eyes looking out the window, and shivering from the sudden strong breeze in the room. "An Ode to the Woman I Want to Murder Mercilessly."
He shook his head and ran a tongue over his lips lightly. "There are too many women to choose from."
He closed the leather-bound book in front of him and quickly locked it. "No one will ever touch you again, Diary."
"Sesshoumaru, darling," His name was called in a sing-song fashion. Kagome stuck her head in the room and grinned brightly.
"Get out."
"No." Kagome started to slide the door open further.
"I'm taking my pants off." As crude as Inuyasha's ways of avoiding people were, they were always effective.
"Alright, but let me turn on my camera first."
Darn you, Kagome. "What do you want?"
"Sesshoumaru's shirt." Kagome's answer was surprisingly not sarcastic.
Sesshoumaru stared at her for a really long time. No one spoke and the only sound heard was a bell ringing outside, followed by a splash from the koi pond in the yard. "Why?"
That was the only thing he could say. He doesn't know how to react to a woman wanting to borrow one of his shirts.
Kagome bit her lower lips. "Well…"
"Go on."
"Auntie…"
"She…?"
"She wants me to help her cook. And I can't possibly ruin any of my shirts! The fabrics are too delicate."
Kagome quickly closed the shoji door, ducking as a shoe flew through the door. "Oh, dear. Uncle won't be too happy with that. You'd better be willing to compensate for that door, Taishou!"
A loud roar was heard inside the room, making Kagome dashed down the hall for fear of her health. "Shoot, I still need an old shirt to wear. I'll just borrow one of Kikyou's shirts…"
"It's poisoned, isn't it?" Sesshoumaru sniffed a vegetable he picked up with his chopsticks.
Kagome slammed her hands on the table, leaning over to look at Sesshoumaru with narrowed eyes. "Eat it and find out, you jerk."
"You have some anger issues, Higurashi." Sesshoumaru ate the vegetable hesitantly, surprised to find out that he's still alive and the thing was actually edible.
"I'll probably have a heart attack in my teens, thanks to you." Kagome sat down beside Sango and Kikyou. She began eating, hoping to drown her anger with food.
Inuyasha made a face as he pushed a bowl of soup away. "Who made that thing?! It tastes like dishwater!"
Kikyou smiled sweetly. "Auntie did. Would you like to have a word with her? She's in the next room. I should also remind you that the last person who complained about her cooking ended up sleeping in the wood without a blanket or tent."
"Yeah, Dad should've kept his mouth shut. After all, he lived with his sister for a really long time." Kagome said thoughtfully, leaning over to pick up a piece of vegetable.
Inuyasha's face paled as he quickly slurped all of his soup, leaving not even a drop to spare. Kikyou and Kagome clapped their hands at this sight. "Four seconds, bravo, Inu-baby."
Inuyasha started gagging, quickly standing up and heading for the bathroom. Everyone stared after him. Sesshoumaru snorted, "What a baby."
After dinner was over, everyone walked down the hallways of the inn together. Sango yawned and stretched before asking Kagome and Kikyou about the hot springs. The girls giggled as they quickly ran off to get towels before heading to the hot spring outside.
Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, the whole reason we came here was to go to the hot springs. Maybe I should join them. You know…give them a massage, hand them the towels…"
"And watch them undress?" Inuyasha snorted.
"Of course that too." Miroku answered shamelessly, quickly sneaking off.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru continued heading for their rooms in silence. Then Sesshoumaru spoke softly, "Five…four…three…two…"
A loud banging noise was heard outside as well as several shrieking voices. Inuyasha numbered off the different sound of crashes with his fingers, and then said in an astonished voice, "12 different crashes."
"But girls…I'm only trying to be helpful."
"Then you can go back to their room with Inuyasha, pervert!" Sango's voice was so low and deadly, it sent chills down everyone's spines.
"B-but Sango, darling…wait, Sango…dear"
Sango began to mercilessly throw wooden buckets at Miroku before he had no choice but to retreat back inside. A little later, Miroku found Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru staring at him. He laughed nervously, "Hi?"
Inuyasha began to pummel Miroku. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble me and Ice Prince would be in if our parents find out? If I get cut out of the old man's will because of this, I will personally skin you alive!"
Despite Miroku's futile attempt, Inuyasha continued to beat him up, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at this scene, finding himself bored already. He continued his walk back to his room, wondering vaguely where he left his ear plugs.
Meanwhile, the girls found their time in the hot spring to be completely ruined. Gathering their belongings, they also headed for their room, chattering happily about this and that.
The last thought everyone had for the night was, "Six more days to go…"
A/N: I went through three different versions of this chapter before settling on this one. Personally, I'm not satisfied with how this chapter ended, but that was the best I could come up with. I have no idea when I'll updated next, so I'm not making any promises. I hope everyone can understand.