Week Thirteen Entry
Title: Fireworks
Author: KeiChanz
Genre: Romance / General
Rating: K+
Pairings: Inuyasha and Kagome
Warnings: None. Unless you count two instances of the word "hell" being said.
Words: 1,801.
Summary: Kagome asks her favorite hanyou for some help in getting the shrine ready for the Tanabata festival tomorrow.
Author's Notes: (Lame title, I know.) Here's your third entry, Nikki Kiraga! I don't want this community to die, even though I don't participate in it that much. But I'm going to start trying to from now on. Promise! I tried to make it as short as possible, so I hope it's not too long....heh.
Fireworks
"Please, Inuyasha!" Kagome begged, clasping her hands before her and staring up at the annoyed half-demon with pleading cinnamon eyes. "We need all the help we can get tomorrow, and with your mighty hanyou strength--"
Said hanyou snorted.
"--it's an absolute given that we'll get everything moved to where it's supposed to be and done on time so it'll be ready! C'mon, Inuyasha, whaddaya say? For me? Please?"
Inuyasha grunted and proceeded to ignore her, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes before tucking his chin to his chest.
"...There'll be ramen..."
A golden eye cracked open to peer at her curiously. "....What kind?"
Kagome blinked and faltered slightly. "Um...beef...?"
That was apparently the right answer because he heaved a long-suffering sigh then slowly stood up and stretched languorously. "Keh. Whatever, wench."
Kagome beamed at him and before she could stop herself - or him, for that matter - she threw her arms around his neck and brushed a kiss across his cheek. "Thanks, Inuyasha. I really appreciate it."
Heat had quickly filtered into his cheeks as soon as she threw her arms around his neck and Inuyasha tried to ignore the feel of her lithe body pressed against his. "Uh, y-yeah, sure. Whatever." He looked away and cleared his throat in slight discomfort.
The young woman pulled away and despite her own blush that stole across her cheeks Kagome refused to be embarrassed and make the situation even worse. "Right, then. I'll just go and tell the others where we'll be then we can be off." Flashing him a quick smile - even though he couldn't see it - Kagome spun on her heel and headed toward Kaede's hut. She couldn't quite stop the slight bounce in her step as she walked through the village.
Inuyasha watched her go with an undecipherable emotion in his eyes and released another sigh. What did he just get himself into?
A few minutes later Kagome emerged from the dwelling, carrying her yellow monstrosity on her shoulder looking like the cat that ate the canary with that smile on her face. Inuyasha’s gaze narrowed as she neared him and Kagome’s smile faltered somewhat.
“What?” she asked, the beginnings of a frown marring her brow.
He didn’t answer, only reached out and grabbed her bag before hefting it onto his own shoulder. Jerking his head, signaling her to get a move on, Inuyasha turned and headed for the Bone Eater’s Well.
Kagome shook her head, smiled a little, and then followed after him.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, just kind of enjoying the other’s company, before Inuyasha broke it. “So what the hell am I doing anywhere? You mentioned moving stuff?”
Kagome wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. There’re some heavy crates in the storage shed that need to be moved in order to get to the things we need for tomorrow, and Gramps is too old to be lifting any of them. That’s where you come in.” She grinned up at him. He snorted. Kagome giggled. “There’s also some decorations that need to be put up, and I was hoping maybe you could help with that, too, since you can jump high enough to string some lanterns along the roof or the archway above the shrine steps.”
Inuyasha tilted his head toward the sky and slanted a sidelong glance at her. “I dunno, Kagome…that seems like a lot work…are you sure I’ll be able to do it?”
She rolled her eyes and the corners of her lips tilted upward. “One cup of ramen and a bag of potato chips.”
“Five.”
“Two.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Deal.”
Kagome smacked his chest with a grin. “You’re horrible.”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
Kagome’s laughter echoed in his ears even as she vaulted herself over the lip of the well and disappeared five hundred years into the future.
She missed the smile that surfaced on his face before he followed after her.
The rest of the day was spent getting ready for tomorrow. Kagome had explained to him just what the special occasion was, and if he remembered correctly, it was something called the Tanabata festival. Something about two stars being separated, then meeting up again…? Meh, it didn’t really matter to him. So long as he was with Kagome, he didn’t care much about anything.
She wasn’t kidding about the heavy crates in the shed; he idly wondered just what the hell was inside of them and for once he was glad he’d agreed to help out. Kagome’s grandfather would have most likely put his back out of commission if he’d tried to move them by himself. Instead, the old man made himself useful - for once - and organized the shop, putting up smaller decorations and every once in a while checking up on him, giving him an order or two, and then withdrawing back to the shrine. Kagome hovered around him most of the time, gently telling him what goes where and offering idle chitchat. To Inuyasha, she was a godsend.
Mrs. Higurashi flitted around the grounds, offering snacks and beverages and praising Inuyasha for his hard work. As always, the praise made him blush and he’d “keh” softly before getting back to work. Souta seemed to be everywhere at once, his childlike excitement keeping everyone in good spirits and it wasn’t long before he’d tuckered himself out and retired inside to play his video games.
Around lunch time Kagome made good on their agreement and approached him with one cup of beef flavored noodles and the promised bag of potato chips with a bottle of water. The ramen was gone within the next five minutes but he took his time with the chips, munching on them in between stringing up the lanterns around the shrine and archway to the steps. Dinner time eventually rolled around and he devoured the other two cups as fast as he did the first one. Kagome was always amazed at how fast he could slurp down the ramen without getting heart burn.
It was nearing nine o’clock by the time all the major decorations had been set up, and everyone decided to call it quits for the night and finish the rest tomorrow morning. For that Inuyasha and Kagome were both grateful and they’d both collapsed onto Kagome’s bed, exhausted, sweaty, and all together drained.
They fell asleep with Inuyasha’s arms around her, her back to his chest and his nose buried in her hair.
---
“Well, all our hard work yesterday certainly paid off, don’t you think, Inuyasha?” Kagome asked him, tilting her head as she studied the final result of the decorations and lanterns glowing gently as the sun set and dusk approached. Business was starting to slow now, everybody heading toward the festivities downtown and getting ready for the climax of the celebration, the fireworks that would go off at ten o’clock tonight.
Inuyasha grunted and looked askance at her. “Whaddaya mean ‘our hard work’? I did most of it; you just walked around and help the old man with the shrine. Who’s gettin’ credit for it?”
Kagome rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Fine, fine, you stubborn jerk. All your hard work. Better?”
“Much.”
“Git-face.”
“Bitch.”
“Only to you.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Bite me.”
“Later.”
“Oh, you-!”
Inuyasha’s laugher warmed her heart, even as she chased him around the grounds threatening him bodily harm.
Mrs. Higurashi, camera in hand, smiled warmly and raised the camera to catch the rare moment on film.
---
“Come on, Inuyasha, or we’ll miss the fireworks!” Kagome announced, dragging the half-demon behind her as she weaved through the sea of anxious people.
Inuyasha groaned lowly and reluctantly followed behind her, deliberately dragging his feet just to annoy her and inwardly smirking at the look she directed at him over her shoulder. “What’s the big deal? They’re too loud and the sulfur smell clogs my nose.” She ignored him and continued to lead him to the trees lining the park. He frowned. “Oi, wench, where are you going? The festival’s that way.” He jerked his head behind him.
This time when she looked behind her a smile curled her lips and Inuyasha’s breath hitched. “I know. But there’s a better spot to watch the fireworks from. I wanna get there before anyone else does. Now come on!”
With a resigned sigh, Inuyasha picked up the pace and vanished into the trees with her.
It wasn’t long before they reached a small clearing, the tall trees around them framing the dark sky just so, making it seem as if the spot was made just for stargazing.
Kagome let go of his hand and stared up at the sky not obscured by trees. “See? It’s a perfect view of the fireworks because the festival is just through the trees ahead. And we got it all to ourselves!” She giggled girlishly but then seemed to realize just what that meant. She flushed and turned away, smoothing down the floral kimono donning her figure.
Inuyasha frowned slightly and cocked his head, studying her closely and watching her face. Obviously these fireworks meant a lot to her and if it would make her happy, he’d endure the loud booming and the scent of sulfur just to see her smile.
The clock struck ten and Kagome instantly forget her shyness, whirring toward the clear sky and watching in anticipation for the bright fireworks about to go off any minute.
Inuyasha wasn’t watching the sky. His attention was focused on the woman before him, eyes luminous with excitement and a wide smile threatening to break over her flawless features. He watched as her ebony hair stirred in the night’s warm July breeze, highlighted by the fireworks that finally launched into the heavens and exploded in a whirlpool of colors.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Her voice penetrated his thoughts and he blinked.
“Yeah…beautiful.”
It was then that she turned toward him, that gentle smile curving her soft lips and her chocolate eyes reflecting the fireworks exploding above them.
Time seemed to stop and Inuyasha moved without thinking, stepping toward her and wrapping his arms about her waist, pulling her close and staring into those twin pools of russet. Kagome’s smile never waned, never faltered even as his lips kicked up into his own half-smile.
He didn’t seem to notice as her hand raised and rested on his chest, above his heart.
Neither of them noticed the quick flash that went off a few feet from them, nor the warm, satisfied smile upon a pair of aged lips and motherly face.
Brown eyes so much like her daughter’s missed the moment in which Inuyasha dipped his head and caught Kagome’s lips in an infinitely tender kiss.
The fireworks continued their colorful explosion above them.