Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Nikanaru
By : Koday
Category: InuYasha > General
Views: 3209 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
General Disclaimer
I don�t own the Inuyasha series, nor do I aim to make
profit off this. And frankly, I doubt I could if I applied myself.
However, I do claim unofficial ownership over my
original characters.
Also: Sorry to all those Adult FF.net readers about
this massive delay, but like many of you, I�ve had issues with the site
reconstruction. First it wouldn�t let me in� then my story wasn�t here� I don�t
know what changed, but suddenly I can only now access my author panel without
getting a constant stream of �session timeout� error messages. In any event,
here you are.
P.S: Alicia, I�ll happily put you on the mailing list
for updates, but the e-mail address in your review was hidden. And there are,
like, three Alicia�s profiled at AFF.net. I�m afraid the same goes for one Shyne.

Previous Chapter Illustration:

www.deviantart.com/view/20818124/
That
probably looks like it hurt more than it actually did. But I do so love drawing
warped expressions, double takes, and the like. Poor Max.
Oh, and
that�s him in his illusionary human state. In case you were wondering what
happened to the ears and facial markings. But in case you missed them:
BONUS:
www.deviantart.com/view/21111313/
It�s a
Higurashi family shot, as they appear in this story. Grandpa probably doesn�t
look nearly as old as he should, but he is taking damn good care of himself,
right? (I.E. Author/Artist sucks at drawing wrinkles.) Besides, my own
Grandmother, in her 80�s is still going jogging every morning with a brace
surgically inserted into her shinbone.
Yeah,
that�s right. My Grandmother could totally kick your Grandmother�s ass.
But I
digress�

Nikanaru

Chapter 4:

Pity Date

Or

The Teen Gross-Out/Romance Phase of This
Fanfiction�I Swear To God it Won�t Happen Again.

It was to
be a very important, well-dressed occasion for Souta. He was making absolutely
sure to look downright impeccable. Bathed, and scrubbed to the point of
virtually giving himself a body-wide Indian burn. Hair combed and gelled to as
much perfection as one who wasn�t a professional hairstylist could manage.
Single tuxedo, dry cleaned, pressed, and at the ready. Specialty cologne, one
that he�d picked as his regular one after years of experimenting with many
types, depending on female reaction to it. Everything was ready. Everything was
perfectly planned.

Everything
except annoying relatives buzzing his apartment.

�Yello?�
He cautiously answered over the speaker.

�Uncle
Souta!� Came the somewhat electronically distorted voice. Souta grimaced.
Despite the distortion, he could tell that the voice belonged to Max.

Also, because no one else ever
called him �Uncle.� At least not since his days putting fellow fifth-graders in
submission holds.

Under any other circumstances,
Souta would be delighted to have Max over, but things were tight. He had just
finished a phone-in interview with a reporter from Cleats Magazine, and
was scheduled to be at the Ritz in forty-five minutes.

�Uh, Max�� He called over the
speaker, hoping not to sound like an asshole. ��I�ve got to head out in like,
five minutes. Can you come back tomorrow or something?�

�I just really need to borrow
some clothes. I won�t be two minutes, I swear!� Came the distorted plea.
Souta sighed and hit the button to open the lobby door. While waiting for his
nephew to climb all 4 stories, he took another moment to brush his teeth.
They�ve had these sickly stains of pale yellow here and there which, for the
life of him, he couldn�t seem to get rid of. A fifth try couldn�t hurt, though.

Spitting out the foam just as a
knock to the tune of �Shave and a haircut� was heard at his front door, Souta
headed over and opened up. A somewhat overeager Max stepped in.

�Okay, Squirt, what do you need?�
Souta quickly asked.

�I, uh, wanted to borrow one of
your sports jackets.� Max replied. Souta couldn�t imagine what on earth Max
would need with one of those, but eager to have him out of his hair as soon as
possible, he simply went into his closet, grabbed a nice enough-looking brown
one and tossed it to Max. After trying it on for size, Max smiled in approval.

�Thanks a lot.� He beamed with a
thumbs up. �I�ll bring it back tomorrow morning, alright?�

�Sure, sure.� Souta approved,
waving him off. And Max did indeed dart off out the door, appearing to be in just
as great a hurry as Souta. Against his better judgment, this intrigued Souta,
and caused him to poke his head out of the hallway door to ask, �Hey, what did
you need that for?�

�A date.� Max called back at him
as he descended the staircase. This left a wide eyed Souta with only an empty
hallway to stare blankly into in stupor.

That seemed to happen an awful
lot. Ironically, despite being the youngest blood member of the Higurashi
family, and despite having idolized Inuyasha back when he was a kid, it was
Souta who always approached every new situation concerning his adopted demon
nephew with caution. When his mother had decided to take Max in, it had been
Souta who had raised some slight objections, fearing that a demon child might
not be tamable. It was he who had raised slight objections about Max going out
in public and to school, fearing Max�s lack of social skills and potential
control over his strength. It was he who had raised objections about Max going
to family reunions, fearing that no one would buy the �Long lost relative�
excuse. Thankfully, he had been wrong on all counts, as Max had not only been
an excellently behaved child, (with a few notable exceptions) he had developed
social skills quite splendidly, learned expertly to conceal his true form�

�and their extended family, as it
turned out, were idiots.

But once again, Souta found
himself wanting to object to Max actually going out on a bonna fide date. What
if�what if�

�well, what if what? As he
reflected on it, he didn�t really have a good reason to object to this.
Primarily, he�d feared that Max being overly intimate with anyone would lead
that person to discover Max�s demonic physique. An example off the top of his
head was that if Max were French kissing anyone, the tongue of whichever girl
it was might brush up against his fangs. But frankly, Souta doubted that they�d
go that far on the first date.

But beyond that, Souta knew that
Max had enough common sense to know what to and what not to do in a given
situation. He�d kept his true appearance a secret all these years, and wasn�t
about to blow it all just because he was with some girl.

Yes, despite the fact that Souta
had an ever-nagging feeling that something might go wrong, he decided to ignore
it. Max should go on his date, end of story.

Snapping out of his refection,
Souta looked up at the clock and muttered an obscenity when he realized that he
was going to be late for his.

*********

One Hour Ago

I can�t
believe I listened to them.
I can�t
believe I actually tried this.
I can�t
believe I even considered trying.
I can�t
believe I even took my fucking pants off! �This stream of thought repeated itself for
what was probably the ninth or tenth time since he entered the locked bathroom,
as pantless as he claimed. Before leaving school today, Kato, Ciro, Dai and Joe
had once again accosted Max about his forthcoming date. Evidently, they
believed that the success of this romantic excursion would likely make the
upperclass girls reflect well on Max and his clique, and it was therefore their
invested interest to see to it that things went well. Consequently, the four of
them had showered him with �advice� which, now in retrospect, led him to
believe that they all had no clue what the fuck they were talking about.

And one
amongst those pearls of wisdom had been the suggestion that Max�masturbate
before going out, so that he could presumably empty all the horny out of his
system and not get any on his date. Something about appearing like less of the
sex-starved teenager that you actually are by depleting your sexual energies
beforehand.

I�m
pretty sure that�s not even how it works.

Max had
wanked in the past�hell, since he�d been about fourteen�maybe not as much as
the average person. He figured his average to be about once every three days, a
guesstimate that had come up during that one time he and his friends were
comparing personal stats, and Max had come out with the second-lowest figure,
ahead of Ciro. (The story behind how that conversation ever even came up is
long and winded.)

But this
kind of self-service had always been so casual, so free flowing those other
times. Now imposed with a deadline, and schedule, a purpose� all this serious
business rather killed the mood. For the past few fifteen minutes, Max had peen
poking himself, unable to rouse much enthusiasm in his wang.

Come
on, buddy. We�ve done this before. You know the routine: You spend all day in
your Fruit-of-the-Loom prison cell, my hand comes in for a conjugal visit, you
stand up for a full salute and use up all the energy you don�t spend laying
around flaccid, we both go home happy.
Sweet-talking it didn�t seem to do any good. This was just awkward. The fuck
do you want? Dinner and a movie? I already make sure you�ve got quality
underwear rubbing up against you. No chafing or any of that shit!

A knock on
the door interrupted Max�s telepathic conversation with his penis.

�Max?�
Grandmother�s voice. Jeans are hiked up so fast he practically gives his legs
denim-burn.

�Yeah?� He
manages without sounding either as flustered or guilty as he was.

�You�ve
been in there an awful long time, and I haven�t heard a flush or anything yet.
Is everything okay?�

�Everything�s
fi�you keep track of how many times I flush??�

�I�m just
saying. And I need one of my pills from the medicine cabinet. Are you going to
be much longer? Nothing�s wrong?�

Well, I
might have been impotent before, but I sure as hell am now. Aborting his plans for self-gratification as fast as anyone else
would when their grandmother comes into the equation, Max dejectedly opened the
door.

�I�m fine,
yeah. I should actually get going now, though.�

�Okay,
sweetie. Have fun.�

********

Present

�Hey! You�re early.� Kina said, as
she spotted Max through the crowd at the theatre lobby.

�Yeah, there wasn�t as much on my
to-do list as I thought.� He replied as he waltzed up to her, trying to look
casual despite proudly wearing of a fancy looking, several-hundred-dollar
sports jacket. Max wasn�t exactly a fashion freak, as he was otherwise wearing
a red t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, but felt that one semi-formal article of
clothing would show that he had at least some interest in dressing up for this
occasion. �So, how�s Reya doing?�

�A lot better now.� She smiled
devilishly. �As it turns out, kicking the shit out of Yamaro cheered her up a
hell of a lot. Me and the girls spent the day with her, and she seems to be in
way better spirits.�

�I heard you got suspended.� Max
queried with a sympathetic tone in his voice.

�Me and Yoshi did, yeah. But we
didn�t get any charges pressed against us. We didn�t even get kicked off the
squad.� She pleasantly chimed. �Besides, midterm week just ended, so it�s not
like we�re missing much.�

�All in all, a relatively happy
ending.� He smiled.

�Well, it could have been a hell
of a lot worse.� She guessed. Sighing, she also added: �Of course, it would�ve
been a hell of a lot better if that fuckstick hadn�t laid his hands of Reya in
the first place.� A pause was pregnant in the air as the two reflected on the
seriousness of that incident, as if mourning it to give it its proper respects.
�Well�I did all I could, I guess. And a little more. Anyways, how�s your face?�

�Oh.� Max said, rubbing his hand
against his cheek. �Still sore, but the bruise is almost gone.�

Max had had to deck himself again
right before he came.

�So!� She perked up, livening the
mood a little. �What�dya wanna see? Casual Armageddon?� The albino-like
eyebrows on Max�s face raised at that suggestion.

Huh?! Doesn�t she know what
kind of flick that is??

�Uh�� He reluctantly began. ��I�m
not sure that�s your kind of movie.�

�Why? I saw it last week and I
loved it. I�d see it again.�

�You did??� Surprised, he had to also
admit. �Er�actually I saw it too.�

�Oh yeah? What was your favorite
part?�

�Uh�I guess when that bad guy was
trapped in the rotating chair, and Jet just held on to his head until snapped
completely around.� He related somewhat shyly.

�Oh yeah! Mine was when the big
boss was attacking Jet with a wrecking ball, and then he had a flashback about
his father training him, and then caught the ball and threw it right back at
the boss!� This was VERY weird. He was used to discussing movies of this nature
with his friends, but he never expected a potential romantic interest to share
his love of exceptionally violent action flicks.

This is either a sign that I�ve
found my soulmate, or that I need to start running for my life.

�Well, okay�how about�� Wanting to
further see if they had more coinciding movie genre likes, he scanned the
listings for a film that was a good example of it. ��uh�Loyd of the Rings:
The Fellowship of Yo Mamma?� Her face seemed to brighten at that
suggestion.

�Yeah! I�ve been wanting to see a
new Zucker movie for a long time.�

�Really?� Max could barely believe
his invisible pointy ears.

�Sure. Why, were you testing me?�
She asked, her eyebrows raising in suspicion.

�No, it�s just�� He started to
scramble for the right words, not wanting to fuck things up. Laghaminute films,
Zucker�s specialty, had been largely considered a bane on modern cinema in
recent years due to embarrassing efforts by untalented filmmakers since 2009 to
copy the style. Confessing that you still liked those types of movies was like
confessing that you actually liked Michael Bolton. ��I just never expected to
meet another Laughaminute fan. At least not one who was willing to admit it out
loud.�

�Ugh. I know. Abrahams, Zucker and
Brooks perfected it, and then those pricks who made all those Stupid Genre
Sendup movies totally ruined it for everyone!�

�I know! What�s the deal? I mean
people don�t stop watching teen romance movies even though half of them are
total shit!�

�Seriously. Last week, I had to go
see some shitfest with my little sister. Have you ever noticed the way, in half
of these movies, there�s some clich� scene where the guy and the girl turn out
to have a lot in common after all? And they�re like, totally surprised?�

�Yeah. Christ, writers need to come
up with something original.� They both paused a moment before looking over to
the ticket counter.

�Well, the next showing�s in five
minutes. Wanna make a run for it?� He suggested.

�Why not?� She smiled back at him
as they both approached the booth.

*******

Ten Years Ago

��near the end of the dyamo�s
legacy, a monk of great virtue and spirit came to the castle��

�Great Grandpa?�

��offering to ward away the evil
spirits that were possessing the poor hime. The daimyo was only all too
pleased��

�Great Granpa?�

��to offer the monk his treasures
for those services, but being a servant of Buddha, the monk valiantly��

�Great Grandpa!� Max repeated,
just a little louder. The old man finally looked away from his tome to the
young child laying in his bed.

�What the matter?� Grandpa asked.

�You�ve read that story before.�
Max fussed. Granpa blinked at him.

�Are you sure?�

�Yeah. That�s the legend where the
good monk refuses the daimio�s daughter�s hand in marriage. And then later some
delinquent monk comes along and tries to get her to have her children.� Max
recited. Grandpa, surprised, sheepishly flipped through the pages of the tome
he was reading.

�Um�Alright, how about the Legend
of the Oni Matsuroko?�

�Heard it.�

�The Story of the Seven Mako
Spirits?�

�Heard it. Twice.�

�Uh�The Legend of�Zorro?�

��Great Greandpa....� An annoyed
groan signaled that the old man had nothing.
Grandpa closed the tome in defeat.
Since Max had been old enough to have bedtime stories read to him, Grandpa
regaled him with all the mythic tales and legends that he, in his years as a
shrine priest, had known, just like he used to do for his daughter and two
grandchildren. And quite unlike any of them, Max seemed genuinely enthralled
with those stories. Enough to actually notice when one of his tales was a
repeat. Grandpa wondered briefly how he could have repeated stories with Max
when he was so young and not his other relatives�then realized that he must
have, only they�d never paid any attention in the first place and wouldn�t have
noticed.

�So you�ve heard every legend this
old man�s got to pass on to the next generation then, huh?� Grandpa mused
somewhat depressingly. A moment passed before Max spoke up.

�What about the well?� Grandpa
instantly stiffened.

�W�what well?� He stumbled.

�The one out in the courtyard. The
one Grandma won�t let me go near.� He stated. �You�ve never told me any legends
about that one.�

�Oh! Uh�� Grandpa scrambled his
brain, trying to think fast. Unfortunately, he had a horrible track record to
live up to when it came to improvising plausible excuses. As proven by the fact
that he had once called his granddaughter�s high school and explained that one
of her prolonged absences was due to AIDS. �It�s�just a regular well. Nothing
special about it.� He wondered if that would pass.

�Then why won�t Grandma let me go
near it?�

�It�s�uh�well, you see��

The Next Morning

�Hey, Grandma?� Max asked between
chews of his pancakes at the breakfast table.

�Yes, dear?� She replied as she
flipped more on the stove.

�If the well out back is infested
with AIDS, then shouldn�t we call in a biohazard crew or something instead of
just leaving it there?� A pancake, which was in mid flip before Max had opened
his mouth, made a lovely splattering sound as it missed the pan and landed on
the tile floor.

�DAD!!!�

Moments Later

�Max�� Sakura began, now having
seated herself, Max and Grandpa in the living room for what appeared to be a
serious talk. ��about that well.�

�Why are we keeping AIDS in there?
Are we secretly terrorists?� Max asked with a worried expression.

�What?? No!� Sakura flapped,
glaring at her father. �We don�t have AIDS, or any diseases whatsoever in
there!�

�Oh. Then why��

�You�re Great Grandfather was just
being silly.� She answered before he could finish.

�Uh�okay.� He replied. �Then why
can�t I go near it?� Max watched as both Sakura and his great grandpa exchanged
worried expressions before returning their attention to Max. They both knew this
conversation was bound to come along at some point, and frankly, they were
quite surprised it hadn�t earlier. That was fine by them, of course, as they
would have rather not discussed it at all, but they couldn�t keep Max in the
dark either. He had to know sometime.

�Max�� Grandpa began carefully.
�Have we ever told you about�Kagome?�

�Kagome?� Max repeated. The name
did strike a chord in his mind. He�d heard it a few times before, but never
paid it much mind. �I don�t think so. Why?�

�She was�� Sakura began, her eyes
closed solemnly as she spoke ��IS my daughter. And your uncle Souta�s sister.�

�Oh.� Max stated.

�She also�may be your mother.�
Grandpa added.

�IS your mother.� Sakura
sharply corrected.

�My�mother?� Max wondered. Now in
the waning days of his innocence, Max had begun to wonder about why other kids
at school had �mothers� and he didn�t. For a time, he just assumed he did, only
his was instead called �Grandma,� as if a different version of the same thing.
It had also occurred to him that he didn�t look a thing like any of his
�family�, so he just assumed that he was multicultural, like Al. He�d seen her
mother and the two looked totally different. �So I have a mother, too?�

�Well, of course you do, kiddo.
Where do you think you came from?� Grandpa asked him. Max could only stare
blankly in response.

Where did I come from? I�m only
six! I don�t think about these things! Ask me about my tax deductibles and
geo-politics while you�re at it, why don�tcha?

�Uh�the�stork?� He tried
uncertainly. Sakura threw Grandpa another glare. On top of this discussion,
they didn�t want to have to talk about the birds and the bees.

�Never mind that.� Sakura
dismissed that direction of conversation. �We�re going to tell you about your
mother�and your father. It�s going to be a little hard, because truthfully, we
don�t know all the details. But we�ll do our best.�

The story of Kagome Higurashi, to
the best knowledge of her family, was related to Max over the next couple of
hours.

Weeks Later

Max stood a few yards away from
the Bone-Eater�s Well. What he�d learned a few weeks ago had been almost
unbelievable, even by the standards of an imaginative six-year old. His
grandmother and great grandfather had told him all about how their daughter once
fell through this well to another time period; a time when demons and
mythological forces were rampant. They told him about how she came back and
forth through the well with the person they claimed was his father, a dog demon
named Inuyasha. They told him how no one besides those two could seem to use
the well, making it impossible for them to tell him personally what the other
side of the well was like. And they told him that that was why they could never
go find her when she one day went through the well and just never came back.

And this was where he was found.
They�d just discovered him in there, at the bottom of the well, the same
entranceway that Kagome and Inuyasha had used to disappear in between the
centuries. Max had been purposefully sent here by someone.

Sakura and Grandpa had assured
Max, had made absolutely sure that he understood how much they loved and cared
for him, no matter where he came from, nor if he wasn�t human.

Above all, though, they had made
certain that he understood why he couldn�t go near the well. As near as any of
them could understand the properties of it, only certain people could use it.
No one was certain what the criteria was, but it was a fair bet nevertheless
that Max would be able to pass through. After all, he had come through it once
as a child; it stood to reason that he might be able to do it again. They would
have had the well demolished altogether if they still weren�t clinging to a
faint hope that Kagome might someday come back through, too.

And on the other side of the well
was, at this point, God-Knows-What. History books might be able to suggest
something about what was going on there, but official history also never
motioned anything about demons and the occult in the Feudal times. If Max went
through, there was no telling if something might prevent him from getting back,
or just kill him outright.

He had been unusually quiet these
last few weeks, these revelations going through his mind almost every minute of
every day. For the first couple of days after Sakura had made it clear with him
the dangers of the well, he did exactly as he was told and steered clear of it,
sometimes even running whenever he had to go past it. But now, every time he
came home from school, he�d find himself just staring at the well house as
though it were some enigmatic entity that held the answers to the questions he
now found himself with. Sakura had told him that she firmly believed that her
daughter was still alive on the other side of the well, but something was
preventing her from coming back. Several times while relating this to Max,
Sakura had broken into tears. Even Grandpa had shed a few salty drops from his
baggy eyes remembering the wonderful girl who had been so suddenly and so
mysteriously taken from them.

But I could go find her.

Yes, that was what young Max had
been thinking to himself over and over again these past days. Beyond that well
was someone very important to his family, someone they missed painfully. But
they couldn�t do a thing to save her because the well wouldn�t let them pass.
Max, on the other hand, could. He could go find her and bring her back home.
Then they�d be a whole family again. Then Grandma and Great Grandpa wouldn�t
have to cry anymore. And Max would have a mother.

A mother?

It was weird. He�d never felt like
there were any particular holes in his life, as he was pretty content with what
he had. He didn�t feel a need to have a mother, or a father. Grandma, Great
Grandpa, and Uncle Souta had always given him everything he ever needed. So,
then, shouldn�t he give something back? He loved them very much, and wanted
nothing more than to see them happy. Grandma had taken him in principally
because she�d believed that it was Kagome who�d sent Max here, and that it had
been her intention for Sakura to take care of him. But knowing Grandma, she�d
have taken him in even if she�d known that wasn�t true. She was a wonderful
person; a sweet, kind woman who deserved all the happiness in the world, and
Max wanted nothing more than to see a smile on her face.

So once again he found himself
staring at the well-house, pondering.

Maybe I should�? No, I
shouldn�t� Grandma said not to, but�But if he could
do something, even at a risk to himself, to make them happy, then shouldn�t he?

Bravely, Max found himself
approaching the well. It had since years been padlocked, with a sign marked Danger:
Off Limits for any tourists. Reluctantly passing his little hands over the
crusty wooden frame of the door, he carefully looked it over. It didn�t seem at
all impressive.

I�ll�I�ll just see what it
looks like on the inside. He reasoned with himself
as he grasped the padlock. Yanking on it experimentally, he yelped in shock
when the wood the lock was attached to came cracking off. He quickly looked
around him to make sure no one was watching, and then carefully placed the lock
on the ground. As the door creaked open, the rank of old wood and dust came
whooshing out, forcing the child to pull his shirt collar over his sensitive
nose.

It was dark inside, but Max had
exceptional eyesight and was able to see easily the contents within. Cobwebs
were practically everywhere, as if an arachnid metropolis had been developed
over the years in this shed. There were a few tools scattered here and there on
benches, and an unlit chandelier at the top of the room. But most notably of
all was the wooden well in the center of the structure.

Daring to step down the stairs
leading to said well, Max slowly and carefully maneuvered around various cobwebs,
stepping cautiously so as to not creak the wooden steps. At last, he placed his
hands on the rim of the well and, with a quick breath, pulled himself up to
look down it.

Disappointingly, the inside
appeared to be nothing but four wooden walls going several meters down to a
dirt floor.

THIS is the great time portal? He wondered, expecting something a little more�grand. Staring down
into the darkness, uncertainty clouded his resolve. He wanted to jump down it.
Wanted to travel to this magical era that his mother was supposedly in. Wanted
to see the sights and sounds of mystical energies, meet other demons. But he
also knew he wouldn�t dare do that if it meant leaving his family. If only he
could know for certain he could come back�

His wishy-washiness on the issue,
however, was irrelevant, as some wet mold which had developed on the
unmaintained rim, made it for him. His hand slipping suddenly forth, Max
screeched in surprise as his whole form went tumbling into the depths. His
heart did a few jumps as he felt the air rushing around him, suddenly worried
to death that the portal would open up and swallow him in.

But all he did was unleash a
painful grunt as his body slammed into hard dirt.

Wincing, rubbing his head and
looking up, Max only saw the roof of the well house. Nothing had happened. The
well would not open up for him.

He wasn�t entirely sure whether or
not he was disappointed. He did want to try and be a hero, want to try ad make
everything right. But another part of him never wanted to leave this place for
the sake of anything. He was happy here. He didn�t ever want to leave.

Clawing his way out of the well,
Max quickly darted outside and closed the doors. That just left the dilemma of
the broken lock. Not really knowing that much about carpentry or furnishing,
Max just pretty much tried to jam it back into place really hard. When that
seemed to more or less succeed, he concluded that it might someday fall back
off if someone fooled with it. And then they�d get the blame, not him.

I really hope so, at least. He concluded as he headed back towards the house.

*********

Present

�I have to say, that did suck an
awful lot of balls.� Max dejectedly stated as he and Kina exited theatre 9.

�Yeah. God, why anybody do those
movies RIGHT anymore??� She concurred. �I�m sorry.�

�What are you sorry for? We both
wanted to see it. We�re both equally at fault here.�

�I guess, but I really wanted to
do something fun. You�re a really nice guy, y�know? I wanted to make it up to
you.�

�Oh, for�forget that! It�s not
like I�m some whiny little bitch who needs comfort just cause a girl beat him
up.�

�Really? So you�re perfectly
comfortable with your masculinity?� She grinned dubiously at him.

�Um�yes?� That came out sounding
about as sure as the weather.

�Well, if that�s the case, then
I�ve got an idea!� Her arm hooked around his, as she led him out of the theatre
and down the streets.

�Whoa whoa whoa! Where are we
going?�

�Unadulterated fun, if you can put
your pride and shame aside for a few moments.� Came her cackling reply.

Oh shit. Cringing in surrender, Max permitted himself to be dragged
helplessly down several streets and avenues until finally they ended up at a
local arcade.

�Videogames?� That was a bit
anticlimactic for what supposed heinousness she�d been hinting at. �Uh�sure.�
She just laughed and shook her head from side to side.

�This place is actually where I
took up dancing. C�mon.�

�Uh�what?� That made NO sense as
near as Max�s mid could manage. �You went dancing in�� However, it quickly
became clear when he was brought before one particular machine, causing him to
trail off in utter horrification.

Oh, Jesus H. Christ, NO.

Before him it stood, blinking,
flashing, roaring�a machine that had revolutionized the gaming industry decades
ago by making gaming not only fun, but physically active. As a maddeningly
unfortunate side-effect, the once obese and placid gamers were whipped into
relatively healthy shape and are still alive nowadays, rather than alone at
home, their fat asses on their couches, suffering massive heart attacks as they
rightfully should just before their cats begin to eat at their corpses.

�Dance Dance Evolution????� Those
six syllables were all expulsed from his mouth like most people expulse phlegm.
�Please tell me you�re fucking with me. Seriously, tell me right now.�

�Oh, come on!� Despite that he had
both heels firmly digging on the tiled floor of the arcade, she seemed to have no
problem dragging him over to the machine. �I know it weird at first, but trust
me, it�s fun!�

�The only way you will get me on
that thing is at gunpoint.� He growled. �And even then, it would still depend
on what part of my body you�re aiming at.�

�Oh, give me a break.� She gave
him light punch in the shoulder. �You�re telling me you still watch
laughaminute movies even when everyone else makes fun of you for it, but you�re
got too much pride to get on this thing?�

�You can�t draw a parallel between
those!� He argued. �Those movies once had their glory days. This was always
lame!�

�For your information, dancing on
this thing was what got me started on the path to cheerleading.� She haughtily
informed him.

Then Jack Campbell must be doing
360�s in his grave.

��Point is, if it wasn�t for this machine, you wouldn�t be here on
a date with�� She paused a moment to give him a wry smile. ��How did your
friend put it? �A frigging cheerleader�?� Although there were bright lights
flashing all over the arcade room, the red that tinted Max�s visage right then
stood out quite noticeably.

�You heard�I mean�I didn�t��
Stumbling over his words much like a person with a broken leg stumbles over a
rocky path, Kina just couldn�t help but extend her grin further.

�Don�t worry, I�m not putting you
in the same category as those morons.� She assured him. �Still, the fact
nevertheless remains that you owe that machine for this dating someone this
hot.�

Glad to see she�s got no
self-esteem problems.

��So pay your homage by giving it a shot!� With barely any other
chance to protest, Max was literally shoved onto the dance pad. Immediately
turning around to face the crowd now gathered around the machine, stage fright
began to set in. With a whimper of frustration, he looked down dubiously over
the dance pad.

The game had advanced considerably
since its origins as Revolution. The former four-way dance pad had
expanded by several squares. Now the game was not so much a dance stepping
exercise as it was a desperate game of synchronized Twister.

The jingle of the token going into
to machine signaled his doom. Looking over to the other side of the machine,
Kina got on the other pad.

�Oh, relax, for God�s sake. I�ll
do it with you.� That did offer him some mild comfort, but not nearly as much
as he needed to prevent himself from gulping in utter loathing as to what was
about to happen while she selected the song and difficulty level. A digital
voice from the machine�s speakers demanded obnoxiously:

�READY?�

Fuck you, asschunk.

The beat of a techno mix boomed
throughout the arcade as Max hesitantly set his foot down on the specific
square the screen indicated him to.

30 Minutes Later

Cheering crowds roared on as the
beads of sweat flew off his now-shiny forehead. His legs danced to and fro in
an almost impossible but God-Damned-Determined attempt to keep up with the beat
on the maximum difficulty level.

When finally the song hit its
final note, Max polished off his last step with an obligatory disco pose, his
one hand pointing high into the sky. Plastered over both screens were the
scores of himself and Kina�s, his score a scant 50 points under hers.

Dammit!

�Ho-oly crap.� She panted out as
she leaned over the handrail. �Almost got me that time.�

�C�mon. Again.� He heaved back.

�Out of tokens.� She grinned at
him. Max glared at her, dubiousness laden throughout his eyes.

Bullshit. You know I�ll own you
next time.

�So?� She said as she descended
the machine, making way for the next set of would-be dancers.

�So what?� Was his oblivious
reply.

�You sure as hell picked that up
fast.�

�Yyyyeah.� Trailing off, he
nonchalantly looked off the side. �I guess it�s not as hard as it looks.�

�No, I�ve seen amateurs spend days
on that machine and still fuck up. You�ve got some natural talent, there.�

�Maybe.�

�And If I didn�t know any better,
I�d say you were having fun.�

�No!� He instantly was on the
defensive. �I�m�I�m just competitive.�

�Oh, come on. You weren�t being
competitive with all those added moves.�

�What �added moves�?�

�Uh�this?� She emulated perfectly
his John Travolta-esque disco pose. �Not unless you seriously though that was
going to score you extra points.� Desperation was emerging in Max�s desire to
save face.

�It doesn�t? Guess I�ve been
severely misinformed.� That earned him another punch in the shoulder.

�Hold tight. I�ll be right back.�
She turned around and pushed past the crowd. Stretching his neck a bit over the
crowd to see where she was going, he saw her head into the bathrooms. Now Max
was really ashamed.

She was jumping around with a
full bladder and she still beat me? Jesus. Biting
his lower lip as he saw the door to the ladies room shut after her, he turned
to face the rest of the arcade dwellers, now focusing their efforts of cheering
on the latest duo on the DDE machine. Shrugging his shoulders, he leaned
against the vending machine near the front door, welcoming the cool breeze from
outside that refreshed his sweat-tickled forehead.

�Nice moves.� Came a female voice.
A compliment from an anonymous female would ordinarily be welcomed by Max if
not for two things:

1: He was already on a �date� at
the moment; so flirting around with other chicks would be in very poor taste.
2: The female wasn�t anonymous at
all. He knew that voice all too well.

�Thanks.� Came his dry reply as he
slowly turned to face Al. �What�re you doing here?� An arcade was one of the
last places he would have expected to find Al. A noisy place where immature
teens go to get their dose of brain-melting, insipid entertainment? No, she
tended to avoid places like that like Superman would avoid the annual
Kryptonite Festival.

�Well, I was walking by, when I saw
some jackass bouncing around on that machine like he was having a violent
seizure.� That was about as funny as Al ever tried to be, and obviously with a
crackingly dry tone.

�Well, it�s just my luck that
thing requires no actual dancing talent.� He shrugged.

�Figures. I could have sworn I
heard those mouth-breathers you hang around with snickering about you having a
date.�

�If you�re going to make a comment
about the whole gym incident, forget it. I know the premise of this arrangement
is fucked up, but I happen to be having fun.�

�Is that a fact?�

�Yeah. And for the record, quit
ragging on her for being a cheerleader. She�s deep.�

�Really.�

�Really.�

Pause.

�She likes the same stupid crap
you do, huh?�

�A-yup.�

�Funny, though. I could have also
sworn you once told me that those dancing arcade games were just a new way for
nerds to make others suffer while they make asses of themselves.�

�Were those my exact words?�

�More or less.�

�Well, I stand corrected. As it
happens, it was fun.�

�Too bad. The fact that we both
thought that thing was stupid was one of the few things we had in common.�

�Well, maybe I�m tired of sitting
around, bitching at the world. Maybe the world isn�t so bad if you were to
make, God forbid, an actual attempt to LIVE in it.�

�I�m sure it would be. Especially
seeing as how we have the actual ability to chose in which fun, cushy, rich
nations we want to live in.� A strange thing then happened when Max�s mouth
opened up and nothing came out, besides a little bit of CO2. Not that he didn�t
have a ready reply, just that he became acutely aware of Kina appearing behind
him. Suddenly smelling her over the zillions of other scents gave him a point
five second warning before she actually spoke to him.

�Who�s this?� Kina inquired.

�Oh, this is�uh, Al.� He
half-heartedly introduced her.

�Alex.� She half-heartedly
corrected.

�Oh!� Kina exclaimed in
realization. �Right! You�re that girl from gym yesterday.� Al only grunted in
response. �Hey, thanks for telling us where Yamaro went off to hide.�

�Sure.� She shrugged. �It was nice
to see you preppies get passionate about something other than football jocks or
anorexia.� An understandably awkward silence followed. The physical silence was
in direct contrast to the fireworks of mental screaming that was now going on
in Max�s head.

Oh, Jesus, she�s going to ruin
everything! Do something! Fix the tension! Do SOMETHING!

�HA!� Max barked out, a little too
suddenly and loudly, as it startled both the girls as well as all others in the
nearby vicinity. More startling still was how his left arm suddenly and roughly
wrapped itself around Al�s shoulders, tugging her to his side in an overly
friendly gesture. �Ain�t she hilarious?� He rhetorically asked, peppering his
act by giving her a quick noogie with his right hand. The generally
heavy-lidded gaze of Al was now wide eyed in incredulousness�and some quickly
growing fury. Observing the scene, a reluctant grin and chuckle emerged from
Kina. Daring to look down at his victim, Max saw her glaring at him, her eyes
blazing behind her glasses with a vengeful lust rivaling that of the bloodiest
wars known to man.

�Let go of me, or die.� Came her
hissing, venomous threat.

�Okay, okay.� His vocal cords
continued their charade in an obscenely friendly tone. �I�ll tell you what,
though. I�m gonna walk Kina home, and I�ll see ya Monday, okay?� Before Al
could mutter any obscenities or threats his way, Max quickly secured his arm
around Kina�s and sped the two out the door, leaving Al with an undoubtedly
great deal of anger and no where to direct it.

If Max had at all failed to
diffuse the awkwardness of the situation, Kina didn�t let on. Rather, she
simply leaned into him a little as they headed down the street, Al quickly
forgotten as Max blushed maybe just a little.

��So how is it that I�ve never seen you on one of the school�s
teams before?�

�Huh?�

�You�re a pretty big guy. And
you�re obviously in good shape, from what I�ve seen.� She motioned her head
back to the arcade, where the DDE machine, probably still drenched in their
sweat, was going off.

�Aw, well, I just like playing
with my friends, usually. Besides, I can�t commit to any big teams. I have to
do a bunch of chores over at the shrine where I live since my great grandpa�s
getting too old, and my uncle Souta moved out.� At the mention of that name, a
bell went off in Kina�s head. That, and her remembering what Max�s family name
was.

�Souta?� She suddenly came to a
halt. �Wait, as in Souta Higurashi?�

�Uh�yeah.�

�The guy who plays for the F.C.
Tokyo team??�

�Y-y-es??� He cautiously repeated,
unsure of where this was going.

�Oh my God! That�s your uncle?.!�
Her face was beaming with marvel at him now, looking as impressed as one might
be if one met the third cousin twice removed of Jesus Christ. �That�s amazing!�

�It�s�pretty cool, yeah.� He
admitted.

�Well, God, you should totally
join the soccer team, then. I mean, it�s in your blood!� Inwardly, Max laughed.
She couldn�t even begin to imagine what was in his blood.

But then again, neither can I.

�Eh. I like just playing for fun.
I hate it when it gets to be all about scores, standings, and, y�know, just
cutthroat.�

�Really?� Her excitement died
down, and suddenly she seemed a little embarrassed. �Heh. Sorry. I guess you
must get that from people a lot.�

�Well, not too much. Don�t worry
about it.�

�Well, I actually can relate. My
grandmother keeps pushing me to get into the ceramics business, since that�s
been in the family so long.�

�And you don�t want to?�

�Ugh. No. She can�t seem to grasp
the concept that I want to be a professional dancer. Every day, she all like
�How�s that European 3-turn gonna help you make a decent ashtray?�� Grinning at
her impression of an old lady�s voice, the two continued on down the streets of
the city, chatting away about other various topics of interest, ranging from
sports to video games, to annoying movie stars. The night was coming to a close
now, which was a downright shame. The moon was almost full, and it shone
wonderfully over the clear, star filled sky, illuminating the city. It was
often blocked out by several of the city�s tall buildings, but the two now
stood in an area where the moonlight shone radiantly. Gazing to her side at
Max, Kina was really amazed with the way his platinum hair almost seemed to
glow in the pale lunar illumination. She had to admit, he was cute. Maybe not
definably hot, but easily something you could show off to your girlfriends.
Plus, he was funny, nice, a great conversationalist, maybe a little weird, but
still�

��she�s a total media whore! I
can�t believe she�s gets a humanitarian award for singing a check worth less
than one percent of her total earnings!�

�Uh�Max?� She said, squeezing his
hand a little and stopping before the bridge they were about to go under. She
wanted to talk to him while the moon still glowed handsomely over him.

�Mm-hm?�

�I really had a nice time
tonight.� She smiled at him.

Hey. Is she�

�I mean, I figured�well, I just
felt I needed to do something for you after that whole mess yesterday.�

�Oh, come on. That�s way past us.�

�Yeah, but still. I�m glad we did
this. Really.� By now, the gears in Max�s head were whirling in motion, trying
to interpret signals.

Wait, what is this? Is she coming
on to me? Or is she just boosting my ego before she tells me she just wants to
be friends?

�You�re a lot of fun.� Her grip on
his hand tightened just a bit more as she closed the distance between their two
bodies. �I�d�like to do this again sometime.�

HOT DIGGITY! As good an actor as Max was, there was nothing he could do to
disguise the goofy looking grin on his face, thus resulting in yet another
chuckle from Kina.

�I�d�uh, like that too.� He tried
to keep his tone even in spite of his anxiety, and was, to his credit, mildly
successful. Right now, he didn�t seem like half the doofus he actually was.
Still, she just stood there, smiling right at him. He was now wondering to
himself what in the world he was supposed to do next.

KISS HER, YOU MORON! A deep voice within his being screamed at him angrily.
Ever-so-slowly, he began craning his neck down to meet her face. When he saw
that there was no hesitation in her eyes, nor any interruptive attempt, he
continued on.

Should I close my eyes? People
always close their eyes when they kiss�but what if I miss her lips? What if I
accidentally kiss her nose or something? Okay, compromise: Keep eyes open until
actual lip contact is made�but start closing them slowly before you get to that
point. Yeah that should be about�

SCREEEEEEEEECCCHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Though process, concerns about
kissing, body contact, and pretty much everything else ended abruptly when an
ear-splitting noise shrieked and echoed across the landscape. Pulling apart
with both of their hearts feeling like they were about to pop out of their
chests, Max and Kina span around to look up at the bridge just in time to see a
screeching vehicle slam hard into the railing. So hard, in fact, that while the
crash did bring the car to a halt, it did still manage to break almost halfway
through the rail before it came to a complete stop.

�CHRIST!� From whence it was in an
uncertain state, Max�s mind snapped into instinctive action as he grabbed Kina
and yanked her away from the bridge. They weren�t too close to where the
railing debris fell from where they were standing, but he wouldn�t dare take
any risks. Plus, they had no idea if the car was going to tip over the edge as
well.

When they were a few meters back,
they looked back up at the bridge to see that the car hadn�t fallen, but was
damn close�it was teetering over the edge, it�s nose ever so slightly pointing
downward, threatening to pull the rest of its weight with it. The next thing
they noticed was the fact that the driver was out cold against the wheel,
probably having been knocked unconscious during the impact. However, there were
screams coming from inside the car, leading to the conclusion that there was at
least one other passenger.

�Oh my God!� Muttered Kina as she
stared up in horror at the scene. It was the same for Max, who had never seen a
serious accident like this before. On the bridge, several cars stopped and
their drivers got out to try and do something, but there were only a small
number of them. There was no way they could pull that car back up if it started
going down. And it did, as it jerked a bit more foreword, the concrete edge of
the bridge giving away ever so slightly. A renewed scream of terror was heard
from within.

Max only hesitated for a brief
couple of seconds as he stared between the car, Kina, and himself. If instinct
was in power right now, then every bit of it was now screaming for him to go up
there and pull that car back onto the bridge before it was too late. However,
logical thinking was reminding him about the fact that he wasn�t sure if even
HE was strong enough to do that. And doing so in front of a people, such as the
onlookers on the bridge, Kina, and probably several others, would mean exposing
his superhuman physical capabilities.

Torn. He couldn�t think what he
could do. Someone was going to die if he didn�t do something, but doing
anything meant doing something that would explicitly prove, in front of several
eyewitnesses, that Max Higurashi could drag cars up over the edge of a bridge
with his bare hands. Maybe no one on the bridge would recognize him, but Kina
certainly would. That would lead to questions, investigations, and if the
authorities ever got involved, a physical exam. And a physical exam could
undeniably give Max away as something other than human. God only knows exactly
what would happen after that, but it couldn�t possibly be good for him, or his
family.

But none of that reasoning changed
the fact that there was something inside him screaming for him to save those
people. He had the capacity to do something, so shouldn�t he do it?

Then, like a snap, something came
to him. Something that might just work. Looking over at Kina, he saw that she
was giving the accident her undivided attention. That gave Max the opportunity
he needed to silently jump several feet away, into a ditch. It wasn�t exactly
much cover, but it did the trick. Free of any remaining hesitation, he snapped
the crystal necklace off of him, reverting him to his fully demonic appearance.
Wasting not much more time, he took off his jacket, shoes and shirt with
maddening speed.

*******

One Hour Later

The night had gone almost
perfectly. Seeing as how Souta was a regular at the restaurant, the staff had
indulged in his special requests for the best table, violin music, and some
fabulous champagne. He had every intention of wining and dining her to her
utmost satisfaction. He had to get her in as good a mood as possible before
this moment came. And he was certain that he had been successful. She was
beaming, beautiful, everything he could have hoped. Everything had been
perfect, and yet still he was insanely nervous on the inside. They�d had the
dinner, they had the pleasant conversations, and now the critical moment was
approaching. Part of him dreaded it, part of him was exited, and all of him was
anxious. As she finished her lobster, Souta looked over at the bar behind her,
where the bartender, wise to his plans, gave Souta an encouraging thumbs up.
Souta nodded back at him. It was time.

�Asaki?� He said following a deep breath.

�Yes?�

�I�I love you.� She grinned back
at him.

�And I love you too.�

�Good. I�m glad.� He cleared his
throat. �I, uh�never really thought I would be this happy with someone. I mean,
I�ve had a lot of girlfrien�� he suddenly caught himself and cleared his throat
again. ��that is, experiences with romance, and I always came up shorter than I
was hoping. Honestly, I was losing hope before you came along.�

�Souta what�?�

�Just, just hold on. You�re
something really special, Asaki. You�re one in a million�hell, billion, and I
do not ever want to lose you and never find you again in that massive sea of
people out in the world. You do things for me I didn�t even think were possible
before I met you.�

�Why are you�Souta?� By now, he
had gathered every bit of confidence he needed. Without any fear, he went on.

�I want to spend the rest of my
life you. I want you to be the mother of my children, and I want to be the
father or yours. I want every bit of happiness out of life, and that means
having you there by my side. And if you are there, Asaki, I will dedicate
myself to your happiness as well.� Asaki was staring at him wide eyed. Taking
another deep breath, Souta reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a ring
case. Instantly she gasped, her hands covering her mouth, tears beginning to
form at the edges of her eyes. �Asaki,� He said in an extremely clear, serious
voice. �Will you do me the honor of being my�HOLY FUCK!!!!!�

The ring case was dropped out of
his hands and into the tomato soup as Souta jumped out of his chair, scaring
the hell out of Asaki and about every patron in the restaurant.

�What is it?� She yelped
incredulously as Souta was staring wide-eyed in the direction of the bar as
though he�d seen a ghost. But her question was completely ignored, as he
suddenly marched over to the bar, with everyone in the place staring at him
like a head case. Coming to a halt in front of the small television over the
bar�s counter, he continued staring at it for several moments, with everyone in
the place too unsure and confused to see what on earth was wrong with the
soccer star. After several dozen seconds of glaring slack-jawed at the
television, Souta pulled out his cell phone, his eyes never leaving the screen.

�Hello?�
�Mom?�
�Oh, hello, Souta? How�s
everything?�
�Mom, are you at home right now?�
�Yes. Why?�
�Turn on the television. Channel
eight.�
�Wh�uh, Okay.� A few moments passed while he heard Sakura on the other end going
from whatever room she�d been in to the den and turning on the TV. �Oh my
GOD.� Came a horrified remark over the phone.

�S-souta?� Asaki had finally come
along and was now standing beside him. �Honey, what�s wrong?� When he didn�t
answer, she looked over at the screen he was staring so intensely at. It was some
sort of news report, and by the looks of the shaky camera, was amateur footage.
What she saw was�surprising, but not nearly enough to merit his reaction, in
her judgment. It was what looked like a shirtless man on a bridge�

�looking again, she realized that
wasn�t a man.�not exactly. Rather, it was a bizarre looking humanoid with what
appeared to be a big, poofy tail, pointy ears, and strange markings on his
face.

The footage was on a loop, and
when it went back to the beginning and showed the whole incident over again,
she found good reason to gasp. It showed a car tipping over the side of a
damaged bridge, about to plummet downwards before a horrified crowd. The crowd
then turned mystified, however, when whatever that tailed person was jumped
down from off camera, sunk its clawed hands into rear bumper, and pulled it
back onto the bridge. Bare handedly dragged a fucking car back
onto the edge of the bridge.

��Holy fuck.� She finally agreed.

End Chapter 4

*********

A/N: I should note that I added in the quasi-masturbation scene quite
gratuitously. It�s one of those really odd things where it does zero to advance
the plot, but I just wanted to do it anyway.

Then again, maybe I was also
annoyed by this chapter, because I more so felt it was something I had to write
as a setup for the next chapter, in which the real meat of the whole story
starts to emerge. Despite that I had some problems with this portion, I still
went over it about a dozen times to make sure it was to my satisfaction. So I
wanted to add in some pointless stupidity just to fun it up some. But to be
honest, I�m still feel iffy about it. So, as usual, I really want to know what
you guys thought.

The responses I�ve gotten so
far all seem pretty positive and constructively critical, which is great. There
are a lot of questions about Max, his parentage, and what happened to the old
Inuyasha cast� rest assured, these will be answered, but only as Max himself
finds them out. (And he will.) Sorry, no thpoilers.
Oh, and finally, footnotes:
Zucker: One of the pioneers of Laughaminute comedy genres.
Jack Campbell: The man who sort of invented cheerleading.
FC Tokyo: One of Tokyo�s pro soccer teams.

Stay cool, baby,
Koday.
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Nikanaru	By : Koday Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3209 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Nikanaru