Inuyasha 1. How They Met

Hey minna-san! It's Komiko here, with my first ff.net story ever! *feels happy and dances around in a circle* I actually uploaded it! I'm so proud! *cough* Anyway, before we go on with the wonderful story I'm sure you all will enjoy, I'd like to dedicate this to a very talented authoress, Keolla. *hug* GO READ HER STUFF! IT'S INCREDIBLE! Anyways...

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha...oh the possibilities... 

~*~

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 1: How They Met

~*~

It was an unusually gloomy, cloudy day as the gates to Camp Kumori opened to allow the buses through. At least, that's what Kagome Higurashi thought as she stared around at the place she would call home for the next month. She already couldn't wait for it to be over. _Come on, Kagome, positive thoughts! It shouldn't be all that bad, I mean, the weather won't always be this depressing, and I'm sure there're lots of things to do, and, er, nice people to meet...um..._ Okay, so she might not have the time of her life. Didn't mean she couldn't make the best of it. With this resolution firmly fixed in her mind, Kagome got off the bus, ready to shoot down any doubts that came her way.

~*~

__

Ah! What a wonderful feeling, being out here in the woods! The air smells fresh, the landscape is beautiful, there's a hand on my butt... A pause. _Wait..._ "MIROKU!" Sango Korosu shouted as she hit Miroku Midara over the head. Miroku whimpered.

"Whatever did I do to deserve your wrath, lovely Sango?"

'Lovely Sango' had developed a tick in her right eye and looked about ready to go on a rampage.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to keep your hands to YOURSELF?"

"Why, yes. But she also told me to seize the moment whenever possible."

"Fine. Seize this." Sango threw his bag towards him and Miroku stumbled backward. He straightened up and raised an eyebrow at Sango.

"Why is it that you seem to be even more disturbed by my groping than usual?"

She glared as she proceeded to take the rest of their bags out of the luggage-compartment-thing.

"Because I want to _try_ to have a nice time here. A little R&R. And that means absolutely NO grouping, mister. At all," Sango said as she stood firmly in front of Miroku with a finger pointed at him threateningly. There was a moment before Miroku sighed and went into a slump.

"I shall try my best lovely Sango."

A tiny bit disturbed at his quick and no-hassle agreement, Sango instead turned her focus to looking for a now mysteriously missing person.

"Um, Miroku...where's Inuyasha?"

~*~ 

The hanyou-in-question was beside the lake, looking out onto its crystalline surface, his bags beside him. This is what he liked best about coming to this stupid camp his friends made him go to every summer. The peace and quiet. No one staring at him with fear in their eyes or laughing at him with their mocking tones. He sighed. It wasn't easy being a half-demon in this world. Even though he was one of the lucky few who were semi-accepted into society, it was still hard. Not even his two best friends, the two people he could trust most in the world, could take the sting away. _But it doesn't matter. It's not like I dwell on it or anything._ He sighed again. If only...

"INUYASHA!"

The hanyou's ears twitched at the sound of the familiar voice, and he turned to see Sango and Miroku standing on top of the hilltop, motioning for him to come and join them. He smiled and quickly made his way up.

"C'mon Inuyasha. We have to hurry and get settled in 'cause Kaede wants to have this little 'orientation' thing."

"Why?"

Sango coughed.

"Well, she mentioned something about water balloons and whipped cream."

Inuyasha and Miroku traded glances and then smirked evilly. 

"Heh heh. Still remembers that, does she?"

"It was only just last year," Sango pointed out. "And you did make sure it was something Kaede could never forget..."

"Yeah, well we've been hard at work trying to come up with something to top that wonderful little display. It wasn't easy, but," and here Miroku grinned even more evilly, "we think we came up with the perfect plan..." The two boys high-fived each other and Sango sighed heavily.

"You guys..."

They continued on their way until they reached a small clearing, where there were two rather large cabins and a little cooking station: the area of Cabins 12 and 13.

"Always right across from one another, aren't we Sango?" Miroku wiggled his eyebrows. "A nice little convenience, don't you think?"

*SLAP*

"HENTAI!"

Sango stomped towards Cabin 13.

"I would say give up, but I doubt you'd listen to me..." Inuyasha slightly snickered as he headed off to Cabin 12. Miroku touched his cheek gently.

"I like to think it's a sign of her love," Miroku said as he followed his friend. Inuyasha snorted. "What?"

~*~

"Stupid perverted guys with their stupid perverted hands and their stupid perverted ways," Sango muttered to herself as she stepped inside the cabin. Taking a deep breath, she looked around at the pleasantly familiar room. 

"Hello."

Sango startled at the voice and looked to find a girl with ebony black hair and brilliantly dark blue eyes looking back somewhat cheerily. Sango smiled.

"Hey there. My name's Sango," she extended her hand.

"I'm Kagome," the girl said as she took the offered hand.

"Is this your first time at Camp Kumori? I've never seen you before."

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, my parents thought I could get out more, so they thought 'what a better place to accomplish that than at a camp where she's sharing a room with total strangers'," Kagome rolled her eyes and Sango giggled.

"Well, it's not that bad here. The people are nice...mostly...and there's lots of fun stuff to do...generally...and..." Sango faltered and this time Kagome was the one who giggled.

"Well, if they're all like you, I'm sure all be fine." 

Sango grinned and went to sit down at the bed she had claimed a long time ago.

"Yea, if only. But, being your first time here, I feel like I should be the one to warn you about the Hentai King. Who, sadly, happens to be sleeping in that cabin right across from us," Sango jerked her the thumb in the direction. Kagome tilted her head.

"Those guys you were with?" 

"Fortunately, only one, the guy with the black hair. I don't think I could handle two...But anyway, his name's Miroku. You would do well to keep your behind away from him at all times."

Kagome giggled again.

"And that other guy...?"

"He's Inuyasha," Sango paused, debating on whether to go on with her train of thought. "He also happens to be a hanyou," she quickly looked to the younger girl to catch her reaction. But...there was none. Not a flinch of any kind. _Weird..._

"So have you known each other long?"

Sango smiled and chuckled.

"Only since forever...Hey, I know we should unpack, but I really just want to go out and take in the woodsiness of this place. It's really a beautiful landscape, especially when it's sunny. Which isn't often."

Kagome blinked.

"You mean...it's _always_ this gloomy?!?"

Sango laughed.

"Pretty much, but you get used to it. Anyway, you up to it? You can get to know the guys too while you're at it."

"Miss a chance to get to know this Hentai King? Never!" The girls laughed and got up and headed over to the other cabin. Sango knocked on the door and Inuyasha poked his head out and stared at her, not noticing the other girl.

"What?"

"I'm bored. Come with us to go walking."

"Feh."

Inuyasha's head went back in and a moment later Miroku stepped outside. He (having his girl-radar you know...) spotted Kagome and instantly went to take her hand and kiss it.

"And who might this lovely creature of perfection be?"

Kagome fought hard to keep her laughter in.

"I'm Kagome..."

"Then, dear Kagome, would you do me the honor of...bearing my child?"

Silence.

"HENTAI!"

Sango then proceeded to strangle Miroku. Kagome looked at the two in amusement.

"Who're you?"

Kagome whirled around to face Sango's other friend, the same guy who had stuck his head out the door. The same golden eyes...

Kagome smiled and held her hand out.

"My name's Kagome Higurashi."

Inuyasha stared at the slender hand for a second before reaching out his own.

"Inuyasha. Inuyasha Akurei."

~*~

Whoo! Is love in the air? *smiles evilly* Well, you'll just have to wait for the good stuff, now won't you? But gomen nasi if it seems a little slow, although this happens to be one of my better beginnings...Anyway...help me along and go r/r! *points to r/r button* See it? Ya, right down there...Arigato! 


	2. Welcome to Camp Kumori

A/N: Whee! I finally got the second chapter out! I had it written for the longest time, it was just a matter of typing it up and posting it. Now, before I go any further, I want to address why I decided to dedicate this to Keolla, who probably doesn't know me and doesn't even know I dedicated this to her. It's no BIG reason really, it's just that one of her stories also takes place at a camp and I wanted to give her the credit for my inspiration (although the storylines are in no way the same...I think, considering I didn't actually READ her story). 

Well, this camp story has yet to really progress, and I'm kind of hesitant to even post this chapter because I didn't really like where it was headed, but hopefully it'll pick up in the next few chapters (hopefully...). Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha...no I don't...yes I do...no I don't...YES I do...NO I don't...(the endless battle continues)

~*~

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 2: Welcome to Camp Kumori

~*~

Kagome felt the slight pressure from his hand, felt his claws lightly graze across her wrist, and felt the slight tingle in her heart when he looked at her with those melting golden eyes.

"Pleased to meet you," she said cheerily, while trying to push that annoying little tingle away.

"Er, yeah. Same here," Inuyasha muttered, caught slightly off-guard by her friendliness. Realizing this, he scolded himself immediately. _But she'll turn out to be like all the others no doubt. However..._ Inuyasha tilted his head a bit. _If Sango trusts her, I suppose I'll give her a small chance. A very small chance. _He thought a little harder. _Maybe more like a micro chance._

"Oi! You two lovebirds! Quit staring at each other and let's go!"

The couple quickly released the other's hand, blushing. Sango ran up and peered at her friends, smirking. 

"Well, do you want to leave anytime soon, or are you just going to stand there blushing all day long?"

"C'mon Sango," Kagome muttered as she dragged her new friend away from the clearing. Miroku walked up to Inuyasha.

"Pretty little thing, isn't she?"

"Feh."

"You two looked pretty cuddly back there."

"Feh."

"She didn't seem revolted by you in the least."

"_Feh._"

"And this might be just the opportunity you need to get your mind off--"

"FEH."

Inuyasha stomped off.

"Oh yeah, he's attracted to her..."

~*~

"Welcome to another year at Camp Kumori," an old, hunched woman with an eyepatch over one said. "My name is Kaede and I'm the one in charge around here." She looked out into the crowd. "I'm glad to see many returning faces,' she coughed a bit at this and glared at two certain males in the audience, who promptly snickered, "and I'm eager to welcome the new ones. I've gathered all of you here in order to explain a few...rules...that I expect to be followed during your time here. First of all, there will be absolutely no hoarding of whipped cream and/or balloons..."

While most of the people assembled continued to listen to the old woman droning on, with occasional grins of remembrance, the same two males that Kaede had glared at before were doing everything but.

"So do you want to do a little mayhem beforehand, or play innocent and make Kaede think we're actually going to be little angels this year?

"Well, no doubt she'll have an extra special eye on us, but we might not be able to pull off the angel act convincingly enough for her," Miroku reasoned. 

"True, but if we could, it'd be so much sweeter in the end."

"Perhaps if we just tried it out for awhile, see if she falls for it?"

"All right. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Are you two plotting? 'Cause if you're plotting, I had no part in it," Sango whispered as she leaned slightly over Miroku's shoulder. Kagome peeked over too.

"Us? Plotting? Why, lovely Sango, how could you accuse us of such a thing?" Miroku said, highly offended. Sango might've believed him, had she not known him of course.

"Oh yes. How could I? Maybe it's because you pull off a stunt every year we're year? I mean, it's just a thought," she stated, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"A stunt? Stunts involving whipped cream and balloons maybe?" Kagome interjected with a suspicious air.

"See? See what you've done Sango? You've corrupted the poor girl and made her think we're troublemakers," Miroku scolded lightly. Kagome snorted.

"I have a feeling I'd be more corrupted by you and Inuyasha than Sango any day."

Inuyasha's sensitive doggie ears twitched at the sound of his name.

"What are you dragging me into this time?"

The three turned to look at the hanyou.

"Oh, nothing. We're just talking about who's corrupting Kag-chan more."

"Is that all?" Inuyasha fixed his golden gaze on the girl and smirked. "I can think of a few ways to corrupt 'little Kag-chan'."

A twitch.

*SLAP*

"You're just as bad as Miroku," Kagome hissed. Inuyasha held a hand to his throbbing cheek, looking extremely pissed off.

"Listen you little wench--"

"AKUREI!"

The hanyou jumped at the roaring voice in his ear.

"If you're _done_ interrupting my seemingly unimportant and boring lecture, I would gladly like to _dismiss_ everyone. Is that all right with you Akurei?" Kaede glared at the young hanyou with menace.

"Yes," Inuyasha muttered.

"Good. All right everyone, go settle in! Counselors will come with your schedules later. Dismissed!" At her command, the whole room up and left, chattering amongst themselves.

~*~ 

A/N: Well, it would've been longer than this, but I felt it was a good stopping point until the next chapter when we meet...the other campers! Dun dun dun...heh, anyways, a few shout-outs to my reviewers before we end for today:

Meyu: I'm glad you like it! ^-^ And yes, we all must hail the Pervert King...

Fawnlander Amethyst: It does seem to center around Miroku and Sango, doesn't it? Probably because in the later chapters there'll be more InuKag than anything, but I'll make sure to add plenty of MirSan in there, just for you! ^-^

gangsta-girl: I'll update even sooner next time!

loverofInuKagome: Reviewers can be so pushy...actually no, the pushier the better (does that make any sense at all? eh, oh well). This will DEFINITELY be InuKag, it's the only couple I live for (and MirSan too of course!). 

Officially*Obsessed*with*Pyro: I love making people happy! ^-^ It brightens my day to know it!

Shiori-03: MY FIRST REVIEWER! And another Hentai King-lover to boot! Ah, life is good... 

I don't know if I can reply to ALL my reviewers EACH time, but I certainly will try! It makes me so happy when I see that people have actually read my stories and LIKED/LOVED them, I can't help but let them know how much I appreciate it! So thanks guys! *tear* Now, after that heart-felt speech, please r/r! 


	3. The Rest of Them

Don't kill me! Please! I tried to get this out as fast as I could! So, er, heh heh, I guess I will waste your time with but one comment: yesterday was my birthday! Yes, everyone rejoice because I am now 15 and am going to get my permit on Monday (the 5th). I won't bore you with every thing that happened on my special day...I'll leave that to my blog readers...mwahahahaha...*ahem* Anyway, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I was SUPPOSED to get him for my birthday...but I don't know what happened to that plan...

~*~

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 3: The Rest of Them

~*~

"I can't wait to meet our roommates," Kagome happily chatted to Sango (already over being mad at Inuyasha), "Do you know who any of them might be?"

"Eh, I have an idea," Sango mumbled, casting a quick glance towards Inuyasha. The hanyou felt the magenta eyes on him and turned towards the pair of girls.

"Anything specific that you want?" Inuyasha asked with annoyance, and then enjoying the way Kagome stiffened and glared at him.

"Nothing Inu-chan," Sango said in a sweet, syrupy voice, "I was talking to Kagome about our _roommates_. Maybe you'd like to give some _insight_ into one of them?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"Feh," he said and turned away. Sango smiled happily, Miroku smirked, and Kagome was completely clueless.

"Anyway you tow, have fun unpacking. See you at breakfast tomorrow!" Sango chirped, sharing a quick wink with Miroku before pushing Kagome into Cabin 13. 

"Um, Sango? Not to *ahem* pry or anything, but can you tell me exactly what--"

"Hello Kikyo."

Kagome turned in the direction her friend was staring and almost let out a small gasp of surprise. In front of them stood a girl who looked suspiciously similar to Kagome: they had the same dark hair and the same layout of features, but that's where the similarities ended. While Kagome's eyes were a warm azure, Kikyo's were a dark and stormy grey. The look-alike moved gracefully towards them (something Kagome could never master) and offered a kind, yet cold smile to Sango.

"Why, hello Sango. It's nice to see you again," Kikyo calmly said, but when she looked over to Kagome, she seemed a bit startled, her eyes flashing ever so slightly. "And who is your new friend?"

"Oh...this is Kagome Higurashi. Kagome-chan, this is Kikyo Shimoto. Er, I believed I _mentioned_ her _before_," Sango coughed, sending a meaningful glance towards Kagome, hoping she would catch the subtle hint. Kagome merely nodded, still a little shocked at how much Kikyo looked like her. _Yet Sango seems not to be bothered at all. Maybe...maybe it's just me. ... But then again, it's not everyday you meet someone who looks like--_

Kagome was roughly shaken out of her thoughts by a hard tap on the head (with what suspiciously felt like a fan), and then a voice:

"Are you three statues gonna move, or I do I have to resort to throwing suitcases next?"

The group turned to look at the owner of the sassy voice. In the doorway stood a tall, thin girl with black hair set into some weird, complicated-looking style and a delicate hand placed on a cocked hip. Her eyes, reflecting the sunlight, seemed to glow a fiery red. The girl sighed.

"I always hate to resort to violence...no, that's not true...at any rate," and here the girl started picking up her suitcase, "I need--"

"Kagura, wait!" Sango abruptly sat on the death-suitcase. "We were just about to go settle in. Besides," the magenta-eyed girl clucked her tongue and narrowed her gaze, "_what_ have we said about violence?"

Kagura returned the glare for a moment before sighing in defeat, plopping on 'her' bed, and saying in a rather dull voice, "Violence hurts people."

"And?"

"And it hurts myself."

"And?"

Kagura again sighed heavily.

"And I shouldn't take pleasure in hurting, maiming, and/or otherwise killing my fellow..._beings_."

"Excellent! All that boring a hole in your mind really did work."

"So glad you find this amusing."

"I do," Sango stated dryly and stood up, "We've made great progress."

Kagura muttered something that closely resembled 'to hell with progress'.

"What was that?"

A groan.

"I was merely reflecting upon my life now that I've been cleansed of the wicked deeds of darkness."

"That's what I thought."

"Just introduce me to the damn new girl already."

"Ah, yes," Sango pulled the slightly confused-looking Kagome forward. "Kagome, Kagura. Kagura, Kagome. Don't worry, she's not always this grumpy."

"Yea, only if I have to be nice. And then I go beat myself up for doing it."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow in amusement.

"So it's either the grouchy-self or the abusing-self. What an interesting choice," Kagome said, trying to hold back her laughter.

Kagura muttered again, but she was surprised to find herself holding back a little chuckle. Normally, she would have been throwing insults left and right, but there was something about this girl that kept her from doing that. Almost as if she..._liked_ her. Oh, that definitely put a downer on things. She didn't think she could stand another Sango to antagonize her. But then again, she could always pick a fight with...Kikyo. And speak of the devil (literally). Kagura's lightening mood instantly darkened as she noticed the one person she could probably live without seeing again. _Should've known she would be here._

"Why, if it isn't the bitchiest, whoreiest little priestess known to man-kind. Or demon-kind, however you want to interpret it."

The miko stiffened.

"How..._nice_ to see you again, too, Kagura-_chan_," Kikyo shot back, the regular coolness in her voice turning to ice. Kagura merely smiled and shrugged.

"Sorry, but the sentiment isn't returned. In fact, it's quite a disappointment to me that you haven't _dropped dead_ yet."

"After you."

Kagura rose suddenly from the bed.

"How _dare_ you--"

"Ladies, ladies."

The four people in the room all turned towards the doorway for a second time, where there now stood a tall, slim girl with sparkling brown eyes and light-brown hair cut into a short, floating style. She was dressed casually and held a clipboard in her arms.

"C'mon you two," the girl said reprovingly, "it's not even the first day and _already_ your fighting? How on earth are you going to last a whole two-and-a-half weeks?"

"We weren't _fighting_, Rin, we were just...arguing disagreeably. Really," Kagura laughed nervously. 

"Mmmhmm. I'm sure."

"Rin," Sango interrupted the soon-to-be-lecture, "have you met Kagome yet?"

Rin turned to regard the raven-haired girl for a moment.

"Oh, yes. Kagome Higurashi. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rin, your camp counselor," the girl smiled kindly and offered her hand, which Kagome took, also smiling.

"So, how about that schedule?" Kagura butted in, peering over the clipboard. Rin rolled her eyes.

"Always right to the point. Well, here you go," she unclipped a piece of paper and handed it to Kagura. She then turned back to Kagome. "The way the schedule works here is you're assigned to a main cabin group of your same gender and then you're assigned to what we call a 'clearing group', which is another cabin of the opposite gender added with your cabin group. Everything that you do, excluding eating and swimming, are done with your 'clearing group'. We have several classes that you take, whether you want to or not," Rin grinned at Kagura, who just muttered something incomprehensible, "And then you have three meals a day and swimming time before dinner with the rest of the camp. After lunch, we have a siesta-type period for about 30 minutes that you spend however you want to. Um, I believe that's everything. I check in with you guys pretty regularly, so if you have any questions, free feel to ask me. I hate to leave so soon, but I do have more schedules to give out. Have fun and welcome to Camp Kumori Kagome!" Rin waved cheerfully and left.

"Over-whelmed at all?"

Kagome jerked her head in surprise at the soft-spoken voice, only to find her look-a-like...Kikyo, was it?...standing almost uncomfortably close to her.

"Er, just a bit, I guess."

Kikyo smiled in a somewhat kind way.

"Don't worry, we'll help you out," Kikyo abruptly turned towards the window, then just as suddenly turned back. "It's going to rain soon. Do you like the rain?"

Kagome shifted slightly.

"Depends..."

"Well, you haven't heard a storm until you're in a cabin, huddled unbearably close to the fire and other people while _swearing_ that you heard an insane axe murderer outside," Kagura pushed Kikyo aside a little as she pulled Kagome to the small couch in the room, "and _then_ having to be brave enough to go out into said storm and fetching big, strong guys from another cabin who turn out to be no help whatsoever," Kagura rolled her crimson-like eyes as the other girls settled in, including a hesitant Kikyo.

"Wait--we have a fireplace? And why is our cabin so...nice-looking?"

"Ah, well," Sango shook her head, "we're kind of a...rich little camp. I mean, compared to any and all other camps, we're extremely--what's the word? Well-provided for."

"Ya, we have great sponsors. As long as we're little angels when they come by--which is for like a half-hour each year, and not even that--we get the nice furnishings," Kagura indicated the cabin with the paper in her hand.

"Hey...isn't that the schedule?" Kagome pointed to the paper.

"Oh," Kagura blinked. "Why, yes it is. Hm, now let's see...what do we have tomorrow? First art, then writing, yoga, and lastly drama. Wow, we have a really artsy schedule..." Kagura trailed off and stared at the paper.

Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked at Sango, who merely shrugged.

"Well, since we have such a...busy...day tomorrow, I'm, er, going to get a bit of shut-eye," Kagome said as she stood up and walked over to where her baggage was.

"That's a good idea. If I have to face perverted monks, I might as well do it with a good night's sleep behind me. Not that it helps..." Sango mumbled as she shuffled to her bed. Kagura snapped her head up, yawned, put the schedule on a small table, and followed suit. Kikyo remained in her seat, staring at the fire.

"Hey, Kikyo, aren't you coming to bed?" Kagome popped her head over the back of the seat.

"Oh," Kikyo seemed startled, then relaxed, smiling slightly up at Kagome. "Yes, I am." She pushed herself up and went over to her own belongings. The four girls quickly changed and settled in for bed.

"Lights going out," Kagura announced as she flipped the switch down. Kagome lay in her bed, listening to the first raindrops start to fall and slowly being calmed into sleep.

~*~

On the other side of the clearing...Miroku yawned.

"How long have they been at it?" the sleepy Hentai King asked moodily.

"About an hour now," Naraku informed him from his cross-legged position atop a bed.

"And...how long do you think they'll continue?"

A pause.

"Forever and ever and ever..." Jakotsu sighed as she flopped down onto his bed.

And so, the infamous Camp Kumori Staring Contest between Inuyasha and Kouga dragged on...

~*~

Whew! Another chapter finished! And I didn't even get mauled by readers. Now that's impressive. So, anyway, I decided, being the nice authoress I am *cough*, that I would thank all my reviewers from the update of the last chapter for each new chapter (if that sounds confusing, don't worry, it was meant to be...), just because I love you reviewers so much! Really! Now, I can't promise to respond to each and every one of them, but I will list your name as a thank-you! So, here it goes.

Thanks to: 

kels-chan

Xiaoyu122

Gangsta-girl: I'm so glad you like my fic! Thanks for reviewing again! *hug* And yes, darling Inu-chan can be a bit of a perv sometimes...he hangs out with Miroku too much, ne?

Inuyasha-is-my-life: No! Please don't delete it! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! *cries* Well, hopefully I wasn't too late...

Misshie (Armadrieclya) & Karla (AriannaidDraig) & Sab (who can't post but who gives me feedback anyway): I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!! And you better post more, 'cause I need the encouragement. Here. *hands out cookies and milk* That always works. And Misshie, I promise I'll read your stories soon. And I would read your BJT one if you would POST it. *grumble* Anyway...*gasp* Typos? No! It can't be true! This is almost as bad as when the president's top secret orange polka-dotted green monkey llama thing was kidnapped (and possibly murdered *glare*)! But keep it hush hush, I don't want to scare away my readers! By the way Sab, once I get my Inuyasha CD, I can only blame you for whatever madness ensues from listening to it too much. And speaking of typos, I need a beta reader. Because I'm bound to miss things now and again, even with my super duper uber beta reader abilities.

Well everyone...until next chapter! Which should be soon! *crosses fingers*


	4. And So It Begins

It's amazing! Call the press! Tell a friend! Hide the kiddies! I updated in the span of a month! *gasp* Quite a shocker it is...

Oh, right, I was re-reading through my chapters and noticed that I put two different lengths of how long the camp lasted. In case anyone is confused, it only lasts two-and-a-half weeks. There, settled. My muse applauds me.

On with the story...sorry for typos...

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Damnit.

~*~

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 4: And So It Begins

~*~

"Rise and shine you baffling excuses for demons, humans, and everything inbetween."

The door to Cabin 12 opened full-bang, and the feeble light spilled onto the five beds. Groans immediately sounded as the stoic voice filtered through the room. The owner of the voice rolled his golden eyes.

"Stop complaining because I don't give a damn. Just get off your lazy asses and get to the breakfast hall."

"You have such concern for us, Sesshomaru; it never fails to amaze me," Miroku remarked as he stretched.

"Yes, we really feel the love," Jakotsu added, getting out of his bed. Sesshomaru smirked.

"Because, of course, the only thing on my mind is your well-being."

"That, and getting Rin into bed," Inuyasha grumbled before pulling the pillow over his head. His half-brother chose to ignore the comment, settling for an icy glare to the room in general.

"Hurry up before I get yelled at," was Sesshomaru's last comment before he slammed the door closed. All five boys groaned in unison.

"I don't know about anybody else, but I don't particularly fancy getting drenched in water. Again," Naraku stressed the last word as he lazily rose off his bed.

"Yes, well, that's only because a certain _hanyou_ wouldn't get up," Miroku gave a pointed glance to the bunched-up covers and pillow.

"Hey, now, don't go blaming all your shit on me. It's not _my_ fault if you decide to follow my example," came the muffled response.

"Sesshomaru _is_ your brother. You should try to talk to him. You know, about not brutally torturing us." 

"Half-brother, remember?"

"How could we ever forget?" Kouga finally piped up, poking his head through his sheets.

"Shut up, you...stupid wolf."

Jakotsu, Miroku, and Naraku sighed.

"Point one to Kouga."

"I think it's too early in the morning for Inuyasha's brain to be fully awake."

"Of course, it doesn't really help matters anyway."

"Hey! Some friends you are!" Inuyasha jumped off his bed, glaring at his 'friends' before stalking to the bathroom, muttering, "Damn you all..."

"We're only doing it out of pure affection for you!" Jakotsu called to the hanyou's retreating form and the whole room snickered.

"We really are too cruel..."

~*~

"What a lovely sight to be greeted with first thing in the morning! Four ravishing young ladies as pretty as can be!" Miroku sat down next to Sango with a flourish, his violet eyes wide and innocent. All four ladies rolled their eyes.

"Miroku, you're too much," Sango said, calmly pouring cereal into her bowl.

"Why thank you, dear Sango."

"No, really Miroku. Get your hand off my ass. Now."

"Whoops. Now how did it get there? Bad hand..." Miroku lightly smacked the offending appendage.

"Wonder if perverted habits disappear with age?" Inuyasha wondered aloud as the rest of his cabin-mates settled in around the table. A quiet hush fell over the group.

"Nah." Silence broken.

Sango looked over to Kagome, about to pass the cereal box, when she remembered that Kagome was new to the camp. _God, she fits in so naturally..._

"Okay, everyone. Full attention," Sango smacked her hand on the table for emphasis. Her friends instantly diverted their attention to her. "We have someone new to Camp Kumori," Sango pointed to the raven-haired girl beside her. "Her name's Kagome Higurashi and she'll be with us for the rest of camp."

"So I expect her to be treated with the utmost courtesy, understand?' Kagura surprised everyone with the comment while she glared around the table. Then, her gaze softened slightly, "Well, as much courtesy as we can muster around here, right?"

Everyone smirked (even Kikyo gave a half-hearted attempt).

"Well, you already know Inuyasha and Miroku, so..."

"I'm Jakotsu," a very feminine-looking boy with shoulder-length black hair and mud-brown eyes said, reaching out his hand, which Kagome accepted with a smile.

"Naraku," the guy with long, wavy black hair and slightly chilly blue eyes grunted shortly. Kagome felt a slight chill down her spine for a moment, looking at him and his 'I'm creepy, be scared' aura. And she would've been quite scared of him too, if she hadn't seen the slight amusement dancing underneath the chilliness. She grinned at him and was relieved to see him grin back. There was certainly more to him than met the eye...

"And my name is Kouga, lovely maiden," Kagome's musings were interrupted when another black-haired, blue-eyed male smoothly introduced himself. He made to reach for her hand, but Kagura coughed and glared at the wolf demon. Point taken.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome smiled, her eyes brightening with laughter.

"So, what brings you Camp Kumori, Kagome? It's certainly an...interesting...place for a young girl such as yourself to be at, ne?" Naraku asked placidly, fixing, just like the other residents at the table, a plate for himself. Kagome looked up in surprise at the question.

"A camp like this? It seems perfectly normal to me..." It didn't escape Kagome's attention that everyone else slightly stiffened at the comment. Which made her wonder...but she just shook her head. "Well, my parents decided that a camp would be the ideal way for me to settle into my new surroundings. You see, we just moved here."

"Really? From where?"

"Tokyo."

"Oooh, a girl from the city, how exciting," Inuyasha smirked, his tone making it quite clear that it was anything but. Kagome narrowed her eyes. The second day and already she was having the sneaking suspicion that this guy was going to annoy her to no end. She just hoped her patience as a miko won out in the end...

"Yes, the city. It's quite a nice place, the city," Kagome told the hanyou in clipped tones. Miroku, Sango, and Kagura looked at her surprisingly for a moment, then all grinned. Inuyasha had been begging for a good kick in the ass for a long time...maybe this new girl would prove quite a challenge for him. Oh, they could already imagine the fireworks.

"So, um, how is it like in Tokyo? I've only been there a few times, and that was when I was a little girl, before I got accepted into boarding school," Sango rolled her eyes.

"Busy. And fast-paced. And really, _really_ crowded. But I love it, so no complaints here...wait..." Kagome frowned in thought. "Did you say boarding school? As in, Shikon Academy?"

"Yes, all of us go to it. It's why we're such good friends."

"Wow, this must be fate working because it's too weird to be a coincidence."

"What?" Naraku raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's the school that I'll be attending this fall."

"Really?" Sango and Kagura spoke at the same time. Then they both hugged the young miko, squealing.

"Now, we really will have a new friend."

"You mean, a new girl to grope, don't you Miroku?" Jakotsu teased the Hentai King.

"Hey, remember what Kagura said about courtesy. Lay off her!" Kouga growled in warning. Miroku ignored him, of course.

"Interesting. Almost as if out with old, in with new," Naraku muttered quietly, his gaze flickering between Kikyo and Kagome. Then he looked at the hanyou, who looked mysteriously relieved and excited at the same time, and grinned. "What do you have to say about this new development, Inuyasha?"

"What?" Scowl firmly sliding into place, Inuyasha turned towards Naraku, doubly annoyed because of the strange emotions he had felt not a moment ago. "Why should I give a damn? She's just a stupid wench, after all."

"You can glean all that from a brief meeting with her? I didn't know you were so perceptive, Inuyasha, you really should put it to more use."

"What the hell do you--"

"Isn't time to get to our class?" Miroku exclaimed loudly, having sensed his best friend's anger and not willing to let it explode with ladies present. Especially at breakfast. He liked breakfast.

"Oh, you're right monk," Kagura stood up from squeezing the life out of Kagome and began to walk towards the exit.

"I'm right about a few many things." Reach. Slap.

"Except about your hands and where they should be."

"So sorry."

"I bet you are," Inuyasha poked him, grinning.

"Honestly, does everyone have to be against me?"

"Yes," the group chorused.

"Fine," Miroku mumbled. Sango sighed in an almost affectionate way.

"C'mon you stupid perve," she dragged Miroku to the door and the others followed, shaking their heads. Except Kikyo, which didn't fail to go unnoticed by Kagome. She stopped and looked back to the girl who had been silent during the entire conversation, and, now that Kagome thought about it, no one had commented on. She shuffled back to the table, a frown on her features.

"Hey, Kikyo. Are you feeling okay? You haven't said a word all morning."

Kikyo turned to the younger girl, surprise evident in her eyes.

"You're worried?"

"Well...yes, I suppose I am."

The stormy grey eyes softened, just a little.

"You shouldn't. I'm fine. I...like to listen to people more than I really like to talk. A habit, I guess," Kikyo shrugged her shoulders.

"All right, I guess I can't really blame you for that. They're a really fun bunch to be around," Kagome laughed and Kikyo felt a sort of...happiness at the sound, like she could laugh with her. And for the first time, in a long, long while, she did just that. Well, it was more like a chuckle, really, but hey, one step at a time.

"We shouldn't stay here that long. The others might get worried and think we've been kidnapped," Kagome stood up, grabbing the other girl's elbow and leading her to the door.

"Or otherwise led into a trap by Miroku. Which, in that case, I would much rather be kidnapped."

The two girls were laughing all the way to the art room.

~*~

"All right, I know not all of you are Picassos and Da Vincis, and I'm not expecting otherwise. This is all about your inner creative soul and expressing and releasing it onto a canvas for the world to see. Don't worry if it's bad, because as long as it comes from the art, I consider it to be the most beautiful piece of artwork in the whole world," the camp's art teacher, Mr. Hojo, smiled in a charming way, almost rivaling Miroku and his 'charm'.

"Now everyone else is a different story," Jakotsu quietly muttered. Those around him snickered.

"So, for our first assignment, I'll go easy. I'm handing out a sketchbook for each of you," Mr. Hojo explained as he moved around the classroom, "which you can keep and bring home to your proud parents at the end of camp to show you actually did something useful at camp," he smiled when a few chuckles ran through the room, "Right, so, for today I just want you to draw whatever you feel like drawing. Only rule is that it has to be in this room, but you can interpret the object however you like. Make sense?" A chorus of yeses. "Good." 

"Feh. You're way too lenient with them this year, Mr. Hojo. I remember your first class and how you made us work like dogs. It still haunts me," Inuyasha pretended to shudder.

"Inuyasha Akurei. How nice it is to see you here again this year. I was almost afraid you wouldn't be let back in after that little...incident last year," Mr. Hojo coughed pointedly as he neared the area where Inuyasha and his friends sat.

"Surprise, surprise."

"Definitely."

"What is it you're talking about?" Kagome poked Inuyasha to get his attention. "I keep hearing things about water balloons and whipped cream, but I still don't get it."

"Ah, yes," the teacher smiled in fond remembrance as he passed their table. "Kagome, isn't it? Well, far be it from me to tell you the actual story. I'll leave it up to these lunkheads you now call friends."

"Lot of help that does," Kagome grumbled, even more annoyed when she noticed the grin on Mr. Hojo's face as he continued on to the rest of the class.

"Don't worry about it, Kagome. I'm sure it will all be explained in due time," Kouga nodded his head in a knowing manner, almost making Kagome burst into a fit of giggles.

"As long as it's sooner rather than later."

"Okay, everyone. I don't mind if you talk a bit while you work, but do try and actually do the work, if you please. I'll be floating around if anyone needs help," Mr. Hojo said as he settled down into a chair, his own sketchbook in front of him.

Kagome grunted as she looked around the room, trying to find some inspiration. The room was quite nice, really. Numerous tables situated around the table that sat four people comfortably enough for everyone to happily work. Counters lined up against the walls with a few faucets here and there. At one end of the room were two pottery wheels, tons of shelves, and what suspiciously looked like a furnace. The room itself gave off such a pleasant and _creative_ air that she felt like she could create a masterpiece. Too bad she didn't have the artistic skills to go along with the urge. She sat back in annoyance. What to draw, what to draw. She sneaked a few peeks at the people around her. Sango seemed deep in thought as she stared blankly at the page, probably thinking the same thoughts as Kagome if her eyes were any indication. And there was Miroku, his hand slowly inching towards the unaware Sango's backside. Kagome smiles and almost warned her new friend, but decided that Miroku needed a good slap. Then her eyes wandered over to hanyou beside her. And she almost fainted from shock. 

Inuyasha was concentrating on the page and his pencil moving smoothly across it. It had only been a few minutes, but he had already managed to get a good deal of the picture done. And it looked...amazing. Kagome couldn't really tell what it was, but she noticed his golden eyes flicking to a small statue on table not too far away and figured that was what he was drawing. But...it didn't really look like it. It was almost as if the statue on his paper had a _soul_. Which, as Kagome reprimanded herself, was an incredibly stupid thought. Pictures didn't have souls. They were just captured images. And yet...when Kagome looked at the picture, she felt moved by it. She could already make out the saddened expression, the torture, the agony. And she wondered how such a rude, annoying male such as Inuyasha could possibly create something beautiful.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the golden eyes staring back at her.

"What?" Kagome feigned annoyance (which really wasn't hard when it came to Inuyasha), acting as if he had just broken into something very private. Which he had, in a way.

"What do you mean, 'what'? You were the one who was staring at me." Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right. Sorry," Kagome turned to her sketchbook.

Inuyasha's ears dropped for a moment before he shrugged and went back to his drawing. 

Kagome sneaked one more glance at the hanyou before resigning herself to useless doodles while she let her mind wander. Maybe she really should look beneath the surface, like her grandfather always told her to. Maybe then she'd find out why her heart suddenly sped up whenever Inuyasha looked at her with those soft golden eyes. 

~*~

Ow...my hands feel like they're going to fall off. Three straight hours of typing! Someone help me! Anyway...

Well, it occurred to me during the writing of this chapter that I have a lot of people to keep up with. So now I'm going holy shit, I'm screwed. But whatever. I'll make it through with everyone's lovely reviews. So please, do review. Maybe I won't bang my head repeatedly against the wall.

Okay, before I get to the thank-yous, I want to put out in the open that I have several story ideas circulating in me head, but I'm afraid to start one since then I might get even slower with the updating. Any comments?

Er, I think that's all. I've been staring listlessly at the computer for most of the day, so my brain is pretty much fried right now. Right. My muse is telling me to shut up and get on with my life. Although, I would kindly like to point out that I have no life to get on with. 

...

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Thanks to:

Xiaoyu122: Hm, maybe I should have put who wins this chapter. Oh well, there'll be plenty more tests of machoness to come between Inuyasha and Kouga ^-^ 

Armadrieclya: Ha! I love the nickname! I'm officially adding it to my most favorite nicknames list. And you'll be proud to know I r/r-ed TWO of your fanfics. *is very proud* I'm good...

Oh yes, and just because I love gloating, I feel I should inform you that I got my permit! Mwahahahahahahahaha...I can drive...scary thought really...

Now, all I have to do is get your birthday present. *sigh* It's off to the mall we go, it's off to the mall we go...

Japanese_Dragon: Yay! I have people who love my quotes! ^-^ You make me and my muse very happy! 

AriannaidDraig & Sab: Whee...I'm bored...I wish someone would get online...maybe I'll go on the 'hex...ah yes, forgot to mention that this entire chapter was written while listening to my Inuyasha cd. ^-^ I wouldn't dare listen to anything else...er, ya. I'm done. 


	5. Drowning Because of You

A/N: Eh heh heh heh. I _try_ to not procrastinate. I really do. I think it runs in the family...or something. Anyway, I feel like I should share this with everyone before it goes away: I just re-read chapter 4 and I'm amazed that I actually wrote something that's halfway decent. I actually laughed at my own writing! It tickles me...anyway...I just put out chapter 1 of a new DN Angel fic (which is my new obsession) which I'm kind of regretting now...but since it's summer vacation I now have endless amounts of doing nothing ahead of me...so I think I can squeeze in some writing time...so I'll shut up now...except I went to New York City! And saw The Phantom of the Opera! So amazing...along with the new love of my life Hugh Panaro...truly, I'll shut up...

----

Disclaimer: What part of 'I don't own Inuyasha' don't you understand...paranoid people...

--

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 5: Drowning Because of You

--

"And now, into Child's Pose we go for the final part of our exercise..."

"Remind me that I hate yoga and, in case of fits of insanity, I should never pursue doing this for a living," Inuyasha whispered to Miroku.

"Ah, but the benefits my friend, the benefits..."

"What ben-oh," Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he followed Miroku's line of sight (impaired slightly by the fact that their heads were down).

"Mind looking somewhere else? Or do I have act as Sango for a bit?" Kagura warned in a non-chalant way.

"Oh, no worries. We can leave the Sango acts to Sango..."

"Okay class! That was an excellent first time! So, I'll see you all on," the teacher quickly checked the schedule, "Wednesday! 'Till then!"

The people of cabins 12 and 13 made their way of the room.

"Well, that was fun," Jakotsu yawned and stretched.

"Yea, to a snake maybe," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Aw, come on you guys! I thought it was very good," Kagome slapped the two boys on the back, who immediately groaned, "I wonder if she teaches outside of camp..."

"I would definitely be willing to take another class of hers," Sango nodded in agreement.

"Oh, me too, Sango. Perhaps we could sign up together...?" Miroku suggested, eyes innocent, hands not.

"How about we not and you keep your hands to yourself before Sango starts acting like Sango, hmm?"

"Of course, my darling maiden."

"Dear God."

"So, eh, what are we supposed to do next?" Kagome quickly intervened.

"Oh, now we have our siesta time," Kouga explained, walking right next to Kagome. A little too closely, Inuyasha observed. _Wait...who am I to care how close they are or...aren't? Idiot!_ The hanyou mentally smacked himself. _Which really does no good since it doesn't hurt or anything..._

"Penny for your thoughts Inuyasha."

The dog-eared boy started.

"Of course, I doubt they're really worth that much, but...," Naraku smiled somewhat evilly, cold eyes humorous.

"Shut up, you creep."

"You wound me."

"Who's up for a little swimming?"

The group suddenly stopped and looked to the speaker, Jakotsu.

"Swimming?" Kagura repeated faintly, head cocked as if actually contemplating what he said.

"Yes, that thing you do with water and bathing suits..."

Kagura rolled her eyes.

"Well, it isn't a bad idea, is it?" Miroku said brightly. "I mean, the weather's perfect for a little dip, and...well, the weather's perfect..."

"If _only_ you could get your mind out of the gutter..."

"Then would you grace me with a date, lovely Sango?"

The magenta-eyed girl tapped a finger to her chin and narrowed her eyes.

"You know, Miroku, that's not a bad idea."

"It isn't?" The beloved pervert seemed genuinely surprised to hear the love of his life taking anything he said seriously.

"Yes!" Sango pumped a fist into the air triumphantly. "If, for the rest of our time here at camp, you can go without touching anyone's backside and generally not be your usual smooth-talking self, then I will agree to one date with you."

Miroku gaped in shock.

"You-you're asking me...to do _what_?"

"And you also can't 'appreciate' any female either. Even from a distance," Kagura added on with a smirk. Miroku couldn't believe his ears.

"And if I do that, you'd actually go on a date with me?"

"As per agreed."

"I don't know Miroku," Jakotsu sidled up to his friend, "for you, that seems like an awfully hard task."

"Yes, it's truly a great stretch for you monk," Kouga mused.

"Well, if he isn't man enough for it, he isn't man enough for it." Inuyasha clapped the poor hentai on the back. Miroku sputtered.

"'Man enough for it'? What do you mean by that, Inuyasha? Of course I'm _man_ enough for it!" He stalked up to Sango, his face inches from hers. "You've got yourself a deal, Korosu."

"Fine, Midara," Sango smirked, even though she was acutely aware of the distance, or lack thereof, between herself and the Hentai King. Said king smirked right back, a devilish glint in his eyes, before moving away and walking in the general direction of their cabins, the rest of the group following.

"Hey Sango, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Kagome hurried up to her friend. "I mean, he seemed pretty determined."

"Feh. He won't last a day," Inuyasha snorted.

"A day? Try not even an hour," Sango laughed with glee.

"We are going swimming remember."

"And all those females, in all those bikinis?" Kouga shook his head sadly. "It's the end for our poor friend."

Everyone chuckled (except for Miroku, who was marching ahead and trying not to look at all the girls, in bathing suits, passing by). Kagome suddenly face-faulted.

"Wait-we're going swimming? I thought we hadn't decided on that!"

"Of course we're going swimming Kag-chan," Sango looked at her a bit oddly. "It's one of our traditions; there really was no question about it."

"Um, tradition?"

"Yes," Jakotsu said matter-of-factly, "Every year, on the first full day, at siesta time, we go for our first official Camp Kumori swim. And I'm always the one who suggests it. Out of pure habit, of course."

"Oh," Kagome bit her lip.

"Do you have something against swimming?" Naraku asked in a mild, amused tone.

"Well, heh heh, you see I...I can't actually...really, um..._swim_."

The small group suddenly stopped, shocked (except Miroku, who continued on completely oblivious).

"What do you mean you can't _swim_? What kind of an idiotic bitch comes to a camp who can't even swim?"

"Hey, I'm not an idiot!"

"Don't call her a bitch Inuyasha!"

The half-demon wilted slightly under the combined glares of Kagome, Sango, Kagura, and Kouga.

"Feh. Whatever."

"Well, that's all right, Kagome," Kouga patted her arm affectionately, "We can just teach you that's all."

Inuyasha cocked his head at the brief touch between the two, but magically said nothing.

"Um," Kagome looked uncertain, but smiled nonetheless. "Why not? It can't be that hard, right?"

"Of course not!" Sango happily slipped her arm through the younger girl's and the group continued on their merry way.

Except for my deathly fear of water...

--

"Um, Kagome, may I ask you a question?"

"Yea sure," Kagome replied from her place in front of the mirror.

"If you can't actually swim, why did you bother to bring a bathing suit?" Sango raised an eyebrow.

"Oh." Kagome looked down at herself, then turned to Sango with a bright smile. "In case some lovely souls decided to take pity on me and teach me how to swim?"

Sango snorted.

"Whatever you say Kagome," Kagura said breezily while exiting the bathroom. She suddenly frowned in thought. "Hey, you know that could rhyme, if you said 'whatever you say KAG-o-may.' Get it?" Kagura burst into an unexpected fit of giggles.

"Oh dear, I knew she'd lose it one day," Sango rolled her eyes at Kagome who grinned back.

"Anyway, are we ladies ready?" Kagura started for the door.

"Yep. I'm putting my sunblock on when we get to the pool. Just to tempt Miroku even further," Sango rubbed her hands in delight and the two girls made their way outside. Kagome made to follow them.

"Are you sure you're up to swimming Kagome?"

The slightly empty voice startled the young girl and she whirled around.

"Kikyo?"

"Yes, Kagome, I am still here," the older girl replied from her spot on her bed, slightly amused.

"O-of course you are, Kikyo. Don't be silly," Kagome laughed in that trying-to-cover-up-something way, feeling incredibly guilty. Kikyo had hardly said a word since breakfast, and Kagome had gradually forgotten her presence. Then she noticed something odd.

"Hey, aren't you going swimming?" Kagome gestured to her clothing.

"Not much of a swimming person myself."

"Oh." Kagome furrowed her brows together.

"But what about you? You didn't seem overly excited by the idea of being taught how to swim. Any particular reason why?"

"Me?" Kagome squeaked.

"No, the other person in the room," Kikyo rolled her stormy-grey eyes.

"Kikyo," Kagome suddenly tilted her head. "How come you're not that...interactive with the group?"

The other girl returned Kagome's stare before reaching out for a magazine and slowly flipping through it.

"No particular reason. Why do you ask?"

"It just seems that...you're sort of like the _forgotten_ person, you know?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like they shun you."

The flipping ceased abruptly before continuing on.

"It's merely just a-- a parting of the ways, if you want."

"A what?"

Kikyo smiled and finally looked up to Kagome.

"We've just grown distant as friends. Nothing special. And I don't particularly enjoy just going out and making friends just for the sake of having people to hang out with so..." she shrugged and went back to her magazine.

"But don't you _want_ to be friends with them? I mean, they're such great people, really."

"Hey Kagome!" Sango popped her head in before Kikyo could answer. "Aren't you coming?"

Kagome turned to the door, before glancing back at Kikyo, who seemed too preoccupied with her magazine to really care.

"Sure Sango. Let's go!" Kagome bounded off with Sango. Kikyo glanced at the closed door.

"Be careful of the water Kagome."

--

"And guys say we spend all the time in front of the mirror. What's taking them so damn long?" Kagura complained, splashing her feet in the water.

"I don't know, but they better hurry before I go and beat the hell out of them. They know we hate waiting for them!" Sango cried and fell onto her back, exasperated.

"Then they're probably doing it just to spite you," Kagome replied dully. Truth be told, she hadn't really noticed. Her thoughts had been pestering her since their walk to the pool. Mostly of the pool. Or water, to be exact. She _really_ didn't like the water. It probably had something to do with the fact that she had practically drowned when she was younger (stupid lifeguard was flirting with a stupid girl). But that was just a guess...

"I wonder if we should take bets on how long Miroku will last?" Sango mused aloud.

"Kind of worthless, though, since he's going to crack while we're swimming. I mean, look at the feast for his perverted eyes," Kagura gestured to the scantily clad girls running around.

"Yea, you're right..."

"How long _do _you think he'll last, Kagome?"

Kagome, of course, had no idea what they were talking about, since she had been lost in her thoughts. While most of her thought process was indeed thinking about the water, a small part was also concentrating on Kikyo. The older girl just seemed so...lost. And the rest of the group hardly seemed to notice her. She never added in what she thought and she never laughed at Miroku's antics and no one even acknowledged her in the least. Well, except for that one time yesterday, when she and Kagura had been arguing. But other than that, nothing. It was as if she was a living doll, merely passing through the background, going through the motions. _And that's just not normal._ Kagome frowned to herself. _Something...something must have happened. I mean, it seems that they all used to be really close!_ She had no idea how they had displayed that in the slightest, but it was just something she felt. _I wonder what it was..._

"Hey Kagome! Earth to Kagome!" Sango waved a hand in front of the spaced-out girl.

"What? Oh, hey Sango! Are the guys here yet?" Kagome smiled brightly before standing up and stretching. All that wondering had worn her out a bit.

"No but if they're not here in five minutes I'll-"

It all happened very quickly. Kagome turned around slightly, in time to see a flash of silver and white before she felt two strong hands push her. There was a moment of weightlessness and a little bit of laughing before she plummeted into cold, dark silence. _Oh damn. This is not good, this is not good._ Kagome instantly felt the world shrink around her, just like when she was five years old. She felt her lungs tighten for air and she flailed around feebly, trying to reach the surface. But it was so far away, and the darkness seemed to be thickening...

--

"Inuyasha, you IDIOT! You know she can't swim!" Sango pushed the laughing hanyou back, her anger seeping off in waves.

"So what? Everyone can float, can't they?" Inuyasha breathed in, trying to calm his laughter in order to gloat. And boy, would he have something to gloat about when Kagome resurfaced...

"You really shouldn't have done that, Inuyasha," Miroku said mildly, settling down on the cement edge. "It's highly unwise to push a lady, especially one with a temper. I consider it more trouble than it's worth."

"But the benefits, my friend, the benefits!" Inuyasha mimicked. Miroku narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, guys, Kagome hasn't come up yet," Jakotsu pointed towards the water. Everyone instantly snapped their attention to the surface. The surface without a Kagome.

"Feh. The bitch is probably just trying to get back at me," Inuyasha shrugged and crossed his arms, but his golden gaze was kept firmly on the water.

"Inuyasha, if she can't swim, how could she try to get back at you?" Naraku commented lazily (one would almost saying unfeelingly). There was a short silence in contemplation of the wise words of Naraku before it was broken by the sound of a splash as Inuyasha dived in.

"INUYASHA! If she dies, I swear I will never forgive you!" Sango shouted almost tearfully as she and the rest of the group leaned over the edge.

"And I will beat you into a bloody pile of shit, you sorry excuse for a demon!" Kagura also shouted with feeling, her crimson eyes frantically scanning the surface.

"And I'll help her!" Kouga added. Naraku merely rolled his eyes. Water suddenly splashed up as Inuyasha appeared with an unconscious Kagome.

"Take her!" he barked and handed Kagome to Miroku as he heaved himself out of the pool.

"Okay, who knows CPR?" Sango cried shrilly, her body shaking uncontrollably. Miroku leaned in but Sango pushed his head away. "No you don't, you pervert! You-you'll just m-molest her!"

"Sango, I hardly think this is the time-"

"Move you stupid morons!" Inuyasha barked again and quickly pushed everyone out of the way as he started performing CPR.

"Come on, Kagome. Wake up!" Kouga brushed a piece of dark hair out of her face, the wolf looking terrified beyond his wits. It was a tense ten seconds before Kagome finally sputtered and groaned.

"Kagome!" Sango and Kagura cried at the same time as they went to hug their friend. Kagome looked dazed for a moment as she slowly got up, the girls' arms almost suffocating her again.

"Okay, ladies, give the poor girl some breathing room," Miroku gently pried the two girls away.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" Kouga asked from one side of her, concern etched into his features. Kagome smiled faintly.

"I'm...okay. Just a little shaken."

"You gave everyone a nice little scare, wench."

Kagome whipped her head around to see a relieved-looking hanyou, a goofy grin on his lips. Which would have been quite adorable if not for the fact that-

"You _bastard_!" Kagome hissed as she felt a nice little ounce of energy come back, and she used it to the full advantage of pushing him as hard as she could.

"What-?"

"You _knew_ I couldn't swim! You knew I couldn't and what did your genius mind come up with to do? Oh, let's _surprise_ poor Kagome and _push her in_!"

"But I-I thought you would just...float back up," Inuyasha replied sheepishly, ears drooping.

"Oh, yea, since I'm so _heavy_! You filth, you-you _scum_!" Kagome roughly pushed herself up, wavering slightly before firmly planting her body. "Don't even _think_ of talking to me ever again!" And with that, she grabbed her towel and stomped her way back to the cabin.

There was a slight silence as everyone waited for the blow-up. They weren't disappointed...well, just a little...

"Well, you know what wench? Fine! I don't even particularly _want_ to talk to you anyway! You ungrateful bitch! I even _saved_ you!" Inuyasha punched his fist into the cement, making a nice crack. Another short silence.

"Do you want ice for that?"

"Please..."

----

A/N: Wow, what a long chapter! By my standards anyway...and I am the one writing it...

Okeys, well, I can't actually say when the next chapter will come. I'll have to sit with my muse for awhile and decide what torture I can come up with...mwahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Hugs & strawberries!


	6. Reconciliation

Disclaimer: If you think I own Inuyasha, then you're in for quite the shocker...

----

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 6: Reconciliation

--

"You are in some deep shit, man," Kouga heartily slapped Inuyasha on the back.

"I know..."

"If there's one thing you _never_ do, Inuyasha, it's exploit a woman's weaknesses for your own personal amusement. And here I thought I had taught you well," Miroku dramatically sighed in exasperation.

"Shut up you stupid pervert," Inuyasha glared at his morally-challenged friend.

"I resent that."

"Which part?"

"Well, I'm certainly not stupid, Inuyasha."

"Yes, just stupidly oblivious. Come on, Inu, get your facts straight," Naraku mock-reproved.

"I don't think any of us are helping in the least bit," Jakotsu, the ever-wise, pointed out almost gleefully.

Miroku's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, dear, Inuyasha, why didn't you say anything? You poor," Miroku choked, "poor," Miroku coughed, "thiii-" Miroku stopped completely as all four boys burst out laughing, tears streaming down their eyes. Inuyasha just growled and stomped off ahead to the dining hall.

"Serves him right," Kagura chuckled, crimson eyes dancing.

"Aw, I don't know, maybe we were a bit too harsh on him? I mean, he's already getting the silent treatment from you girls," Miroku slid a glance to Kagome, who had her gaze fixed straight ahead, scowl firmly in place.

"Well, he deserves it!" Sango cried, then narrowed her eyes. "Miroku..."

"Sorry, sorry."

"I bet you are," Sango rolled her eyes, and gave the hentai a good slap.

"Oww..."

"You really pick the worst times, you know," Kouga said, smirking.

--

The bell in the dining hall rang out as a few campers rushed in and took their places at tables. Our favorite gang had, of course, already secured their favorite spot: the table in the way back that overlooked the beautiful Camp Kumori lake.

"Hey you guys!" the always-perky Rin said as she appeared from out of nowhere and slid onto one of the benches, "How has your first day been?"

Kagura coughed while the others looked at the ceiling, the floor...anywhere but at Inuyasha and Kagome. Sango sighed.

"Just, um, fine, Rin. Thanks for asking."

"Really? No problems? Classes going well?"

"No idiotic hanyous making a fool of themselves?" Sesshomaru added in as he sat next to Rin.

"Of course not, Fluffy," Inuyasha snapped, eyes ablaze. "Why would they go and do a thing like that?"

"I don't know, maybe because they _are_ idiotic hanyous?" Kagome finally piped up, glaring at said idiotic hanyou.

"Well, maybe if a certain stubborn _wench_ would just learn to forgive and forget, then maybe we would be having a _fine_ time!"

"No rhyming, please," Sango muttered, head in her hands, knowing the worst was just about to happen.

"Then maybe you should try apologizing!"

"I _saved_ you! What more of an apology do you need?"

"How about begging and groveling for my forgiveness since you were the one who _pushed me in_!" By this time, the chatter in the hall had died down, and now everyone was staring in shock as Kagome got up to stand on the bench, towering over the hanyou. Well, everyone except for the people who actually knew what Inuyasha and Kagome were fighting about. Now, _they_ were the ones who were smirking (the boys and Sesshomaru) or shaking their heads in defeat (the girls).

"It isn't _my_ fault that you can't swim!" Inuyasha certainly wasn't about to let a girl over-shadow him and so stood up on the bench as well.

"But you knew I couldn't!" Kagome waved her arms in exasperation. She couldn't _believe_ how stubborn he was being! Couldn't he just push his ego aside for a minute and admit he was _wrong_? He knew she couldn't swim, yet he pushed her in anyway. What part of that wasn't getting _through_ to him?

"What's your point? It was all in the name of fun!" Inuyasha shouted back. He couldn't _believe_ how stubborn she was being! What was she getting so mad about? He had saved her, hadn't he? Why did she seem to be missing that point?

"_Fun_? You think drowning is _fun_?

Inuyasha growled. "Of course not. I didn't say that."

"Then what _were_ you saying?"

"I-" Inuyasha stopped for a moment and massaged his temples, eyes closed. It was a moment he would regret dearly. "Why don't we--"

"Hey Inuyasha!" Kagome said in a singsong voice. That alone should have tipped Inuyasha off, but he was too thrown off by the abrupt shift that he just blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Drown in this!"

SPLASH!

Kagome began cackling gleefully as the rest of the camp could only stare in amazement at Inuyasha, head covered by a bowl and now sopping wet with--

"SOUP!" Kagome fell off the bench, twisting in mirth. Yes, our dear, adorably dog-eared Inuyasha was covered in chicken noodle soup, the special dish that night. Sesshomaru was the first out of the stupor, and his smirk was wide enough to reveal his little doggie fangs.

"Why, Inuyasha. I do believe chicken noodle soup is quite becoming on you. You should wear it more often," Fluffy lazily dragged the words out. Miroku and Kouga began to snicker behind their hands and Naraku looked like a child on Christmas morning. Suddenly, Inuyasha jerked the bowl off his head and began glaring the fiercest glare he could, and probably ever would, manage at the laughing girl. Kagome, however, could've cared less.

"Now what is going on in here?" Kaede, head counselor to the extraordinary, rushed in and stopped, mouth hanging open at the sight of the drenched half-demon. Then her eyes slowly drifted down to the partially hidden girl on the ground. The old woman smiled for just a second before heading over to the table, frown in place.

"Hey, Kaede, come to see the show? You missed the good parts, though, so I don't know if it's really worth your while," Sesshomaru said, still smirking

"I'm sure I did," Kaede sternly fixed her one good eye on the demon, who merely raised his eyebrow. She sighed. "Akurei, Higurashi. Please come with me." Without waiting for them, Kaede began marching out of the dining hall. Kagome struggled to stand up, and was still laughing as she followed Kaede out, Inuyasha right behind the raven-haired girl as he tried to bore a hole in her head. Which was proving quite unsuccessful.

--

"_Two_ days?!? Only _two_ days of clean-up duty?" Sango abruptly stopped as she stared at Kagome. The group was sitting in their classroom for piano after an uneventful morning of meditation. Well, Inuyasha glared a lot at Kagome, but he did that enough for it to be considered normal.

"Yep," Kagome chirped. Man, she felt so damn happy! So what if she had spent yesterday evening with Inuyasha, cleaning up the mess she had made? So what if she was being punished by having to clean up after every meal for two days, while Inuyasha had gotten away with doing nothing for pushing her into the pool? It had all been so worth it! She had humiliated Inuyasha in front of the whole camp! If that wasn't a hell of a compensation, she didn't know what was.

"Kaede must have taking a liking to you," Miroku commented as he sidled up behind the two girls.

"Must have."

Kagome rested her chin in her palm, grin still present. Life was just too good to be true. And, as she caught sight of two twitching ears perched atop a silver head, it never stopped getting better. Kagome knew she _really_ shouldn't, but then again, she'd never been one for self-discipline. She tuned out the sounds of ass-grabbing and cheek-slappings as she focused on her target.

"Hey Inuyaaaasha!"

He ignored her.

"Oi, dog-eared idiot!"

No response.

"Inu-chan, I've got another bowl of soup with your name on it!"

That got his attention. He swiveled around and glared at her, sweet smile and all.

"What do you _want_, wench?"

"Just seeing how you're doing. Have any nightmares last night involving killer soup or anything?" Kagome fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

"Nope," Inuyasha smirked, still glaring daggers, "I had some pleasant dreams, actually, that strangely involved you."

"Me? How so?" Kagome frowned, slightly puzzled.

"Oh, you just happened to be tied to a rocket that was about to blast off," Inuyasha tapped a finger to his chin, apparently in thought, "You know, I hear that hanyous sometimes have dreams of the future. So I wouldn't go near any rockets if I were you. Just to be safe." Inuyasha turned back around, triumph written all over his face. Kagome scowled at his back, but amazingly refrained from commenting.

"Ouch, you're cold, Inu," Miroku remarked as he returned to his seat beside his best friend, the red handprint on his cheek still stinging.

"Comes naturally."

"As fun as it is watching you and Kagome fight, shouldn't we be thinking about more important things?" Kouga said as he leaned in.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha frowned.

"Well, since it looks like our teacher is skipping out on class, I vote that we begin planning _it,_" Miroku explained, leaning in as well.

"Ah yes," Inuyasha nodded and he too leaned in. "Excellent idea."

"But how are we going to top last year? I must say, that was the most ingenious plan in all of history. I've never been able to look at whipped cream and balloons the same way," Jakotsu shuddered as he remembered exactly what had gone down last year.

"And no one would have ever guessed it was _Inuyasha_ who came up with it," Naraku sighed, "Well, miracles do happen..."

"Shut up Naraku."

"Anyway," Miroku quickly cut in, "why don't we brainstorm for awhile and see what we can come up with?"

The other four guys nodded as a rare silence settled over the group. Inuyasha raked his brain for any inspiration that might help top last year's stunt. He drummed his claws against the piano he was next to and let his gaze wander the room. _What could we do? What could we_ possibly_ do?_ He mused for a while, not coming up with anything. But then, almost as if a lightbulb suddenly dinged above his head, Inuyasha's inspiration came, but in an unexpected form: the form of a slim, raven-haired, annoying, stubborn, loud-mouthed wench. It was just a small idea, of course, but between the five male minds, they could develop it into the best damn plan of all.

"Hey, I think I have it..."

"Like I said, miracles do happen."

"Shut UP Naraku."

And then, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity, a plan began forming. A plan that would go down in Camp Kumori history as the greatest prank ever to be pulled. Yes, even topping the whipped cream and water balloons.

----

A/N: Whew. Well, there it is folks. Chapter six. Kind of short, sorry. I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, though. I'm going away for two weeks starting next week and then I have to deal with the greatest evil of all students: summer reading. -sigh- So, it'll be awhile. Oh, and if you're a fan of Harry Potter (especially Lilly and James), I _highly_ suggest reading Armadrieclya's stories, especially 'Something Akin To A Love Story'. She's so good! And it does not have to do with the fact that she's one of my best friends...well, maybe just a little. (I love you Misshie, really! -grin-)

Hugs & strawberries.


	7. Girl Talk

Disclaimer: Haven't you figured it out yet? I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?

_/commencer/_

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 7: Girl Talk

-

"Oh, how I wish," Inuyasha strummed a few chords on his guitar, "that stupid, stubborn wenches didn't exist on this earth. Yea, life would be so much better without them..."

"I HATE Inuyasha!" Kagome strangled her guitar, imagining it was the hanyou's neck. Sango soothingly patted the girl's back.

"I'm sure the feeling will pass."

"Or can't they at least learn to shut up...those stupid, stubborn wenches..."

"In time, the feeling will pass."

"Thanks, Sango," Kagome replied in a forlorn manner. Nothing about this made any sense. How could she allow a stupid guy get under her skin? And why Inuyasha? Dear God, anyone but Inuyasha. And why did he go after her so much? It was almost like they were a modern-day Kate and Petruchio. Except for the whole falling in love thing at the end.

"Those STUPID, STUBBORN WENCHES! YEA!" Inuyasha wailed out the last few notes and finished with a final chord on the guitar.

"All right, Inu, that's enough guitar for one day," Miroku cautiously took the instrument away.

"Yes, I don't believe my ears will fully recover if you keep on playing."

"Shut up, Naraku."

"I only speak the truth."

While the boys went on sputtering over their dignity, the girls (minus Kikyo) were huddled in their own little corner. Kagura's crimson eyes stared morbidly at the guitar on her lap.

"So, Sango, you didn't happen to become magically adept at playing the guitar, did you?"

"As a matter of fact, no."

"You mean you guys can't play guitar?" Kagome looked in wonderment at the two girls.

Kagura sniffed. "I suppose you do?"

"Well, I have been playing since I was four."

"Oh, well, then I guess you do."

"My father taught me," Kagome continued and fitted the guitar to her form. "My first one was actually handed down through his family and we would sing and play silly little songs, and I learned my alphabet and such. Then, as I got older, I started seriously learning."

"Cool, our very own musician! Play something!" Sango clapped her hands in anticipation. Kagome blushed.

"Oh, I don't know..."

"I would enjoy a song from you," Kikyo's monotone voice suddenly broke through, and the three girls turned to face her. There was a beat, then Kagome nodded her head.

"All right."

Sango and Kagura exchanged an indecipherable look, but said nothing. Kagome adjusted the guitar a bit, then picked at it to make sure it was in tune. She took a deep breath, then sighed. _Here goes nothing..._

"_If only I knew _

Way back then

That I would climb the highest mountain for you

Maybe things wouldn't have gone so wrong

Maybe we'd still have a chance

But it's silly to keep hoping, right?

I don't have some fancy time machine

And there's no forgive and forget with us

I only wish

I had been honest

I wouldn't be stuck in this mess I'm in

I only wish

I had been loving

You wouldn't have walked away like that"

Kagome finished the last note, then nervously put the guitar down.

"It was just a little something, a work in progress, nothing good..."

Sango and Kagura's mouths were hanging open, and when they realized Kagome was talking, both mouths instantly snapped shut.

"No, no, that was..."

"Kagome, you were..."

Both girls searched for the right word.

"That was really beautiful," Kikyo supplied effortlessly. Kagome felt a strange happiness at hearing her say that. Her eyes were unreadable, but her words rang true.

"Yeah, what Kikyo said." The name felt weird and awkward on Sango's tongue, but she felt glad to say it. How odd...

"Hey, wench, did you play something?"

Kagome gritted her teeth.

"Yes, and it went a little something like this: Soup looks so pretty on dog-eared, hanyou idiots..."

-

The group filed out of main building, eagerly anticipating the lunch that awaited them, and somewhat hoping for another showdown between Inuyasha and Kagome. No fireworks exploded, however (much to Naraku's disappointment), and after Inuyasha and Kagome had finished their cleaning duties and were getting ready to go back to the clearing for their siesta time, Kagome noticed Kikyo sitting at the edge of the lake.

"Hey, Inuyasha, tell Sango and them I'm exploring the place," Kagome called as she raced to where Kikyo was.

"Hmph, whatever, stupid wench..."

-

"Hey, Kikyo, am I disturbing you?"

Kikyo looked up in surprise at the girl standing over her. It took a moment for the reply to come.

"No, please, sit down."

Kagome sat next to Kikyo and made herself comfortable on the grass. She would like to think the lake was reflecting the rays of the sun, but the sun doesn't shine at Camp Kumori. An awkward silence stretched between the two, awkward for Kagome at least. She spent a few minutes shuffling around in place.

"There's something on your mind."

Not a question, and Kagome knew Kikyo was expecting an answer.

"Well, yes, now that you mention it."

Kikyo raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"You see, the thing is...," Kagome took a deep breath and plunged on, "I've been wondering why everyone acts like you don't exist, and when they do acknowledge you, it's always in a hateful manner. It's obvious you guys were friends once, and I know it's none of my business, but...what happened?" Kagome quickly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, it just all spilled out."

Kikyo's eyes drifted over the surface of the lake. It was a good question, and it needed an honest answer.

"If it should come from anyone, it shouldn't come from me. But, I am the only one who will talk to you about it."

"Really, Kikyo, I'm sorry, you don't..."

"But I want to."

Kagome shut her mouth and put her listening cap on.

"I suppose it's actually kind of silly, in retrospect, very high school soap opera. But, it did happen. You see, last August, Inuyasha and I started dating. We had known one another for a few years, and as our hormones started kicking in, we became attracted to each other. So, it seemed logical that we should date. He was happy, I was happy, everyone was happy. But, in April, I did something very stupid. I doubted what we had built together, and I ran away from it. Inuyasha...was really hurt. I had taken his heart out, stomped on it, and fed it to the wolves. We had the same friends, and once they found out what I had done...they abandoned me and stuck by Inuyasha. I couldn't stop seeing them, our lives were built around one another. Everyday, I had to see the mistake I made. The knife kept being twisted over and over again...," Kikyo stopped and stared at her folded hands in contemplation. "It's odd, baring my soul to someone, when it's usually the other way around. And to you, of all people. A stranger who's becoming friends with them. This isn't like me."

"Kikyo," Kagome reached out and placed her hand atop of Kikyo's, "you should let it all out. But not to me, to Sango and Kagura and Miroku and everyone. And especially Inuyasha. Maybe they don't understand now, but I'm sure once things have settled, they'd be willing to talk."

"Things have been settling, Kagome. They'll never talk to me again. But I've learned to rise above them. I don't need them." Kikyo abruptly took her hands away and stood up. "Thanks for listening, Kagome, and attempting to help the situation, but nothing needs to be helped. Everyone is perfectly happy now. Change is not needed."

"Kikyo!" As Kikyo began to wander away, Kagome called after her, but the hardened-teen didn't even think to glance back.

-

"So, Sango, what do you think about the whole Inuyasha/Kagome thing?" Sango and Miroku were sitting at one of the tables in the little cooking station in their clearing, a plate of brownies between them. Miroku tapped a brownie piece to his mouth.

"I believe the question is, when are they going to stop fighting and admit their feelings?" The Hentai King chomped down on the brownie. Sango looked at him in surprise.

"You really think they're attracted to each other?"

"Of course," Miroku said, mouth full of chocolately goodness.

"Don't talk with you mouth full. But, I mean, they seem to have a total hatred between them. I can't honestly believe they secretly harbor nice feelings for each other."

Miroku licked his fingertips and grinned. "It's just like you and me, Sango darling. I know you desire me, deep down inside."

"I know I would like you to remove your hand from my thigh."

"Now, what was that doing there? Bad hand," Miroku mockingly patted his hand. Sango merely rolled her eyes.

"You'll never change..."

_/fin/_

A/N: Well, that MirSan moment was supposed to be longer and sweeter, but it just seemed better to end it there. Anyway, for anyone who has remained with this story, thank you so much! Life. Don't talk to me about life. It sucks, that's what.


	8. Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inuyasha.

/_commencer_/

Ah, Those Summer Nights

Chapter 8: Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better

_-_

The girls of Cabin 13 drudged out onto the path, beginning to yearn for the old days of waking up late and staying in bed all day.

"Oh, those sweet summer days. Why do we come to this place year after year?" Kagura muttered to the sleepy-eyed Sango.

"Um, something about making us better people. Or is it forming new friendships? Well, we blow that goal every year...no one new ever comes here," Sango muffled the yawn that threatened the last part of her sentence. Then, she looked over at Kagome.

The ruffled-looking, raven-haired girl glared. "Except lucky me. God, I love my parents."

"Isn't that a bit sarcastic for you this early in the morning? Nice look, by the way, wench," Inuyasha's smiling face appeared beside Kagome. The boys of Cabin 12 joined the girls in their trek to the breakfast hall.

"Great, just what I needed, first thing in the morning. I pity whoever you marry, asshole."

Inuyasha quizzically looked at her. "Is someone P--"

Luckily Miroku cut his best friend off before his head went flying, "How are my lovely ladies this wonderful morning? Sango, sparkling as ever. Your beauty knows no bounds," Miroku slyly sidled up to the object of his affections.

"Stuff it, pervert," Sango stifled another yawn.

"Ah, Sango, surely you can insult him better than that."

"Sorry, Naraku, too early, brain not making connections."

A brief pause, and then Sango's palm connected with Miroku's cheek.

"But, not too early for me to make that connection," Sango stomped on ahead. Jakotsu replaced her beside the wounded teenager.

"Hey, someone's taking count of how many times Sango has hit him, right?" he asked the group.

Miroku death-glared Jakotsu, who promptly shut up. "Her acts of aggression are merely acts of her affection. You'll see," Miroku proudly raised his nose in the air. Kouga, however, snorted loudly in response.

"If what you say is true, and Sango admits she has feelings for you, I'll go around wearing a tutu all day." Upon hearing this, Miroku's lips formed themselves into a devious smirk.

"Is that a promise?"

"You bet it is!" The haughty wolf crossed his arms in satisfaction, believing he had the win in the bag. "And, if by the end of camp, she hasn't done anything but slap you around some more, _you_ have to go around wearing the tutu. How about that?"

Although Kouga couldn't see him, Miroku's smirk turned ever more devious. Children would have cowered at the might of Miroku's smirk.

"You're on."

"Oh, I know the most adorable tutu you can wear!"

Had this been anyone but Jakotsu, everyone would have face-faulted, but since it was Jakotsu...everyone still face-faulted.

_-_

After a healthy (so to speak) morning breakfast, a boring class of singing ("Who comes _up_ with these classes?"), and an eventful yoga class ("I refuse to be in front of Miroku!"), the gang dragged their weary bodies into gym. Except for Inuyasha and Kouga, who seemed to be bursting with testosterone-filled energy.

"Ah, the competitive male ego. Watch and see, Kagome, as this amazing function of nature is put to the test in what we other, more intelligent, human beings call gym." Sango opened her arms with a flourish as Kagome stared amazed at the polished court, the pristine basketball hoops, and the neatly organized equipment. This camp really was well-sponsored, considering her parents had spent next to nothing to send her here. Everything was so nice, and this gymnasium was definitely a highlight. Kagome turned to her friend, excitement sparking in her dark blue eyes.

"Sango...this is so cool!"

The magenta-eyed girl froze in place, not believing the words that had spilled out of Kagome's mouth.

"You...like gym?"

"Of course! Who doesn't? And this gym is so incredible, I'll bet we'll do some awesome stuff in here..."

Due to the great shock that had settled into Sango, she was currently tuning out her friend's ramblings. Sure, Sango was athletic and liked a good workout, but she knew what took place in this gym, and it was better to sit back and watch the festivities. Yes, that must be it, Kagome just didn't know what to expect. Well, then, she must be enlightened!

"Hey, Kag, maybe you should take it easy for today..."

"Now, you youngsters! Line up!" A short, white-haired man came out of seemingly nowhere and blew his whistle; the group of teenagers instantly obeyed his command. "Another year here, you know the drill. Grab some balls and go at it. If anyone gets hurt, make sure to tell Kaede. Now go on!" After the bald man's short, entertaining little speech, he swiftly went into his office and locked the door.

"Ah, yes. What would we do without Myouga's enthusiastic support?" Naraku mumbled mostly to himself, but Kikyo heard him, and when he looked up, their eyes locked, and they smiled at one another.

"Hey, I bet I can make a basket farther away than you can, you dumb wolf!" Inuyasha immediately headed over to get one of the balls, and Kouga followed.

"Nuh-uh, stupid puppy, I am the king of basketball!" Soon, the two boys were engaged in another one of their fights, which everyone had long learned to ignore.

Unbeknownst to the babbling children, Kagome had already taken one of the balls and walked towards Sango and Kagura, grinning. "So, who wants to take me on first?"

Sango and Kagura exchanged a look, and Kagura, as subtly as she could muster, tried to derail Kagome's train of thought, "Now, now, since we just had a full class of yoga, why don't we...not?"

Kagome's grin faltered.

"You mean, you don't want to play?"

"It's just that...we're more sit-on-the-side girls. When it comes to this stuff at least. Give me a good punching bag any day!" Sango tried to be perky about the subject, but, alas, perky does not agree with Sango.

"Oh..."

"Whoo-hoo! I made it! I made it! You lose!"

The three girls turned around to see Inuyasha doing a victory dance, Kouga sulkily standing beside him. Suddenly, a lightbulb popped above Kagome's head.

"Hey, Inuyasha! I bet you can't beat me!"

The hanyou paused in his celebration to regard the feisty girl. Meanwhile, Sango and Kagura were attempting to hide their snickers behind their hands. They knew Inuyasha, but they also had been listening to the stories Kagome had been telling them about her old school. He was in for a surprise...

"Yeah? Well, I bet I can!" Inuyasha marched up to her, using every bit of his height to tower over her. Kagome, being who she was, didn't cower.

"Let's say if I win, you get to announce to the whole camp at supper just how _wonderful_ I am, especially at basketball, and how you would love to be my personal servant for a day. Which then you will proceed to be," Kagome's tone was casual in her words, but the fire in her eyes betrayed the spirit.

"What if I win?"

"Then vice versa. Deal?"

Inuyasha smirked. _She's going to regret this._

Kagome batted her lashes. _He's going to regret this._

"You're on."

_-_

As the campers of Camp Kumori settled into their dinner, a sudden hush fell over the crowd as a lone figure stood up.

"Ahem. Everyone, I would like to make an announcement."

All eyes were on the figure, who shifted uncomfortably under a certain someone's stare.

"I, Inuyasha, would like to say..."

_/fin/_

A/N: I try to get these chapters out. Really I do. But good news is I have more chapters planned! No ending in sight, currently. Last note, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Misshie (aka Chelime) since apparently this is her favorite story, and I love her so much!


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Inuyasha, Humor, Romance