InuYasha/FMP crossover Chapter 12

[fookah]

Disclaimer: Own nothing. No money, no car, no girl, and definitely no anime.

Chapter 12: Hurricane Tsubaki and the Peaceful Duel

Dinner was ready as everyone gathered around except Melissa, who was still at the telescope spying on Gauln. She was trying to figure out what that machine was out in the middle of nowhere.

There were lots of knobs and buttons on one console. Next to it was a big monitor, showing something from the Feudal Times of Japan. The screen then switched to Korea of the same era. It seemed to be showing some sort of program that would usually be seen on the History Channel, except it seemed awfully like live TV. The actions of the people shown in the monitor did not seem to be planned; it was spontaneous.

What is this? Melissa thought.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

?We don?t have to wait for Melissa, everyone. We can eat now.? Sousuke announced. They were now all dressed in their kimonos. Inuyasha was back in his red hakama. Heaven! This never felt so good before.

?Really? Sousuke?? Kaname was not convinced.

Sousuke whispered to Kaname, ?She?s on duty.?

Kaname nodded. She picked up her chopsticks and plucked out a sashimi from the sashimi boat in front of her. ?Let?s start!?

Her exclamation drew everyone?s chopsticks to the dishes. The food was excellent! Kaname thought. And Tessa was not around! Even better! She fed Sousuke bowl after bowl of rice.

Kaname looked at Kurz, sitting across from Sousuke. He was not saying anything; that meant something must have happened. Kurz was eyeing daggers at Sousuke. She could tell what happened. She could not stifle a giggle.

Kurz took notice. ?What?s so funny, Kaname??

?Haha, Kurz, what?s with that long face? It seemed like you did not get to enjoy your hobby, huh??

?What is his hobby?? Kyouko was curious.

?I bet??it?s peeking at girls!? Kaname winked.

All the girls were laughing. ?No way!? ?He?s such a nice person!? ?He doesn?t look like a pervert!?

Inuyasha whispered to Kagome, ?Come to think of it, Kurz did smell like that hentai pervert Miroku?..?

Kagome only laughed.

That cheered up Kurz a bit. At least the girls still worshipped the great and handsome Kurz Weber.

Kaname then added, ?I wonder why would Melissa want to kick his butt everytime??Kurz, I hope you don?t have a Mao?s panties fetish!?

More laughs. Kurz loved attention, but not of this variety. Again, as long as the girls still worshipped him, he could take it.

Sousuke was stroking his chin. He was in deep thought. He offered in a serious tone, ?Maybe you are right Kaname. I did remember someone telling me that Kurz tried to steal Mao?s panties while she went to shower??not only that, I also heard that one day half of her bras were missing???

Kurz?s face went purple. ?Sousuke! Where did you hear that??

?I don?t know, Kurz.? Sousuke really forgot about the source of that. Kurz could tell Sousuke was not lying. However, he would have some business to tend to once he got back onto the submarine.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome were laughing their brains out now. GOD! Miroku seemed like a saint compared to THIS guy! Not even Sango could stand Kurz Weber!

More laughs. Everyone thought that Sousuke was joking.

?However,? Sousuke continued, ?when we play that bingo game and I came up short of winning, you said the second prize for me was the Captain?s undergarments???

Kaname remembered about that. ?Oh, you mean Tessa?? She said it intentionally because most of the group still remembered Tessa; the captain spent her most recent two-week vacation being an exchange student at Jindai.

?Huh? Tessa? Mr. Weber, don?t tell me that you stole her underwear the last time we were here!? Kyouko was joking. Tessa, obviously, was with the Jindai-ers on their first trip to this onsen.

Kaname added salt to Kurz's wounds. ?I bet he is after all OUR bras and panties too??.?

Kagome choked on her water. Everyone laughed again. Ren, always that special person who would bail someone out of being in an unwanted spotlight, smiled and said, ?Mr. Weber will never do that, I hope.? She then turned to the miko. ?You don?t have to worry, Kagome.?

?Of course not, Mikihara! I?m not THAT kind of person!? Kurz finally joined the laughter himself. His laugh, however, reminded Sousuke of the Kaname denial laugh. Kagome made it a priority to hide her undergarments in a safe place.

Thanks to Ren though, the dust settled, and Kurz was spared. Eventually, the spotlight would settle on another person. That person had the dog ears.

It was Shinji who started it innocently. ?Inuyasha, you said you knew the girls were already in the water when you said you could smell them??

Inuyasha did not find anything strange about being to detect their scent. ?Yeah. What about that?? He forgot that humans like Kagome did not have a dog?s sense of smell.

?Because I couldn?t smell anything??are you sure? You didn?t peek, did you??

?Of?..of?..of course not!? Inuyasha was blushing. ?Kazama, what the hell were you thinking!? I was with you the whole time! You didn?t peek!?

?Right?..? Shinji finally concluded.

?Kazama, you idiot! Besides, Sousuke would have prepared some trap or something to protect us from peeking at the girls or something! Right, Sousuke?? Inuyasha was desperately trying to deflect attention off himself. He really did not do anything, but Kagome could sit him if she was just a little bit suspicious. Just a little.

Sousuke nodded. He was determined to help his comrade. After all, the hanyou was not the one who was propelled into the water from the trap.

He decided to add something that would prove Inuyasha completely innocent. This should prevent him from getting sat. ?If Kazama was with him the whole time before I came in and he did not lie about himself not peeking, then he?s innocent because I was with him after I came in.? He was about to say that it was Kurz who was doing the peeking when he decided against it. Kurz had enough punishment for a day.

Kagome herself was not suspicious at all. She knew about his acute sense of smell. He IS a dog-demon, after all.

The miko did not want anyone to be suspicious of Inuyasha?s half-human property. ?Yeah, maybe it?s because of growing up in the countryside perhaps! He?s got an awfully good sense of smelling and hearing as well!?

Kaname knew Kagome?s intent and added, ?Yeah, he just smelled us out to be in the water already, and he overheard Tsubaki?s attempt to pick up Kagome!?

That was meant to be funny, and indeed everyone laughed. Except Issei and the Inuyasha. Kaname realized she made a mistake. She did NOT want another I?S production right in front of her*. Most of all a fight when the delicious food was not even finished.

They were glaring at each other again. The tension was so heavy, a knife could be used to cut through it. Everyone stopped laughing and hoped that this place would not be going through repairs and facelifts the way Jindai had ever since Sousuke arrived.

Inuyasha snickered and licked his claws. ?Tsubaki, you remembered my warning, right??

?We will see, Inuyasha.? Issei then smiled. ?How about us having a ?Till Death Do Us Part? match? You win, you get Kagome. I win, I get her. I will duel you for her, Inuyasha. She will be MY woman, not yours!?

Kagome was incensed. Someone was treating her as a prize again! She was not an object to be won! For a moment she did want Inuyasha to tear him to pieces. Issei reminded her of Koga. The wolf-demon was nice all right, but she would NOT be his woman.

Kaname too. That Tsubaki had gone too far! She had been through that too when he proposed a similar duel to Sousuke with HER as the prize. That boy needed to learn respecting women as persons!

The dog-demon was incensed at him at what he had proposed. He did not mind if Issei was sniping at him, but he could not tolerate anyone saying anything bad or demeaning about Kagome. ?What!? Kagome is NOT A PRIZE!? Inuyasha was seething at him. Bastard! He leapt to Tsubaki and grabbed him. ?I won?t feel good until I sever your head tonight, Tsubaki! She?s no damn prize! She?s a person, dammit!?

?Inuyasha!? Kagome shouted. ?That?s enough!?

Inuyasha turned to face Kagome. ?But Kagome?..? He relented and let go of Issei, who was not showing any kind of fear. Being the president of the karate club, he did have to use his skills against different groups of people. One white-haired boy won?t scare him.

Kagome would sit Inuyasha in a normal situation, but to see him stand up for her in that fashion??

She then turned to Issei. ?You can fight Inuyasha as much and as long as you want, but I will NOT be the prize. Got that!?? She was angry as she said those words. When would guys ever start treating a girl as a person and not as an object!?

?But hasn?t he been treating you the same? He called you HIS woman???

Kagome was surprised at what he said. He was right in a sense. She actually replied meekly, ?You do have a point??? But she desperately wanted to put Issei in his place. Her heart had only Inuyasha anyway! She was willing to be his!

Inuyasha could not believe that Kagome actually agreed, and he was exasperated. ?Kagome, you IDIOT!? He looked at Issei. ?Look, if she?s really my property, then I will never wage a duel involving her! You can have my room, you can have my food, you can have me buying your groceries for the rest of my life, you can have my hakama and you can even have my sword, but you CANNOT HAVE KAGOME!?

Mizuki and Ren sighed. He was so bold! Even Kaname had to admire Inuyasha. Kyouko took picture after picture.

Kagome?s heart melted. She also remembered what he said when she was sobbing after losing the jewel back in the Feudal Era. He would put her ahead of the jewel. Now he would even put her ahead of his sword, his father?s inheritance, the Tetsaiga? Tears flowed down her face. She was completely touched.

Kaname saw it. She would be on the girl?s side. She was too angry to think straight and raised her voice. ?Tsubaki, I bet that she would rather be Inuyasha?s woman than yours, the way you treat them! I bet you never had a girlfriend, do you? Mr. Karate?? The blue-haired girl simply could not control herself.

?Kaname!? Sousuke exclaimed. He had to find some way to prevent this to escalate. Issei was shellshocked at what Kaname just said. Kagome was in tears (although not because of Issei). Kaname?s face was red from shouting. Inuyasha was now trying to comfort Kagome. Mizuki, Ren, and Shinji wisely kept silent, hoping the storm would pass. Even Kurz did not say a word. He rather had everyone laughing at his expense than this to happen. He wondered what would Sousuke do now. Kyouko stopped snapping pictures even if it was good material.

Sousuke took out his gun and acted as if he was going to shoot. Everyone looked at him. When Sousuke took out his gun, no one would disobey. No buts, no retorts. Lest they wanted to get shot by him.

Sousuke opened his mouth and spoke. ?This is a rather unpleasant confrontation for our great trip to this decent onsen. I do think that we want to see no more of this. I think it is best to settle this once and for all, if Inuyasha and Tsubaki held such grudges against each other.? He felt pity for Kagome, who was now part of a double-I sandwich. He had similar experiences himself. Well, at times he felt like he was part of a BigMac that had too many layers and only one piece of meat. Besides, comrades must not have disputes, because that could result in failing a mission. He was determined that his decision could at least held Issei and Inuyasha off each other?s tail, at least for a while. He thought of how Hayashimizu, the Student Council President, resolved the conflict between him and Issei, and decided to adopt that approach again.

Sousuke continued. ?Higurashi must not be a prize unless she consents to it, which I do not think she will, from the way she reacted. That, first, must be clear.?

Inuyasha, who now had a teary-eyed Kagome in his arms, nodded. He glared at Issei. Issei could do nothing but to agree. He had no choice; he was seen as the villain instead of the hero now. That Inuyasha!

Sousuke went on and looked at Issei, ?There is no way I can consent to the duel also. Tsubaki, if you and Inuyasha are to duel hand-to-hand, there is no chance you can survive. He is too much for you. I could not let him tear you to pieces. Literally.? Sousuke said honestly. He was not joking around. If he could elude bullets as if they were turtles, there was no way that Issei?s fists were fast enough. Besides, even a half-demon?s strength and endurance was much better than a human. Sousuke knew if he was the one to fight Inuyasha with no weapons, it was an uphill climb at best.

?Why, Sagara, you!? Issei did not take Sousuke?s words lightly. He thought that he was looking down on his karate skills. ?Sagara, are you saying that I can?t beat him!??

Sousuke nodded. Again, it was out of objectivity. Kurz and everyone at the table could see that, except for Issei. Sousuke continued, ?Even a specialist like me may not be able to beat him. He is made of different substances than us. He has much more experience than all of us.?

Issei only got angrier. ?You may not be able to beat him, Sagara, but I can! I, Tsubaki Issei, karate club president! Don?t you compare yourself to me, Sagara! We are not even on the same level!?

Sousuke was taken aback at that. He was only trying to resolve a conflict, and that Tsubaki now insulted him, a specialist! He was not pleased, but did not show it. Kurz did. ?You better stop talking like that, dude! You don?t know what you are looking at! I could kick your butt in no time!?

?Kurz!? Sousuke was surprised at how Issei was able to keep pulling people into this whirlpool. ?Enough! Kurz!? He had to restrain Kurz, who was now trying to wriggle out of Sousuke?s grasp and charge at Issei.

Sousuke then turned to Issei again. "Tsubaki, I was not kidding. I'm sorry if you are insulted; that is the truth. If you insist to duel with Inuyasha, as long as he accepts the offer, then feel free to duel with him however you want to. But if you do, I will not be responsible for your life, Tsubaki. Do not come for me to save you. Inuyasha can kill you with one swipe. One."

There was a solemn silence from Issei. Was that Sagara serious!? That white-haired boy was that good?

It was then Kagome spoke up. Still in Inuyasha?s arms, she looked up at him and said, ?Inuyasha, show your Iron Reaver Soul Stealer. Perhaps then Tsubaki will be convinced that he cannot duel you. I don?t think you will need the Tetsaiga to convince him.?

Inuyasha nodded. He would do anything Kagome asked him to do. Gently he let Kagome go and wandered to the outside. Kagome said to everyone, ?Please follow him. He will show you what he has been doing in the countryside.?

Kagome first stood up and followed the hanyou out. Everyone followed suit.

The dog-demon was determined to let them know who the true warrior was. He jumped over the wall surrounding their place and ran full-speed toward the forest. He then jumped toward the nearest tree. All they saw a couple seconds later was the tree being split into two from the top as Inuyasha shouted, ?Iron Reaver SOUL STEALER!?

He hurried back to where everyone was. Most of them, save Sousuke, Kaname and Kagome, was open-mouthed. Issei simply fell in a heap, too stunned to talk.

Kagome only smiled at Inuyasha. She then nodded to Sousuke.

Sousuke looked at Issei, still too stunned to stand. ?Tsubaki, is that a good reason why I do not let you duel with Inuyasha? One wrong move and you will die.?

Issei was shocked, but the anger was still evident in his eyes. Sousuke could see that. Easily. Issei was not one who would back down, and he definitely did not like to lose to someone he did not like.

Sousuke decided to try his solution again. ?As I said, a hand-to-hand duel would be impossible now since one side would be much stronger than the other. I suggest a much more peaceful of dueling. I ask that these two act as our servers and helpers for the rest of the trip, assisting our needs at all times. Whoever gets the most approvals and praises out of us for their work and help will win this duel. This duel will be won by our consensus opinion at the end of the trip.?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melissa was staring lazily through the telescope when she suddenly saw a tree cut in half. ?What the HELL!?? She barely noticed a white-haired boy in a red hakama running at top speed back to their place.

End of Chapter 12

Note: At *, that was simply referring lightly to I"S, a comic in which the names of most of the main characters starts with an I (Iori, Izumi, Itsuki for starters, you get the idea).