Haunted Halloween by Demonlordlover
Haunted House
A/N- I do not own Inuyasha. Copyright infringement not intended. Rumiko - I heart you.
I had to do a Halloween themed one-shot. This came to me while listening to my sons argue over which haunted house was more 'realistic' while working on my original fic. S/K plot bunnies are now breeding. I give my apologizes in advance. I solemly swear I am up to all kinds of no good. :P All typos and mistakes are mine.
Haunted House
Kagome held the fluffy red sweater up to herself and sighed at her reflection. She could not decide if she should wear it and the cute matching short boots or the wool jumper she had been saving all year since she bought it on clearance in the spring.
It was not really cold yet, but it had gotten chilly enough to need a light jacket in the early and late hours. Finally. She was tired of sweating on the walk to school.
“Just pick one,” Souta grumbled from the door.
He watched her with a grimace she was sure all brothers wore when they contemplated the odd quirks of their sisters. With his shoulder against the doorframe, she was suddenly aware of just how tall he had gotten in the last year. Since when had his head passed the lamp shade she kept on a tall stand next to the door?
He complained, “We’re going to be late. Mama said if you don’t get downstairs she isn’t going.”
She threw the sweater at him, hitting him in the face. He may be taller than her, she thought, but she was still older. “I’ll be down in a minute. Tell Mama you guys can start walking. I will catch up.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Kagome,” he whined, drawing out the syllables of her name. “You know Mama is going to meet him. She never goes to haunted houses. Like, ever. She’s actually paying for us and Shippo to get in,” he added, excitement replacing his former annoyance.
Shippo was his old friend from elementary school. His parents had been in the military and they moved away. Just a few months ago he had moved back, and they had become inseparable once more. As a quiet kid who gamed too much but was respectful, Kagome personally approved of Shippo over the noisy bunch of breast-ogling jerks Souta had formerly associated with.
“Fine,” she sighed. She walked over to him and claimed the sweater. It was light enough to not be too hot. She could put a tank under it, in any event. She would save the jumper for a snow day. She shooed Souta from her room then quickly changed.
Thirty minutes later she led her mother, brother and Shippo to the front of her school. It was a technical college for those who wanted to train in the arts. She had decided after much soul-searching that she was not meant for traditional school.
She thanked her mother’s supportive influence every day since. Especially given she had met Sesshomaru there. He was an adjunct advisor for the art department. Luckily, he had taken the position after she had already completed the courses he took over, so there was not any conflict of interest or issues with the moral code of conduct for the school.
The last thing she wanted was to hurt his position, let alone her career prospects!
Her school was putting on a haunted house to raise money for the downtown soup kitchen. It was a worthy cause. It made her feel good that the animated banners she had designed for the web advertisements had been a success and had been shared all over by her fellow students.
Judging from the line trailing from the door, the effort she had put into them had been well worth it.
“We can go right in, Mama,” Kagome said. They had bought their tickets online. Kagome showed her phone screen to the woman standing to the side for those who had pre-purchased entrance. Kaede was older than her grandpa, but unlike him, was still spry and active in the art community.
“Kagome!” she greeted amicably before turning to her family. “She has been a delight to have in class. So studious! Too many artists think they can show up late and that talent is all they need to succeed.”
Souta, polite in public, merely nodded while Kagome’s mother beamed with pride. Kagome blushed then asked, “Is the haunted house open for visitors yet?”
Kaede nodded. “Go right in. You can be the first. Sesshomaru and the others have set up a delightful scare! That man is a genius with costumes and make-up. I must say they are truly terrifying! Who would have thought the archaic demons and spirits of our past could still frighten us!”
Kagome giggled. Her boyfriend was taller than most men at well over six feet. Lean but muscular, he was often the subject of feminine interest. With his deep voice and smoldering good looks, it had shocked many to discover he was a talented make-up artist.
When she had asked how he had discovered the skill, he admitted he had been in a school play while still in grade school. On a tight budget, he had used his mother’s cosmetics and throw-away faux furs. By following several online tutorials, he transformed his fellow peers into the most believable monkeys for “The Land of Oz” his art teacher had ever seen.
After experiencing how the bumbling performances of his friends had morphed into a more serious undertaking as soon as they felt the parts they were playing, he was hooked.
“Are you sure this will not be too much for my nerves, dear?” Kagome’s mother asked.
“I am positive,” Kagome reassured her. “This is for families. They would not make it too scary since children can attend.”
“Man,” Souta pouted. “I thought this would be scarier. That sounds lame.”
“Souta,” his mother said warningly. “Behave. You and your friend can go to the fall festival they are hosting in the back after we meet Kagome’s young man. Shippo, dear, do you need money for snacks?” she asked the short, thin boy with flaming red hair.
“No, Ma’am,” he replied with a small blush. “My mother gave me money. Thank you for letting me come.”
“Kagome.”
A deep voice she recognized came from behind her. She turned with a wide smile. “Sesshomaru!” She turned to her mother. “Mama, this is Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, this is my mother and my brother Souta,” she introduced in turn with a polite wave of her hand then said, “and this is Shippo. He is my brother’s friend.”
“A pleasure,” Sesshomaru said with a short bow.
“Wow!” Kagome said, circling him completely. She took in his white, silk costume complete with armor that looked as if it really was made of metal! He had drawn magenta stripes on his face as well as his wrists which she saw when he reached a hand out to gently squeeze her mother’s in a more intimate greeting.
“Just don’t pick your nose with those,” Souta joked, pointing to the long nails Sesshomaru had glued to his fingers and painted black to resemble claws.
“Heh, try takin’ a piss,” came from behind Souta.
Kagome laughed when Souta looked over his shoulder and comically jumped back after staring into the red eyes of Sesshomaru’s younger brother. His painted-on stripes were jagged, and his crimson outfit was torn in several places. What looked like blood had been smeared all over his clothing and a tiny bit leaked from the corner of his mouth and tipped each dagger-nail he held up for Souta’s inspection.
“Mama, this is Inuyasha. He is Sesshomaru’s younger brother. He is still in high school, but he volunteered to help with the haunted house,” she explained. “Some brothers like to help their siblings,” she added with an arched brow directed at her brother.
“Pft,” Inuyasha smirked. “I’m only here for the ramen. Big brother over there promised he would take me to an all I can eat soup buffet if I stand in a corner and look scary.”
“Inuyasha!”
Said male’s red eyes widened. Then Inuyasha's look of surprise changed to panic when a short woman in purple robes stomped up to them.
“Sango?” Kagome questioned with a worried look at her mother. Sango was rather free with her curse words sometimes. She was a great friend though.
Sango saw the others in the group and took a deep breath before she gave the pervert the verbal pounding he deserved. She turned instead to Sesshomaru. “If I catch him peeking into the women’s dressing room one more time I will remove his eyes!”
“That wasn’t my fault!” Inuyasha argued. “Miroku said I had to get a costume piece from there!” His lips pursed and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Like I want to see a bunch of older women put on spanx and zombie make-up. I have a girlfriend and she’s prettier than all of you.”
Sango’s cheeks flushed. Her fists opened and closed a few times before she took a deep breath. “Miroku!” she seethed, then stormed off just as quickly as she had arrived. No doubt to hunt down the perpetrator of her ire.
“I apologize,” Sesshomaru told Kagome’s mother. He claimed Kagome’s hand in his own. “College-aged youth are typically a little high strung. Add to it their artistic flair and working around them can become tediously drama-filled.” He bestowed a fond look on Kagome. “One reason I was drawn to your daughter. She is exceptionally talented but is also humble and down to earth. I assume I have you to thank for that,” he complimented.
While Kagome blushed, her mother sighed in delight at his polite esteem. “My daughter is very talented,” she agreed. “And quite a catch for any man. I am happy to see she has inherited her mother’s excellent taste in handsome men.”
“Mama!” Kagome exclaimed, her blush now bright red.
Sesshomaru laughed. He tugged Kagome under his arm and dropped a light kiss on her forehead before stepping back. “The haunted house runs until midnight for the next three days. May I take you and your mother to dinner next Friday?” He sent an annoyed look at his brother. “I hear there is an excellent soup shop downtown. You can save me from his deplorable table manners. When others are present he puts up a pretense of civility.”
“What about me and Shippo?” Souta butted in. “Don’t little brothers and their bros rate ramen?”
Inuyasha snickered. “I like you, kid. They have a contest. The Mega Ramen Bowl. It’s a whole gallon of soup plus a pound of sides. If you eat all of it, it’s free. I almost made it last time. I bet you can’t do it.”
Kagome’s mother looked revolted, but Souta and Shippo both looked at Inuyasha in awe before turning their wide, pleading gazes on Sesshomaru.
Kagome chuckled, lacing her arm with his. “Give in, Sesshomaru. It’s just one night. Besides, after my brother and your brother demolish their buffet, I am sure you won’t ever need to worry about being welcome back there.”
Sesshomaru sighed but agreed, “Friday it is then. Inuyasha, bring Kikyo. The two of you can take Souta and Shippo over to the arcade on the pier while Kagome and I walk her mother around the shops.”
“Yes!” came joint cries from Shippo and Souta. Inuyasha broke out his phone from the hidden pocket in his bloody costume to text his girlfriend.
“Enjoy the show, ladies,” Sesshomaru offered with a smile to Kagome’s mother. Suddenly his face went cold. “This Sesshomaru demands you leave a rating telling all others how frightened you were. Do not dare my temper, humans.”
Kagome snickered then bowed. “Yes, Great and Terrible Demon Lord. Our lowly selves will not forget.”
“See that you don’t,” he replied. With a wink, he pulled Inuyasha’s collar to direct the boy still texting Kikyo. They walked off to stage themselves in the darkened gymnasium that had been converted to a haunted house.
“What a nice man!” Kagome’s mother exclaimed. “I approve. Now, Souta,” she turned to her son, “about that contest . . . “
Kagome tuned out her mother’s lecture on exploding stomachs to watch the long, silver hair of her boyfriend’s wig move further away. She sighed. Her mama was right. He really was too perfect.
Just before he entered the dark hall, he turned back to direct a wicked look her way. A flash of fang met her eyes, and a minute crackle of green came to the fingers he lifted to salute her. He walked out of sight, leaving behind one flustered woman and the rest of her family unaware of her confusion.
She stared at the empty hall. When had he put fangs on? And where had that glow come from?
“Kagome?” Her mother snapped fingers in front of her daughter’s face to bring her back to reality.
“What? Oh, Mama, I am sorry. I must have gone off in my own thoughts for a moment there,” she apologized.
She shook off her confusion and smiled at her mother. It was Halloween. A haunted house project, she reminded herself. Sesshomaru had all kinds of experience with make-up and cosmetics.
Just another example of his technical skill, she decided, then followed her family into the haunted house. Nothing weird there at all.