Ton Up

By: The Hatter Theory

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Inu Yasha

Kagome and her friends ambled along the sidewalk, talking about post graduation plans and possible summer plans. Spring break had only just ended, and already the other three girls were craving summer and the freedom it would entail. College was just around the corner, and all four of them were going to universities in different cities.

"I think a long vacation would be good," Eri said again. "Just us girls."

"We could rent a cabin or beach house if we all pooled our resources," Ayumi added.

It wasn't a bad idea. Her adventure into the past and subsequent, abrupt disconnection from the feudal era had only made her more aware of how precious friendships were, and with college taking them to different parts of the country, she wanted to get as much time with them as she could.

"My uncle own a spa in Hokkaido, it's not far from the beach. I bet I could talk him and my dad into letting us stay for free as a graduation present," Yuka said, a sly smile stretching her lips. "You know dad's been having empty nest syndrome, and I'm not even out of the house yet," She added with a laugh.

It wasn't far from the truth. Yuka's father had been tripping over himself to give her everything she could want lately, and it showed, from her new luggage to help her prepare for her dorm to the new car he had bought for her despite the fact that she still only had a learners permit. Kagome supposed having a rich widower father wasn't a bad situation to be in, although she wouldn't trade her mother for all of the money in the world.

She was about to give her agreement when the sound of engines thundered and rumbled, pulling around the corner and coming to a quick halt, feet coming to the ground. The first motorcycle to stop waited patiently for the other two, which quickly caught up.

"Punks," Eri muttered, even though none of them could see anything of the driver's faces. Red, blue, and green helmets matched to their bikes and jackets, although the red and green bikes were accented by black while the blue motorcycle was accented with steel, although his jacket, like the others, was black accented with his color.

One of them, the one wearing a bright red and black jacket turned, the sun reflecting off of his helmet's tinted visor. His gloved hand came up and waved.

Eri and Ayumi giggled, and Kagome turned, surprised to see Yuka waving her hand in front of her face, her nose wrinkled in disgust. Blushing hotly because of her friend's behavior, she looked back over to the three men, even more surprised when the one in the lue helmet had pulled it off, revealing tawny skin and long black hair pulled back in a pony tail.

"You're just not used to the smell of men yet, don't worry, you'll get there," He shouted over the sound of the engines, his smirk almost a sneer.

"Drop dead!" Yuka shouted back, but he wasn't looking at Yuka anymore.

He was looking at Kagome, the color draining from his dusky skin and his mouth opening, as if he meant to say something, but he'd been robbed of his voice.

"Come on," Yuka demanded when one of the riders revved the engine of his bike. "They're just stupid punks," She said, grabbing Kagome's arm and pulling her away with the others. Breaking the staring contest, she allowed herself to be dragged away from the corner.

"What jerks," Yuka continued, obviously angry. "I can't believe-"

"They didn't do anything until you did something," Kagome pointed out, pulling her arm free of her friend's grasp. "Besides, that was really rude."

"They waved at us," Yuka Eri shot out, as if it had been some great crime for one of the riders to simply wave.

"And? It's not like they were going to jump off of their bikes and attack us or anything. He just waved."

Eri and Yuka didn't listen, which she was used to. Sometimes they both spiraled off into their own worlds, leaving her and Ayumi behind. Not that she minded. Usually it was entertaining to watch, and she and Ayumi would both giggle at their fervor, but it just rubbed her the wrong way, given the context.

"I agree with you. I don't think he was doing anything wrong," Ayumi admitted quietly. "I still can't believe she did that though, and for something so small."

"She's just been tightly wound lately. As much as her dad is is going to miss her, she's going to miss him too," Kagome added.

Ayumi nodded in agreement, a secretive smile dancing on her lips before it was hidden. They shared a quiet chuckle at their friend's antics as they headed for their favorite study spot.

She stared at the display of boxes, trying not to flush as others walked by. Even though she knew it was utterly ridiculous, it felt like everyone in the store was watching her, waiting for her to pick a box. Good lord, how was she going to walk out with three when trying to pick even one was difficult?

"Guys usually like that kind," A voice said, startling her as a finger pointed over her shoulder at the shelves. She turned, more than ready to shout that she wasn't buying them for a guy when she paused, recognizing him almost instantly. It wasn't because he had left a huge impression, they hadn't even spoken to one another, but his jacket and the blue helmet he carried in a careless grip reminded her of that day, making him easy to place.

He was much taller than she remembered, easily towering a foot over her.

"I'm not buying them for a guy," She muttered, face heating. She hoped he didn't remember her, or her friends. "They're for a gag gift for my friend's birthday."

His brows lifted in surprise, then a smirk lifted the corner of his lips as he looked back to the display, and then to her again.

"And you're still embarrassed?"

"I'm not embarrassed," She stuttered, her blush heating even further, giving away the lie.

His expression said plainly enough that he didn't believe her. Rolling his eyes, he reached over her shoulder and grabbed a box from the shelf and held it out.

"The colored ones are usually stupid enough to make someone blush," He told her when she stared at it.

"I need three different kinds," She admitted as she accepted the box. He reached around her again.

"For disbelief," He said, giving her a box of extra large condoms before reaching back to the shelf and dragging his fingertips over boxes. "And for chuckles," He added, grabbing a box labeled 'glow in the dark'.

Great. Now that she had them, she had to muster the courage to actually purchase them.

"You've never done this before, have you?" He asked, obviously amused as she looked from the boxes to the counter. She shook her head mutely, figuring lying would be pointless. Besides, she might look even worse if she did.

"Give 'em here," He sighed, grabbing the boxes from her hands and dropping them in his helmet before walking past her.

"Hey, wait!" She sputtered, face heating even more as he walked straight for the register. He obviously wasn't going to steal them, but why would he pay for them?

"You can pay me back outside, I'll meet you out at my bike," He threw over his shoulder carelessly, not pausing once in his long legged stride.

She wanted to stop him, but really, what was the point? He was doing her a favor. As long as he didn't expect anything in return other than a thank you, she supposed it was alright. And if he did, well, she was more than willing to give buying them herself another shot.

Quickly exiting the store, making every effort not to look at the counter, she looked at the small parking lot, relieved to see only one motorcycle there. She walked over to it, suddenly feeling even smaller than before. He had made her feel short, but the motorcycle looked almost monstrous, the seat itself reaching her waist.

"Have you ever ridden one?" He asked, startling her from her observation. She quickly shook her head and reached into her purse, ready to pull the money out. He shook his head and offered her the bag.

"Just tell me they're for the rude one."

Her whole face had to be on fire. It certainly felt like it.

"No," She mumbled, absolutely mortified that he did remember her. And her friends. He seemed put out at her confession, but was shrugging his shoulders and giving her the bag anyway.

"Well, since I can't even get that much, how about you let me give you a ride to wherever you're going?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," She blurted, more afraid of the bike than the stranger.

"Why not?" He asked, looking confused. Then his expression darkened, understanding her meaning.

"Look, I'm not some punk," He told her. "And I wasn't going to carry you off to some dark place and hurt you. I was just offering you a ride."

She was about to apologize, after all, he really did look offended, almost hurt, as if she'd accused him of being a murderer or rapist instead of just being a stranger. But he was throwing his leg over the bike and pulling on his helmet, all in a smooth economy of motion that would have impressed her if she hadn't felt like she'd just called him a criminal.

"I'm-"

The rest was lost in the roaring of his engine as the motorcycle came to life. She stepped away, surprised by the sudden noise, and watched him speed out of the parking lot.

"Nice going, Kagome," She muttered to herself, watching him gain speed and disappear around the corner.

When she finally got to Yuka's house, she felt even more miserable, especially so when Yuka exclaimed and giggled over 'her' choice of condoms, giving her cheers for bravery and imagination. Unable to tell the truth, she nodded and mumbled.

By the end of the night, she had been pulled into the party spirit, but the stranger was only half forgotten.

She stared down at the pictures, musing over the designs and the people pictured therein. She had picked it up on a whim, the magazine catching her eye while she had been at the bookstore. Almost all of the motorcycles pictured were like his, although none of them quite matching it.

"Longing for your bad boy ex?" Eri asked, brow raised as she took a seat across from her.

"No, just saw this and was curious," She admitted quietly. The others still didn't know about her run in with the stranger, and she wasn't keen on telling them, especially not Yuka or Eri. Both seemed to think that because she didn't date, she was still hung up on her 'bad boy ex' Inu Yasha. Although it had been almost three years since her feudal adventure, she still carried the memories close to her heart.

"So why the magazine?" Eri asked, breaking through her reverie.

Kagome wondered if Eri remembered that day at all. It had been almost two months, and they'd all been busy, their finals and upcoming graduation consuming almost every brain cell they had to spare. Now that they only awaited graduation and their -she felt, well deserved- summer vacation in Hokkaido. The idea of spending a few weeks in a spa and on the beach was enough to make her want to pack her bags and skip the last few weeks of school and graduation ceremony.

"I was just curious," She repeated, closing the magazine and stuffing it into her bag.

"If you ever got a motorcycle, your mom would flip," Eri snickered.

Kagome wondered, for a moment, if her mother really would flip. Motorcycles could be dangerous, more so than cars, but the idea of being able to feel the wind rushing by her as she raced down a road brought back bittersweet memories of clinging to Inu Yasha as he ran full speed through the feudal era.

It probably wouldn't be anything like it, she mused. She would have to pay attention to her surroundings, would have to steer and control a machine, which would be accompanied by the smell of machines. But there was something welcoming in those differences something that broke from the past and offered something new while allowing her a link to what had been.

"Have you talked to your mom about Hokkaido yet?" Eri prodded, bringing her back to the present.

"Yeah, she said it was fine. Apparently once you hit eighteen your parents allow you to run away from home," She added with a laugh.

Eri made a disagreeable noise, puffing out her bangs with an exasperated breath. "Hardly, my dad threw a fit when my mom said it would be okay. He says since I only have the summer left with them before going to college, I should spend it at home."

"It's only a few weeks," Kagome pointed out thoughtfully.

"That's what my mom and I said, but did he listen? No," Eri whined.

Kagome allowed her friend to complain about her father, smiling at her obvious irritation. It was amusing, in a way, to watch and listen to. Eri would always be oblivious to the small things, and though her father had died long ago, she envied her friend the moments she had.

"Hey guys," Yuka greeted, breaking through Eri's griping and sitting down next to her. Kagome nodded, offering her own hello in return as Eri launched into her complaint, starting at the beginning so that the new arrival could sympathize and rage with her as she went through it all over again.

Cameras flashed as she and her friends posed together, smiles wide and laughter echoing freely as they threw their arms over eachother's shoulders and posed. With each flash of the camera they made a different face, reveling in the last moments of their high school career.

When the flashes finally stopped they let out another cheer, and Kagome hugged her mother tightly before handing her the black graduation cap and shrugging out of her graduation robe, revealing her jeans and tank top. Her mother too the robe and folded it over her arm.

"Have fun sweetheart," Her mother said, her smile warm as she gave her another hug. Nodding and quickly embracing her grandfather and brother, she gave a wave and dashed over to where her friends waited, still waving and calling out goodbyes to her family.

"Come on Kagome, we'll be late for the ferry!" Yuka called out, making her pick up her pace. The ferry tickets had been an expensive gift from Yuka's father, and on top of everything else he had arranged for their summer vacation, she didn't want to be the reason he had to reschedule them at even further expense to himself.

"We've got two hours to get to Oarai," Eri moaned. "Let's stop to get some food."

"There's food on the ferry," Yuka snorted as they jogged for her car. "I just want to get there and in our suite. It won't be real until I'm on the water."

Once they were on the Joban expressway, it felt like a dream vacation was starting. The windows were open and the music was loud, and they all sang as Yuka, with her newly acquired license, navigated the light traffic.

The ferry was larger than Kagome thought it would be, and when a valet took the car and their suite numbers to deliver their luggage.

"He was cute," Eri giggled, eyes on the valet as he got into the car.

"He was," Ayumi agreed, although her voice was quieter, and she was blushing as she said it.

"I think I'll try to get his number," Yuka joked.

Kagome had nothing to add, because she hadn't found him cute. If anything, he reminded her too much of Hojo, who had gone to a different high school and almost vanished completely from her mind until the valet had been called to her attention.

"I'm starving," Eri declared as they made their way up the gangplank and onto the boat.

"I'm tired. My mom got me up at five this morning, I think she was more excited for me than I was," Ayumi giggled. "I think I'm going to go nap."

"I'm hungry too."

"I think I'll go on deck," Kagome said quietly. "I just need air."

"Nervous?" Yuka asked, brow raised and a playful smile tilting up the corner of her lips.

"No, I just like to see the water."

"Suit yourself, we'll see you back in the suite."

She followed the signs away from her friends and to the stairs leading to the private deck for the first class passengers. After wandering through a winding hallway and up two flights of stairs, she was relieved to smell salty air and feel cool, damp air.

The heavy door slammed closed behind her, but she was already halfway over the slick deck and to the rails. They hadn't pulled away from the port yet, but she was facing the other side, eyes on Hokkaido in the distance.

She supposed that after it was all said and done, this summer was her last chance to explore things that she wouldn't have time for in college, to reach outside of herself and perhaps touch on the person she had been only a few years before.

Since her return from the feudal era, she had been a model student, a perfect daughter, and the sort of best friend girls dreamed of. In the process of becoming that person, she had left the adventure seeker behind. Yuka had reiterated over and over, again and again, that this would be their summer to be crazy and wild. While crazy and wild didn't really appeal to her, the thought of adventure, of something new and exciting, did.

And if happy coincidence played into it, well, she had learned to never look a gift horse in the mouth.

A/N: In Japan, where the culture is obsessed with cleanliness, insinuating someone smells is a bigger insult than giving the finger.

The ferry that runs from Oarai to Hokkaido is called the Sunflower, and it is roughly a nineteen hour trip one way. The ship itself is a sort of mini cruise liner, complete with different class suites and restaurant. The drive from Tokyo to Oarai is roughly an hour.