It's the small ones that give you the most fuel. Over the weekend, I took a trip to Coupeville, Washington, USA. It's a small town in the Pacific Northwest whose claim to fame is being the filming location of the movie Practical Magic. My husband and I found that they were also a filming location for War of the Roses, and found a picture collage of it at Toby's Tavern. We visited all the shops and spent WAY too much money, ate WAY too much food, but it was lovely relaxing time, and I'm wonderfully refreshed. On our way out of town, we saw a white doe as well, which seemed like a beautiful way to end our trip.
Or begin the end of our trip, because we went to the local sculpture forest and the Hierophant Meadery before we totally quit the island. Fancy mead is a small happiness in its own league. XD
She seems so enthused about her SISTER being alive.
Inuyasha is behind her and, looking a little on the deflated, depressed side, comments on how she doesn't seem SURPRISED by this little bit of news. Kaede affirms this, telling him that two shikigami children came to Kikyou's shrine site to take the burial soil recently. I'm sure it was easy to put two and two together. Inuyasha says that he's not sure what Kaede thinks about it, but he admits he's relieved that Kikyou was saved. Kaede just stands with her head slightly bowed, and doesn't respond, indicating that they are BOTH aware that she's not exactly feeling the same way. Inuyasha breezes past this awkward moment to inform Kaede that Kagome was the one to save Kikyou, and Kaede haltingly acknowledges this, still looking pretty profoundly SAD.
Cue the narrow sky transition panel to the modern city skyline of Tokyo.
I'm a little amazed at the size of this girl's bed - looks like a full size. I had a twin when I was her age, and it was part of a bunk set of which my sister had the top half.
Of course, my family was somewhat poor, too. XD
Kagome recalls Sango and Miroku sending her off down the well, encouraging her to take a little break for a while, while they also recuperate on the Feudal side. She worries a little about coming back to her home time without telling Inuyasha, but supposes it's alright. Kagome also considers how Kikyou appears to have her spiritual powers back and that she's in good shape, but she's disappeared again after her last sighting. It occurs to Kagome that Inuyasha really wanted to go after Kikyou, and has to acknowledge how difficult it was to talk to him between then and when they reached Kaede's village. After a moment of sad staring at her ceiling, she turns over on her side, dislocating Buyo, and wondering aloud if she's really in second place after all. You think not communicating with him is going to HELP you find the answer to this question, kiddo?
I have to keep reminding myself that she's fifteen. Fifteen and as dumb as people at that age tend to be.
Another narrow sky transition panel brings us back to the Feudal Era, where Sango is leaning on a fence on which Inuyasha is crouched, fuming over the fact that Kagome was allowed to just go home. Sango suggests that Kagome shouldn't have to get Inuyasha's PERMISSION to go home, and we love a feminist queen.
Miroku strolls up to divert the conversation to another avenue, asking Inuyasha for confirmation that he informed Kaede about Kikyou. Inuyasha fires back with a question about what he's making of it. Miroku points out that he wasn't very talkative otherwise, and when Inuyasha wants to know so what, Sango pipes up that Miroku MEANS he should have paid more attention to Kagome. Inuyasha is frustrated with the implications that he did something wrong here, insisting that there wasn't anything troubling Kagome that he had to address. The COMPLETE lack of awareness, my guy!
I can't blame Sango, I would have tried it myself at this point.
We don't get a transition panel when we go back to modern Tokyo. I guess RT got a little tired of taking up space with them. Kagome is in awe of a certain bike that her mother has presented her, asking if it's really okay for her to have it. Mama Higurashi says that she got it secondhand from a friend, since Kagome had said she lost hers on the other side of the well. This is the chillest of mothers, friends, the exact OPPOSITE of a helicopter-parent.
Later, Kagome is busy polishing up her new bike with a rag and some bottles of cleaning products at her side when Souta strolls up to her with his backpack on, warning her that she'll be late. She says she wants to do just a bit more sprucing up, even though Souta points out that it'll just get dirty again in no time on the other side. Kagome dismisses this practical prediction, thinking about how it's best for her to use a bike, even though it's not so bad being carried by Inuyasha. She doesn't seem to know if she wants to pull away from her main emotional conflict or lean further into it.
Kagome stands back from the glittering bike with a triumphant pose, declaring she's all done.
The SHIT, bro????
Souta is excited to see Inuyasha, grinning at his appearance, asking if he's come for a visit. Inuyasha scoffs that he doesn't have time for that, then turns to ask Kagome why she left without even telling him, only to cringe in alarm at her looming figure of extreme displeasure. She screams at him, demanding to know what that was all of a sudden, telling him he's broken the bike. Inuyasha stands aside with a hand to his hammering heart, staring over at her as she fusses over the mangled bike and complains that it's all twisted now.
Inuyasha manhandles the bike, assuring her with another scoff that some new twists will put it right, but he just ends up fucking it up all the more, so that the two of them stare down at it in silent irritation. Sweatdropping, Inuyasha insists it'll be fine if he fixes it, but Kagome orders him not to touch it anymore. As she should.
As she walks to school at last, Kagome is fuming, wondering why Inuyasha came over in the first place, and he got all pissy really fast. I would say you were the one to get angry quicker, but it was also for a perfectly good reason too, so... Her friends spot her on campus and greet her warmly, having not seen her in quite a while, after all. They pick up on her bad mood fast, though, and ask what happened, Headband immediately suggesting that it was something to do with "that guy". Gee, they have this whole situation pegged, don't they.
They surround Kagome's desk, summing up her complaints as the result of continuing to be two-timed, and Kagome admits that's about the size of it. She's fifteen, Writch. Fifteen. Anyway, Kagome says a lot of stuff has happened and she's putting up with it. Short Hair says that she doesn't get it, and advises her friend to just... not see the guy anymore. Kagome asserts that she can't do anything about it, though she doesn't (and couldn't if she tried) explain WHY she's kind of stuck hanging out with him regardless. She instead tells them how he showed up at her house uninvited, and has been there since this morning.
Ooof, that backfired.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha is doing the exact opposite of what Kagome told him, and is manhandling the broken bike some more. He tells himself it's all good, and flits around the machine, bending and shaping at will. His long claws puncture the tires, then he squishes the front wheel into an oblong shape. It's looking real bad.Kagome is leading her friends up the stairs to the shrine, tense while they chat between themselves about wondering what this selfish, violent, two-timing guy is like. Uhhhh, I think you have a pretty detailed description already handy there. One of them declares they can't WAIT to meet him, and Kagome is just flabbergasted that they actually came home with her, regardless of apparently thinking this would all blow over by the time school let out. She smiles over her shoulder at them, and reminding them they all have Cram School, so they really shouldn't be doing this.
Maybe your ass should be heading to cram school with them, in fact. You must be nightmarishly behind on schoolwork by this point. Headband assures her that it's fine, and Short Hair asserts that they have to tell Inuyasha to his face not to make Kagome suffer. Kagome snaps that they'd better not, or else he'd go berserk. That's not a red flag at all...
Kagome is sweating bullets, thinking about how bad this situation is, and how hard it'll be to explain if she lets her friends meet this mysterious beau of hers.
Then she comes across the bike and freezes, shock and fury perfectly blended in her expression as the friends behind her wonder what the FUCK that mangled hunk of metal is supposed to be.
Looks like SHE'S the one who went berserk in the end.
The friends appear a little confused over this strange name, and guess that it might be his gang name, trying to recall if he's in a gang or not. They're so placid about this possibility, and I just can't even. Meanwhile, Kagome's shouting to the grounds in general, demanding to know if he's around.
He is indeed, in a shed somewhere, a bandana tied over his head and ears, and frozen at the sound of his name in a very angry tone. Kagome's grandfather looks over at him from another corner and says it sounds like Kagome's calling him, but Inuyasha hastily responds that he's imagining things. Not likely, bub. Regardless, Gramps brushes off the lie and instructs Inuyasha to bring over the pot on the high shelf in front of him. Inuyasha grabs it, confirming that it's the one Gramps is pointing to with his dusting wand, and is answered with an order to ABSOLUTELY not break it, since it's a historic artifact.
Elsewhere, Kagome inhales, drawing in a BIG BREATH.
The proverbial bull in a china shop, if the bull could also be brought violently to the ground with a powerful spell.
Kagome hears Inuyasha insisting it wasn't his fault off panel and homes in on the sound, racing for the shed, while her friends still express some confusion in her dust. She demands to know where Inuyasha is from her crying grandfather, who warbles mournfully that the boy ran among the rubble of his historically significant shed. Frustrated, Kagome mumbles about Inuyasha just breaking everything around him.
Later, Kagome sits on her bed, her friends hanging in the room with her while she informs them that it seems Inuyasha left. The friends complain about how boring this turn of events is, and Kagome maintains an exasperated look as she thinks this is for the best due to how weird Inuyasha is. I think it might be time to reevaluate your feelings for the guy who you want to hide from your buddies, Kagome.
Kagome answers a call from outside the room to help bring up the tea, and leaves her friends to opine about how much they wanted to see this weirdo she's dating. Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. Inuyasha pushes open the window and hangs out in it, griping to a Kagome who isn't even present how she's been angry about something (like he doesn't know what) since the morning. He trails off when he sees the unfamiliar girls sitting staring at him in the room and a heavy silence settles until the girls all get up and lean forward, wondering aloud if this could be the guy. Do you think your friend just has random dudes coming up to her window at all times of the day??? I know she's supposed to be pretty, but that's kinda a lot to imagine, no matter how hot you are.
Inuyasha observes that they're wearing the same clothes as Kagome, clever boy, and asks if they're her friends.
Headband comments that Inuyasha has an unusual eye color, while Wavy Hair asks if he's bleached his hair. He answers that he was born looking like this, and Short Hair makes a noise of awe. Heart hammering, Kagome notes how they seem to be having a somewhat NORMAL conversation. Inuyasha can be rather sociable when he wants to be. Headband asks if Inuyasha could be "half" and Short Hair turns to Kagome for confirmation as Inuyasha tries to repeat the unfamiliar word they're trying to label him with. Kagome is lukewarm in affirmation, supposing it's true in a sense, given that he's a half-youkai. Her friends are positively radiant with admiration, talking about how cool that is, just CONFUSING Kagome to no end.
Later, when the friends are thanking Kagome for having them over and heading down the stairs on their way home, Headband turns to inform Kagome that Inuyasha isn't nearly as bad as she made him out to be. Wavy Hair admitted she thought the guy would be wearing gangster clothes and have no eyebrows, and Short Hair agrees that he was totally different than what they were expecting. Kagome wears a smile, a little nervous, but still relieved and genuinely pleased with what is starting to sound like compliments to Inuyasha, still asserting that he is just a tad unusual. She's satisfied that they saw the cool side of him though, humming a little tune.
When she strolls back into her room, Inuyasha is taking the bandana off his head and ears, immediately jumping into a new conversation with her. He looks over his shoulder with a strange tense expression, asking if she really NEEDS that thing he broke. Kagome hums in question, so he elaborates that he talking about the iron cart thing, stating that he'll carry her. She simply says that's fine, and Inuyasha, still wary, asks if she's not still angry.
The bike was still a nice gift from Mama Higurashi's friend. Might wanna reflect on that.So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Usually I'm on Inuyasha's side in these little tiffs between him and Kagome, but he was acting like a real jerkwad in this one. He criticizes KAGOME for being angry for no discernible reason, but then gets ruffled by her not asking his leave to go home, and then breaks her shit! It wasn't just his conversation with Sango and Miroku that put him in a bad mood either, because he started out annoyed that they had "let" her go. Clearly there's something on his conscience that he's nursing, and his friends are acutely picking up on how non-communicative he's being about it. Sure, Kagome isn't exactly prone to talking about it any more than Inuyasha, but I do kind of feel like removing herself from the situation was probably the best she could have done under the circumstances, if she got the impression that Inuyasha was going to be moody and silent. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was weirdly insisting on her being present for this attitude, and it's not a good look for him.
You know what also isn't a great look, for BOTH of them? The fact that Kagome is acting ASHAMED of Inuyasha this entire chapter. I get it, he has physical characteristics that require some explaining, and he's a bit on the rougher side, and if it were just THOSE things Kagome was sweating, I wouldn't be as critical. What really struck me was how Kagome snapped at her friends not to tell Inuyasha to treat her well because he would "go berserk". If one thinks their partner will react badly to being told not to give one grief, that is a MAJOR red flag, and I'm a little put off by the joke that's made of it. WE know what Kagome means, and that it doesn't mean Inuyasha will haul off on her, but her FRIENDS, knowing nothing but the shitty things she's vented to them about, should be asking way more questions than they do.
Now, it should be obvious to her friends that Kagome isn't cowering in fear of the guy, otherwise she wouldn't have reacted the way she did upon seeing the wrecked bike. Still, Kagome's friends really only mentioned physical attributes when they were talking about how he wasn't as bad as they thought, and the suspicious mentions of his temper were never addressed. And worst of all? What was bothering Inuyasha, and by extension, what was bothering Kagome as she left for home, was never addressed at all. There's still an underlying issue that they're refusing to talk about, and Kagome's friends approving of Inuyasha, however superficially, does not touch the entire reason for their conflict in the first part of the chapter.
Considering the surprisingly mature conversations they've been able to have in the past over navigating their relationship around Kikyou, Inuyasha and Kagome seem to be regressing a bit. This isn't the first instance of it, since Kagome's behavior right after she saved Kikyou at the mountain pool was a bit of a problem too, so this seems to be establishing more of a pattern. I get the feeling that RT is trying to make a permanent wedge out of Kikyou, because the drama it causes appeals to her audience more than a more even and interesting examination of how the three characters can relate to one another.
Kikyou has, at this point, just become Inuyasha's ex, and it's profoundly sad.