Little Black Box by Arc-an Angel

Gunk?

Little Black Box

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Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

A/N- This three-shot was written for Sugabelly’s Condom Challenge.

(Next chapter coming soon)

 “This is not happening!”

The Shikon Miko was in a bit of a pickle. Throughout all her time spent in the Feudal era, Kagome had always tried to make sure to never leave a futuristic item behind. Who knew when that plastic water bottle would deteriorate or if a lost shoe would change the fashion trends of the nearby future? Proudly she had succeeded in her efforts thus far...until today.

Today, Kagome had turned eighteen. As a means of celebrating, she had spent the most part of her day in modern Japan, hanging with friends and indulging in the simplistic joys of having no responsibilities. It was a fairly pleasant day to be sure, a much-needed escape from the world she had become so utterly immersed in.

Her three partners in crime had joined her in her shopping spree, movie hopping, and boy scoping madness. Finally, sometime in the early evening, the Miko parted ways and began her slow trek back to the shrine. On her way, she stopped dutifully at a medical supply store to stack up on bandages and ointments; one could never be too prepared. It was as Kagome approached the counter, she began to think back on the promise Ayami had made her make.

“Every year we all promise something new for our birthdays, something to accomplish for ourselves. This year Kagome, you have to promise to be fearless and spontaneous!”

At the time she had thought it a silly request. Was she not fearless enough to battle youkai? Weren’t her days spontaneous already? Hell, it was a blessing just to have a day where nothing extraordinary did happen. So chuckling to herself she agreed and swore to their conditions, and here before the adolescent iPod listening clerk, Kagome had the urge to fulfill that oath.

“Your total is-”

“Sorry, can you also ring this up for me?”

~*~

Sighing as the fresh fragrant air of the meadow wafted over her, Kagome took a moment to fully appreciate the sights that she was so privileged to witness. Unlike her home in modern Japan, the feudal era was like a vast sea of nature. Pure and uninterrupted by the likes of man, she found herself wishing to hold on to such moments for as long as possible. It always depressed her when she would return home only to stare at concrete and looming towers of steel. Where had all this beautiful green gone?

“Eh, wench!”

Looking sharply to her right the Miko frowned. Almost everything here was perfect, emphasis on the almost. Pinning her puppy eared friend with a look promising earth kissing pain, Kagome watched with satisfaction as he quickly averted his eyes and mumbled under his breath.

“Good afternoon to you too, Inuyasha.” Smiling slyly at the grumbling boy, the time traveling Miko stood from her spot on the well’s lid and went to reach for her bag.

“Hey, did you bring that new flavor of Ramen with ya?” Snatching the large yellow backpack from the girl’s hands, Inuyasha proceeded to empty its contents. Underwear, toothbrushes, medical supplies and more went flying! Decorating the area around the well in an array of foreign objects.

Sniffing at the different things in his hands, the hanyou found himself growing more and more desperate as the bag’s bottom came into view...and still no Ramen to be found. There were containers of food of course. One labeled Kagome’s Birthday cake had been neatly tucked into the corner, this however, he threw on top of her bras. Halting immediately in his actions, Inuyasha looked over to his very enraged friend. Realization was a bitch.

“He he, Happy Birthday Buddy?” Eyes widening in fear, he watched the calculated placement of hands on hips, and the impatient death tap of a brown leather shoe. He had honestly forgotten all about it being her birthday, even though Miroku had just reminded him of that little fact before leaving to retrieve her.

“Inuyasha...” sang a suspiciously sweet voice.

“Yeah, Gome?”

“Run.”

The hanyou took off in the direction of the God Tree, determined to get as far away as possible. If he didn’t hear her, then he wouldn’t have to worry about a painful crash into the ground. Sadly for him, he just wasn’t fast enough and as her angered yell of ‘Sit Jerk’ rang through the air he vaguely wondered why she hadn’t used her regular ‘boy’ at the end. 

Huffing, Kagome went about the task of slowly gathering her belongings and placing them back into her bag. Cursing all the while about hanyous who didn’t know how long it took to close said bag or even remember their friend’s birthday. Really was it that hard? Grunting as her task finally came to an end; she grasped the straps of her handy dandy yellow carrier and set off in the direction of Edo. Sadly, she had overlooked the small black box with the gold writing on the front, lying lazily in a clump of flowers not far from the well.

~*~

Tiny hands plucked the delicate flowers that littered the meadow. Jaken had told her not to go too far and she wouldn't. Creating a tune, the little girl decided to make daisy crowns for her lord, giggling at how well they would compliment his eyes.

“Where, oh where is Sesshomaru-sama? In the mountains or cross the seas, always protecting and guiding m-”

Pausing in mid verse, Rin stared curiously down at the little black box nestled amongst a pretty cluster of flowers. The box didn’t look dangerous, and yet, Rin knew that sometimes the most seemingly innocent of things were the most suspicious of threats. Turning quickly away from the weird object, the girl continued to pick flowers, already deciding to ask Master Jaken about the container’s contents later.

Later had unfortunately not turned out so well. Though he tried to put on a certain air, it was apparent that master Jaken did not have the slightest clue of what the box or its strange gold writings were.

A feeling of sadness washed over the child as her curiosity went unanswered. Sure that her Lord would know, Rin had promised herself that she would sit in that meadow until Sesshomaru-sama returned. For three days they stayed in that meadow, waiting and waiting until finally Rin could wait no more.

Standing up determinedly, the child stomped over to the plot of flowers and scooped up the box within her tiny pink hands. Holding her breath to see if anything would happen, she sighed. Harmless so far. Turning the box this way and that, she watched amused as Ah-Un crept forward slowly, sniffing at the contents in her hand before giving up uninterested. She didn’t hold food or a weapon and that’s all they cared for.

“What do you have there?”

Surprised by the sudden intrusion, Rin dropped the little box in her hands and watched with wide eyes as it bounced softly to a landing. Looking up, she gazed into sparkling emerald orbs and instantly recognized the red head kitsune that traveled with Inuyasha's group.

“Hello! Rin found this while picking flowers, but Rin doesn’t know what it is, so Rin is waiting for her lord to return and tell her!” Shaking his head at the fast speaking girl, Shippou took a moment to process what he'd been told. Looking to the black box on the ground, he sniffed the air lightly but did not recognize the scents that drifted from it.

“Hm, well that kind of looks like something that Kagome would bring from her home.” Watching as Rin’s brown eyes lit up, the kitsune smiled. Surely it wouldn’t be hard to figure out what was in there, and if he was right, which he was sure that he was, Kagome must have brought it from home and accidently dropped it on her way to the village.

Grabbing hold of the box, the two children sat down near the well and began to open the mysterious black container. Inside they spotted three golden squares, all connected to one another. Shippou reached in and grabbed the corner of one, before slowly pulling it free. His claws, however, too sharp sliced through the weak material.

“You broke it!” Rin gasped. Watching as the row of packages hung limply from the youkai’s fingers.

“N-No. I’m sure it’s meant to be opened that way. See?” Taking hold of the square punctured on his nails, Shippou gently tore it free from the rest. Widening the tear previously made, both children looked in amazement at the clear circular formation within.

“What do you suppose it is?” Rin whispered, scared that if she talked to loud something would happen. But after several moments of staring at it and nothing, the little girl began to get bored. Shippou, in an attempt to hold her attention, stood triumphantly with a triumphant cry.

“I’ve got it! It must be the bubble gunk that Kagome talks about.”

“Bubble gunk?” Replied a slightly unsure voice.

“Yeah! You just put this in your mouth and chew. Tthen you can blow bubbles.” Eying the excited boy in front of her, Rin nodded slowly before grabbing the white ring from between the kitsune's fingers and slowly bringing it to her mouth. She had witnessed the miko giving the kit 'sweets' before on one of the brief meetings with the Inu-tachi and she had always wondered what one would taste like.

“Wait, I want some too. So we’ll both blow them together.” Reaching down to the forgotten packets, Shippou tore off another square and released the white ring from its container. Both children looked at each other and, with a nod, quickly placed the bubble gunk in their mouths.

The taste was weird and like nothing they had ever tasted before. Bland at first their tongues became coated in the slimy substance that had covered the ‘treat.’ Chewing harder on the tough food, they frowned, for they found to their growing horrors that their tongues were going numb.

As a last resort the two tried to blow the bubbles, hoping to succeed in at least that endeavor, but it was all for not. The rubbery substance was not delicious and would certainly not blow bubbles, Rin and Shippou felt deceived.

Spitting out the mangled pieces of milky white disappointment, the children scowled. Why would Kagome have such horribly non delicious contraptions on her…unless, it wasn’t used for eating at all?

“Shippou, are you sure that bubble gunk is meant for chewing?” Turning offended wide eyes to the girl at his side, Shippou nodded. However, he had the growing suspicion that maybe they shouldn’t have put that stuff in their mouths. He still couldn’t feel his tongue and poor Rin was trying to spit the taste away.

“Oh no!”

Looking up quickly. the two children stared with guilty eyes at the red faced woman before them. Surely they were in big trouble, if the ghastly look upon the Miko's face was anything to go by. But they hadn’t done anything that bad, had they?

Rin, unable to hold it in any longer, began another round of spitting. Desperately trying to work feeling back into her numb pasty tongue. Kagome, who finally shook herself from the shock, ran towards the two children whilst pulling off her bag. Grabbing two water bottles, she untwisted the tops and handed them over, watching with embarrassed and amused eyes as Rin and Shippou gulped them done.

“Better guys?”

Watching the pair of heads bob enthusiastically, Kagome sighed. ‘Be spontaneous they said, fearless even. Look where that’s gotten me.”

Kagome had been freaking out for the last three days. After she had finally made her way to Kaede’s hut, and once again inspected her bag, she found that her newly acquired purchase was not present. Pacing, she wondered where the pack of XXL Magnum condoms could have gotten too.

Turning over containers and clothing, shaking free the bag and its many pockets again, she finally resigned herself to the fact that the condoms just weren’t there. That had left only one other place. The well!

It had to be somewhere around there from when Inu-baka had dumped all her stuff. And so that is how Kagome had come to find herself here, sitting amongst two very curious children, trying to wash the rather unpleasant taste of spermicide from their unknowing mouths.

“Why were you two chewing on that?” The concerned tone of her voice added to their guilt, as they tried to look anywhere but in her direction.

“Well, we thought it was bubble gunk?” Shippou hastily replied, hoping that all of this would end and she would just tell them what the stuff had really been. Or maybe she would feel sorry enough for them and give them real sweets to snack on instead. One could hope.

“Bubble gunk?” The Miko echoed, quite confused.

“Yup, the stuff that you chew on so you can blow bubbles.” Rin supplied, hoping to jog the older girl’s memory.

Kagome paled as realization dawned on her. ‘This is wrong on so many levels.’

“I think you two mean Bubble Gum.” Two heads bobbed in unison. And just when Kagome thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. 

“Rin, what ails you?”

‘Shit!’