your diligence is appreciated.

i was going to worry about kouga showing up unchaperoned but i think there are more things to worry about.

poor guy, he's never seen himself in that state before i imagine, they're both traumatized by all that's just happened. looking forward in seeing how you're going to resolve everything that's been packed into this chapter.
gin

conniving little brother she's got there.

on kouga in canon the rivalry looks rather shallow and pathetic but on ayame it makes her look like a catty bitch (which is an oxymoron-- lol).

wow, it's been so long since i had reviewed this... grandbaby born and my daughter hospitalized three times with bad kidney. i'm glad i got to review all the other story but it's bedtime and grammy-daycare starts early so sorry, this is all she's writing tonight. still a great story and going strong, thanks lovely.
gin

Da Grrrl Says: Ha. Souta is great. I think he\'s mature enough to understand that Kagome\'s been unhappy for a long time and that, just maybe, InuYasha can be the cure for it. And yesh, that IS an oxymoron, lol. >.> It\'s also true.

Congrats on your grandbaby (that\'s awesome), but my sympathies for your daughter. Hospital stays SUCK. My friend was in the hospital for 2 weeks and we\'ve been battling illness ever since. I have high hopes that he\'ll get better in time, but for a while, it was very touch and go, so best wishes to her. I hope she has a speedy -and permanent- recovery!

your wrists, your back. poor baby, i hope you feel better soon. =(

wonder why her brother didn't tell her about her unstable youkai's tendency to overpower her in times of extreme excitement (be it fear, pain or other things).

looks like sesshoumaru's life might just get somewhat interesting and one wonders what kinds of explosions are going to happen. xD

sweet, this was quick so i guess you did overwork your wrists *massages your hands* take it easy for a bit and feel better.

DaGrrrl says: Ginny!

My back is a lot better now. Thanks for the sympathy. <333 I got this topical pain cream from my doc (motrin was upsetting my stomach because I was taking 4-6 per day at 800mg each), and it works like a gift from God. I rub it into the areas that hurts, and within 20 minutes the pain is gone. It's amazing. Not sure what it's called, but it's been beautiful! It even helps my arms when they ache from the carpal tunnel. So now, only my hands are bitching at me (But it's still better than having both problems!)

As for the story, there's more to the issue than her losing her youkai with extreme excitement -that's why Souta is keeping quiet (and so am I!). As for Sess, well, let's just say that he may be on course to finally meet his match. XD I want to update again fast, but I may not physically be able to. *grumble* Carpal truly sucks. =/

this reads like poetry... there's a wonderful soothing quality in your descriptions and the scenery is very peaceful. the attraction between kagome and inuyasha seems to be mutual. i admit i was rather unsettled at the age difference as i'm in my mid-fifties and although my husband is younger than me i'm still a bit unsteady about that much of a span. then again she's a dancer who should still be dancing, i imagine her like julie andrews or shirley maclaine... two mature woman who were dancing long into their seventies and i think they're still going strong.

Da Grrrl Says: Thank you so much! This story is a bit of a labor of love because I adored the film so much and really wanted to create my own take on it. Much of what I\'ve written either didn\'t happen, or was expanded and rewritten to suit my own tastes, so anyone who has seen the movie will notice plenty of similarities, but even more that\'s different. Like the romance itself -that never happens in the movie.

The age difference between them is large, but it\'s not unheard of. Heck, Hulk Hogan\'s ex-wife at 50+ was dating a 19 year old. Now, I think a teenager is too much. But twenty-one makes him a legal adult, capable of deciding those things for himself. Personally, I don\'t consider younger guys, but everyone has their preferences.

And yeah, Kagome should still be working in dance in some way, but a ballerina does have a shelf life. Unfortunately, I\'ve seen that with my own eyes. Once they start falling into their mid to late 30\'s, the roles dry up for no other reason than age. That\'s what happened with Kagome -she still had a lot of passion for her profession, but it was no longer wanted, and she didn\'t want to become an instructor. She was too bitter over her dismissal. So she decided to move back home with her sister and live a quiet life.

Thanks for all the reviews!

i didn't watch the original movie when it came out because i didn't find it interesting. i perused it a little on youtube and i'm glad this is nothing like that, i couldn't get into it, the ladies were so old. i keep thinking of sango is my age and seems so old... my sister became a cross country truck driver at 47 and is still crazy independent and 'young' mentally at 74 and she's still driving (pittsburgh tour bus and shuttles). my mum when she was in her seventies stated she mentally felt like an eighteen year old unless she was looking in a mirror. i guess times were different and people age in their minds differently. at least i suspect that at least one of the sisters isn't going to 'age gracefully'.
gin

Da Grrrl Says: Oh, LiL is definitely not a movie for everyone. I\'m absolutely wild about Judi Dench, which was why I watched the movie. I cried a lot the first time I saw it (and several times after) and it quickly became one of my favorites of all time.

The sisters are much older in the movie, and that wouldn\'t have worked for what I want to do, so I changed the ages. Sango doesn\'t really feel or act \"old\". She\'s a lonely widow whose life kind of \'stopped\' when she lost the love of her life. She moved back to the family home with her sister to \'retire\' and is content to live in her memories. Some women are very strong and can just move on with their lives, but as you know, not everyone is capable of that. Sango is strong-willed, but she\'s not ready to \'start over\'. you know?

In Kagome\'s case, she\'s never been with a man. She devoted her entire life to dance and never made time for men or dating. InuYasha is her first ever crush/love and she\'s very afraid of her feelings as well as the age difference. She\'s waiting for the bubble to burst and drop her to the merciless earth, lol.

The story takes place in the 1930\'s Europe (like the film) at a time when the roles of older women were a little more traditional. Hope that helps shape the background. ^^

she wants more than his music, i'm assuming. about the doc... why do men act like any woman should just lay down at their feet? gah!

wondering if his french is any indication of where he's from although no one has made mention of an accent. love to hear french spoken, can't understand a word of it but the way it sounds...
gin

Da Grrrl Says: I don\'t want to say anything since you have a few more chapters to go until you\'re caught up, but no, there\'s no real \'accent; in his speech because he\'s multilingual. I\'ve told more of his story in later chapters, but there is still more to reveal, so it will all come together by the end. :)

And Myouga is such a bum. In the film, there is a doc who does have an interest in Kikyou\'s character and does try to stir up trouble for the violinist. I\'ve changed/expanded many things, but those parts are true to the film and that man was aggravating!

Thanks for the review!

interesting how they're looking for a traitor but kikyou just admitted she was recently in germany... attitude like hers and how she dismissed the two ladies makes me quite angry. with the japanese culture of mentioning without really coming out and bluntly saying something is wrong/inappropriate/annoying/unsatisfactory, to have sango be that direct, kikyou must have really gotten her goat. lol

kikyou is like a stalker, inuyasha needs to step on that bug before it tries to dig in under his skin (bluntly and loudly, preferably in a crowded place.
gin

barbies.... my daughter's barbies had interchangeable heads because her little brother beheaded them all (i always thought her neck was so impossibly long, but kyrie's barbies had normal length necks because you have to jam the head down on the neck so it stays)... she was only perturbed with him at first but having interchangeable heads is a pretty nifty ability.

poor boy doesn't know the meaning of moderation... and it's obvious he's not used to being around kids and is totally vulnerable to their powers. lol

loved the end there, little kids take things so literally and a lot of time they know perfectly well what they're 'misinterpreting' and do it on purpose, just for the fun of it and to frustrate the 'big people'.

Da Grrrl Says: I actually didn\'t like Barbies as a kid, and I have no siblings, so there was no one to torture my collection... but that sounds hilarious. Talk about not needing to hassle with changing clothes! lol.

And yesh, Tamiko is a cutie patootie who is a little more aware than she lets on. But hey, being cute gets a kid a LOT more toys in the long run, eh? XD