Kamizumo by LeatherWings

The Tournament

Author's Note - Yes yes, kamizumo is a simple game most often played by Japanese pre-school aged children, so everyone would technically have prior knowledge of it, but Shhhh. ;)

This is starting as a oneshot, but if there is enough interest for it to continue, I will expand it. So review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Inuyasha, kamizumo, or the game of Life. Everything else is mine.

Enjoy!

It's always a wonder what idle brains will dream up. For example, from the routine morning study break, who knew a fierce and grueling tournament would emerge? Sumo holds in it Japan's history; years of preparation concluding in spectacular clashes between titan after titan, performed with a meticulous eye for ceremony. It's no wonder that in this modern day and age, many Japanese still follow it studiously. But only a very select few would be able to make the connection between Sumo and Origami.

Origami is really where everything started off. When Tsukimoto Miroku came into the room waving a piece of paper excitedly, little of great importance was going on. A large cluster of girls was gossiping and giggling in the direction of one Hirotou Sesshoumaru, who was completely oblivious to their hungry gazes, instead staring up at the ceiling with feigned interest. His blue eyes and long blonde hair made him the instant heartthrob to any girl that looked his direction and the instant enemy to virtually all of the male population. All of them disinterested him, however, therefore he inadvertently acquired the untouchable look that kept everyone at a distance.

While he was getting googly eyes from the female half of the room, the men glared glass shards at him, attempting to divert the women's attentions. Only one person appeared to be unaffected by the otherworldly creature in the room, and that person was Higurashi Kagome, who was more interested in the birds perched right outside the nearest window.

Higurashi Kagome was a completely different specimen altogether. She had few, if any, friends. Her appearance was nothing special. Yes, her jet-black hair was glossy and smooth, and yes, her complexion was just about perfect and her lips full and rosy, but she just never tried. She used absolutely no make-up and her hair was always left down, never styled; she never altered her uniform. In short, she left everything exactly as it was given to her, and succeeded in being entirely, unwaveringly, irrefutably ordinary.

Until Tsukimoto Miroku began waving that paper, it was shaping up to be a normal day.

He practically ran, skipped, and hopped up to the front of the room where he grabbed a piece of chalk and proceeded to write "SUMO!!" in big Roman letters. One of the girls fawning over Sesshoumaru groaned.

"Mou... Miroku-kun, what crazy idea has gotten into your thick skull this time?" she asked, her question followed almost immediately by laughter.

Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome settled their attention on Miroku.

"We are going to have a sumo tournament!" he exclaimed. His proclamation was met with complete silence; at least, until Sesshoumaru snorted slightly in mocking annoyance.

"It shall be quite the ugly tournament, as none of us have any training worth mentioning."

Miroku blushed and grinned. "That's not what I meant. We are going to have an origami sumo tournament." Silence again. He sighed. "It's fun...here" He took what the class now recognized as numerous sheets of origami folding paper and laid the pile on the teacher's desk, still vacant, selecting the sheet off the top. After a minute of simple folding and maneuvering, he held up a small sumo wrestler, complete with mawashi and topknot.

"Now, we just need a dohyo..." he mumbled, almost to himself, as he set the mini-wrestler next to the paper and began wandering around the room searching through every closet and shelf he came across. With a small cry of triumph, he returned to the front of the room with a paper plate and the lid to the game 'Life' clutched in his hands. "Here we are. Perfect."

Ignorant to all of the incredulous faces of his classmates, Miroku passed each of them a slip of paper and began to reiterate his previous folding movements slowly enough for them to follow.

Although a few groans were heard, everyone followed his simple instructions as there was just nothing else interesting to do.

"Just fold this little triangle back, and then the rest forward again and there you have i-" Miroku's brilliant instructions pertaining to the completion of the top-knot were interrupted by a soft yet irritated voice.

"Miroku, where is sensei?" Kagome asked, her finished wrestler on her desk in front of her.

Miroku grinned, sauntering over to her and laying an arm around her shoulder.

"Myoga-sensei is currently a bit...involved...with the school nurse..." he chuckled. However, all perverted thoughts, along with a good half of his schooling, escaped from his head when his girlfriend Sango smacked him, muttering impure words under her breath. Kagome smiled. These two were her only friends... it was a wonder that she wasn't more emotionally scarred.

Once Miroku regained his footing, he hurried out of Sango's range and again addressed his classmates. "All that's left to do is name them."

Pencils scrawled across the paper for a moment, recording meaningless names directly onto the posteriors of their fighters. After every wrestler had a name, Miroku devised a tournament schedule, single elimination-style, and wrote it up on the board.

"All right, lets sumo!" he shouted, clapping his hands together. "First up... Big Star versus Little Mountain!"

So it went, the students going to the front two-by-two and standing on opposite sides of the "dohyo", setting their fighters in the center facing each other. On Miroku's signal, both students would begin tapping their side of the box, forcing their wrestlers to jump into action. The loser was the first to either fall or be pushed off the plate.

After about twenty minutes, only two remained: Sesshoumaru with 'Mighty Dog' and Kagome with 'Blue Bird.' A few people snickered openly at the sight of Sesshoumaru, standing around five feet eleven inches tall, towering over Kagome's meager five feet.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind which would be the victor.

"And now, the championship round! Wrestlers ready... Begin!"

Amazingly, Kagome was the first to tap the box, hitting it with just one finger. Before Sesshoumaru could react, 'Mighty Dog' teetered on the tips of his little paper legs before falling at the feet of 'Blue Bird.' Silence reigned.

Miroku, unfazed by the turn of events, raised Kagome's hands over her head, proclaiming her the winner. She just smiled quietly and returned to her seat, ignoring the disbelieving looks she was getting in favor of watching her bluebirds through the window.

Thanks for reading, and remember to review!

-LW