The Dating Game by LadyDaniTar
The Bachelorette
“Today, we have the enchanting Kagome joining us!” The host's voice boomed through the studio earning a wave of applause. He turned with a wide smile and gestured grandly to the petite woman seated on the plush velvet chair at the center of the stage. “Nominated by a friend to be a guest on today's show, Kagome here is an elementary school teacher during the week, shaping the minds of tomorrow, but also a dedicated shrine maiden on the weekends. She’s a woman of many talents, enjoys cooking up delicious meals for friends, and finds solace in the pages of a good book. Talk about well-rounded!”
The audience erupted in cheers and whistles, the energy of the room electric. Kagome's heart pounded in her chest as she smiled nervously, her fingers tightening into a sweaty knot on her lap. The bright studio lights bore down on her, making her squint slightly as the moment felt surreal. This was definitely not something she had ever imagined herself doing.
Was it too late to run?
“And behind this screen,” the host continued, “we have three very eligible bachelors, each eager to win her favor! Kagome will ask them a series of questions and at the end of the night she will decide who will be the lucky gentleman to join her on a romantic date!”
A fresh round of clapping and shouts rippled through the room as the host winked at her. Kagome could only manage a stiff smile as the nerves twisted in her stomach. How did she end up here again? Oh right—Yuka and her brilliant idea to “add some spice” to Kagome's life. If Kagome hadn't already been overwhelmed by the intense lighting and buzzing cameras, she might have glared at her friend sitting smugly somewhere in the audience.
It all began when her old high school friends started pestering her with the same old infuriating question: "Why aren't you dating yet?" It was like they couldn’t fathom how she, of all people, could be content without a string of romantic escapades. But after Naraku’s defeat and the final closing of the well, Kagome had thrown herself into her studies with laser-like focus. Romance? That felt like something from another lifetime. Her days were consumed by textbooks, exams, and the occasional coffee or quick bite with a select few friends. That was the extent of her social life—clean, simple, and completely drama-free.
Or at least it had been until Yuka decided to take matters into her own hands.
With her stable job as a teacher and her ability to help support her family's shrine, Kagome thought she'd finally found her balance. But Yuka was having none of it. In what could only be described as a full-scale intervention, Yuka had appointed herself the manager of Kagome’s non-existent love life. From signing her up for every dating app imaginable, to tricking her into more than a few group dates, she had been relentless. Each time Kagome had gone along begrudgingly, but this time, Yuka had gone way too far.
Because, in a moment of pure audacity, Yuka had entered Kagome into some dating game show without her knowledge.
And Kagome had been selected.
Which led to her current predicament. Only a few hours ago she was standing outside a glitzy film studio, staring at the flashing sign with her name on it. Kagome blinked, her fingers tightening around her phone as she reread the message from the group chat that had led her here.
Yuka:
“Don’t hate me, but you might want to look a little extra cute today! Trust me, this is going to be SO fun! xoxo”
Fun. Right. Sure, being tricked into some ridiculous dating game was exactly how she wanted to spend her Saturday.
The second she walked through those studio doors, a wave of anxiety crashed over her. The bustling crew, the cameras, the lights—it was all so surreal. She hadn’t been nervous fighting demons, but this? This was terrifying.
What would Inuyasha say if he could see her now?
She almost laughed at the thought. He’d probably be scowling, muttering about how ridiculous all this was. “Feh, dating games? You don’t need that, Kagome. Just pick someone and be done with it.” The thought of his grumpy, no-nonsense attitude brought a small smile to her lips.
Someone shouting ‘cut’ snapped Kagome out of her daze. She shifted in her seat, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Could she really pick a guy without actually looking at him?
After having her floral dress pulled and smoothed out by some PA, the cameras were rolling again. The host leaned closer, catching her wavering expression. “Nervous, Kagome?” he teased with a playful grin.
She let out a soft, nervous chuckle. “Just a little,” she admitted, earning an empathetic ‘aww’ from the audience. Ignoring their reaction, Kagome decided she might as well play along. And if nothing else, this could make for an interesting story later… and Yuka was going to owe her big time after this.
“Well, don't worry!” the host said, voice booming. “We’ve got quite the line-up tonight. Who knows? Maybe one of these bachelors will be just your type!”
She seriously doubted she'd find anyone remotely intriguing behind that screen. What kind of questions should she ask? Should she keep it light and flirty, or try to trip them up with something unexpected? Wait—did she even get to choose the questions or was this all scripted? Her mind raced as the charismatic host droned on about the rules.
Feeling a twinge of impatience, Kagome subtly leaned back in her seat craning her neck in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of the three mysterious bachelors hiding behind the opaque screen. No luck. The damn thing was impossible to see through. So, naturally, she resorted to the one thing that always worked for her in the past—she fanned out her spiritual aura, letting it drift across the stage in search of something, anything, that would give her a sense of who she was dealing with.
Her power spread out like a gentle breeze, brushing against the energies of the people around her. The host, the crew members—nothing unusual there. But just as her aura began to make contact with one of the bachelors, a ripple of something unexpected stirred. There was something… familiar. A powerful presence she hadn’t expected. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a strange pull toward it, as though she had stumbled across a hidden truth just out of reach.
Before she could dive deeper, the host's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Now, now, no cheating, Kagome!" he swooped in with a teasing tone when he noticed her trying to look around the partition. The shadows erupted in laughter, their faceless figures darkened by the stage lights. She straightened up immediately, her cheeks tinged pink as she shot the host a sheepish smile.
The host wagged a finger at her. "You wouldn’t want to give yourself an unfair advantage now and sneak a peek, would you?" he said, winking at the camera.
Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes. Unfair advantage? Please. If anything, she’d need every advantage she could get just to make it through this ordeal. But she bit her tongue and flashed a bright, innocent smile instead.
As the laughter from the crowd faded into a murmur, the host turned to her with a gleam in his eye. “Alright, Kagome, let’s get serious now! Time to find out more about these mysterious bachelors you’ll be grilling tonight.” He dramatically held up a finger, signaling the start of the reveal.
“Bachelor Number One,” he began, his voice full of intrigue, “is a highly successful doctor, saving lives by day and… well, who knows what else by night?” He waggled his eyebrows playfully, earning a round of chuckles. “He’s got the brains, the drive, and, I’ve heard, a love for small cafes and indulging in the latest coffee trends.”
Kagome raised an eyebrow, half-impressed and half-skeptical. A doctor? Sure, that sounded nice, but she’d seen enough TV dramas to know there were plenty of egos in the medical field.
The host raised a second finger. “Next up, we have Bachelor Number Two! This fitness adventurer has traveled to over thirty countries, experiencing everything from deep-sea diving to scaling mountain peaks.” The audience ooh’d and ahh’d as the host grinned. “A determined spirit with several gold metals—who wouldn’t want to be whisked away by someone like that?”
Kagome smiled politely, but inside she was already wary. Thirty countries? That sounds more exhausting than romantic. I wonder if he even remembers where home is…
“And finally,” the host paused dramatically, drawing out the tension before revealing the last contender. “Bachelor Number Three… Now, this one’s a bit more mysterious.” His voice dipped lower, drawing the audience in. “A man of few words, but when he speaks, people listen. He’s a writer, a scholar, a thinker—and he believes in the power of connection, the magic of moments shared between two souls.”
A ripple of interest fluttered through the crowd and Kagome couldn’t help but lean forward a bit intrigued despite herself. There was something about the way the host described the last person, something that tugged at her curiosity in a way the others hadn’t.
“Now that you’ve heard a little about each of them,” the host continued, “it’s time to put them to the test with your questions, Kagome! On the table to your right, you’ll find a stack of cards. Each one has a choice of three questions. Pick wisely, because their answers might just make—or break—your decision!” He explained with such a dramatic flare that had the audience buzzed with excitement.
Kagome’s heart pounded in her chest as she reached for the first card, her fingers brushing against their smooth surface. The heat of the studio lights, the murmuring from faceless strangers, and the silent bachelors lurking behind that screen were starting to make her head spin. But no turning back now.
She flipped the card over, scanning the choices quickly. The questions weren’t terrible, but none of them screamed ‘this will tell me who they really are’. Still, she had to play along. Kagome took a breath, deciding to ease into it.
“Bachelor Number One,” she began, her voice sounding more confident than she felt, “if you could spend an entire day with someone from history, alive or dead, who would it be and why?”
A brief pause followed, the kind that makes you wonder if the person is scrambling for a decent answer. Then Bachelor Number One’s light voice filled the air, friendly and warm. “I’d spend the day with Hippocrates, the father of medicine. There’s so much we owe to the foundations he laid, and I’d love to pick his brain about how he discovered the practices we still use today.”
The crowd clapped politely, and Kagome forced a smile. Hippocrates? Really? Is he trying to impress me with his career smarts? she thought already mentally filing him under tries too hard.
Determined not to let it throw her off, Kagome plucked another card from the pile and scanned it. This one had a little more spice.
“Bachelor Number Two,” she called, with a playful edge in her voice, “if you could take me on an adventure anywhere in the world, but we had to leave tonight, where would we go, and why?”
Bachelor Number Two answered almost immediately, his enthusiasm bubbling over. “Easy! We’d head straight to Iceland. I know this place where we can take an early morning hike up a glacier and then relax in a natural hot spring under the northern lights. It’s like being on another planet! It’s breathtaking, and I promise you’d never forget it.” His voice was filled with such infectious energy that Kagome couldn’t help but smile despite herself.
The audience murmured approvingly, and she had to admit, that didn’t sound half bad. Iceland under the northern lights? He’s got a flair for the dramatic but at least he’s thinking outside the box.
She turned to the next card in her hand, hoping for something deeper, something that could tell her more about the enigma that was Bachelor Number Three.
The questions were decent, but one stood out, calling to her like the pull from Shikon shards had. She cleared her throat. “Bachelor Number Three, if you could relive one moment from your life—just one—what would it be, and why?”
The silence that followed was heavier this time, as if the air had thickened with expectation. After a long pause, Bachelor Number Three’s voice came through, deep and measured, almost thoughtful. “I would relive the moment I watched the sun rise over a distant mountain range. I was alone, but in that stillness, I felt more connected to the world than ever before. I think I’d go back to that moment, not to change anything, but just to feel that sense of peace again. Sometimes, the quiet moments are the ones that stay with us the longest.”
Kagome felt her heart catch in her throat. There was something haunting about the way he spoke, a sincerity that resonated deep within her. He didn’t choose a famous figure or a grand adventure—he chose a memory of solitude and serenity. A memory that spoke of understanding, of depth, of someone who saw the beauty in stillness.
The crowd was quieter now, as if they too were absorbing the profoundness of his words. Even the host seemed momentarily taken aback before he snapped back into his usual lively tone. “Well, well, looks like Bachelor Number Three knows how to pull at the heartstrings! Kagome, what do you think? Some tough competition here, huh?”
Kagome swallowed, trying to find her voice. “Yeah… tougher than I thought,” she replied in a whisper.
She glanced at the cards again, but the questions suddenly seemed irrelevant. The game had shifted, and now, it wasn’t just about picking the right questions—it was about figuring out who could see past the lights and cameras, who could reach out to her beyond the screen. Something stirred in her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so ridiculous after all.