Chapter 2: Between
A/N: There may be questions about Sesshomaru's life and what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome and the others but I promise everything will be explained – sooner or later.
"What do you plan to do once you find him?" The little man cowered in his chair, looking at the languidly sat man across his desk.
The man stood up, and gave the headmaster a withering gaze.
"I-I don't wish to see him harmed, he's a very smart – a very promising boy." The headmaster stumbled, deflating as he expended all his built up courage; both glad and terrified Yagami was leaving.
He paused, "No harm will come to the child."
Oddly, the headmaster believed his words, there was a sense of sincerity, a seriousness that spread from Yagami – after all the man had no reason to lie. He walked out. The headmaster gave a sigh of relief, and got his phone out, "Sir? Yagami just came by."
"What did he say?"
"He's after the scholarship student. The one your son drafted in his club. I told him where he resides, and I asked what he planned."
"Did you find out what it was?"
"No, he just said he wouldn't harm him."
"Yagami certainly is an odd one. No one really knows what he plans."
"Do you think he'll extort or harm the child?" An anxiety rang true.
"No. Yagami is an enigma but I don't think he'd harm a child needlessly. Even he's not that cold. But, keep an eye on the kid."
"Thank you, Mr. Suoh." He hung up, and rubbed his face in exhaustion.
~CHANGE~
What an imbecile, to think that girl a boy. After walking out to my car, I looked at the file, the name, address, and schedule of Fujioka Haruhi. My hands clenched in rage at that idiot's insolence. As I climbed into the back, I took off my amulet – a charmed ring that kept my demonic aura from showing, much like that of the Fuyoheki carried by Naraku's Infant. I felt the release of my claws; tingling as poison dripped from them. How I would love to rip open that man's chest and crush his heart in my hand. And five hundred years ago, I would have. In these days, it would only cause more headache for me. Too much suspicion.
"Lord Sesshomaru. Where would you like to go?" The driver, a servant of mine since before my pursuit of Naraku, asked.
I contemplated just going directly to Fujioka's apartments, but… "I need to check in with my estates, bring me to my hotel."
"Yes, Sir."
~CHANGE~
"Oh, Kyoya." Tamaki looked up from his book, to see Kyoya coming into the music room, "Where have you been?"
"The office, I was getting paper work." Kyoya sat across from him.
"For the whole day?" Tamaki jumped over the table to poke Kyoya's cheek, "Are you keeping things from me?"
"Don't be ridiculous." He swatted Tamaki's hand away, "How was Haruhi today?"
"She went home early, she wasn't feeling well." Tamaki calmed, and rested his head on his hand, "So, the festival, I want not just us dressed up, but our guests too. And I want stalls with masks, and traditional games. And traditional dances!"
"That will be expensive, especially if we hire dancers. But if we sell the ladies the traditional grab, we'd perhaps gain at least the …" Kyoya started, scratching his plans in his notebook.
Tamaki paid little attention to Kyoya's figures as he imagined the festival's joviality.
~CHANGE~
I looked over the city of Tokyo; it was funny to think this was once forest and small clusters of villages. From the tall hotel, I could even spot the shrine built over the Bone-Eaters well. To think that rash woman could be jumping into the past to inconvenience an entire era right now. I looked at the date, possible, but not likely – she's probably already done that. How bothersome.
I called Jaken, it was amazing the little pest was still alive – but I supposed he was a good assistant, though still extraordinarily inconvenient.
"My Lord!" His squawking voice loud in my ears. "Are you coming home soon? I've kept everything in order for you –"
Then, the bane of my long life interrupted my servant, "Hey, Sesshomaru." The woman's voice came on, sounding irate and wearied. One would think that throughout the years my greatest enemy would be my half-brother, who as a hanyo could live for quite some time, and that his mate – the troublesome miko who created some of the most tempestuous years of my reign – would be akin to a speck of dirt on my shoe. But as it was, the woman was more like a thorn in my backside, lodged far too deep for any to get out. "Do you think you can get us some passports?"
I heard my half-brother in room, "Kagome, just ignore that bastard. I'm sure we can find some ourselves. I don't know why you always come to him when we need things."
"Inuyasha, sit!" I heard the age old thunk of my brother being forced to the ground, and imagined the hole in my floors "We need new identities and you know it. Now shut up and go away!" I held the phone away from my ear, and thankfully I heard the half-breed's footsteps fade away. The two were viscous to each other and whenever they imposed themselves in my home I wondered how they managed to stay together.
She giggled, "Inuyasha says he's taking me to France to see how Shippo's doing, but he's a total idiot and forgot that we've been without ID's for a couple months. He still doesn't get that you have to have passports to go out of the country."
I heard Jaken screech about the familiarity that the woman associates with me, and I hear the miko smack him. Her impertinent tone no longer bothers me; I've become reluctantly used to it. She forced her way into my life, dragging her foolish mate along. She talked to me often: about the past life, her friend's descendants, and the yokai that survived the extinction period, as the yokai now call it.
A period of plague, purification and war, it seemed that it all fell at once. First the plague that infected yokai blood, weakening the yoki; alone the disease would have passed unnoticed and most likely faded away (since the only way for it to spread was for one to have blood contact with the infected) but it seemed in reaction to the weakened yokai that miko's and monk's powers strengthened. To add to that, wars broke out between clans. It seemed within the century only the most powerful clans survived and many only a few dozen of each race. It was then that mating with humans became common and almost necessary of the tribes. Even my own prideful race started to diminish, and after so many years humans began to regard yokai and spirits as mere fantasy. Those of us who survived pureblooded assimilated into the human world out of necessity, and it's become taboo to reveal ourselves to humans.
"Brother?" I felt my anger grow, but I kept in. She knew I hated her calling me that, my only reprieve was that it annoyed Inuyasha just as much. "Have you been listening to me?"
"Why do ask me? Just call for Myoga."
"I tried looking for him but he's not in any of his usual places. Anyway, we were close to you so we decided to drop by. But as usual you weren't here." She sounded accusatory, a tone that often came with a lecture about running away, but she restrained herself knowing I would only hang up, "Anyway, I know that you know the guy who makes our ID's, and I asked the imp but he wouldn't give anything away."
I sighed, and, already knowing I'd regret it, asked: "Why don't you have any identity?"
"Oh, because a couple months ago Inuyasha was learning to drive a car and he went off a bridge. Normal humans wouldn't have survived, and even though they found no bodies they declared us dead. So, we've been laying low at your place."
My irritation raised, "Get Jaken."
I could feel her roll her eyes, but she handed the phone over, "L-Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Jaken, why wasn't I informed that hanyo and his wench staying at my estate?"
The ugly imp started to beg for mercy, but I was not tolerant to this, "Jaken, take care of this. I will see to you in a few days."
I hung up as I heard Jaken spit insults at the miko, and feeling satisfied that he would get a double beating from both the woman and Inuyasha.
I lay on the bed, not needing to sleep but feeling overwhelmingly enraged. How releasing was it not so long ago, I could simple kill my stress away, revel in the movement of mind, body and power. It was too risky, these days, to use my yoki in public, and I exercise each sparingly. Peculiarly, it was only in my sparring with Inuyasha that I got a suitable challenge. My half-brother, that in a past life I barely acknowledged and only sought to fight for my rightful inheritance and honor, had become one of the few opponents powerful enough to give me a contest. When we meet we often fight, and many times it comes to a draw – the miko stopping the battle and calling attention to my destroyed grounds.
When not in my brothers company I relieved my mind and my body and my yoki only because I went, very rarely, to my mother's estate – hidden in the sky from human eyes and released my true form there. But these visits were few and far between, my mother not of enough importance to me to come often.
Neither of these options was available to me, so I lay in agonizing bloodlust, and wishing to hurry this visit along as to relieve that passion before I break.
~CHANGE~
Haruhi woke up feeling refreshed, her painful night of puking and coughing over. I wonder what I had. She thought, making her breakfast. Haruhi looked at the time, Shit, I'm going to be late. She hurriedly packed up her things, realizing a little too late she didn't make a lunch and didn't have any leftovers, as she had those for her dinner – being too sick to make anything and not brave enough to taste whatever her father concocted. She shrugged; there wasn't much she could do. She'd just have to wait until the club and get snacks then.
Now, right after lunch time, she had regretted her decision. Even her small breakfast in the morning wouldn't compensate for a night of puking all her food out, and her stomach was protesting for her skipped meal. I should have just taken Dad's food. But then she remembered the food – if that's what you could call it – and shuddered, no, she decided, even starvation was better than that.
The twins looked over at a particularly loud rumbled, "Didn't you eat at lunch?" Kaoru asked.
Haruhi shook her head and explained her predicament. The boys rolled their eyes, "If you'd have asked we would have given you some food." They replied together.
"But since you didn't…" Hikaru started, pulling out a candy bar.
"Here." Kaoru ended, giving her another.
"I can't accept –" Her stomach growled so loudly the students around started to notice. She blushed, and accepted them with gratitude.
~CHANGE~
"I'm glad to see your better." Kyoya said when Haruhi came into the music room, "After all, you do have a debt and missing days wouldn't help you repay it."
Haruhi sent him a deadpanned expression; she'd already decided that Kyoya would keep adding debt to her already massive one just to keep her in the club.
Kaoru and Hikaru snickered but didn't say anything to her, as they already had a few guests trickling in. Tamaki sprang to her though and started his over abundant exuberance. She ignored most of it, instead focusing on two girls sitting across Haruhi's usual spot.
"Hey, Kyoya, I didn't know I had guests already."
"Hmm… Oh, yes, Miss Yamamoto Rei and Sendo Kokone. Miss Yamamoto is a regular, she usually sits with the twins, but she explained that Miss Sendo wasn't interested in their 'brotherly love' package. I suggested you."
Haruhi was surprised, recommending her was oddly helpful. Secret acts of kindness, just like Kyoya. She smiled at him. Then she stopped, "Sendo, isn't that Kasanoda's friend's last name?"
"Oh, yes, she's the eldest girl in the Sendo Syndicate." Kyoya smiled. "Have fun."
Bastard, Haruhi slipped a glare his way, oh well, might as well play nice. She sat down across from them, "Welcome ladies."
"Hello, Haruhi!" Rei gushed, "I would like you to meet my good friend, Kokone."
The girl next to Rei held out her hand, Haruhi shook it. "It's a pleasure, would you like some tea?" They nodded and Haruhi poured it in their tea cups, "I'm surprised that you're here, Rei. I understand you're usually with Hikaru and Kaoru."
"Yes, well, I thought that you would be better at breaking in Kokone. I'm trying to get her interested in coming here with me."
"Oh? Do you not want to be here?" Haruhi addressed Kokone.
The woman smiled politely, "Not of course to offend your … club but I have better things to do with my time then stoke men's egos."
Rei laughed and playfully hit her, "Oh, Kokone, always so blunt. We don't come to stoke their egos; we're here to have fun!"
A loud squeal came from the twins' corner, and she looked hopefully at them, straining to see what was going on. Kokone waved her off, "Go, have 'fun'."
Rei was up and over to their table in second, not even giving her friend a second thought.
"Some good friend I have," Kokone examined, watching Rei shriek with delight at the boys loving tendencies.
"So, what grade are you? I haven't seen you in any of my classes?" Haruhi tried to make conversations.
"I'm a second year, and, as you probably know, D class."
"Why'd you come if you didn't want to?"
She was quiet for a moment, Haruhi could see her contemplating telling the truth, and finally she gave a small smile and said, "Beats going home."
She didn't say much else, mainly because a couple other girls came to sit by Haruhi also. After the other girls sat down, she scooted to the farthest point away and kept her gaze to the window. The girls ignored her for the most part, but some of the higher classed girls scrunched their noses, as if smelling something bad. Kokone continued to sit there quietly until closing time, her friend leaving without telling her.
Haruhi shook her awake, "Miss Kokone, it's time to go."
Kokone blearily looked around, and gaze locked to the window and her eyes cleared, "Someone's at the door." She observed in the reflection, and the club members looked to find her correct.
A man stood by the newly opened door, "Fujioka Haruhi."
Haruhi raised her hand slightly, "Yes, I'm Haruhi." The man walked over, handed her a note, and told her it's from his employer.
"Okay…" Haruhi gingerly opened it; the members huddled around to get a peak, "It's an invitation to dinner?" She looked up at the messenger.
He nodded, "My employer has told me to drive you, if you would."
"Where is this place?" Haruhi asked but the boys protested.
"You don't even know who it is!" Cried Tamaki – who happened to be the loudest – "He could be murderer, or worst a pervert!" Haruhi ignored him, curiosity getting the best of her, and asked Kyoya if she could call her dad to say she wouldn't be home for dinner. Tamaki became more insistent, "Do as your daddy says! Daddy doesn't want his little daughter to get hurt." He mauled Haruhi, and the twins called 'pervert.' Tamaki chased after them.
Kyoya saw Haruhi leave, and went to their last guest, "Miss Sendo, I'm afraid it's time to go."
Kokone nodded, and stood but didn't go to leave. She looked out to the beautiful trees dotted around the court yard, "Miss Kokone?" Kyoya nudged, giving her a small smile.
"You didn't notice? The wind stopped."
