Noon… It was friggin' noon…
Inu-Yasha sat on a bench in a small, grassy square lined with coffee shops and looked up at a large clock stuck into the brick of a building to his left. Folding his arms to his chest, he sighed in irritation and leaned back against the wood. Noon, and he still hadn't been able to find… anything, really. No maps, no people who could tell him where Higurashi Shrine was… Nothing! The hanyou groaned with annoyance, stretched, rolled his shoulders back to make them crack, and then stood from his spot to continue his search. He needed to find Kagome, and he needed to find her fast, if only for the sake of his sanity.
x
He walked from the square and back onto the streets, gazing through the bustling crowds, looking for a familiar scent or face: perhaps someone from his school either on lunch break or skipping class. Once more, Inu-Yasha was out of luck. His ears drooped dejectedly and he grumbled his annoyance out in inaudible curse words before continuing down the street. Quickly, he gazed into the windows of every store he passed by, desperately seeking a map. Unable to find one, he growled softly and leaned back against a large store window and gazed intently across the street. His eyes lit up as they hit upon a large, turquoise and gold, globe-like logo of a travel agency.
"Yes!" he exclaimed quietly to himself.
If that place doesn't have maps, I don't know where the hell does.
In near-gleefulness, Inu-Yasha hopped up to the curb and waited impatiently, his tail tapping against the ground, for a break in the steady stream of cars so that he could cross the road.
x
After waiting two minutes, Inu-Yasha cringed, fed up with waiting, and leaped over the cars to the sidewalk on the other side. A gaggle of younger girls in sailor-top school uniforms and skirts looked up at him as he landed, impressed, and all seven of them began to giggle as if he had just asked one of them out when he gave them a slightly embarrassed smile. His tail twitching, he raised his eyebrow at them in puzzlement, and turned to watch them go over his shoulder. Maybe… Maybe one of them knew…
"Hey," he called after them, pointing one finger in the air, "Hey, um, excuse me? … Wait a sec?"
In sync, all seven girls turned around, at least three of them blushing madly.
"Um, hi," Inu-Yasha said with a smile, "Look, do… Do any of you know where Higurashi Shrine is?"
He was met with silence, and his ears drooped, but he kept a smile on his face.
"I'd really appreciate it if one of you could, maybe, help me," he continued, "I'm really, really lost."
The girls looked at each other a bit awkwardly, whispered amongst themselves, and then one human girl who seemed to be redder than the rest of them was gently pushed towards him by her friends.
"I know where that is," she squeaked, "W-We just went there on a school trip last week."
Inu-Yasha blinked at the girl and raised his eyebrow, but then nodded.
"Cool," he replied, "Look, miss, if I showed you a map, would you be able to mark down where it is?"
The girl stared at Inu-Yasha blankly, her cheeks flushing with even more pink. A blue-haired youkai girl poked her, and she jumped and nodded swiftly. Inu-Yasha smiled, but he was extremely puzzled.
Why are they acting like this? He wondered, Kagome and Sango never act like this…
Inu-Yasha searched his mind, recalling all the female behaviour he had ever seen and he was still at a loss. Puzzled, Inu-Yasha cocked his ears, though still tried to appear pleasant.
"Arigato," he said, and then tilted his head to look at the travel agency, "Could you wait a second? I need to get a map."
The girl nodded frantically again, so Inu-Yasha turned around and walked into the building.
x
There were shelves lining all the walls that were completely covered with maps and brochures. Inu-Yasha scoured the nearest one, searching through them for a map of Tokyo. After he triumphantly pulled one from the pile, he heard the door open behind him and tilted one ear one ear to identify the blushing girl again. He turned to see her friends intently peering in the windows, but they all scurried away once they saw him looking at them. Perplexed, the hanyou walked up to the main desk at the back of the building and purchased the map, and then strode back to the girl. She was now nervously gnawing on one fingernail.
"Okay," Inu-Yasha said, opening the map to its full extent, "Could you point it out on here?"
The girl nodded and said "hai" shrilly. She looked at the map intently for a second before jabbing her finger at a spot near a large park.
"It's there," she said.
Inu-Yasha nodded and peered down at the map, finding that he recognized some of the street names. His tail wagged swiftly, and then he looked up at the girl again from the map.
"And… could you tell me where we are now?" he asked, and then looked a little embarrassed, "I haven't been able to find any street signs."
"We're right here," the girl said as she poked the map swiftly again.
Inu-Yasha nodded and scratched an X on each spot with his claw, but his heart sank as he observed the distances between the two places.
"Damn," he whispered, "This is gonna take me… hours…"
He sighed and put his hand to his forehead, but then smiled.
"Oh well, whatever," he said, and then turned to the girl, "Arigato."
"N-No problem," she stammered, though her face seemed to go crimson again every time he spoke to her.
x
Still confused, Inu-Yasha frowned and lightly poked the girl's cheek. She jumped backwards with a squeal, and Inu-Yasha yelped and nearly tripped over his tail.
"What was that?" they both demanded at once.
"I just wanted to know what the red on your face was," Inu-Yasha said defensively.
The girl eeped and clapped her hands to her cheeks embarrassedly.
"I dunno!" she said quickly, "I… Maybe I'm blushing?"
"Blushing…?" Inu-Yasha repeated, "That… Oh, that."
The girl blinked at him for a moment before seeming to suddenly realize something.
"Oh! You don't originally speak Japanese, do you?" she asked.
"Uh… Right," Inu-Yasha lied, bobbing his head in a nod, and then smiled, "How did you guess?"
"You can't tell, really," the girl said swiftly, "Your accent's perfect."
"Why thank you," Inu-Yasha said with a grin.
He stood with the girl for another moment in an awkward silence, not quite sure how to ditch her without sounding incredibly rude.
"Umm, well, thanks again," Inu-Yasha said, "I… I gotta go get to that shrine."
The girl continued to stare blankly at him for another moment before her eyes widened and she nodded swiftly.
"Oh, yeah, right, of course!" she said swiftly, "Good luck!"
The hanyou nodded his thanks and swiftly slipped out the door, leaving the girl still staring, dazed, after him.
x
Once he was far from the travel bureau, and the line of sight of those teenaged girls, Inu-Yasha shuddered.
What was up with them? He wondered, It was like there was some sort of magic over them or something.
Puzzled, he continued on his trek up the street corner and tilted his head upwards, gazing at the street sign. Opening his map, Inu-Yasha skimmed over it quickly to find the street name, and found that he was heading in the right direction. Sighing with relief, the hanyou's tail wagged back an forth and he confidently continued on his quest… That is, until he nearly tripped when his stomach growled so loudly that it literally made him jump two feet into the air.
"Okay," he decided, "Lunch first, then the walking."
xXxXxXxX
A few miles away, the inu youkai Sessho-Maru checked his watch for the fourth time. Past noon. He sighed and turned his head skywards to look up at the bright sky.
"C'mon whelp, where are you?" he asked aloud.
Clenching his fists, Sessho-Maru scrunched his eyes shut tightly. He shoved one hand into his pocket and carefully fingered the smooth beads of the necklace that belonged to his younger sibling. Though it smelled strongly of the girl who had been wearing them, the scent of hanyou was still clearly wafting from the surface of the beads and the rope that held them together. Sessho-Maru had arrived outside a small coffee shop that wasn't far from the animal shelter, though Inu-Yasha's scent was faint, and swiftly became lost amongst a myriad of other smells. Now, there was next to no way of telling which direction the teen had gone in. Snorting with discontent, Sessho-Maru opened his eyes and slowly began to walk up the street, testing the air for any trace of Inu-Yasha.
"I will find you little brother," he growled to an unknowing Inu-Yasha, "I swear it."
XxXxXxXx
The bitter-sweet stench… The taste of the scalding liquid… Oh how it burned! He was going to gag and choke! He clapped his hand over his mouth and eyes watered as he forced himself to gulp back the brown slosh, and then sighed happily as the burning softened into a mild warmth in his belly. Oh yes… Coffee… Was there anything better? …Probably, but Inu-Yasha still had to find it…
x
The hanyou smirked. There seemed to be a coffee shop around every few corners. Lucky for him, too. Tightening his grip on the white mug provided for him, he took another swig of his coffee before cringing as the sweltering fluid burned the back of his throat. It tasted wonderful after a moment, but it left a bad taste in his mouth, as he soon discovered as he ran his tongue over his fangs.
"Ew," he commented, and then stuck his finger in his mouth, thinking about how badly he wanted… no, needed, to brush his teeth.
As he was contemplating this, however, as he sat as his small table inside the coffee shop, his eyes began to wander to the large windows at one side, and in turn to a small, silver haired girl sitting, shivering, outside. After staring blankly for a moment, Inu-Yasha's eyes widened.
Hanyou, he thought, Like me.
His tail thumped a bit excitedly against the back of his chair before he looked harder at the girl. She seemed to be dressed in old clothes that were hardly big enough for her, and her scent told him that she was cold despite the bright sun and scared, and was even a little sick. Inu-Yasha frowned. He was in such a good mood now, with his map in his pocket and knowing how to get home, that it killed him to see such a small child unhappy.
x
Standing, the hanyou strolled back to the register and purchased a hot chocolate and a bagel to go before heading outside. He took a casual seat beside the other hanyou, who looked up at him swiftly, her bright violet eyes shimmering with uncertainty.
"Hey," Inu-Yasha said a bit absently, and then held out the warm drink to the child, "Here. You look half-starved."
The hanyou squeaked and recoiled a little. Inu-Yasha's ears drooped; he was a little hurt by this, but he knew her mother or father had probably warned her to be wary of strangers.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," he assured her, smiling warmly, "I didn't do anything to it. I just bought it in there."
He pointed to the building in front of them.
"I got it for you," he continued, "But… if you don't want it…"
He made as if to stand, but the girl took a hurried step towards him, looking both hopeful and cautious. Inu-Yasha grinned, his tail wagging, and he laughed quietly.
"Heh, I knew you'd come around," he snickered, and then handed the cardboard cup over the little girl, "Be careful with it; it's hot."
The little girl bobbed her head in a nod and took a cautious sip from the cup. Once she was positive that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, she gulped it down eagerly. Inu-Yasha smiled, feeling rather pleased with himself. The girl was soon done with the hot chocolate. She hurriedly threw out the cup and then gave Inu-Yasha a tiny smile.
x
"Arigato," she said in a soft voice.
Inu-Yasha laughed and nodded.
"No problem," he assured her, "Us hanyous, we gotta stick together, ne?"
The little girl nodded and smiled up at him, her tiny fangs showing now, and she hopped onto the seat beside him again.
"I'm Shiori," she said, "Hello."
Inu-Yasha snickered and couldn't help his smile from widening
.
"Well, I'm Inu-Yasha," he replied, "It's very nice to meet you."
"You too, Inu-Yasha-san," Shiori said.
"Heh, you trust me now, huh?" he asked.
Shiori shrugged and nodded.
"Your scent…" she said a little hesitantly, "I can…"
"I get it," Inu-Yasha said, "You can smell that I'm being honest?"
He grinned.
"Cool. You've got a good nose there, kid."
Shiori's pale cheeks brightened with pink, and she smiled up at the older hanyou.
"You're an inu hanyou ne?" she inquired.
"Hai," he replied, "And you?"
"Bat," she replied proudly.
Inu-Yasha nodded, his tail giving an approving flick.
"Awesome," he replied, nodding, but then he frowned and turned an inquisitive glare on the girl, "Hey… Are you all alone?"
Shiori looked at him, seeming a bit puzzled, and then nodded.
"Hai…" she mumbled, "I… You see, my mommy and I… We live in a little motel place…"
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened. The little girl was homeless…
"Mommy just got a job, see?" Shiori continued, but this time she seemed a little proud of what she was saying, "And… And I know she told me not to go far, but… But I did, and now…"
"You're lost?" Inu-Yasha inquired.
"Hai," she said with a slow nod.
Inu-Yasha nodded understandingly and raised an eyebrow at Shiori. The girl looked at him as if she were going to ask him a question, but was much too shy to do so. Inu-Yasha got the hint.
"Well," he said, "I… could help you get home… I guess."
Immediately, the bat hanyou perked up, her eyes shining hopefully.
"You could?" she inquired brightly.
Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded, and then looked absently down to the bagged bagel in his hand.
"Hey kid…? You hungry?"
Shiori looked as if she was about to say no, but her stomach growled loudly, answering on her behalf as she blushed furiously. Inu-Yasha snickered before handing the child the bagel, who, once making sure it was safe, devoured it eagerly.
x
Inu-Yasha watched her with a growing fondness, and then stood from his spot.
"Okay," he said, "Which way did you come from?"
"Over there, I think," Shiori replied, pointing a small claw behind her, "Waaaay over there."
Inu-Yasha squinted along the line of her finger, staring into the distance.
"Hmm… Okay," he said slowly, "Want to start looking?"
"Yeah," Shiori said eagerly.
She leapt from her perch and followed Inu-Yasha as he began to walk away, watching as his long tail swayed back and forth. She darted forward, walking along beside him, and she gently gripped his fingertips. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened, though he said nothing and smiled, leading the child confidently to the curb of the sidewalk. Looking at the cars speeding along the road, however, Shiori seemed to become a bit hesitant. She stopped and eyed the asphalt nervously. Inu-Yasha looked down at her, a little puzzled, before kneeling down to her level.
"What's up?" he inquired, peering into her violet eyes curiously.
"Oh, it's just… I hate crossing roads," she said a little shyly.
"Oh," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "Umm…"
He cocked one eyebrow, thinking, and then grinned.
"You can sit on my shoulders," he stated proudly.
"Okay," Shiori said with nod, and then smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Inu-Yasha-san."
Carefully, she clambered up onto the older hanyou's shoulders, gently gripping to the top of his head to help her keep balance. Inu-Yasha grinned and stood up once more. Shiori yelped and steadied herself before looking ahead, feeling almost as if she were flying.
Giggling, she spread her arms out like wings and flapped them for a second before felling unsteady and grasping lightly to Inu-Yasha's hair.
"Don't fall," Inu-Yasha warned jokingly.
"I won't," Shiori assured him, gently taking one of his ears between her fingers and stroking the fur.
A tremor ran up his spine, though he snorted out a soft laugh.
"Just don't pull, eh? I need those to hear with," he commented.
"Okay," Shiori said.
xXxXxXx
"The square root of 75 multiplied by 6, anyone know the answer?"
Ten hands shot up.
"Without calculators please…"
A dejected sigh rose from the class as the teacher, a moth youkai by the name of Miss Suri, smirked devilishly.
"Kagome, how about you?" she inquired.
Kagome, who had been staring blankly at the textbook on her lap, nearly jumped out of her seat and stared nervously at her teacher.
"Ummm… I… What was the question?" she asked, blushing with embarrassment.
The youkai smiled, amused, and flexed her wings gently.
"Miss Higurashi, maybe you should pay a little more attention," she advised, poking the human on the forehead.
"Ur, yeah… I know…" she mumbled as a reply, "I know, sorry."
Miss Suri chuckled quietly, though she looked curiously to the empty desk beside Kagome's. It was Inu-Yasha's seat. This youkai had always been very fond of Inu-Yasha and Kagome. They were even on first-name terms outside the classroom.
x
"Miss Higurashi, where is our canine classmate today?" she inquired.
"Oh…" Kagome said slowly, and then beckoned the teacher to lean her ear down.
She did so, and Kagome whispered "He's kinda… missing," into her ear. The youkai's eyes widened and she drew back with a gasp.
"Are you serious?" she blurted loudly.
The rest of the class looked at their teacher, puzzled, as Kagome nodded.
"Nobody move; Kagome, come with me," she said swiftly.
She took Kagome by the arm and whisked her from the room, formality leaving her in an instant.
"What do you mean by 'he's kind of missing'?" the moth youkai demanded with worry.
"He… See, I was inside the grocery store yesterday and…"
x
Kagome quickly related the story to her teacher, who soon stood with her mouth agape and her orange antennae drooping in disbelief.
"My god, is he all right?" Miss Suri demanded, referring to Inu-Yasha.
"I… I think he is," Kagome replied, "I mean, he got out and all, but… he seems to be lost or something. I'm going to go look for him tonight."
"Good, good," the moth said, nodding swiftly, "Would you like some help?"
Kagome shook her head.
"Thanks a lot Amuro, but I'll be okay."
Amuro smiled a little sadly and ruffled Kagome's hair.
"Well, back into the room with you," she said with a smile, "I'm going to the teacher's lounge for some coffee… Would you like anything?"
"Some water would be great," Kagome said.
The youkai nodded and the tilted her head inquisitively.
"About the test tomorrow…" she started, and Kagome yelped with shock and nearly stumbled over herself.
"The test! Oh no, I forgot… Damn it, and after Yasha reminded me so many times not to!" she complained.
Amuro smirked and tapped her chin thoughtfully with a claw.
"You're not ready, I presume," she said, and Kagome shook her head, "What about the other students?"
"Well, Inu-Yasha… He's good at math and he wasn't ready yesterday," Kagome said slowly, "And I even heard Kashi Hakkaku complaining about it."
"Duly noted," the teacher laughed, "All right whelp, you all get one day's extension to prepare; how's that?"
Kagome stared wide-eyed the youkai before punching the air and giving a quiet cheer of triumph.
"Arigato!" she exclaimed, taking her teacher's hand and shaking it vigorously, "Amuro-sensei, you're my hero!"
"Hah!" the moth laughed as her student released her, "Now back to class with you Miss Higurashi."
"Yes ma'am," Kagome said, saluting before she turned on her heal and darting back into the math room where her fellow classmates were talking loudly amongst themselves.
x
"Hey Kagome," the okami, Hakkaku said from the back of the room, beckoning her closer, "What's up?"
Kagome grinned and bounded up to him, leaping onto his desk and leaning over to poke his nose.
"Guess who just got us a text extension?" she giggled.
Hakkaku gawked for a moment before baring his fangs in a wide grin.
"Awesome!" he said happily, "Now we won't fail!"
"I still might," Kagome joked, "I suck at math."
"Nah," Hakkaku replied, and then gave her a wink, "Hey, I'll even help you study."
"Wow, thanks," she said with a grin, "Everyone in my house except Inu-Yasha is hopeless at math, and… well, he's sort of wandering around right now."
"Yeah, I heard from Koga," he said, looking a little disheartened, "I hope the poor mutt's okay."
"Me too," Kagome agreed.
xXxXxXx
Inu-Yasha tilted his head upward, pointing to a high street sign above his head.
The sun was starting to set now, and Shiori had assured him that they were nearly home.
"Hey, Shiori, does this road sound familiar?" he inquired.
Shiori look up, grasping to the hanyou's head so that she wouldn't fall over. Her eyes lit up as they landed on the sign, and she nodded swiftly.
"Yeah," she said with a smile, hugging the top of Inu-Yasha's head and leaning forward to look him in the face, "I live a bit west of here, I think."
"West, okay," Inu-Yasha said.
He turned to his right, the west, though he accidentally ran smack into a woman, who fumbled with some book she was holding and dropped them onto the sidewalk with a squeak of dismay. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he squatted swiftly, scooping up the books, all horror novels, and passed them back to the woman.
"Gomen, my fault," he said, "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, I'm fine," the woman said a little absently as she accepted her books, though after she skimmed the top novel's cover for scratches, she looked up at Inu-Yasha and began to gawk.
Inu-Yasha tilted one ear under Shiori's fingers, a bit puzzled. The woman before him was a youkai with bright red eyes and hair held back in a bun with a long feather. She looked as if she worked as a librarian, and even wore a nametag pinned to her sweater. Though she didn't look familiar to him, she stared at him as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Um... Hey, um, Kagura," Inu-Yasha said a little worriedly as he read her nametag, "Are you okay? Damn, I didn't hit your head against something, did I?"
The woman stared for another moment before shaking her head swiftly.
"No, I'm all right, thank you for picking up my books," she said hurriedly before walking off swiftly, muttering something about telling her boss about "this".
Inu-Yasha raised one eyebrow and Shiori peered after the woman curiously.
"Well, that was weird," Inu-Yasha commented, "What do you think?"
"Yeah… She was staring at you a lot," Shiori agreed, "What a strange lady."
Inu-Yasha smirked and nodded his agreement before continuing down the street.
x
After another few minutes, Shiori sniffed the air and then stood up on Inu-Yasha's shoulders. The older hanyou yelped and grasped her ankles so that she wouldn't fall.
"Jeez! Whelp, warn me next time!" he said exasperatedly.
"Sorry Inu-Yasha-san," Shiori said, "But look!"
She pointed straight ahead and smiled widely.
"I can see the motel! We're home!"
Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes up at her and grinned.
"Yeah? Well, take a seat again and we can get there quicker."
Swiftly, Shiori did as she was bid and Inu-Yasha took off at a run, leaping onto the roof of a nearby building and racing across it, leaping into the fenced-in yard of the motel she had been talking about. It was small, with only about twenty rooms that Inu-Yasha could see, and it looked a little ill-maintained.
x
Shiori squealed with glee and hugged the top of Inu-Yasha's head.
"I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to do that!" she giggled.
"Heh," Inu-Yasha smirked.
Carefully, Shiori leapt from his shoulders and happily took his hand.
"Look, look, I live here," she said.
She pulled him swiftly to one of the motel rooms on the first floor that had a large blue door.
"Ta da!" Shiori laughed, gesturing to it as if she were a circus ringmaster displaying something marvalous.
Inu-Yasha smiled and watched as the little girl pulled a card-key out of her pocket and hopped up to the slot on the door to put it in. It swung open with her weight and she pulled the key out, directing Inu-Yasha inside. He looked around curiously. There were two small beds in the room with green sheets, a back area with a sink and small fridge, and a pile of belongings that looked a bit out of place next to the wall. The room wasn't as bad as he had expected, judging by the exterior, and it seemed safe enough for the kid.
"It's nice," he said with an approving nod.
"You really think so?" Shiori squeaked.
"You bet," Inu-Yasha said with a grin, "But, uh… Where's your mom?"
"Well, she should be here," the bat hanyou said, now seeming a little worried, "Umm.. Oh no, she might be looking for me."
She winced, nervously cracking the knuckles on one hand. Inu-Yasha looked down at the girl, unsure of what to do, but then he heard the name "Shiori" being called off in the distance.
"I think I hear her," Inu-Yasha assured her, "Stay right here, okay?"
Shiori nodded swiftly, her violet eyes glimmering hopefully.
x
Inu-Yasha took another running leap over the fence and onto the sidewalk. Looking around, he spotted a human woman in worn-looking clothing, an old jacket and faded jeans, standing on the corner. She gripped a photograph tightly in her hand, and worriedly, she shouted out the name "Shiori" once more. Swiftly, Inu-Yasha walked over to her.
"Hey," he said, "You're Shiori's mom?"
The woman turned, her eyes widening.
"You've seen my Shiori?" she demanded.
"Yeah, I found her this afternoon and brought her in there," he replied, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder to the motel, "She's waiting inside a room."
The look of anxiety on the woman's face slowly faded into one of joy.
"She's all right?" she asked swiftly.
"Perfectly," Inu-Yasha assured her, "She's a bit sleepy though."
"Oh thank god," the woman sighed.
She began to hurry back to the entrance of the grounds, and before Inu-Yasha could volunteer to jump her over, she was inside. He snickered quietly and was about to leave, but he heard Shiori calling to him from where she stood, so he jumped back over the fence to her side.
"Did you find her?" the little hanyou asked as soon as he arrived.
"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "She ran in the other way."
Shiori's whole face lit up, and she turned around as her mother turned the corner towards them.
"Mommy!" she called, waving, "Hi!"
The woman stopped in her tracks for a second before rushing to her daughter and hugging her tightly.
"Oh, Shiori," she whispered, "I was so worried that you'd been abducted or…"
"No, no, mommy, I got lost is all," Shiori assured her mother, "But Inu-Yasha-san helped me get home."
She turned away from her mother to grab Inu-Yasha's hand and drag him over.
"He's a hanyou too," she stated proudly.
Shiori's mother stared at Inu-Yasha again, and then hugged him tightly around the shoulders. He yelped and stumbled backwards as the woman's body shook slightly.
"Thank you, young man," she whispered, "Thank you for looking after my Shiori."
"Uh, it was nothing," Inu-Yasha said truthfully, and then smirked, "Kids are great."
Shiori beamed when her mother backed away from Inu-Yasha and snickered because the older hanyou was blushing slightly. She hugged him around the waist, giggling.
"Hey, Inu-Yasha-san, would you like to stay?" she inquired, "Mommy, can he stay? At least for tonight?"
"Now Shiori, Inu-Yasha-san probably has somewhere else to be," her mother said.
"Well, I mean..." Inu-Yasha said a little shyly, "I was heading to Higurashi Shrine, but I'd be walking all night if I kept going."
The bat hanyou's mother pondered for a moment before smiling at Inu-Yasha.
"Well then Inu-Yasha-san, would you like to stay the night with us?" she inquired, though she began to look a little embarrassed as Inu-Yasha's eyes traced to the large blue door behind her, "Though it may not be the nicest place, at least it's warm and dry and-"
"No, no, it's great," Inu-Yasha assured her quickly, "It doesn't look bad at all."
He grinned.
"I'd be honoured to stay."
Shiori looked up at him, her gaze full of admiration, and she hugged him tighter.
"Yay! Inu-Yasha-san's gonna stay!" she cheered.
XxXxXxXx
After dusk, Inu-Yasha sat in the room with Shiori and her mother. Inside, they had all their belongings, though despite this, the space was hardly cramped. Shiori was fast asleep in Inu-Yasha's lap, snoring softly. Inu-Yasha felt a tiny bit awkward, but he found the bat pup a little cute. Shiori's mother was in the designated "kitchen area" making coffee on a hot-plate. Inu-Yasha watched her, feeling a little bad. They didn't even have a proper stove to work with.
"Koumori-san?" he inquired, addressing her, "Where do you work?"
"Hmm?" she replied as she poured two cups of coffee and carried them over, "I work at a restaurant just a little ways away from here. They pay's not the best, but at least it's something."
She handed Inu-Yasha a mug, which he accepted gratefully as she sat beside him.
"You know," Inu-Yasha said a little absently, "At the shrine where I live… I could probably get you a job."
The woman looked at him, surprised.
"I mean, the pay there's pretty good," he continued, "I used to get paid sometimes if I took guests on tours. I didn't get as much as someone working full time there because I lived there, but it was still pretty good money."
"Well, I do make 1000 yen an hour," she mumbled a little shyly, "But… I don't… The job is a bit demeaning, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "At the shrine, for me… Well, I'd get a third of what each person on your tour pays… And then 2000 yen an hour extra."
He smiled.
"For you, it'd probably be even more."
The woman stared at him in awe, and then smiled.
"My, you're a considerate young man, aren't you?" she laughed, "Any reason why?"
"Not really," Inu-Yasha said.
"And what possessed you to help my daughter today?" she inquired, smirking a little.
"Well, I dunno," he said, "She was lost… Like me."
xXxXxXx
In a dank, dark office at the other end of the city, the light flickered gently as a man stuck his bare feet up on his desk, rocking back in his chair as he read his Stephen King novel, Pet Cemetery, for about the hundredth time. He smirked, showing fang, as his red eyes skimmed the pages. How he adored horror novels! They were incredibly fascinating. It was incredible what the human, or demon, mind could come up with to strike terror into the hearts of others. Of course, this man had read this book far too many times to be scared of it, though he felt a tremor of excitement at every turn of the page. So many ideas…
He raised an eyebrow as he heard the door beyond his open and the sound of feet in high-heels clipping across the floor. There were three timid knocks at his door, and the man smirked.
"Come in Kagura," he said without moving his eyes from the pages.
Swiftly, the door opened and the youkai woman strode in confidently and placed a stack of horror novels on his desk.
"I checked them out for you at work today, boss," she said a little proudly.
The man's red eyes left the pages for the first time in two hours and he observed the pile of book with delight.
"Why, thank you Kagura," he said, "I'll be sure to slip you a bit of a bonus this month."
Kagura smirked slightly, but her face fell and her fingers strayed to her pocket in a nervous habit.
"What?" he inquired, staring at her, "You think I don't know that look?"
Kagura gulped and shifted from one foot to another.
"Boss… Um… Naraku," she said quietly, "Today… on my way here…"
She gulped again and Naraku's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Spit it out, woman," he ordered.
"I ran… I ran into Inu-Yasha."
Stunned into silence, Naraku dropped his chair back onto the floor, his frown deepening.
"That's impossible," he said softly, "That boy has been dead for-"
"Seven years, I know," Kagura said swiftly, "But I swear, it was him. I'd know that face, and those eyes anywhere."
Naraku shut his mouth and stared at the woman before him with puzzlement, though his face soon donned a smirk.
"Well then, what a pleasant surprise," he chuckled, looking down at his book again, "So the brat survived, eh? Interesting…"
"What are you going to do about this…?" Kagura inquired a little nervously.
Naraku raised his eyes from the pages again, looking irritated.
"What am I going to do? Nothing. But you…"
Kagura frowned, biting her lip.
"Oh no, no way," she growled, "You're not laying this thing on me. I won't do it; that poor boy's been through enough shit to last a lifetime."
She clenched her fists angrily.
"You're going to damn well have to do it yourself."
Naraku stared at her and sighed.
"But Kagura, you know how lazy I am," he said, feigning a gripe, "And now these…"
He gestured to the mountain of horror novels.
"You've condemned yourself to it, my dear."
Kagura's frown became more frustrated, and she shook her head swiftly.
"I refuse," she stated, "I will not do you dirty work, Naraku! …I won't make him go through that…"
Naraku sighed a little dejectedly and placed his novel down on the desk, lovingly dog-earing the page.
"Fine… Fine," he grumbled, "I'll do it myself."
He smiled slightly.
The fun was about to begin…