Title: Dimensional Lovers
Rating: M
DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Kuroko no Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. Two respected mangaka! I do not own the characters in any way nor the story plot. Only the idea of this fanfiction!
Note: Dimensional Lovers updates every 10 reviews! Due to my other stories taking time as well, if these one-shots become popular, I do make time for them! Because you all deserve to get some fluff/romance/action whatever pairings with Kagome!
MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: Finally got this done! I had started this like 4 months ago, and the idea started way longer than that. This is something that has been bugging me for so long, so there is no telling where this will go or if people would be interested in a full-blown story. Lately readers and reviews have dropped in this community so I am not sure how long I will be doing this. I may just move onto doing scenarios on my Tumblr, but who knows. For now, I will share what I got until I burn out ha-ha. This is AU, so the canon stuff is out of the bag.
Think of this chapter more of a preview of what it would be for a story, so enjoy!
Anime: Kuroko no Basket x Inuyasha
Characters: Harem x Kagome (Or it may change)
Chapter 37: Corrupted Saviors
How many times had she called her out? Six times? Maybe ten? Slumping back down in her seat, the brunette female raised a brow as she stared at her friend across the table. The plan had been to come to their usual café and catch up, but here she was sitting in silence after noticing the blue-eyed female zoning out. Now her attention was glued on the window next to their table and staring at the people walking by.
Sighing under her breath, she picked up her cup of hot tea before bringing it up to her lips. Well, it was nice to see her junior still the same way as she had left her when she graduated from high school. It was already two years since she graduated, and now seeing her friend in her third and last year of high school, she felt proud of her. Although it was a big accomplishment, fear still brewed within and she was sure her friend felt it, too.
Especially with the current situation of the town-
"Sango! Kagome-chan!"
Turning to the direction of the call, the brunette blinked noticing a male with a low and short black ponytail holding a book. He gave them a wide grin as he adjusted the book under his arm and made his way to them.
Sango set her cup down on the table once more before sending him a small smile. "Hey, Miroku."
"Sorry I'm late." Miroku apologized as he stood at the end of their table. "The trains had some trouble on the way here." He blinked noticing the silent one had yet to greet him. Raising a brow of his own, he pointed at the black-haired teen. "She okay?"
"She is lost in her own little world again." Sango chuckled with a shrug. "Kagome-chan and I were fine, but suddenly her attention just landed outside."
Eyes glided back on the quiet one before tilting his head and waving his hand in front of her face. "Hello~, is Kagome-chan in there?"
"H-Huh?" Reality snapping back, Kagome blinked a few times before realizing she had eyes on her. Her eyes went from Sango to Miroku before a sheepish grin made its way to her lips. "Ah, sorry! I was lost in my thoughts!"
"Yeah," Sango picked up her mug, "we know."
Scratching the back of her head, Kagome could only give out a nervous chuckle. As the waitress came in to take Miroku's order, Kagome's eyes landed on the book he had set on the table. "Oh," she pulled it closer to her, "is this the book you were telling me about, Miroku-senpai?"
"The one." Miroku winked. "It was hell to try to find it. It's almost as if people want to bury the stories inside of it." You would think there would be books or at least articles online about the town's history, but nothing. Blank. The closest he could find were the recent news circulating about the dangers lurking on every corner. They made it sound like they were all violent creatures. Hearing pages being flipped, his eyes landed on Kagome skimming through them. It never ceased to amaze him; her curiosity was definitely starving to know more about their town's "Golden Age" began. Having met Kagome while Sango and he were third-years, they were quite surprised to find out the girl was something they did not picture her to be. They had not meant to judge on first sight, but both of them did confess to the girl they thought she was an innocent girl who feared conflict. Turns out it was the opposite; courageous and stood up to those who bullied the weak. He had lost count the many times Sango and he tried to pull Kagome away from conflicts she would misread, and even from dangerous situations that could have definitely put her life in danger.
"Interesting…" Kagome commented as she saw the sepia photographs. The streets were run down and nothing to what money and order had transformed it to be now, but that did not mean they were safe. "So this is before the 'Golden Age' started."
Becoming interested herself, Sango leaned forward in her sea to take a look. "The town looked scarier."
"Of course it did." Miroku added as he accepted his drink from the waitress. "We are talking about the time before the Wa Group put order and able to make this town safe again."
Eyes still glued on the book, Kagome's mind only wondered what had happened after the Wa Group disbanded. A group who earned nationwide recognition from the common people by erasing the crimes taking over the streets of Japan. Wa flourished for four years, and those four years were heaven for the gang and citizens of Japan, until the leader disappeared without a trace. The second the news broke out, everyone and everything slowly went on a rewind: chaos. Without a leader to keep them together, smaller gangs decided to follow in the foots steps of the Wa, but with the wrong morals in mind. The darkness crept on Japan for many years with yakuza, rogue, and rookie groups trying to take the 'throne'.
A throne to rule all over gangs.
"Did you hear about the teen girl who was abducted two days ago?" Sango whispered. "The news went crazy now that is became the third girl in two weeks to be kidnapped without a trace."
"I did hear that." Miroku sighed as he relaxed back in his seat. "The scary thing is that they were in the downtown area, so it was not like they were in an alley or the super dangerous areas of the gangs."
"Dangerous areas?" Sango scoffed. "I think you forget this territory is split by the Seirin and Touou groups."
Hearing the familiar names, Kagome's eyes landed on her seniors. "And they didn't notice?"
"Notice?" Sango repeated.
"Notice that the girls disappeared." Kagome continued. "You said it yourself, Sango-senpai: Seirin and Touou territory. If anyone would be aware of other crimes being done in their territory that is just asking for war."
Miroku nodded as he snapped his fingers, "Kagome-chan has a point. Not to mention Touou has been seen around the streets more frequently."
"And?" Sango's brow rose. "Just because this is their territories doesn't mean they couldn't be involved."
Kagome blinked; Sango had a point.
Exhaling heavily, Miroku rested his chin over his palm. "Well, things have certainly gotten complicated for everyone, even for on standby."
"I wouldn't say you're very 'innocent'." Sango's eyes narrowed at the boy sitting next to her. Miroku may not be part of the gangs, but that did not mean it stopped him from flirting with every girl he deemed beautiful.
Giving her a shocked expression, Miroku placed his hand on his chest. "Your words wound me, beautiful Sango-san!"
"Good, pervy monk."
"Oi!" Miroku stopped her from continuing, "don't make fun of my blood line of monks!"
A low chuckle vibrated within Kagome as she observed the interaction of her seniors. After they graduated, the environment in school had changed for her, and although she had her own friends in her class, it still was not the same. Sango and Miroku had taken care of her since she joined the martial arts club. They had clicked right off the bat. She was grateful for the two of them continuing to meet up with her despite both already dealing with adult obstacles. It only made her wonder if she was ready for that path soon.
"One, two, three…" Counting with his fingers, Miroku's eyes widened slightly as the seventh finger came up in his counting. "Geez, if there is another gang appearing within the already made territories, then that would bring it to six and plus at war."
Kagome's eyes landed on the monk; Sango's brow furrowed as reality hit. It was bad enough Wa's territory had been divided into six parts. All thanks to fate having produced six prodigies to come up and create strong enough groups and set some sort of 'balance'.
"Seirin and Touou aside, Kaijo, Shutoku, and Yosen have stayed quiet lately." Miroku added. "Which is something that is making everyone uneasy."
"Don't forget Rakuzan." Sango brought her drink to her lips.
"Rakuzan?" He scoffed. "No one has even seen the leader of that group other than his own men."
"Miroku-senpai?"
Called by Kagome, the monk blinked.
"You mentioned Touou having been out more frequent than usual?" Her brow rose. "Have you heard of the reason?"
Another sigh blew between Miroku's lips as he took a glance out the window. It was never wrong to be too careful in public – and even in private – when they were in territories 'protected' by notorious gangs. Turning his head back to the females, Miroku crossed his arms on the table. "Rumors have it they know something about the girl that are being abducted."
"I told you." Sango's eyes narrowed dangerously. "They are never up to any good."
Looking back down at the book in front of her, Kagome's eyes furrowed as she saw the Wa kanji sprayed painted on a wall of an old shop. As the years went by, the people's hopes of peace and safety slowly rotted in the corruption of the gangs.
"Just be careful, Kagome-chan." Sango spoke, bringing back Kagome's attention to her. "People are afraid the balance of the Generation of Miracles will break with a new gang forming in the darkness."
"Hai, hai." She nodded back as she looked out the window. She was mature enough to know how to handle herself.
Eyes glued on the book in hand, Kagome's pace slowed on the side walk. The sun close to setting, it was the hour many citizens hurried to be in their homes. Not that she blamed them. A low sigh escaped her lips as she saw the streets beginning to clear out. The conversation with Miroku and Sango may had seemed playful and one where the warning was long forgotten, but everyone needed to be told repeatedly about the dangers of their city.
Six.
There were six group in total that reigned the territories of their town.
Five leaders who became known as the Generation of the Miracles and one leader who reigned after wards.
There was a mystery fogging their backgrounds and the reason why they were doing the unspeakable, but as difficult it is to agree to it, they did balance out the chaos that was occurring and growing. When Wa disbanded, it had been a mess, but the Generation of Miracles had come in as hope. It was years ago – almost over twenty years ago, and things had certainly changed when the Wa broke off due to their leader disappearing.
Stopping in her steps, Kagome raised a brow noticing a group of three elementary boys circled around a telephone pole.
"They are so cool! One day I will be joining them!"
"Yeah right!" One of the boys scoffed. "You don't even fight! Only the strong can join, Touou!"
"Touou?!" Th one brunette boy with wavy hair laughed. "I think Seirin is the way to go!"
A deadpan look glued on the other two boys before the one that looked to be their 'leader' flicked him on the forehead. "Idiot, Seirin is a rookie group who just started. Why would you want to be with Seirin? Touou could kick their butts any day."
"I think both are dumb."
The three boys looked over their shoulders to see the black-haired female looking down at them with a smirk. The first boy sent her a glare as he turned around to face her. "What would you know?"
"What would I know?" Kagome repeated his question with sarcasm. "Well I will tell you this." She pointed at the telephone pole with Touou's emblem permanent on steel. "Just because they are tough doesn't mean they are good people."
"Ha!" The same boy scoffed back. "It isn't like the police do anything to help!"
His words made her expression drop with concern. He had a point; it pained her to hear such word from a young heart. The fact someone as young as them realized the police were the last people to count on when it came to these streets. It also made them wonder who were the good guys and who they were supposed to deem as the bad ones.
"Well," Kagome nodded, having to agree slightly, "you got a point."
The boy stuck out his tongue, making Kagome chuckled.
"Watch! We are going to be part of Touou-!"
"Seirin!" The other boy interrupted.
"Shh!" He turned to the brunette male before his attention landed back on Kagome. "And we are going to be protecting these streets and become the strongest!"
"Yeah, yeah." Kagome waved her free hand up and down. There was a lot to argue to his statement, but who was she to argue with a child? Then again, she opened her eyes, she argued with many when they stepped out of line in her neighborhood. She was not one to stay quiet and let the bed deed continue. If she saw or heard something out of bad morality, then she would step in. Before she could give the boy a flick of her own, a whistle to her left made her and the boys turn. The boys froze in their spot; Kagome's eyes slowly widened.
Predatory steps from a group of five men dressed in black suits and a black office shirt underneath came towards them. The three boys' and Kagome's guards immediately went up upon facing the grins decorating their lips.
"Well, well, what do we go here?" The male harboring a deadly smirk came forth as his eyes remained squinted. Kagome blinked, noticing his short stature and his missing teeth with the red circular markings around his eyes and close to his chin. "Three kids past their curfew and a beautiful woman in need of company."
Kagome cringed at the sound of his laugh.
His venomous eyes landed on the kids before they came back to the female; his grin grew.
Could they be part of the group responsible for the abductions? Kagome had not heard them taking children – her eyes lowered to the ones in front of her – but she would not put is past them. As the mysterious group of men took another step forward, Kagome came forth and pushed the kids behind her. If they wanted to take them, they would have to get through her.
And she would not be an easy target.
"Oh?" The male's bow rose to match his smirk. "Boys, looks like we are dealing with a feisty one." The laughs behind him only sent Kagome on edge. "We don't meet any females who are courageous enough to fight the Dokugumo."
'Dokugumo…?' Kagome repeated in her head. Is that who they affiliated with? Hearing the snap of his finger, Kagome's eyes went over to the bleached hair male who began to walk towards them. The kids behind her trembled and cuddled closer from the fear of saying goodbye to their freedom. Kagome took a step back, using her body to shield the eyes of the three kids. She was frightened, and she felt her body go cold at the thought of going against ruthless individuals like them, but she was not about to let it paralyze her completely. Trying to relax her shoulders, Kagome's right foot slowly took a step back only to hear a sudden knock down from behind the group.
Heads immediately turned to the source of the hit; one of their men had been knocked out cold to the floor. Eyes traveled upwards: black skinny pants, navy blue t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. The group took a cautious step away from his radius as they noticed him shaking out his fist.
"Finally found you bastards." His heavy tone laced with hate; the tan male cracked his knuckles once more before setting his dark blue eyes on the men in front of him.
"W-Who are you-?" The dictator of the group froze in his spot the moment he saw the mysterious male punching another of his men down to the floor without warning. "O-Oi! Do you know who we are?!" Turning to the bleached haired male beside him, he pushed him towards Kagome and the kids. "W-What are you doing?! Grab them!" His hand turned back to their attacked before feinting a victorious smirk. "One step closer and these four will be suffering the consequences!"
Kagome's brow furrowed, both out of confusion and disgust. Using them as hostage now? As the bleached haired male took another step towards them, Kagome wasted no time to swing her right leg upwards to kick the male's waist before using her left fist for a punch on his right cheek.
The group of men and the mysterious male blinked, surprised to see one of the men having been knocked out by a teen.
"Woah…" The boys behind her whispered.
The leader of the group scurried away from between them and made his way to stand behind the telephone pole. Leaving his last soldier in between the two, Kagome's eyes narrowed on the enemy and what she hoped to be their savior. Although he came in on the right moment, there was no telling who to trust, especially when he attacked two of them without hesitation. The Dokugumo member quickly dug his hand behind his pants' pocket before flipping out a pocket knife.
Hearing the kids gasp, Kagome cursed under her breath. The situation screamed danger, and this time they had to keep a close eye on the blade. Any misread in his movement could lead to someone's injury. The Dokugumo member's eyes shifted from left to right from where he stood before he made eye contact with his leader. Both Kagome and the tan male quickly saw their attacked heading towards the male's direction; Kagome's eyes caught sight of the leader heading towards the kids behind her.
"O-Oi!" Kagome shouted, cursing herself for having let her guard down.
Easily deflecting the blade by dropping his palm over the attacker's wrist, the blue haired male used the same hand to grab on his wrist and grab the back of his coat. In one swift moment, he flipped him over and dropped him to the concrete on his back. He ignored the grunts; his attention was immediately pulled to the leader of the group having been grabbed by the collar of his shirt and pinned to the wall. A low scoff escaped his lips as he straightened up. The last thing he wanted to run into them.
"Are you okay, miss?"
Kagome blinked; her eyes moved to the left to see a light-blue haired male with a skinny frame staring back at her. The kids and herself took an immediate step back not having sensed his presence. Where did he come from?
"W-Who are you?" Kagome quickly pulled the kids towards her.
Blue eyes matching his hair blinked back, "oh, I apologize if I startled you, miss."
"Of course you two would be showing up."
All present, except the one holding up the leader to the wall, turned to the tan male flexing his fingers.
His dark gaze dropped to the pale male, "Tetsu…," eyes glided to the red head male with black streaks wearing a black leather jacket as well, "Bakagami."
"I told you not to call me that." The red head glared. "What is Touou doing that they are letting these bastards invade other territories, Ahomine? You guys must be slacking to be letting them do what they want in your area."
"Slacking?" 'Ahomine's' smirk grew. "We are actually doing all the work tracking these bastards down." Raising a brow, he stopped an inch away from the telephone pole harboring Touou's emblem. "Unlike your weak Seirin family who is wasting time looking for that coward you call leader. It's been over twenty years; he is gone."
"He is out there, Aomine-kun." 'Tetsu' cut in. "Somewhere or somehow. He wouldn't have just left like that."
"Ha-ha…"
Attention flew to the leader.
"Seirin and Touou members here?" His laughter continued through the red head's grip. "You kids continue to think this is nothing but a breeze coming into your territories, but," he coughed, "a storm is coming."
"Storm, huh?" The tan male's brow crooked upwards. Coming stand behind the red head, he scoffed. "Hand him over, he is our problem."
"Huh!?" The red head exclaimed back. "He is in our territory now; you don't dictate here!"
"You said it yourself," Aomine inched closer, meeting his glare, "we have been slacking, right? I'll take care of this bastard."
"Kagami-kun."
Feeling a hand on his arm, red eyes lowered to meet the blank expression of the petite male. "What now, Kuroko?"
"Let it go; hand him over to Aomine-kun." He replied. "This guy did from Touou territory." The last thing they needed was for the tension to ignite a fire and start another problem between the leader of Touou and one of the Seirin members. At this point it was best to let it slip.
Kagami read the situation; he growled under his breath as he gave the man one last glare before pushing him towards Aomine. "You better do your job and make sure your streets are clean of these bastards. Seirin doesn't need these bastards crawling into our territory."
Catching the culprit by the back of his shirt, Aomine gave Kagami a snicker. Who was he to tell him how to run his place? Choosing to ignore his threat, Aomine turned around with their new prisoner in hand. From the corner of his eyes he caught the glued stares of the three boys and the girl who – he had to admit she did well – had kicked the butts of the other men. "Next time, don't be hanging around areas like this, you hear me?" His eyes narrowed to match his smirk. "Especially you, kitten. You are their preferred target."
"Don't call me that." She barked back.
"Oh?" He chuckled. "That will also get you plus points."
"Leave, Aomine." Kagami cut in. "Don't mess with our people."
"Hai. Hai." Aomine waved them a salute. "Just giving them a fair warning."
Watching him turn away while dragging the unconscious man, Kagome's shoulders relaxed. Her adrenaline slowed down, but that did not mean the swarm of questions stopped in her head. She witnessed more than what she had researched, and something she was not prepared for. Then again, she huffed to herself, who was ever prepared for things like this?
"Are you guys okay?"
Kagome turned her head to the light blue haired boy who was checking for any injuries on the young trio.
'Seirin, huh?' She made a mental note.
The boys' eyes sparkled; their heroes were right in front of them!
"Y-You guys are part of Seirin?!" The brunette boy questioned with excitement.
"We are." Kuroko nodded, replying dryly.
"Awesome!" He shouted. "H-How can we come to be like you guys-ow!" His head dropped down the moment he felt a light slap from behind. "W-What the-?!" Turning around, he and his friends gulped at the sight of Kagome giving them a mild glare.
She sighed under her breath, "go home, guys. It's getting late." All three gave her a quick salute before scurrying off to their homes. Her expression loosened, but her brows still furrowed down. There was no telling where those kids and she would have been if it had not been for the help of the three men. Her eyes landed on the two Seirin members before eyes narrowed. Which got her questioning, what got them and the guy from Touou coming here of all places?
"Miss," Kuroko spoke, "you should get home as well."
"He's right." Kagami sighed as he noticed the unconscious men of the Dokugumo on the floor. "As you said, it's getting late and it isn't getting any safer."
"I'll be fine." She responded, "but thank you for worrying."
Kuroko blinked before his sight landed on the book she picked up from the ground. Taking a peek of the cover, his curiosity increased. "Miss-"
"Kagome." She cut in. "I don't like being called miss; it makes me feel old."
"My apologies." He gave a small bow with his head.
She blinked back; this was a first for her to know of someone this polite to be part of a gang.
"Kagome-san," Kuroko spoke again, "are you perhaps learning about the history of this town?"
Kagome's brow crooked up to his question. What had brought up this question. Noticing his eyes landing on her book, she looked down. "Oh," that's how, "um, somewhat?"
Scoffing under his breath, Kagami dug his hands into his pockets. "Don't be learning too much; it's dangerous to learn about the past of this town."
"Don't listen to him." Kuroko smiled. "He tries to sound wise when he wants." Turning his attention to the red head, he shook his head. "Kagami-kun, it would help if you started learning some basic history."
"Oi!"
"But he is right." He turned back to the girl. "Learn any further and you will be mixed in the present mess that was left."
Confusion swirled in her head. That was three warning in one day. Was it much worse than she had imagined? If so, what was the issue? Eyes landed back on the two Seirin members before remembering Aomine's words. They were looking for someone…
"Hopefully we can go on, on fixing this hell we are living in." Kagami sighed.
Before Kagome could ask about Aomine's statement, another voice caught their attention.
"Oi! Kuroko! Kagami!"
Eyes landed on the two black haired males walking towards them. Both looked to be in their early 20s, but the one walking in front with glasses seemed to hold a hardened scowl as he saw the mess of the men on the ground.
"What the hell happened here?" He questioned, kicking one of the men to turn him on his back.
"They claim to be part of Dokugumo, Hyuuga-senpai." Kuroko reported. "They tried taking three young boys and this girl here. Aomine-kun got here before us and took their leader."
"Aomine?" Hyuga's brow rose. Eyes landed on the red head, "and you let him?"
Kagami quickly gave him a deep bow, "I am deeply sorry, senpai! The bastard said he would take care of them, but Kuroko said it was best to let Aomine have him since he came from his territory."
"Tch." Cursing under his breath, Hyuga shook his head. "That bastard is getting the leads now, idiots! How the hell are we supposed to move forward with nothing?!"
"Ma, ma," the other black-haired male chuckled nervously to ease the tension, "it makes sense to let Touou have him, Hyuga. It would only create issues if we pushed on to get him." Looking at the men again, he sighed, "Hm, I have heard the Dokugumo men are showing up more in the Touou and Kaijo areas now. This could be problematic for us."
Scoffing again, Hyuga rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Izuki. The problem is now what to do with these idiots. We can't just leave them here." Eyes back on the extra audience, Hyuga's focus narrowed on the girl standing silently and watching the mess on the floor. "Who are you?"
Her attention was pulled to the male adjusting his glasses.
"She is the girl that almost got kidnapped, Hyuga-senpai." Kuroko cut in. "She was about to head home." Turning his head to her, he gave her a smile. "I can take you home, Kagome-san, if you like?"
Shaking her head, Kagome adjusted the book in her hand. "No need, but thank you, um…Kuroko-san, was it?" Giving them a respectful bow, Kagome then straightened up and turned around. Starting to walk away from the tension, she took one small glance over her shoulder to see Hyuga and Izuki checking the coats of the Dokugumo men.
'Dokugumo, huh…'.
"I'm home!"
Closing the door of her home entrance behind her, she was greeted by her mother with a wide smile.
"I was worried you wouldn't be home on time, Kagome!" She walked towards her daughter, waiting for her to take off her shoes. "I thought you had been-"
"Okaa-san," Kagome sighed, slipping into her slippers, "I'm fine. You know they won't take me that easily." Chuckling, Kagome flexed the muscles of her arm. "Otou-san didn't train these muscles for nothing."
Her mother chuckled back before turning around to walk to the kitchen. "He trained you to protect yourself, not to create trouble."
"Who said I was?" Kagome's brow crooked. How much did her family think she would be the one starting things? Following her mother into the kitchen, she was awed by the meal waiting for her. "Oh! It's fried shrimp today?"
"Another one of your favorites."
Nodding, Kagome gave her mother a kiss on her cheek before she turned away to head towards the stairs of their home. "I'll be back in two minutes! Let me just change, okay?" As she walked up the stairs, she jumped the moment she found her younger brother of ten coming down with a deck of cards. "Woah, woah! Slow down, Souta!"
"Sorry, sis!" He grinned. "Ojii-chan promised he would give me a thousand-yen if I beat him at black jack!"
Letting him run past her, Kagome blinked watching him disappear into the living room. She was sure their grandfather was up to new card tricks where he would end up winning and giving no money to Souta. Shaking her head, Kagome continued her way up the stairs. Walking to her room and opening the door, she placed the book Miroku had given her on her bed before closing the door behind her. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she sat on her desk chair and leaned her head back.
She was exhausted – mentally exhausted.
Her head titled back forward only to find the pink jewel her father had given her next to his picture. Grabbing the jewel, she held it up to the light of her room.
'Otou-san is probably angry I got caught up in some trouble,' she chuckled, remembering the good kick she gave one of the men, 'but I am sure he is proud his teachings also worked.'
Finger scanning all the titles of the available books in the used book store, Kagome pouted.
Nothing.
Again.
She was hoping there would be information she sought in used book stores from people who gave up on keeping such things, but nothing. Was everything seriously erased? It was as if everyone in this town who lived during the 'Golden Age' wanted the past gone from their own minds.
"I was sure I could find something here." She sighed to herself as she stared at the books. Even her friends were beginning to find it weird with her obsession to find out about the town's history and the Wa group. Every after school she would either come to a used book store, or new, or go to her school's library to read on whatever information she found. That is if…she found any that day.
"Ah, Kagome-san."
She blinked, turning to her name. Eyes slowly widened meeting a pair of light blue eyes. "A-Ah…K-Kuroko-san?"
He nodded back with a smile, "good afternoon."
"Hai…" She nodded back. "Good afternoon." Where was this politeness of his coming from?
"It certainly is out of the ordinary to find a high school teen in used book stores like these." He chuckled. "A hobby?"
"Um," she scratched her cheek, "I guess you could say that." Eyes going from the books to the boy beside her, she began to wonder. He and his other friend were a part of Seirin, right? As far as she knew, that was one of the six groups that ruled in the town, but also the baby one. Compared to the other gangs, not a lot was known about Seirin. An idea sprung in her head as she took another look at the books from the corner of her eyes.
"Kuroko-san?"
He blinked as he took a pause in his book search.
"You said you were a part of Seirin, right?" She asked.
Nodding, he waited for her to continue.
"By any chance do Seirin and the other groups know more about this town's history?" She only hoped she could get further with this connection now.
Kuroko took another glance at the section she had been searching through before remembering the book she had on hand the day before. "May I ask what you are planning on doing with this information, Kagome-san?" He questioned.
Well, that question was not in her plan. Scratching the back of her head, she gave out a sheepish laugh. "Um, doing a school history project on this town." She hoped the lie would work.
"School history project? That is certainly the first time I hear about it." Kuroko tilted his head to the side, "I didn't think this school district would want their students going around learning about dangerous information."
Sweat drop looming over her head, Kagome nodded. "Yeah, guess our schools are really trying to get us out there."
Grabbing a book from the shelf, Kuroko hummed as he scanned through the pages. "Well, if I were them, I would have my students backing away from it."
Kagome blinked, taken back by his statement.
"It isn't safe to have them prodding through information that can only harm them. Our world…," he paused for a second, "is unstable as it is. We try our best to protect the people of our territory, but there is only so much we can do, especially now."
"What do you mean?" She questioned. "Does this have to do with Dokugumo?"
The name caused Kuroko's eyes to meet hers. He sighed, not wanting to give her the information she was trying to fish out, especially with matters that had to do with Dokugumo. It was a sensitive topic that they themselves did not have much information on.
None of the gangs did.
Accepting his silence as an answer, Kagome sighed back. "Hai, hai." She nodded, placing one of the books she had taken out back into the shelf. "I get it, I'm an outsider; I shouldn't know more than what I saw yesterday." She turned to the male before giving him a smile. "I want to thank you again for helping those kids and myself yesterday. Please also send my thanks to Seirin."
Kuroko blinked, now his turn to be taken back by her politeness. Never did anyone outside of their group were they this polite or expressing their gratitude to their dirty work. Watching Kagome turn to leave the aisle, Kuroko placed the book back on the shelf before calling out to her again.
"Kagome-san."
She turned her head over her shoulder.
"Allow me to walk you home. You can still be in danger after yesterday's events."
"Huh?" She blinked. "A-Are you serious?"
"There is a possibility."
Kagome exhaled, heavily, realizing he was right. The world of gangs was one where grudges continued to keep them alive.
Scanning the empty streets of the neighborhood, Kagome's eyes narrowed with concern. It was only getting worse now. She remembered when she and her family were out and about in the night life going out to small restaurants and parks for the weekend, but all those memories remained a distant past. Comparing it to now, most shops, restaurants, and parks were empty or closed. Even with the presence of the gangs, it was not enough anymore.
Chaos was brewing underground and it was slowly corrupting the public.
"So quiet." Kagome commented as she walked beside Kuroko. "It almost gives you an eerie feeling."
"We do like our people to stay indoors at times like these, but at the same time, we do not." Kuroko added, eyes observing the lit streets and walkways. "If only he could come back…"
Kagome blinked as she looked at Kuroko from the corner of her eyes. 'He?' Who were they talking about? Now that she thought back to yesterday's events, the Touou member had mentioned Seirin was doing futile work looking for someone. Before she could question it, the click of heavy foot steps stopped them in their tracks.
Eyes immediately landed ahead in the shadows of the sidewalk. Kuroko's eyes narrowed slightly as he put a protective arm in front of Kagome's person; both kept their sights on the group of men all dressed in black dressed slacks while wearing white collar shirts. Kagome's and Kuroko's eyes widened the moment the light revealed the men with the one in front being recognized on the spot.
"Y-You…" Kagome whispered, shocked to see the same 'leader' from yesterday with a new group of six men behind him. "What is he doing here?"
Kuroko remained silent; laughter from the other side echoed.
"Kagome-san…," Kuroko whispered, her eyes dropping to him, "you need to run."
"Huh?" Was he being serious? Run? And leave him with this? "The heck I will leave you alone."
Kuroko's pupils dilated again as he looked at the girl coming to stand right beside him. "Kagome-san…"
"These bastards want trouble, and I am not about to leave you behind." After all, it was her problem, too. They could try all she wanted to push her out of it and saying it was not something she should concern herself with, but it seemed she was being pulled into the issue.
Hearing the male across from them clap, their guards rose. His laughter continued as he raised his palm to stop his men from following him. "Who would have thought the girl had a close relationship with both Seirin and Touou. This would please our boss."
"She has nothing to do with us, sir." Kuroko cut in.
"Sir?" He raised a brow. "Please, call me Mukotsu." His smile widened as he pressed his middle finger and thumb together, "usually I am very kind to women, but the way you treated me the other day is unforgiveable. It's always the looks that matter to you women."
"Looks?" Kagome glared. "I am sure it is the fact you are trying to kidnap us."
His fingers snapped; both Kagome and Kuroko tensed.
In a split second, Kagome heard the sound of metal hit only to see Kuroko falling forward. "K-Kuroko-san-mmm!" Her pupils widened as she saw Kuroko's body laying on the floor as the man behind him held a metal pipe and another behind her having grabbed her arms to lock her in and another hand on her mouth. He hid men behind them? Then that meant they had been followed this whole time!
"My, my, what a pretty sight." Mukotsu chuckled as he walked closer to get a view of the beaten Seirin member. "If only all of this scum would stay down." Eyes traveling to the restrained girl, he smirked before cupping her chin with his fingers. "You are a pretty one. Maybe I'll ask the boss if I can keep you."
Kagome's glare tightened having heard his words. This was one disgusting man. Her kicks failed; her strength went away with each struggle. Mukotsu had come prepared, and now all she can do was stare at Kuroko as he laid on his stomach with eyes barely able to stay open.
"What should we do with him?" One of the men asked.
"Kill him." Mukotsu shrugged. "The less members we can deal with, the better."
Kagome shook her head. H-How could they do such a thing like that? No, not him! It was her fault for pulling him into this mess! She had to do something! Anything!
Anything…
A loud hit was heard from behind Mukotsu; heads immediately turned to find three of his men knocked cold on the floor with three other males standing over them in victory. Eyes trailed up to their faces only to find two of them wearing two hungry smirks and one expression of rage. Kagome blinked, recognizing the one in the middle being the same tan male that had saved her yesterday.
'That's…'.
"Ara, ara," one of the males with glasses smirked as he took a step forward, "we are having a party and we weren't invited? Now that hurts my feelings."
"I-It's Touou!" One of Mukotsu's men yelled. "T-That's Aomine's right hand man, Imayoshi!"
Another punch was heard, knocking out another of the men. The bleached haired male wearing a scowl shook his hand as he came to stare at the other men near their hostages. "I rather die than being invited to mingle with them, Imayoshi-senpai."
"Ha-ha! Well, guess you are right, Wakamatsu. We wouldn't want to deal with Dokugumo's dirty work." Imayoshi chuckled again as he pushed in his glasses. His sights landed on the girl in the man's hands before looking at the fallen Seirin member. "Hmm, seems like they can't even protectone of their people, Aomine-kun."
Scoffing under his breath, Aomine's hands dug into his pants' pockets as he came forward. "The idiot thinks he can protect everyone." He shook his head upon noticing Kuroko weakly raising his head to meet his eyes. "You know better than anyone to let your guard down, idiot."
Biting herself free, Kagome used her elbow to dig into the man's gut before putting a good distance between them. Gasps of air were heard before she turned to Aomine's raised brow. "And you!" She pointed. "You had taken him into your custody! Why is he out?!" If she recalled, Aomine had fought with Kagami over the right who would take in Mukotsu.
"He escaped." Aomine blandly responded. "Turns out he had some men undercover in our group and let him escape."
Kagome blinked, noticing his thumb pointing over his shoulder to the men they had knocked out. She blinked, noticing the Touou emblem tattooed on their forearms. What? And they were working for Dokugumo now? Sending him another glare, Kagome kept her stance strong. "Then you should have been smarter to keep an eye on your men, Ahomine."
His brow twitched back, "Ahomine?"
"Aomine!" Imayoshi called.
Quickly pushing Kagome back with his palm, Aomine dodged Mukotsu small jar before it smashed against one of the mailboxes. Eyes widened as purple smoke slowly oozed out and everyone else noticed the Dokugumo members covering their mouths and noses.
"Poison?" Wakamatsu coughed as he covered his mouth and nose with his hand.
"You are messing with the wrong group, Aomine-san." Mukotsu snickered, as he signaled his men to retreat. "You are asking for war."
Raising his head to his threat, Aomine scoffed with a grin. "Bring it."
"Aomine!" Imayoshi shouted once again. "We need to get out of this area! Who knows what this gas is!"
Before turning to leave, Aomine noticed Kagome coming down to Kuroko's side and trying to carry him on her back. Was she being serious? "Leave him be." Aomine spoke as he heard her coughing.
"I won't." She replied dryly. "You can leave."
Eyes narrowing on her actions and tone, Aomine took another look at his two men before tilting his head to the other direction of the street. He exhaled before walking towards the girl and grabbing Kuroko from his arm, "you really need to work on your strength, Tetsu."
Kuroko smiled weakly, "I never liked fighting, Aomine-kun."
"Yet you are part of this world." Aomine scoffed back before looking at Kagome still on her knees. "Are you coming or not?"
Kagome's lips parted; Kuroko shook his head.
"If she follows, there will be no turning back for her." Kuroko whispered.
"Well," Aomine's brow rose once again, "that's her choice." Eyes landing on her once again, he asked, "did you hear that? There is no telling what kind of mess you will get into with us, but if you want to run away from this, you can, but you are welcome to follow if you are so worried about this idiot."
"Aomine-kun…" Kuroko pleaded. "She is just an innocent person."
Eyes shifting from Kuroko to Aomine, she thought back to the words Kuroko had said in the book store, Miroku's book, and Sango's warnings.
But this was her one shot to know more about what she needed to know.
Standing up, Kagome gave Aomine a nod. "Lead the way."
His smirk stretched, "brave kitten."
This was her one shot to know more about the man who killed her father.
MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: And that is that! Again, it was sort of a preview of what I kind of want to work with, but we will see. Obviously other KnB characters and Inuyasha characters would appear in their own roles in this, but again, wanted to test this out.
Let me know what you think! Thank you for reading and please review!
Ja~ne!