Ch. 121- Inuyasha In Tokyo


Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Arashi © Me


The moment Kagome and Inuyasha were out on the busy streets of Tokyo, the latter didn't even know what to think. He had been out in the city before, but those two times, it was nighttime, and not many people could see him. Now, he was out here during the day, with lots of people walking down the streets, wearing all these outfits that he didn't recognize...it actually did make him a little nervous.

The only thing keeping him calm right now was the fact that Kagome was holding his hand, keeping him at her side. He had to admit, it did make him feel a bit safe...but he still had that wariness about him. Kagome couldn't blame him, though. After all, the half-demon was from 500 years in the past. Anything from the modern ages could either fascinate him or frighten him...such as right now.

"AAH!" Inuyasha yelped as he heard the loud roar of a motorcycle engine. "W-what was that?!"

"Inuyasha, it's okay!" Kagome said. "That was a motorcycle! It's kind of like a bicycle, only it's powered by a motor and you don't need to pedal it. It's nothing to be afraid of, I promise!"

"...I...I guess," Inuyasha muttered as he still looked around, cautiously, "but...does it have to be so loud?"

"It's okay, Inuyasha, really," Kagome assured as they walked down the street. As they did, Inuyasha looked over at all the cars on the road.

"What are all those metal wagons?" he asked. "And how come there are no horses pulling them?"

"They're cars," Kagome answered. "People use them to get around instead of walking everywhere."

"Uhh...okay," Inuyasha muttered. "I guess they won't hurt anybody."

"No, not really," Kagome said. "Cars are only as dangerous as the people who drive them."

"Wait, so they are dangerous?!" Inuyasha questioned.

"Only if the people who drive them don't drive responsibly!" Kagome reassured. "Now stop panicking!"

Inuyasha pouted as he kept walking with Kagome. He didn't see what the big deal was. He just wanted to know if they were dangerous or not. Why was she getting so irritated?

As they kept walking, Inuyasha noticed a dog on a leash, growling at him as it walked by with its owner. As the dog barked at the half-demon, Inuyasha soon snarled and barked right back, causing Kagome to gasp as she immediately pulled him back.

"Don't do that...!" she whispered.

"But he started it!" Inuyasha argued.

"Uh...is there a problem?" asked the dog's owner.

"Oh, no, problem, ma'am!" said Kagome, sheepishly. "My friend here is a little coo-coo in his head, that's all!"

"Hey, who are you callin' coo-coo?!" Inuyasha questioned, only for Kagome to cover his mouth and shush him before she pulled him along, giving the dog owner an embarrassed smile as she did.

But that was just the beginning of the endless parade of shenanigans...such as...

"Hey, Kagome, I gotta go to the bathroom."

"Oh! Uh...well, let me see if there's one nearby."

"Oh, never mind! Found one!"

Ziiiip!

"NO! NOT IN FRONT OF THAT TREE! SIT!"

THWACK!

"GAH!"

And then there was...

"Hey, Kagome, look! I caught a squirrel for dinner!"

"AAH, GROSS! SIT!"

BAM!

"UGH!"

And let's not forget...

"AGH! Jeez, what the hell is that noise?!"

"What noise, Inuyasha?"

"Didn't you hear that whistling just now?!"

"What whistle?"

"Never mind..."

Needless to say, Kagome was starting to think that bringing Inuyasha into modern society was a bad idea. He was clearly out of his element and she tried to explain certain things to him, like how he shouldn't urinate in front of a tree or how he didn't have to hunt squirrels and birds for dinner in this time period, not to mention that whistling noise he heard was from someone blowing a dog whistle, but every time she tried to explain, the subject didn't seem to get through to him. Kagome could only sigh, feeling exasperated. She brought Inuyasha along at her mother's gentle behest because she thought that she could him a nice time...but instead, she felt like she was babysitting him more than anything else.

As the pair continued to walk down the streets, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was staring at a sign nearby in front of one of the stores in town...and he seemed to squint his eyes at it, even though it was written in big, bold hiragana.

"Inuyasha? What's up?" Kagome asked.

"What does this say?" Inuyasha asked as he pointed at the sign.

"Oh, it says 'Maneki Neko Book Store'," Kagome answered. "It says so, clearly. Can't you read it?"

"Hmm..." Inuyasha hummed, thoughtfully as he stared at the sign...and that's when the realization dawned on Kagome.

"Inuyasha...you don't know how to read, do you?" Kagome asked, causing the half-demon to glance down at her before he turned away.

"W-why does it matter?" he asked. "It's not like reading helped me survive. I lived without it, didn't I?"

"Yeah...I guess so," Kagome answered, causing him to look back at her before he sighed and looked to her.

"My Mother...taught me how to read some words," he muttered. "But...not many."

"I see," Kagome said...and that's when she remembered something her own mother told her.

"Try and be patient with Inuyasha, okay? And make sure he knows he's not alone."

'That's right...I have to be patient with Inuyasha,' thought Kagome. 'After all, nobody ever gave him a chance...I'm the only one who ever has.'

That's when she smiled as she looked at Inuyasha, who blinked at her in bewilderment.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

"How about I buy you a few books?" Kagome asked. "I'll teach you how to read them, too."

"Y...you don't have to," Inuyasha said.

"No, I don't have to," Kagome answered as she gripped his sleeve. "I want to."

Inuyasha's eyes softened while Kagome smiled warmly at him, and he felt his heart thumping inside his chest.

XXX

"Thank you, come again!"

"Thank you very much!"

Kagome smiled as she walked out of the store with Inuyasha, as well as a small bag of books in her hand.

"So, listen," Kagome said. "Sorry about when I said...that word, again."

"Eh...that's okay," Inuyasha shrugged. "I still don't know what I did wrong, but whatever."

Kagome chuckled to herself as she and Inuyasha kept walking...but then she froze in her tracks before looking over her shoulder, only to find nothing there, once again.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked. "What's going on?"

"...Nothing," Kagome answered.

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked. "Because you've been looking over your shoulder like that since we left your house."

"I'm fine, really," Kagome assured. "Come on, let's go see where else we can go."

Inuyasha blinked in perplexity before shrugging his shoulders and walking along after Kagome, holding her hand so as not to get separated from her. However, as the pair left, the same shadow that lurked around the Higurashi Shrine's steps leered at the pair from around the corner of the book store...or rather, at Kagome. The figure gave a dark chuckle and licked his lips, saliva dripping from his tongue.

"Priestesssss...!"

XXX

Things continued calmly for the rest of the day. Inuyasha seemed to calm down a bit from earlier, though he still had a bit of a wary eye out for anything "dangerous". He didn't want to take any chances, after all. Kagome noticed that he seemed to start enjoying himself a little bit more, judging by the small smile he had, so she was thankful for that.

As they continued walking, Kagome looked up at a nearby gate...and suddenly, her shoulders slumped a bit, and almost instantly, Inuyasha stopped walking and looked back at her.

"Kagome?" he called. "What's up?"

"...Can we stop here for a second?" Kagome asked. "There's...someone I wanna visit, real quick."

Inuyasha noticed the slight somberness in her tone before he followed her gaze...and he instantly realized where he and Kagome were: beyond the gate were many, many tombstones, all lined together, with incense and flowers all laid out.

A cemetery.

Inuyasha sighed before he walked over to Kagome's side and put a hand on her shoulder, gently. She looked up at him, and he quietly nodded his head, causing her to smile before they headed in, together. As they walked, Inuyasha looked at all the gravestones and saw many names carved into them. However...there was one that Kagome stopped in front of, and he had to stop himself from bumping into her. It was at that moment that Inuyasha saw the name on the grave, but he squinted his eyes to try and read it.

"H...Hi...Hika...umm..." he muttered.

"Hikaru Higurashi," said Kagome. "...My Dad."

"...Oh..." Inuyasha mumbled, his ears drooping underneath his cap. "That's right...you mentioned your father died, right?"

"And my Grandma," Kagome answered, prompting the half-demon to drop down to one knee beside her.

"...I'm sorry, Kagome," Inuyasha said, sadly. "I really am."

"It's okay," Kagome reassured as she looked at the gravestone with a warm smile before she clasped her hands together in prayer, and Inuyasha blinked before he looked down at his own hands, then followed the same gesture.

After a while, they soon left the cemetery...but Inuyasha couldn't help but feel this heaviness in his stomach as he left with Kagome. He didn't know why, but he felt like she was in a bit of a sad mood, now.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked. "Do you...wanna go back to your house?"

"I'm fine, Inuyasha," Kagome reassured. "Really."

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "I actually haven't been to my Dad's grave in a long time, so...I just wanted to check in on him and let him know how I was doing." She then looked over at Inuyasha. "Plus...I kinda wanted him to meet you, too."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide before he scratched a claw against his reddened cheeks, causing Kagome to smile at him. However, he tensed as he heard a deep rumble erupt from his stomach, causing his blush to turn even redder.

"You hungry?" Kagome asked.

"Uhh...a little bit," Inuyasha admitted.

"Hmm..." Kagome hummed before she smiled. "I think I have an idea. Follow me."

XXX

After a while, Kagome brought Inuyasha in front of the doors of a building with red banners and a sign that consisted of a bowl of noodles with chopsticks dipping into them.

"What's this place?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's a ramen restaurant!" Kagome replied as she took Inuyasha by the hand and led him inside, where he saw many people sitting in stalls and booths, slurping up noodles and broth. The moment he entered the building, Inuyasha sniffed the air as the scent of the buttery broth and the variety of meat and other ingredients wafted into his nose. His stomach grumbled, causing him to swallow the saliva that formed in his mouth.

But wait...he noticed that something was different about the noodles in the bowls. They looked a bit longer and thicker than the instant noodles that Kagome would bring with her.

"Inuyasha, over here!" Kagome called from a booth, prompting Inuyasha to walk over to her and sit down in front of her.

"Kagome, I already know what ramen is," Inuyasha said.

"Yeah, but the stuff I bring you is the instant stuff," Kagome replied. "The ramen you're about to eat is the real thing!"

"Huh..." Inuyasha muttered.

"Hi, what can I get you?" asked a waitress as she approached them.

"Umm...we'll have two tonkotsu ramens, please," said Kagome before she gestured to Inuyasha. "Oh, and give him twice as much...he's a growing boy."

"Gotcha," the waitress nodded as she wrote down the order. "Anything else?"

"A side of gyoza and chicken karaage," Kagome added. "Oh, and some water with a wedge of lemon."

"Coming right up!" said the waitress as she walked out.

"What's gyoza?" asked Inuyasha.

"They're dumplings fried in a pan and sometimes boiled with water," Kagome answered. "They're filled with vegetables and sometimes meat, like pork or chicken."

"Huh...you sure know a lot about these places," Inuyasha said as he looked around.

"My family and I go out to eat sometimes," Kagome answered. "We even come here, once in a while."

Soon, the waitress came back with their orders, which she placed in front of them.

"Enjoy!" she said as she walked away to tend to the other customers. Inuyasha looked down at his ramen, which was filled with a cloudy white broth, noodles, some slices of pork belly, diced green onions, some ground ginger, some seaweed, bean sprouts, some slice narutomaki fish cake, and a boiled egg.

"This looks great," Kagome said before she put her hands together, prompting Inuyasha to do the same.

"Itadakimasu!" they exclaimed before Inuyasha grabbed his chopsticks, preparing to dig in.

"Oh, wait, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, causing the half-demon to look up at her as she held up a little spoon. "It's proper etiquette to take a sip and see how it tastes first."

"Oh," Inuyasha said before he spooned some broth, then sipped it before smacking his lips. "Mmm...this is pretty good! It's all warm and buttery!"

Kagome giggled before she picked up some noodles with her chopsticks, prompting Inuyasha to do the same before they began to noisily slurp them up. As they did, Inuyasha gave a pleasant moaning noise as he began to devour the noodles and toppings.

"You wanna know what'll make it taste better?" asked Kagome. "Break open the egg with your chopsticks and let the yolk run into the broth."

Inuyasha soon did as he was instructed, using his chopsticks to split open the egg before he stirred the yolk into the broth, then scooped up some noodles and slurped them up, as well.

"Mmm...yum!" he exclaimed.

"See?" Kagome asked. "I told you!"

After a while, the two had finished their meal.

"Gochisousama deshita!" they both declared.

"Ahh, man, I am stuffed," Inuyasha said as he rubbed his stomach and let out a hearty belch. "'Scuse me."

Kagome chuckled before she set down some money on the table.

"Come on, let's go," she said. "I think it's getting late and Mom might be wondering where we are."

"Yeah, maybe it is time we headed back," Inuyasha replied as he got out of the booth and followed her out.

"Come again!" the waitress.

"Thank you!" Kagome replied as they walked out, and it was then that she looked up and saw that the sky was darkening and the stars were just beginning to appear. "Oh, wow...I didn't realize it was getting THAT late."

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "We better get going."

With that, the two left, headed back for Higurashi Shrine. As they walked, Inuyasha glanced over at the distance and his eyes went wide as he saw the flashing lights of a Ferris wheel, as well as the shimmering lights of the skyscrapers and condominiums beginning to appear, one-by-one, giving the sky this almost mystical glow.

"Whoa...!" Inuyasha whispered. "Look at all those lights!"

"Haven't you noticed them before?" Kagome asked. "You've been here at night, right?"

"Well, yeah," Inuyasha began, "but I really never took the time to stop and look at them all." He glanced over at Kagome. "I was...too busy getting you outta trouble."

"...Oh...right," Kagome said, remembering the two incidents he was talking about.

"...You know," Inuyasha began as he looked out to the horizon, "I can kinda see why you like it."

"...Yeah," Kagome smiled as she stood beside him. "Tokyo is so beautiful at night."

"...Thank you, Kagome," Inuyasha said.

"For what?" Kagome asked.

"...Bringing me out here in this village with you," he answered. "Showing me your world."

Kagome blinked before she smiled and reached her hand out, gently hooking his fingers with her own...and he gently squeezed. As he did, he glanced down at her, and he began to feel his heart thumping in his chest, once more.

'...My heart keeps skipping beats,' he thought. 'Every time I'm with Kagome...I feel warm and happy...and she always makes me feel like I'm someone worth being with...but it's more than that. I feel like I've known since forever, even though it really hasn't been that long since we met...and whenever she's not around...I feel empty. Could it be...?'

He tightened his grip on Kagome's hand.

'...Am I...in love with Kagome?'

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. "You're squeezing my hand a bit too tight."

"Oh! S-sorry!" Inuyasha apologized. "I guess I got a little lost in thought."

"Oh, yeah?" Kagome asked. "What were you thinking about?"

"Umm..." Inuyasha muttered. "Well...err..."

Kagome blinked up at him, waiting for his response...when she suddenly tensed up and gasped as she looked back.

"What's up?" Inuyasha asked.

"...Now I'm certain of it," said Kagome. "I sense shards of the Sacred Jewel!"

"What?!" Inuyasha questioned. "Are you sure?!"

"At first, I thought it might have been nothing," Kagome began, "but I've been sensing them off and on for a while, now!"

"How many do you sense?" Inuyasha asked. "Where are they coming from?"

"Over there," Kagome answered as she pointed at an alley...and that's when Inuyasha saw a pair of eyes glowing at them from the darkness.

"Come out of there, whoever you are!" Inuyasha shouted as he drew the Tetsusaiga...and soon after, the mysterious figure soon appeared, causing Inuyasha and Kagome to gasp.

This strange stalker was a young man with dark brown, slicked-back hair, a blue shirt, a black leather jacket, and a pair of dark blue jeans with a pocket chain dangling out of it.

"It's...a human?" Inuyasha asked.

"Uh...excuse me?" Kagome asked. "Why are you following us? What do you want?"

"...I want you...priestess," the man said as a grin creased his lips...and Kagome gasped as she saw a fang sticking out from under his lip and horns beginning to sprout from his forehead, where she saw a familiar glow. "Your flesh and spiritual powers will make an excellent meal!"

"Oh, my god...!" Kagome whispered. "H-he's a demon!"

"Heh!" Inuyasha smirked. "And you said demons don't exist in this time."

Without a single warning, the demon growled at Inuyasha and lunged with his gaping open, prompting Inuyasha to charge right back with a roar of his own.


After watching the first episode of Yashahime, I was finally motivated to write this chapter. I feel like this should've happened more often in the original Inuyasha: obviously, there must have been jewel shards that traveled from 500 years into the future, right? I'm surprised this wasn't exploited more.

Review, please!