Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. All rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Kagome Higurashi had no more walked into her dorm room and set her yellow book bag down that her roommate looked up from her phone where she lay stretched out on her twin bed.
"Hey, you gotta see this," said Yuka, sitting up and making room for Kagome.
She sat down on the bed next to her and peered at the phone screen.
The video started with an introduction by a vlogger just walking down a crowded city street, but when he cut through the park, he swapped the camera away from front-facing to show the viewer what a lovely day it was to be outside. Kagome watched with minimal interest, expecting to see some flash mob dance with the large number of people on screen now, but instead the camera focused on a young woman wearing the skimpiest black dress she'd ever seen with a short sword somehow attached at her hip. The woman twirled through the crowd, drawing lots of curious stares.
"How is that even staying on her body?"
"Just watch," shushed Yuka.
The woman planted her feet, raised her hands and did some crazy swiping movements up, down and side to side. At least twenty people fell to the ground at the same time and those still standing began to scream. The vlogger panned the camera down to his hand, which was bleeding out of nowhere.
When he brought the camera back up to the crowd, those that had collapsed were now floating in the air with limp limbs. The video ended when one of the floaters charged at the camera.
"Crazy, right? No one's been able to explain it." Yuka looked to her for equal astonishment, but Kagome shook her head.
"It's just some stunt. I bet they're filming for a movie."
"Someone already suggested that in the comments but there are no strings. The vlogger confirmed it."
"What do you mean, no strings? They were thin, but I definitely saw wires holding all those people up," said Kagome.
"I've watched this video several times. I don't know what you saw, but there's nothing there," argued Yuka.
As they re-watched together and she clearly saw the wires criss crossing the park, she was uncomfortably aware of Yuka's not seeing them despite their prevalent appearance. She didn't point them out again.
"Huh, must have been a trick of the light. I don't see them now," she answered.
"You might need to get your eyes checked," insisted Yuka.
Kagome laughed and shrugged it off, tamping down the rising alarm rising in her chest. She wasn't going to worry about it. The person in that video was miles away and things like this had happened to her every now and then over the years. She learned to sweep each occurrence under the rug and move on.
She smiled excitedly at her roommate instead.
"So do you have plans Friday night? Akitoki invited me to his frat party."
"I totally think he loves you. Or at least wants to sleep with you." Giggling at Kagome's mortified expression, Yuka wobbled in her heels down the busy sidewalk of Main Street. Restaurants and bars and shops lined the edge of campus to cater to college students.
"Yuka!" Kagome admonished her drunk friend, but she didn't think she was entirely wrong. And she wasn't sure if she was entirely against the idea either. Akitoki Hojo was sweet and thoughtful from every interaction she'd had with him. He was attractive too.
"But we're just freshmen. Don't go getting tied down yet. We have many more years of fun ahead." She bopped a finger lightly on the edge of Kagome's nose, swaying to a stop suddenly and pulling Kagome with her just to complete the action.
"The bus is coming, we should get going before we miss it," said Ayumi, a friend of Yuka's from high school,and the most responsible of the three of them.
"I love you 'Yumi!" Yuka hugged her tightly around the neck, jumping ship from Kagome's shoulder to hers.
Kagome got a text and couldn't help the smile on her face when she saw Akitoki's name.
"Oooh, go get it, Kagome!" Yuka had seen the screen too. Probably two of them the way her eyes were crossing.
"He's asking me if I want to meet him for a late night meal," she blushed.
"That's cause you're a snack!"
"Hush, Yuka. Are you sure? I don't want to leave you here by yourself." Ayumi looked like she was about to give her a field sobriety test, but Kagome gave her all assurances. She hadn't drank that much. When she'd noticed Yuka's pace, she'd slowed down to keep an eye on her. She felt the alcohol like a warm blanket but her cognitive abilities weren't so impaired. She knew she'd make the same decision to meet him if she was sober.
"I'll text you when I'm home," she offered and they parted ways at the bus stop. Kagome grabbed a booth at the late night breakfast place he suggested and waited, butterflies in her stomach.
She was watching the window when she saw an unexpected flash of silver. A young man was pulling open the door to the late-night restaurant, removing a hand from his red jacket as he pulled the door open. She saw long, sharp finger nails and to top it off, there were fuzzy triangles resting on top of his silver-haired head. He had claws and dog-like ears. She blinked, rubbed her eyes and looked again. He was nearing her table as she stared openly, unable to help herself. His eyes were a beautiful golden color that drew her in, but the scowl on his face when he caught her rude gaping broke the spell.
"You got something to say?" he snapped.
No one else was reacting to his appearance, so she knew it was just like the invisible wires from earlier today. She calmed herself and kept her eyes on his face and not anywhere above where the fuzzy ears were twitching like satellites searching for signal.
"No, nothing, sorry," she said, averting her eyes back to the window where she thankfully saw Akitoki Hojo, her savior from this awkward situation.
The golden-eyed dog boy moved on, one disgusted glance at the madly grinning boy approaching.
Akitoki was still smiling when he slid into the booth across from her.
"Did you wait long?"
"No, not at all."
"Good. You look fantastic tonight by the way."
They lapsed into conversation about difficult upcoming final exams and which professors were awful and what their favorite television shows were growing up. They jumped from topic to topic easily.
"You grew up on a shrine? What was that like?" he asked with great interest.
"Not that different. Higurashi shrine isn't huge or anything, just old. We had a dry well we weren't allowed to go near and a Tree of Ages and that was pretty much it."
"Tree of Ages?"
"Oh, it's just this super ancient tree that's been around for a thousand years. Gramps would tell us the story about it like a broken record."
He smiled encouragingly. "What's the story?"
"I tuned him out a lot," she shrugged, "but it was probably to do with a curse or a demon."
The word brought dog ears and silver hair to her mind and she took a sip of her water to mask her discomfort.
"Do you believe demons existed?"
"I believe in demons as much as I believe in ghosts," she said honestly.
He seemed to take it the way she'd hoped. "So then you weren't training to exorcise evil spirits as a priestess, I take it?" he joked.
She laughed a bit awkwardly but he didn't seem to notice.
"No, definitely not. I'd clean the grounds and work in the shop sometimes but not often. What about you? Where did you grow up?" she asked.
"No where near as interesting, I assure you. My family is all scholars and professors."
"Is that what you want to do then, teach?"
He nodded. "Professor of ancient history or work for a museum. As long as I can go on archaeological digs."
"Traveling around would be fun. Not so sure about the digging."
Deep in thought on the bus, a young man stared out the window at his silver-haired reflection and then down to the beaded bracelet on his wrist. There was no way the girl in the restaurant had seen through his disguise. But she had stared an awful lot and he could have sworn her eyes had glanced above his head to his ears.
There hadn't been a disclaimer about an expiration date when he'd gotten this enchanted piece of jewelry.
He slapped a hand to his neck at the prick of something sharp, and when he pulled his hand away, a small flea in tiny clothing stood in his palm, swaying slightly from the blow.
"You're fairly strong even in this human guise, Master Inuyasha," groaned the flea demon, holding two of four hands to his head.
Inuyasha looked around the nearly empty bus. The other two riders sat at the front near the driver. No one was paying him and the minuscule flea demon in his palm any attention.
"You'll live," assured Inuyasha unsympathetically. "I look human to you, Myoga?"
Inuyasha touched the black beads encircling his wrist again. The enchanted bracelet left him without his inhuman strength, sharp hearing and excellent sense of smell in addition to modifying his appearance.
But having his demonic energy suppressed was like being in a stuffy mascot costume all the time that restricted his movements. Not exactly comfortable but it was only for when he was out in public so it wasn't all that bad.
"Of course, black hair and all. That bracelet was enchanted by a powerful priest. No mortal or demon can see through it," assured Myoga confidently.
Good. That was all he needed to hear.
"So what you brings you here?"
Inuyasha nodded along as Myoga referenced the viral video of humans being tossed up into the air by some demon who turned them into rag dolls.
"Yeah, I saw it. Some wind demon having a psychotic break."
"Yura is a demon of hair, actually."
"Stupid is what she is, putting on her little show knowing the penalty is death for exposing the demon world to so many humans like that."
It was a long-standing decree that while hunting and killing humans was acceptable and even encouraged sometimes as sport, it must be done carefully without revealing the existence of demons to the masses and putting their species in danger.
Inuyasha had never been interested in history, whether human or demon versions, but it was common knowledge that after humans invented guns, demons had to get craftier to survive. Now very few humans even knew demons were real, and the ones that did know were hunting them.
Myoga was shaking his head nervously. " Master Inuyasha, a lot has changed since you went away … King Onigumo has fallen ill and the council isn't paying much attention to enforcing laws at the moment."
Myoga's words settled like a rock in Inuyasha's gut. "But if he's down for the count, then that means Naraku is …"
"Yes, he's already petitioned the council to vote him as true King. However, half the council wish for your brother -
"Screw my brother."
"To be King with his distinguished heritage and valiant history as a War Lord. It's causing quite the divide."
"And I care because?"
"I thought you would want to come back to support your brother's claim to the throne, of course." He blinked innocently as if it would be obvious.
"Why would ever give you that idea?"
"Because you will be forced to choose a side eventually. I fear this is going to be a bloody war."
With his brother, Sesshomaru, and the prince, Naraku, battling it out for supremacy, blood was a fact not a fear.
"I wouldn't want either one as the next king. Let them battle it out and kill each other."
"Surely you don't mean that, Lord Inuyasha." Myoga floundered on his shoulder as he stood. The bus was slowing as it neared his stop.
"Surely I do. I'm not going back so shut up about it." He knocked Myoga off with a swipe of his hand as he stepped out into the aisle.
A/N: So this isn't the original chapter one. Once I started writing chapter two, I realized I needed to make some tweaks. I'm rusty, okay. I haven't posted a story in a long time so that's my excuse lol
See You Next Chapter,
RadiantSun