I've come to the realization, while writing, that my opinion of Ryūji has shifted drastically since my first introduction to him in the anime in season 2. I grew to tolerate him in the anime, then begrudgingly acknowledge that he wasn't that bad in the manga...and now I find myself actually enjoying the little shit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you to all who read and review and continue to be so wonderfully supportive.
Quotes:
"I'm sorry. I'm used to people objecting to things because they think I can't do them or shouldn't do them. It didn't occur to me that you might have a real reason."
―Ryūji, probably (Actually, it's from Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede)
"Try, try, try just a little bit harder
So I can love, love, love him, I tell myself
Well, I'm gonna try, just a little bit harder
So I can't give, give, give, give him to nobody else."
―Janis Joplin "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)"
Despite his promise, Masatsugu did not send Ryūji the materials he'd requested by noon on Wednesday. Instead, midafternoon, he got a text message saying "Sorry," followed by one from Akifusa that just said, "Incoming…"
Thus, when his phone rang, he wasn't at all surprised to see Yura's name.
"My adorable little sister, to what do I owe this honor?" he asked, though he was under no illusions what she was calling about.
Her tone was frosty. "Cut the crap, onii-chan. Last I checked, I didn't send you to Tokyo to goof off with random girls."
"Yura…did Masatsugu not tell you that I think she might be connected—" She cut him off before he could finish.
"Bullshit," Yura snapped. Interesting… Though she was the head of the Keikain, she usually treated him with marginally more respect, and her language was not typically so…colorful. Something—likely himself—had really riled her up. "What progress have you made on the actual job you're supposed to be doing?"
"Damn, who pissed in your TKG this morning? Look, I'm working on it, but there's not been a whole lot to go on so far. You're going to have to give me more time," Ryūji replied. (1)
"Time is not a luxury you have anymore. Yesterday I got a call from the deputy superintendent general—contrary to whatever you thought, it was not just some arbitrary superstitious police officer who requested our assistance—and you shot yourself in the foot with this Higurashi research nonsense. You've been there almost a week and have next to nothing to show for it. I'm giving you till Monday."
"Or what?" he couldn't resist asking.
"Or I'm yanking your sorry ass back to Kyoto and I'll handle this mess," she said acidly. "Honestly… You're one of the most knowledgeable onmyoji we have. I expected more from you, Ryūji-nii-chan."
He rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see him. "Fine, fine, I'll see what I can do. But I still want that stuff I asked Masatsugu for."
Yura huffed. "If—and only if—you send me evidence you're actually making some progress." She paused for a moment and then added, "And don't forget you're supposed to get Nura-kun's help. He and the Nuragumi may be a valuable resource for this case."
He made a noncommittal noise and then asked, "Are you done bitching at me yet? I've got work to do you know."
"Remind me again why on earth I rely on you?" Ryūji could almost see her massaging her temples in irritation. He smirked.
"'Cause you love me."
"Riiiight…" Yura gave a short laugh. Then, "Anyway, I've got things to do, and as you so kindly pointed out, so do you. Keep me updated, and do try not to make the Keikain look bad, will ya?"
They said their good-byes and hung up, and though he was a more than a little annoyed by Yura's interference, Ryūji wasn't one to back down from a challenge. By Monday morning, that research he'd asked Masatsugu for would be his.
Kagome was shocked—while she had been hounded into giving more details surrounding her and Rikuo's meeting, Natsumi had yet to give Kagome the third degree. In fact, she'd almost been uncharacteristically quiet, simply making polite conversation with Kagome and the brunette Kejōrō about superficial topics like the weather and Apollo. It made Kagome suspicious, since normally Natsumi was quite the scheming matchmaker.
Either there's something else on her mind, or she's concocting some really crazy scheme…. She'd wrangle it out of her friend later.
They hadn't lingered long at the shrine when they dropped off Apollo, who her mom had been thoroughly enamored with upon meeting the precious white-and-black cat. Kagome had no doubt he would be utterly spoiled between her mom and her grandfather, who'd also approved heartily of Kagome's adoption, not to mention her brother, who had yet to meet Apollo. Before they'd left, Kagome's mom had managed to extract promises that they would stop by more frequently. Not that it would be a hardship to do so for either of the girls—she missed being at the shrine with her family, and her family always welcomed Natsumi warmly with open arms as though she were Kagome's sister.
When said girl glanced over at her, Kagome tilted her head, thinking. "Ne, Natsumi-chan, you ever gonna tell me why you avoid using the subway?"
A shadow crossed Natsumi's face briefly, as though she were repressing some horrific memory, before she acted nonchalant and gave Kagome a mischievous look. "I don't know… Are you ever going to tell me why you're so obsessed with yokai?"
Kagome shifted in the back seat, looking away. "I…I just like them. And I grew up hearing stories about them from my grandfather."
"Nuh-uh. That level of obsession? Add that Yuka told me you weren't the same after your coma, and all the mysterious illnesses she said you'd had… Let's be honest, they might have bought into all those ailing health excuses, but I know the sound of somebody trying to hide something." She gave her friend a pointed stare. "Come on, who gets diabetes and then miraculously recovers?"
"Hey, it could happen!" Kagome tried to look innocent, but Natsumi wasn't convinced.
"Yeah, if it's gestational diabetes, and I have a funny feeling that you weren't pregnant. And you never really got sick freshman or sophomore year, except for normal-type illnesses, not obscure ones. Nah, something happened that made you obsessed with yokai. Believe me, I should know. My old classmate Kiyotsugu—"
Kagome's eyes lit up, and she interrupted, "Kiyotsugu? Like of the Kiyojūji paranormal investigation website?"
"A-ha!" Natsumi said triumphantly. "I knew it! If you're getting on that site, there's no question that you're obsessed. We have a lot of catching up to do. But first…for dinner—cook or order?"
Kagome made a face at mention of cooking. "Order, definitely."
"Works for me—my treat!"
"Don't think you're fooling me, Natsumi-chan. You just want to get pizza."
She got a sly grin and a shrug in response. "Kuro doesn't like it, and you do, so win-win for me, even if I do have to pay!" Natsumi said happily.
Some things never change.
Once they were back at the apartment, their food delivered, they settled down in Kagome's small living room. Before even taking a bite of her coveted pizza, Natsumi pinned Kagome with her odd cat-eyed gaze.
"First things first, you've lost weight and you look tired. Are you skipping meals? Sleeping?"
"Ugh, Natsumi-chan, you're as bad as my mom. I'm…just stressed about school and this final semester."
"Uh-huh." Natsumi didn't look convinced. "You still doing that yokai research?"
Kagome nodded and took a bite of her pizza, chewing slowly, knowing where this was going.
"So, now that you've met him… You gonna take the recommendation I've been giving you for years and talk to Rikuo-kun? He's very knowledgeable about that sort of thing."
Kagome swallowed before saying suspiciously, "You know, you say that, but you've never said why you claim Rikuo's knowledgeable about yokai and folklore."
"Oh, that's easy—our entire group was subjected to Kiyotsugu-kun's ranting and lecturing about yokai for years," Natsumi said, gesturing with her pizza. "I just didn't pay attention nearly as much as Rikuo-kun, so he'll remember more than I do and be far more helpful."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Natsumi-chan, don't think I can't smell your matchmaking schemes from a mile away. You've been using the same tactics for forever."
Her friend only looked more determined. "All the more reason for you to finally give in, right? Hey, what if we go on a double-date?" Natsumi asked.
Kagome shook her head and then sighed. "I'll think about it. Maybe."
"Oh, and what was that little bit about you texting him? Care to fill me in?" Kagome felt a flush creeping up her neck, and Natsumi raised an eyebrow. "Kagome-chan…do you have a thing for Rikuo-kun?"
By how hot her face had grown, she knew she had to be fiery red. "I… I don't know… I don't know him well enough yet." Attempting to change the subject, Kagome said, "Anyway, I believe that in exchange for dinner, you agreed to tell me whatever news you withheld last week at the library."
Natsumi's eyes lit up, and her smile grew huge. "Well, you did earn it… Kuro and I, we're getting married!" She mock glared at Kagome. "Which you'd have known sooner if you'd bothered to contact me."
"What? Oh, that's fantastic—congrats! Seriously, you could have told me earlier so I could have congratulated both of you today," she said, elbowing Natsumi gently.
Her friend held her hands up, attempting to appear blameless. "Not my fault. Someone could have stayed in touch more often than every six months."
"Damn, you're like a broken record." Kagome tossed a pizza crust at her playfully, which Natsumi simply caught and set on her plate. "I'm going to be hearing about this for weeks, aren't I?" When Natsumi grinned wickedly, eyes gleaming, Kagome rolled her eyes. "At least pass along my congratulations to Kurotabō for me."
She suddenly recalled the odd sensation she'd had when she'd met Kurotabō, that feeling that he reminded her of Miroku for some reason.
Not mindful of how the question would sound, Kagome asked, "Ne, Natsumi-chan, is Kurotabō-san a pervert?"
Natsumi nearly spat her drink out, struggling to swallow, eyes wide. "What? Why?"
Kagome felt ridiculous having said that out loud. What was I thinking? "I'm so sorry—that was rude of me. He just, well, reminded me of an old friend who had…wandering hands."
Natsumi laughed. "It's sort of funny you say that. I don't think I ever told you, but one of the first times we met, Kuro accidentally groped me on the subway. I thought Saori-chan was going to murder him, even though he'd merely lost his balance and was horrified about it."
"Oh, my friend was far more intentional about it. I'm surprised he didn't have a permanent handprint on his face considering how many women slapped him," Kagome said, giggling. Then, "You know, to be honest, I was a little surprised Kurotabō seemed so nice, so normal. You were always so secretive about him that I figured he was involved in something shady or was yakuza or something."
Natsumi choked on the bite of pizza she'd been chewing. Once she'd finally swallowed, she gave a nervous little laugh. "Sorry, pizza down the wrong way… But yakuza?" Another nervous giggle. "You've got such an imagination, Kagome-chan." (2)
The way her friend was fidgeting with her napkin and averting her eyes made Kagome suspicious, but before she could say something, Natsumi piped up.
"So…have you texted Rikuo-kun?"
Shit, I should have known she wouldn't forget about that. I'd hoped I'd distracted her…
"Um… Not yet…" she said sheepishly.
"When did he give you his number?"
"Monday."
Natsumi frowned, and she pointed at Kagome's phone. "Do it. Now."
"Do I have to?" Natsumi nodded sharply, her expression stern. "Why now?" Kagome whined.
"Because it's not nice to keep him waiting. Besides, I know you like him, so you're being ridiculous."
Since Kagome couldn't deny either of those statements, she picked up her phone and typed out a text under Natsumi's watchful eye.
Kagome: It's Kagome…do you still want to get together for coffee?
A moment later, he replied.
Rikuo: Sure – you free tomorrow afternoon?
Kagome: I get out of class at 2:45. Is the coffee shop on campus okay?
Rikuo: works for me. looking forward to it ;-)
Natsumi grinned happily. "See, was that so hard?"
Kagome groaned. "You're a real pain in my ass, ya know?"
As they teased one another and chatted about various topics for a while, catching up on what they'd missed out on in each other's lives since they'd last gotten together, Kagome began wondering why she'd shut Natsumi out. Unlike some of her junior high and high school friends, Natsumi didn't grate on her nerves—no matter what Kagome might claim, even with Natsumi's incessant matchmaking attempts—and though people often dismissed her as silly, she was far smarter than people gave her credit for, not to mention she had an uncanny ability to pick up on people's emotions. In spite of my initial reluctance…I'm actually having a lot of fun. Damn I can be an idiot sometimes.
Eventually, the conversation circled back to Kagome's independent study and the topic of yokai. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion it was intentional so that Natsumi could badger her more about Rikuo and that double-date idea she'd proposed.
In an attempt to steer the topic away from whatever her relationship was with Rikuo, Kagome said the first thing that came to mind. "So I've never asked but since you mentioned Kiyotsugu and all—do you believe in yokai? Or the supernatural?"
Something Kagome couldn't identify crossed her friend's face briefly, and Natsumi gave her a strange little smile. "Yes, yes, I do."
That was not at all what Kagome had anticipated, and her mouth fell open. "What? Really? Wait, have you seen one? You have to tell me!" Kagome said excitedly.
Natsumi pursed her lips and gave her head a small shake. "That's a discussion for another night, when we have more time and it isn't already so late. It's a loooong story."
What the hell does that mean? Kagome jutted her lower lip out, disappointed.
Natsumi laughed softly. "No pouting, silly. I promise I'll tell you soon."
She's probably trying to figure out a way to use this to bait me into doing something she wants, like that double-date idea or kami only knows what.
Her friend's comments about their friend Kiyotsugu and Rikuo's yokai knowledge surfaced in her mind. "So, does that mean Rikuo believes in yokai, too?" she asked, more wondering out loud than actually asking her friend.
"Hmm…can't say… You'd have to ask Rikuo-kun about that," Natsumi said cryptically.
As soon as Kagome opened her mouth to complain about her friend's evasiveness, Natsumi's phone buzzed.
"Oops! It's already five till eight. I completely lost track of time!" Kagome recalled on the car ride over Natsumi had mentioned her having an early class and Kuro would pick her up around eight o'clock. "Kuro's almost here, but promise you'll call or text me? Please please please?" Natsumi pleaded.
Kagome laughed. "I promise."
Those cat eyes turned mischievous. "And you promise you'll consider a double-date with me and Kuro and you and Rikuo-kun?"
She pursed her lips in a mock scowl but nodded. "Yes, Natsumi-chan, I'll consider it."
"I'm going to hold you to that!" Natsumi grinned, and Kagome groaned.
"I said I would consider it, you pain-in-the-ass wannabe cupid!"
When Rikuo's cell phone alerted him of a new text, he snatched it up quickly, perhaps a little too eagerly. Then, when he saw who it was from, his grin dropped.
Ryūji. Not Kagome. Damn…
In reply to Ryūji's inquiry—whether or not he had any news—Rikuo sent "Nothing on my end so far. At least not with what we've got to go on. You?"
He pulled his pipe out of his sleeve as he watched the little ellipsis dots move, and then, amidst Rikuo blowing smoke rings to amuse himself as he waited, Ryūji finally responded.
Ryūji: It's your lucky day. Or rather, it will be on Friday. Sergeants Dumb and Dumber are making copies of the last three months' worth of unresolved missing persons cases, plus any unidentified homicide victims. The way I see it, we'll have more luck making our own inferences than relying on the half-assed reports they've given me
That was promising—much better than just using the little they had gathered themselves, secondhand reports, or public records. He didn't know how Ryūji had coerced the police department into agreeing to give them copies, but on the other hand, he didn't want to know.
Rikuo: You getting copies for both of us?
Ryūji: Is the Pope Catholic?
Sometimes I don't even know why I bother trying.
Rikuo: I'll take that as a yes. When and where on Friday?
Ryūji: Supposed to have the stuff from the PD by noon, but since my confidence in them is zilch, meet me around 1 at my hotel
Rikuo: What happened to being subtle, not letting whoever's doing this know we're collaborating?
Ryūji: Fuck subtle. Subtle isn't getting anything accomplished, other than Yura riding my ass. Not to mention I'd like to go home sometime this month
Well, Rikuo couldn't argue with that—he wanted to get this done and Ryūji to go home too. Rather than saying as much, however, he simply told the onmyoji he'd see him Friday.
Then, a horrifying realization hit him—three months' worth of records? Groaning audibly, he ran a hand through his hair and then leaned his head back against the sakura tree trunk. At least he had coffee tomorrow with Kagome to look forward to. But he had a feeling Friday was going to be a long day…
Footnote:
1. TKG, or Tamago kake gohan, is a Japanese breakfast of rice with raw egg and soy sauce, that Yura loves, as did her grandfather, Hidemoto the 27th. There's a cute little bonus in the 13th volume of the manga involving dried aconite root and the two of them.
2. In multiple places the Nura clan members refer to themselves as "yakuza yokai" or "yokai yakuza" or are referred to as such by others.
Author's Notes: I know this chapter was short, but to be honest, it's kind of a "necessary evil" transition chapter. But aside from that fact, can we all agree that Natsumi is MVP for giving Kagome a boot in the ass? Thanks to her, coming soon, is finally some some one-on-one Kag/Rikuo time!