Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters; that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Nor do I own Final Fantasy (any of the titles), that right belongs to the game developers, Artist, storyboard writers and Sony/Square soft!
Day after Impact: Midgar, Shinra Inc. President's Office
"What! Why now, of all times, do you want to take a vacation, Professor Hojo!? Please explain it to me in detail," a short, stout man asked from behind a large oak desk. His fingertips pressed together like the steeple of a church, while small squinty eyes bored into a man of medium height who stood across from him, garbed in a lab coat with dark hair and glasses.
"Well, a month and a half ago, you stressed for me to take some time off when my wife Lucrecia disappeared. At that time, I didn't find it prudent to take one with all the important projects you had me doing, President Reginald Shinra," the man said, pushing his square-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And I do so choose to take the vacation now. Also, I want to be left alone, so there will be no bodyguards I need. Where I go is my business. Was this not in the contract we worked out seventeen years ago when I signed up for the Labs under Dr. Ghast? Correct me if I am wrong, my dear respectable President."
There was a subtle twitch on the President's forehead as he took several shallow breaths, trying to contain his annoyance at the man before him. He knew that Kenya Hojo was correct about his contract, and some part of him had the feeling that the man's sudden interest in a vacation had to do with the meteorite that had impacted the southern hemisphere of the planet. It was just the thing he didn't want this particular man to be around until he had gotten his own hands-on that lump of dirt and precious metals. With a soft snort, Reginald Shinra pressed his lips into a thin line, grinding his teeth as he looked down at the scattered pile of papers on his desk. The man had made sure that he had all his affairs in order before submitting his vacation request. Knowing he was defeated even if he didn't like it, Reginald placed his hands on the edge of the desk and shoved the chair back from it. Quickly, he stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of the only good scientist he had, even though there was something seriously off with the man.
"Fine, Hojo. I will give you your vacation, but you will be back in four weeks, which means your ass is here in this building the first of next month, clocking in on time for your shift in the labs and working hard on the Jenova Project. I still think you shouldn't be leaving it alone for a month, even if the results of our number on super soldier and general for the Shinra Army is stable," Reginald spoke, his voice laced heavily with defeat as he waved the man away.
Hojo looked at the small round man before him, making sure not to smile maliciously as he bowed at the waist. When he stood back up, he noted the little petulant pout on the man's lip, before he turned and left the room without waiting for any other dismissal. His hands clasped behind his back as he hunched over, quickly making his way to the elevator. He had specific orders to give to his assistants about what was to be done and how during his absence. Already he was getting excited about his trip, knowing what landed wasn't a piece of dirt and metals but something much more enjoyable. If things went the way he hoped, it would turn out to be a fantastic new experiment, one that possibly could hold limitless possibilities, since the voice in his head said that it was a very unique and seemingly powerful being.
"What do you recommend in the handling of the new specimen, Jenova? I don't want to harm it or make it mistrust me just yet," he thought to the other person in his head.
"I do not know right now, just that what landed was a human being that radiated a great amount of power. I am thankful to you, Hojo, for implanting my cells and consciousness into yourself until my son is ready enough to do what needs doing to help save this planet," a distinctly female voice said softly, almost as if cooing to him.
Mideel, one week after Impact
After she had woken up from blacking out, Kagome had taken the time to listen to the Tama's and learn from them as best she could. Already, she had picked up the local dialect, speaking it as if it was her natural language. She had learned that she didn't need a bow and arrow to shoot off her power at things anymore, but instead, she could summon it up at will. That fact alone made survival easy, especially with hunting, since it killed the animals and strange beasts painlessly. In the last week, she also learned that she could tap into the jewels powers to alter her physical appearance. This was an amusing thing since the first thing she did was change into a man, only to find out that if she stayed in that form, Mother Nature still treated her as a female, which was somewhat awkward for her and hilarious for Ara Mi Tama.
Possibly the most significant thing she had learned was that she wouldn't be getting rid of the magenta-colored brand on her forehead. No matter what she had tried, the crescent moon had stayed there and probably always would. The next change came when she finally made contact with the only village on the island. It had happened on her fifth day there; she was out hunting when she heard the scream. Instinct made her run towards it to help, only to find a small boy on the ground surrounded by what she had come to term as Goblins. The boy was hurt, bleeding from a minor head wound, as the creatures were closing in with jeering screeches at their prey. Without thinking, she had summoned her bow and shot a single arrow into the group of beasts, purifying them all in one blow, leaving the boy stunned sitting on the ground looking at her, while she just blushed a dark red.
In the moments that followed, she had gone to the boy, expecting him to run away screaming from her. When she had gotten close enough, she saw that this boy had accompanied the elder to her crash landing site. Shaking her head, she spoke softly to the boy as she let her bow dissipate, then squatting down by the silent boy's side. Reaching out, she had placed her hands over the wound on his head and willed it to be healed, causing the boy to gasp as crashing in the jungle underbrush was heard, accompanied by shouting. She lifted her face to find several men standing there, bearing weapons, a clear indication that they were the village warriors.
A small smile on her lips, she recalled the three hours of conversation spent trying to explain things to them. Eventually, history repeated itself as she let herself be bound this time and taken to the village elder for his decision. She was thankful that he was like Kaede and let her speak her piece before he ruled that she was not a threat. The next few days followed peacefully for her as she settled into the village, a bit of an outcast, but still allowed her to pull her weight.
"Hey Kagome, where are you going today? Can we come with you on your errands? Please!" asked several small children who had taken a liking to her after finding out about her healing of the young boy.
Turning, Kagome looked down at the children, a soft, natural smile on her lips as she sighed. "Nope, not today. I am going to go hunting for some herbs and such for me. How about when I get back, I play hide and seek or tag with you all? Does that sound like a good plan?" she said softly, her blue eyes pleading with them to accept.
The kids looked at her for a few minutes before they stepped away. They huddled into a circle and talked in what they deemed a secretive whisper, which she could hear clearly. Her lips pressed into a thin line while still smiling, trying not to laugh aloud. They made her miss her adoptive son, Shippo. The children broke out of the circle, coming to stand before her, hands on their hips trying to look contemplative with considerable speculation in their faces. To her, it was adorable, but she knew that they were trying to act like adults so that all Kagome could do was raise her eyebrows and put an expression of curiosity on her face.
"We have discussed it, and we accept your propa... propos... We agree with your idea, Kagome. So hurry and come back quickly, okay?" a girl with green eyes and short brown hair said, nodding her head as if her words were law and expected to be obeyed.
"I will do as you have asked Cali. Thank you for allowing me to do my errands. It is most gracious of you, my friends. Bye-bye," Kagome said, making her voice sound grateful as the children squealed and ran off to play somewhere else.
She watched the kids as they ran away, as a feeling of being watched tingled down her spine. Slowly, she let her eyes roam around before catching the gaze of several of the adults. The looks on their faces were still very wary of her, but the smiles on their lips spoke of their approval of how she had handled the kids. Giving them a bright smile and a quick wave of her hand, Kagome turned and left the village.
The sites and sounds of the jungle thrilled her since her senses were now enhanced greatly between her new powers and Sesshomaru's youki coursing through her body. She was still trying to get used to all of it and knew that she had a long way to go. It would come in time, according to Kusi and Nigi who seemed to root for her, while Saki was on the line, and Ara seemed to think her an incompetent ditz. While she knew she couldn't deny being a ditz, Kagome didn't like being considered as incompetent. In fact, it grated on her nerves since she had dealt with it the whole time she traveled with Inuyasha.
At the thought of the hanyou, Kagome felt a small pain in her chest, letting her know that she missed her friends. She couldn't help but wonder just how they were doing, and what had happened. Sighing, she closed her eyes and let her senses spread out from where she was now standing. Kagome felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull, a signal that someone was poking around the barrier she had put up around the place she had crashed. Something deep within her told her it wasn't the villagers since they tended to avoid the site. With that, her eyes snapped open before narrowing to dark, shiny blue, slits of annoyance.
Turning slowly in the direction of her crash site, Kagome summoned her power, taking care to mask it as she ran at a speed that looked like nothing more than a blurred image. In a matter of minutes, she was at the edge of the clearing around the site. Keeping herself hidden from view like she had that first day, she observed a man who looked to be in his late twenties to his early thirties poking around the barrier, muttering to himself. Her senses told her that something about this man was just not right as if he was a foreign entity like her and didn't belong, or that was what it felt like someone was telling her. She had yet to learn what it was that would whisper things like that into her mind at times, but when she had questioned the Tama's, all she had gotten was The planet speaks, leaving her confused.
"You do know that it is rude to keep oneself hidden from view and watch other people work. Unless you are a voyeur," the man spoke, lifting his head briefly to look at where she was hiding.
She felt the breath leave her chest in a whoosh of air. Blinking her eyes once she replied, "Yes, I guess it is, but I am no voyeur, sir. But you should know it is rude to poke around places without permission from the people who live in the area."
A soft, dry chuckle escaped the man as he stood up from his stooped position, giving her hiding spot full attention. He cocked his head to the side as if listening to something, then spoke up. "Well, you are correct, yet wrong there, young lady. So, why don't you come out and speak to me unless I scare you," he said, his voice almost mocking.
Kagome narrowed her eyes a bit, as that soft voice told her to be careful and stepped from her hiding spot so the man could see her in her short green skirt, white sailor school shirt, sans socks, or shoes. "You do not scare me, so much as something about you leaves me feeling very unsettled. So I ask you, what is your name and purpose here? Because I am sure that the villagers wouldn't appreciate you poking around their land," she asked, her tone calm, neutral, and unassuming.
Once more, the man chuckled softly and dryly before speaking to her, "Ah, you are an odd one, if not very perceptive. My name is Kenya Hojo. I work in the world's largest city, Midgar as its top scientist. My purpose is this impact site, and the person who landed here, who I take, from your odd clothes and strange markings, would be you." His thin lips curved up in a small knowing smile, daring her to lie.
Kagome felt her eyebrows jump to her hairline as she looked at the man with his brazen audacity. The smile on her lips became thin to indicate she didn't appreciate the way he worded his sentence. "Perceptive is something I have learned over the last few years, Hojo. And you make great assumptions, which, if you are wrong, makes an ass out of both you and me." Her voice was a bit cold. "Also, my name is Kagome Higurashi. And sorry, but I cannot say that making your acquaintance is a pleasure I like."
She observed Hojo after speaking, only to raise her eyebrows to her hairline again as the man laughed once more. The laugh reminded her of Naraku in some odd manner, causing her nerves to twinge, though she kept still. Her calm blue eyes stayed trained while her body looked relaxed and lucid, but in reality, was tighter than a wound-up steel spring. After his laughter died off, she noted he shuffled forward to the barrier and tapped on it, causing an idea to pop into her head. Her lips lifted in a smile that would do Sesshomaru proud at how cold and cruel it seemed.
Kagome tilted her head to the side as he tapped on the barrier once more, but this time when he touched, she opened up a small hole, allowing him to fall into it just before she sealed it up. The smile on her lips only grew wider as the man picked himself up off the ground with a slightly dazed and confused look on his face, before he trained flat black eyes, narrowed in a mix of thoughtful contemplation and annoyance, at her. Shaking her head with a sigh, she took those few steps toward the barrier and crouched down, so she was eye level with him, neither saying a word, but both fighting for dominance over the other using only will power. And it was hard for her not to crow her happiness when he looked away.
"I do not know how you put me in here, but I am going to make the hypothetical guess that you created this shield or barrier. Now let me out of here. I do not make a good caged animal, Ms. Higurashi," Hojo said in a soft voice that seemed to be dual-toned. As he walked to the edge of the barrier to stand before her, he placed a hand on it, which resulted in him being flung backhand smoking from being shocked by pure energy.
Kagome frowned a bit as a thought occurred to her. Standing up, she looked down at Hojo with curiosity in her sky blue eyes as she spoke in a calm, soft voice, "Whatever had been telling me that you are not a natural being is correct. If you were a normal human, the energy that creates this barrier wouldn't have affected you, let alone have harmed you at all. Now you have my full attention because I want to see what type of demon you are. Then, and only then, can we talk."
Stepping away as she began to summon her powers to her, she noted Hojo staring at her with a mix of intense hate, anger, fascination, and fear. On some level, it pleased her to see it, but it also caused shame to well up inside her from feeling that pleasure, indicating that her miko powers and the demon youki in her were conflicting once more. Giving a small shake of her head, Kagome let her power spring around her in a bright but soft pink aura, before lifting her hand and flicking it towards the barrier, transferring the power from her to the barrier.
She studied Hojo, as he watched her power surface and made the connection before he screamed in pain, writhing in agony where he stood. Her body flinched at the pain she felt coming from not only him but the thing that was inside of him as they separated into two distinct beings. Hojo looked paler, and a lot older than he had a few seconds before, while next to him was a tall, thin black thing, distinctly female with twitching tentacles for legs and arms. Those flat, black eyes that had been Hojo's seconds ago now stared out of the female's face with hate and anger, making Kagome blink before she turned her gaze to the man whose eyes now appeared human, soft green with gray specks in them.
Something inside her told her this was the thing she had waited for in the week she had been in this world. So stepping close to the barrier, she crouched down once more, addressing both of the barrier's occupants. "Well, I can see that you are a twisted little man, but you have given me an idea and purpose. So listen closely cause it will benefit both of us and that alien you have implanted in your body, Hojo, meaning I won't purify it, essentially killing it. You are a scientist and want a new test subject if I don't miss my guess. Am I right?"
Kenya Hojo lifted his gaze to the girl after taking a good look at what the Jenova cells had become in his body. He was more than curious where this was going to lead. Speaking in a mono-toned voice, he said, "You would be correct, Ms. Higurashi. I do want a new test subject. More so, I want you to be one since you are demonstrating exceptional abilities, but I see no materia on your person."
At his words, Kagome smiled a bright, sweet, happy smile, making Hojo blink and step back further from the barrier and her. Something in that smile made him feel as if he was not the evil one, with an evil entity residing in him, or rather by him at the moment, but the woman before him was the evil incarnate. Kagome noted his reaction, and let out a small laugh as words rang in her mind, "You woman are just as alien as I am, but at least I have a goal and purpose here on this planet, where you do not."
The smile that had been on Kagome's face faded away as she looked at the alien creature, and slammed her mental consciousness into its mind, finding out that it called itself Jenova, that it hopped from planet to planet, destroying them, and would use any method to achieve that goal. But the thing that made her more amused was the fact that this wasn't the original body of the alien Jenova. "Oh, you are right. I come from a whole other dimension. Not that I know if it is parallel to this one or not, which no longer matters, Jenova. But shush, I will get to you in a minute, and stay out of my mind. You leave an oily residue, which is a nasty feeling." Her voice was calm, but harder than iron, making the alien flinch back from her hissing.
Turning her attention back to Hojo, who was now slack-jawed, Kagome smiled once more at him as she spoke in a soft authoritative voice. "Good, I am glad you didn't lie to me. I loathe people who lie to me. I have a deal to make with you, since I know I am not to stay on this island the whole time I live in this world, Hojo-sama. There is a small village here, about two miles east of this crash site. I want you to go there and talk to the elder, asking if you can study the culture and surrounding area. For however long you can remain on this island, to be exact. In a day's time, I will return to that village, and we should act as we have never met. No suspicion or harm should come from the village folk or to them, cause I won't hesitate to kill that thing in you, making you feel every damned last second of it. At the end of the time you are here, I will personally come to you and ask if I may travel with you to see the world, meaning I will submit myself to being your test subject, working as a mutually beneficial team. But here is my one big condition Hojo-sama - you ever try to inject the cells of that thing into me, I will kill you before I kill it."
Audible swallowing could be heard from both Hojo and Jenova at her words. As she stayed there in that crouched position, watching his mind quickly thinking over what she had proposed, she heard a derisive snort in the back of her head, sounding distinctly like Ara Mi Tama. When nothing was said, she waited silently, watching each of the occupants in the barrier. Kagome was glad she didn't have to wait long before Hojo coughed and walked up to the barrier, which he gave a cautious look before touching it with his hand, signaling he had accepted her terms. Her lips pressed into a thin line to hold in a laugh at his amazement when he wasn't shocked and thrown back this time.
"What you ask for isn't too bad. I have until the end of this month, but I would like to leave a week and a half before since travel to the main continent takes a few days. Is that okay with you? And please can you return us to the way we were before and let me out?" he said in a very polite voice that barely concealed his giddiness over getting a new experiment.
Standing up and stepping away from the barrier, Kagome nodded her head and lifted her hand once more, waving it left to right, causing the alien Jenova to slam back into Hojo's body with a bit more force than was necessary but gave her much amusement. Then as she turned, she caused the barrier to glow brightly before it gave a small popping sound. Not waiting to watch as Hojo climbed out of the small crater, she made her way back into the jungle to finish her hunting and gathering of herbs. She had a previous promise that had to be kept at any cost, for she hated seeing children upset or crying.
TBC!
