Present Time.
Inuyasha Fanfiction
By alandrem
Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah. Same as chapter one.
Author Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is a long one, since I'm going on a trip and I'm not sure I'll be able to write until I return, in a week or so. Both chapters 8 and 9 are already in progress. This is also the beta test, I used a spell and a grammar checker but you never know if they are accurate enough. Anyway if you happen to find any errors please point to them and I'll correct what's wrong.
Also there is a possible spoiler for episode 17 of the anime. Just a slight mention though.
Ltnt. = Lieutenant
M.O. = Modus Operandi
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Things were not going as smooth as he expected, the guys from the assault division did not want to relinquish the Jane Doe case from the park. It figures they had the suspicion it was something important and they wanted the credit. Lieutenant Sato was adamant about having his right to investigate respected since this was not classified as a homicide. The man went so far as to threaten to go to the top of police hierarchy. Of course Captain Fukishima's orders were respected; he was after all among those at the top; it was important to solve the murders and since this girl was potential witnesses in a homicide case it entered Nomura's jurisdiction.
"You owe me Nomura." Sato told him coldly.
"I do?" Seijuro Nomura raised an eyebrow at the man, giving him a sarcastic smile. "Ltnt. Sato, we are talking about a potential witness for the Park Killer's case. The moment this happened there it stopped being your case, now hand over your files." A rather dangerous smile appeared on his handsome face. He did not like Sato, the man loved to cause trouble. "And don't forget I'm Detective Nomura to you." Sato froze, he hated to be reminded that piece of shit in front of him outranked him. His expression turned deadly cold.
"Calm down Sato-kun" Watanabe said in a pacifying tone. "You know we are only doing our job. None of us asked for the case."
"Watanabe this is between Nomura and me." Was his rude reply. The younger man shrugged indifferently used to this kind of problems, as he picked the folders from the case.
"Are you sure this is all of it?"
"What are you insinuating?" He said through narrowed eyes. "I'm not like you Nomura to withdraw information from police files."
"Do you know that for a fact?" Nomura asked looking none to friendly. The accusation was serious; the other man shook his head knowing he'd gone a bit too far. There were rumors of course, he'd even been investigated by internal affairs and they found no wrong doing on the detective's investigations; no missing files. "Don't speak unless you have the proof to back up your words." He made a pause and gave Sato a look that could chill the blood and few people had seen on Nomura's face. "I think it's time for you and I to have a 'friendly' kendo match one of these days Sato."
"Err… maybe." He responded nervously. A kendo match with Nomura would probably result in him getting something broken despite the protection. The man was the best in the police force, been champion in international competitions. There was no way he could beat him.
"Good. I'll call you to set the date and time." He said and left toward his small office; not without noticing Sato's visible shudder; followed by Watanabe.
He was one of the lucky ones with his own place, seeing as he had one of the highest records of solved cases, otherwise he'll be cramped in a cubicle. Of course he had to share the space with Watanabe, but there was really no problem. The younger man spent most of his time down at the coroner's anyway. Seijuro sat behind his desk and took one of the four thin folders from the case, he began reading, motioning for his partner to do the same.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Kojiro asked as he scanned another folder.
"I'm not really sure yet, but perhaps we can find something that would lead us to this girl."
"This witness gives a very good description." He mussed after rereading the file. "Good enough for a composite drawing."
"Let me see it." Nomura scanned the written page a couple of times. "You're right, who's our best sketcher?"
"I think is Kazumi Yamamoto. Want me to contact her?"
"Yes, let her read the description and work on a preliminary sketch, then we'll interview this witness again and see if he can add more details. And see if you can contact Kobayashi for the autopsies results."
"I did that before going to Sato's. He's working as fast as he can; complaining he doesn't have enough personnel. He really is overworked today, between the gang shoot out yesterday; there were six dead; and our four he's going crazy. At least two of ours are finished. Girl and boy one; she was raped and tortured; like the others; the boy almost lost his head and he is positive it was done with a very sharp Katana, died swiftly no sign of torture. I can't figure this guy out." He said with a sigh.
"Me neither Kojiro." He took another file and began reading it.
"It seems he used the same MO, but Kobayashi still has to wait for the sample analysis before giving us a conclusion. Why would he kill boys? He never did that before, it really does not check with the pattern he's maintained till now, besides it's the first time he has not used a wooded area. Perhaps it's time to accept the help of the American FBI."
"No! At least not yet, let's see if we can find this girl." Seijuro mad a pause, thinking that if the girl's attack was not related to the murders he'll have to give in and accept the help from the Americans. "The possibility that these might be a copycat work exists, but some of the things we found on the bodies have never been disclosed to the press. Besides, all the other victims had been alone, these were not. And last night the park was a bit crowded with police and a gang war. Not the best place to commit the type of crime he does." He paused then changed the subject, needing to think more about the case. "I'll probably drop later by Kobayashi's lab to see if he has found anything else."
"I'll see you there later then. What are you going to do meanwhile?"
"Check these files and go to the park. I'll see if I can find some of these people, Call me when the sketch is done."
"Right chief." Kojiro said before leaving.
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Inuyasha drooled, and she was there with the camera to bear witness. She took a few pictures of him knowing the guys would enjoy it immensely, and tease Inuyasha till kingdom come. But after a few moments of observing him, the mischievous smile on her face became a frown and she felt the beginning pangs of guilt. He never relaxed enough to be like this, if she showed them the pictures and they teased him the hanyou would not do it again.
She would never have the chance to see him like that again; he looked so young and very handsome without his eternal scowl. He also seemed to be at peace; he didn't have much of it, not even in sleep. No she'll keep the pictures to herself, perhaps she could tell him. Inuyasha would surely be angry; he had every reason to be, she'd abused his trust.
Kagome moved closer and sat beside him a tender smile on her face, she gently caressed his head running her fingers through his silvery mane. She'd enjoyed brushing his beautiful hair and having her fill of scratching his furry ears, to be truthful; she couldn't get enough and only wished that he would let her do it again. The purr started again and this time he nuzzled her hand, when she tentatively caressed his cheek. Surprised she stopped and moved both hands away.
"Don't stop." He asked her sleepily, reaching for one of her hands and placing it back on his head.
"Did I wake you?" Kagome removed her hand. She was surprised that he was actually asking her to pet him.
"It's Ok I've already slept too much." His eyes closed and his voice for once was devoid of his gruffness. His hand grabbed hers again and moved it closer to his ears. "Scratch, I know you want to do it."
"What about you, do you want me to scratch your ears?" He shrugged indifferently. Her voice held a slight note of amusement when she said. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself for my benefit. If you don't like it I'll stop." Kagome tried to remove her hand, but he grabbed it again. He opened his eyes to look at her, didn't say anything for a while.
"I like it." He finally said very softly, still looking at her and blushed a bit. "Now scratch." Her fingers started scratching behind his ears and the purr came back.
"I didn't know you could do that." She commented.
"Do what?"
"Purr." She said and he tensed fearing that she'll reject him, purring was a demon trait. "I rather like it, sounds…" The young woman paused looking for the right word. "Comforting and relaxing." She finally said. Feeling him relax again and push his head into her fingers silently pleading her to scratch a bit harder.
"I didn't remember I could." He told her. "Last time I did was the day Ofukuro died… it was also the last time I let someone scratch my ears and comb my hair."
'He never let Kykyo do this?' Was her surprised thought, she really felt honored and elated.
"Don't stop, don't stop." His voice sounded husky.
"My! Are we demanding!" Kagome giggled.
"Oh yeah! Right there! That's the spot! Aaahh so good pprrrrrr. Hmmm… harder." He pleaded in a moan.
"Stop wiggling! I can't if you're moving like that." She said laughing.
"I can't! prrrrr. I didn't know you could be so good prrrrrrr."
"Well thanks!" She said playfully. "Now how does it feel if I touch here?"
"Hmmm prrrrrrr. Sooo good."
"Inuyasha stop squirming you're tickling me!" Kagome laughed again.
"Aaaah How come… you know… exactly which… are the best… places? You've… never… done this… before right?"
Asami was surprised at what she heard, she began to worry and then get angry, and so she went into the TV room abruptly, surprising the youths. Kagome was sitting on the couch with Inuyasha's head on her lap; he was in a rather odd and probably uncomfortable position, half his body on the couch the other on the recliner and his legs hanging from the armrests. But the hanyou seemed oblivious to it. Her daughter had her hands on his ears, thumbs rubbing the inside of them near his scalp. Both turned to look at her wide eyed.
"Mama?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha just maneuvered his body so he could half turn and look at the door with and inquiring yet still content look; Asami thought this was the first time he really looked happy. The purr was gone though.
"Lunch is ready kids." She said rather nervously, turning a slight shade of red that left them wondering what was going on, and went back to the kitchen. Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, and she just shrugged. Not really having an answer. He stood up a bit stiffly and she followed suit.
"Come let's go, there's Oden for lunch." She said her eyes shinning and mouth watering at the thought of her favorite food. The young woman could eat a whole pot by herself if allowed.
"Kagome you're drooling." Inuyasha teased her. He'd come to learn the world ceased to exist at the sole mention of Oden. Naraku could attack and she'll not even notice with a bowl of the stuff in front of her.
"I'm not!"
"You are! Look in the mirror."
"I don't drool, but you do."
"I don't, where did you get such a stupid idea wench!" He said defensively.
'Me drooling? Ha that's a stupid idea!' He thought thinking that Kagome was making things up just to spite him. The feeling of contentment gone from both of them.
"I saw you. You were drooling before I woke you up."
"I wasn't bitch."
"You were dog-boy!"
"Inuyasha you WERE drooling and you DO drool at the mention of Oden Kagome, so leave it at that. Let's eat in peace." Asami said while serving them, if she let this go on it'll probably end with Inuyasha being 'sat' and cursing Kagome. Both blushed then glared at each other but complied, eating in silence.
The rest of the afternoon went uneventful, they watched more TV, the dog demon was particularly interested in a program about the sense of smell and since he had the remote control Kagome had to watch it. Later she decided that perhaps a movie would be Ok, and after a small argument convinced Inuyasha to see it. She settled on watching Romeo must die with Jet Li, thinking that perhaps an action movie would draw his attention. It did, although Kagome had a hard time explaining that the blood and deaths he was seeing were not real. One he understood he was marveled by the fight scenes, the shootings and the guns.
Asami excused herself and went out to run some errands, since she was in Tokyo she might as well get them done. At least that was what she told Kagome, as she really went to the mall to buy some modern clothes for Inuyasha. She'd promised to help him mingle with the modern teens, so he could search for the ones that attacked her daughter and also keep watch without really standing out in the crowd. Of course with that long silvery white hair, golden eyes and furry dog ears it was not going to be easy.
After dinner Kagome went to sleep and Inuyasha waited for some minutes before going to the guest room and check the stuff Mrs. Higurashi got for him. Four odd hakamas, the legs were not as ample as his own, but he'd seen the kids wearing similar ones yesterday; one was too short though; six inner yukatas of different colors; two were long sleeved but light, two were short sleeved and the other two were kinda fluffy and warm; they had strange painted images; he liked those. A pack of… by the picture outside he guessed they were undergarments; a bit different from the strange one Kagome gave him yesterday and that he refused to wear. Another pack of what looked like tubes but by the image he realized they went on the feet; Inuyasha wondered why.
There were also a hair brush, a small brush(teeth brush) and a tube of something (tooth paste), some leather tongs, two odd hats with a hard thingy(caps); one knit thingy(another hat); one pair of those he'd heard on TV were called sunglasses, he liked them; and tried them on. Some footwear which he eyed wearily; as he'd never worn anything on his feet before; a set of clothes that looked like the ones he was wearing but smaller(pajamas), and finally two thingies that looked like odd yukatas(jackets).
He chose an odd pair of black hakama; Asami told him they were called trousers; with yellow, black and white stripes on the side of either leg. They had strange plastic thingy; that appeared to have teeth going around each leg just below the knee. Mrs. Higurashi explained it was a zipper and the reason it was there was to remove the lower part of the trouser.
"Why would anyone want to remove it?" He asked rather curious while she showed him how the things worked.
"It's the fashion among teens these days." She explained. "You have pants and trunks."
"Men go around showing their legs?" He asked but played with the zipper, until he got the hang of it, then played some more just because he liked the odd sound it made.
"Some do." He gave her a dubious look, when she took them away from him.
She told him in what order he was to put the clothes on and which was the front and back of things. Then she supervised him putting on the socks and the sneakers, knowing he'll probably have trouble with the laces, the Nike pair she bought used Velcro. Acting like a real kid, he played with the Velcro putting it together then ripping it off. He peered at it, smelled it and tasted it making a face at the raspy end; then kept on sticking, unsticking, sticking, unsticking, sticking, unsticking on and on until Asami sharply told him to stop. She left him to get dressed and went to her own room to change too.
Twenty minutes later she came down after verifying that Kagome was indeed asleep and wearing black slacks a sweater and a jacket. She handled the young man a leather jacket; at least three sizes larger; that belonged to her husband. He was wearing a black long sleeved T-shirt that matched the trousers, a cap with the visor on the back; like he'd seen the kids at the park wear; his white mane was brushed into a semblance of order and tied with a leather thong in the back. Without his bulky clothes he looked much leaner and taller.
Both went out, Asami going ahead to get the car out of the garage where she kept it. He felt uncomfortable with the foot wear; sneakers she called them; until he started walking and realized each of his steps was bouncy, like walking on a spongy surface. Not bad… he might yet get to like the thingies. The trousers weren't that bad either; he could still move quite comfortably, same with the t-shit. But his ears were not faring that well, the cap kept them pressed to his skull and even if it did not hurt, it felt odd not to be able to move them. He could still hear quite good though.
Going down the shrine's steps to the street was a torture, and Inuyasha couldn't understand why his leg was still stiff; it was better than it was in the morning but not the way it should have healed normally. Asami had explained about cars and he had the chance to see a program and many commercials to understand they were a common way of transportation on this time, but he still felt a little apprehensive when the time came to get into the thing; of course he kept that feeling to himself. He fumbled with the seat belt and after some frustrating moments and a big effort not to start cursing and destroy it; he finally managed to put it on.
Asami had a hard time not to smile at the frustration the hanyou was showing and wonder why he wasn't being his loud obnoxious self, but she suspected he did not want to make her angry and risk the chance that she forbade Kagome to go back in time. As she drove the woman had the chance to observe the young man from the corner of her eyes, he licked his lips, swallowed nervously and his claw gripped the door handle with more force than was necessary. Since it was his first time in a car she guessed he might have the beginning of car sickness, so she opened the window; told him to remove the cap; and he gratefully poked his head out of it, soon a small smile appeared.
"Are you liking your first ride on a car?" She asked. He turned to watch her, the smile still in place.
"It's Ok I think. This thing goes so fast, more than a horse or I can. And I like way the air feels at this speed, if only it didn't smell so bad." He paused to look out the window again.
"We call that pollution, and we humans created that with our machines. You'll probably get used to it. I suppose the air in your time is cleaner."
"It is, when I go running in the forest it smells so fresh, of trees and earth. Are we there yet?" His eyes were taking the great number of strange buildings both short and tall; like they had grown out of horizontal space and began going up instead; as well as the many strange posts on either side of the road that had a strange yellowish light coming from them.
"Just a couple of minutes more."
"Higurashi-sama? What are those poles with the strange orange light for?" He finally asked.
"We call them street lights. I suppose in your time not many people ventured out at night."
"No, humans in my time don't travel at night; afraid of youkai and wild animals. If they have to they usually carry a lamp or a torch to light their way."
"They serve the same purpose of a lamp or torch, only instead of carrying them; we placed them on those roads we frequent. As you can see there are still a lot of people out." She explained, some time later she turned into a part of town that looked a bit desolated; very few people on the streets; and not as many lights. "We're here." She said stopping in front of a dark alley closed by yellow police tape. It took her no time to find a place to leave the car. It was in front of a diner; with lots of light; that was only a few steps away, both went down. The dog demon still used Tetsusaiga as a walking cane.
He stood just outside of the entry signaled by the yellow thingy, he leaned precariously against the wall and closed his eyes trying not to be overwhelmed by the myriad of odors wafting from the place. They were just too many and confusing, and for a moment he feared he'll end knocked out on the ground just like he did with the ink onis. He leaned heavily on Tetsusaiga's hilt until his nose finally began to get used to the stench. Asami had a concerned looked on her face, he looked about to pass out for a few moments, but when she asked if he was Ok he merely nodded. They stayed there for at least five minutes, and then Inuyasha went into the alley ignoring the tape.
"I think you should wait here Higurashi-sama." He suggested, by the scents he was picking it was going to be an ugly sight, he'd learned from Kagome that people from her time were not used to deal with bloody places. "It's too dark." He said instead.
"It's Ok Inuyasha I brought a lamp. Don't you need it?"
"No." He turned to see her and she noticed that his eyes were glowing golden in the dark. "You might not like to see what's there."
"I know it's not going to be a pretty sight, but I think I can handle it." She assured him. He just shrugged and went down on all fours, it was a bit painful but he managed to ignore the protests from his leg's muscles.
Inuyasha sniffed the ground of the sidewalk carefully; gave several passes until he was sure he could discern the different smells involved. Many humans had gone through, the most recent scent was at least 4 hours old, and the killers' would probably be a day and faint, the victims he would recognize by the blood. His nose close to the ground he moved to where a figure was painted on the pavement, by the contours you could not tell if it was male or female, but the scent told him a lot. A young woman, the scent of jasmine was only a faint trace as well as sweat made pungent by fear and pain. In fact both were so strong he almost reeled, few times in his life had he smelled something so disturbing; the whole alley reeked of it; he had to stand up and take a few deep breaths.
Asami gasped as her lamp's beam moved on the floor and found the silhouette drawn on the floor blood was already caked and dark, but she could tell there was a lot of it. This person had tried to reach the street and didn't make it; a hand was stretched out in front as if begging for help. She noticed that Inuyasha had stood up and was taking a few deep breaths; he appeared deeply disturbed by something.
"Something's wrong?" She asked, managing to keep her voice calm although she was beginning to dread her decision to go into the alley. Her stomach felt a bit queasy.
"This was one of the girls, she was young." He began saying. "I don't know what these men did; I would have to see the body for that; but whatever it was made her so afraid she could have almost died of it alone. I have only smelt so much fear and pain on a human when they are attacked by Youkai that feed on those emotions. But there are not many of those in my time and I don't smell any here." The young man sounded disturbed. "The whole place stinks with it." He snorted to clear his nose; Asami just nodded accepting the information.
Then the young hanyou went back on all fours and kept sniffing, he found very faint traces of a boy's; perhaps a young man; blood. Despite of the disgusting smell of blood and fear he caught a small whiff of a scent he didn't recognize but that was definitely feminine and oddly enticing; it played with his instincts and left him feeling more perturbed and with a rather strange longing. The odor was masked by the fear and seemed older too, as it was very faint. He shook his head trying to clear it from the images of Kagome it was beginning to conjure. Most were of those few times he'd caught her bathing.
'Damn!' He swore mentally. 'I really need to concentrate! This is no time to be thinking about Kagome.' A slight growl came out of his throat.
He went back to sniffing and following the trail of blood to the end alley, he stopped when he found another area with dried crusted blood and another body painted on the floor near the side wall. There had been two people there, as he traced the area he recognized the scent from the girl by the entrance, and a boy who'd been close to the girl. There was no scent of fear from the boy but he found the kid had a smell that was vaguely familiar and yet not.
For a moment he stopped sniffing and concentrated on where he'd smelled it before. He then blushed recalling it had been on himself on those times he'd been exploring his body and discovered the pleasure of caressing certain parts of his anatomy. The kid had been sexually aroused, but had not gone all the way through as he did not find the smell of his musk. He thought about it some more until he reached the conclusion the disturbing odor coming from the girl must have been the feminine version of arousal. As he'd never been close to a female; human or youkai; in that condition he had no way of knowing what it was until he thought it over.
'So these kids had been necking.' He thought as his nose kept taking inventory of the scents surrounding the marks and his night seeing eyes scanned the area for more details. 'Couldn't they have found a nicer place? Kagome would surely hate it if I chose a place…' He froze at the direction his thoughts were heading. 'Idiot! What makes you think she'll want to try that with an inexperienced hanyou like you?' His mind went on. 'Where in the seven hells did that come from? Aaaarrrrrggghh! I sure as hell wouldn't like necking with her… would I?' He growled exasperated at himself, because he had thought about doing just that with her more than once recently; odd though; he'd never wanted to do this with Kykyo.
Crouching in front of the scene, he began piecing together the information his nose and his eyes gathered. The couple was too busy to notice someone approaching, whoever it was probably cut the boy's neck or back, as there wasn't much blood on the wall and the girl only had very faint traces of it. He must have died instantly or been unconscious almost immediately, he could not find any trace of fear coming from his blood. The girl's scent on the wall was another matter, although it was not yet as dense as when she died.
Watching carefully he found the trace of a foot print on the blood, noticed the direction it was pointing and bent even closer to it, the surrounding area stank of a familiar scent; that of his prey; and a dangerous growl erupted from his throat, startling Mrs. Higurashi. Somehow she knew he'd found what he was looking for, traces from one of Kagome's attackers. Fear for her daughter's safety began taking hold of her, but Inuyasha was sure the men had not followed her home and they could hope none knew where she lived.
"It's them." She stated, not really expecting Inuyasha to confirm it verbally, his growl had done that.
"One of them at least; the one that flushed Kagome; the smoky scent is almost gone as well as the alcohol, but his sweaty stench is unmistakable. I still have to check the place and see if the other was here too."
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He was surprised to see two silhouettes in the alley, one was completely indistinguishable but the other had very long white/silver hair that even when it was dark inside almost shone on its own accord. His first thought was that perhaps these people were reporters searching the scene of the crime for clues, but the white haired one was on his/her knees moving about, and none had anything that remotely resembled a camera; nor were they taking notes. He could hear the faint murmur of voices but from where he stood he could not really tell what they were saying.
He let them go the length of the alley and when they began to approach the entrance he decided to confront them, the police cord had been put into place to keep onlookers away and to preserve as much evidence as possible. These two had been trespassing, he was surprised to hear the white haired one address him in a gruff if young tone of voice.
"Police man." He called; and it sounded like it was a word this man had not used before. "Come out I know you're there and have been watching us for some time." He was rather surprised; he thought he'd been discrete. He also noticed how the guy that spoke had placed himself protectively in front of the other one. Who was shorter, straining his eyes he realized it was a woman. "What do you want?"
"It's you who should be answering that question. You're trespassing; this area is closed due to an investigation, so state your names and reasons to be here."
"Feh! Our names are not important." The young one said. "Let's go." He told his companion.
"Stop right there." He said as his hand moved toward his gun. "I'm detective Seijuro Nomura, head of this investigation. Since you've been found in temporary police jurisdiction I think you better come to police headquarters for questioning."
"We're not going…"
"Wait Inuyasha." The woman said calmly and Nomura opened his eyes wide.
'The young man's name is Inuyasha*? Dog-demon*? Must be a nickname.' He thought at the unusual name. It made him remember an old legend his father used to tell him when he was little.
"We already discussed this. I can deal with them." Inuyasha told her, he really did not want this so called 'police' involved; he could take care of those men on his own.
"I know you can, but you agreed to it." She reminded him.
"I did not, you assumed I did."
"You did."
"I did not."
'Feh! I can't believe I'm arguing with Kagome's mother!' He thought rather surprised, although he'd been tame with his language, he knew she did not approve of him swearing. Getting her pissed might result in her telling Kagome and he getting 'sat' at least a couple of times. 'But I think I'm beginning to see where Kagome got that temper.'
"Inuyasha…" She said in an authority tone that for a moment reminded him of his mother's when he did something he shouldn't have. It always meant he was in deep trouble. He really did not want to know what she could do when angry; if her daughter was pretty scary she might just be worst.
Nomura watched the little scene with interest, what could this be about? The woman was obviously older, perhaps his mother or another figure of authority because he could see the guy grudgingly give in at her tone.
"Feh! Do what you want." He shrugged and added sounding annoyed. "I just don't understand what these p…"
"Inuyasha!" Asami interrupted him; there was a little warning in her tone. And his head snapped to look at her and actually shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Nomura caught a strange golden flash from the young man's eyes when he turned to look at the woman. "Excuse him for his rudeness Detective Nomura. I am Asami Higurashi and he is Inuyasha." The detective was surprised she did not forward the young one family name, it was strange.
"Higurashi-san, can you tell me what is it that you two were doing here?"
"Yes Detective, but first I'll like to go to another place. This… This…" She gestured expansively. The truth was she felt very disturbed in there especially because at her request Inuyasha had been giving her a running commentary of what he found. It was just too gruesome.
Nomura seamed to think her request a bit then finally suggested they go to the diner just a few paces away from the alley. It was 24 hrs, clean and offered enough privacy to talk. The woman readily agreed; the young man appeared a bit reluctant but in the end followed them limping a bit and using a cane for support; at least he thought it was a cane; as soon as they came to the lighted street he realized it was an old katana. For a moment he wondered if the teen; he could see his features better now and he looked quite young; knew how to use it. In the diner he found an isolated boot at the back and they followed.
The kid's appearance was rather strange; he'd never seen one so young with hair like his; completely white and so long; or with amber eyes that really looked more golden. He watched him surreptitiously, he was tall and seamed rather lanky in the huge leather jacked. He could not help but notice the claw-like appearance of his fingernails and wondered if it was some odd new fashion or some kind of birth defect. Before the Higurashi woman began speaking they ordered some drinks. The kid ordered a coke and got a look from the woman that clearly asked 'are you sure?' to which he only shrugged. She went for coffee as he did.
"Now Higurashi-san can you tell me why you trespassed? And what was he doing on the floor?" He looked in Inuyasha's direction. The kid bristled and seamed about to give some kind of smart retort but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Let me deal with this Inuyasha. I know a bit more than you do." She said looking straight to the kid's eyes, he looked about to protest but seemed to think about it more and just nodded. "Afterwards you can tell him what you found."
"Feh! Who says I have to tell him anything."
"I can always get a subpoena young man. Then you'll have to or risk going to prison for withholding information." He noticed there was some undercurrent going between the two. His instincts told him there was something weird going on.
"See if I care, get that supo-whatever if you want."
"Inuyasha you said this morning you wanted to protect Kagome, and we agreed the police will have to do. Especially after we found out it's them. You want her safe don't you?"
"Them? Who are them? And who is this Kagome?" The kid sent him a very distrustful and rather evil look, for a moment his eyes flashed golden like a cat's.
"They might not be able to keep her safe, I can." He said stubbornly ignoring the cop's questions.
"I know you can and you will, that's why I let her go with you." She paused to let him recover from his surprise. "But understand that I'm her mother; I want what's best for her. I believe the police can help us, they have experience on this kind of thing." The kid seemed about to protest, and then sighed in defeat. "You'll let me deal with this my way?" He nodded, but still glared evilly at Nomura. That golden gaze was enough to disturb the detective. Tiny goose bumps rose in his arms. This kid looked dangerous and quite creepy.
"Sorry about this Detective." She apologized. "Kagome is my daughter and Inuyasha's best friend. Before I go into detail, let me tell you a few things about Inuyasha, so you'll understand what we were doing in the alley." The police officer nodded, and the kid looked dubious. "He has a very special gift…"
"Don't tell you're one of those psychics kid? Because I don't believe in that kind of crap."
"No."
"Actually his gift is more down to earth detective. You see Inuyasha has an exceptionally acute sense of smell."
"Smell? What does this have to do with anything?" He asked sounding skeptical. "Don't tell me he was sniffing in that alley?" He said his voice filled with humor. But then he remembered seeing the kid on all fours nose close to the ground, looking very much like a search dog.
"Let's go Higurashi-sama. He can't help you and I'll deal with these men on my own." He said standing up and looking disdainful.
"Men? Why do you say they are men?" He was frankly curious, even if this was a bit farfetched.
"Inuyasha please sit down." The young man growled and it really did sound like a menacing dog, but he sat down again. The drinks arrived and Nomura was puzzled to see the antics of the kid. He sniffed his drink, made a surprised face when the bubbles frizzled under his nose and then using the straw tentatively took a sip, again surprised by the gas. Then he drank it all, and had to contain a belch looking rather embarrassed.
"Looks like you've never had a coke in your life kid." Nomura commented.
"Feh!" he said with an indifferent shrug.
"My daughter is the girl those two thugs attacked yesterday at the Sakura park." The Higurashi woman said.
"Is she alright? Why didn't she file a complaint?" The detective could not believe his luck.
"She's fine, only a few bruises and the fright. There was no complaint filed because she thought it was really no big deal. Kagome's not been in the city recently so she was unaware of the murders."
"I'll like to talk to her Higurashi-san."
"No." Inuyasha said firmly.
"Kid I'm talking to her mother; hers is the only consent I need."
"No, I won't allow her to talk to you."
"You won't ALLOW her?" He was surprised at the kid's possessive tone. He probably was more than just her best friend.
"I won't." He sounded determined.
"Listen kid, who do you think you are?" Inuyasha was surprised by this question. Who was he really to make this decision?
"Don't call me kid! My name is Inuyasha." He growled dangerously. The look he gave Nomura was enough to freeze the blood and the cop had to wonder who the kid was, he looked too young to have that kind of look.
The question really left the hanyou feeling a bit uneasy. Who was he really to decide for her? Especially in her time, besides Higurashi-sama was her mother and she supported the idea of Kagome talking to this 'police'. Did he really have anything to say in the matter?
'But… I'm pack leader! She's my responsibility, and she's my lead female.' The thought came out of the blue, and he visibly froze. Not understanding where it came from, until he began thinking back to what Myoga-jiji had taught him about his kind, Inu-Youkais.
Dog-demons, like dogs, wolves and wolf-youkai were social creatures; with a few exceptions of course. They formed packs with the strongest male and female as leaders; at least in the beginning. His father had trouble because of this; few youkai could accept the leadership of a human even if in that day and age it was not really necessary as was in the old days. Inu-youkais were no longer nomads.
The more he began to think about this behavior that his fellow dog-demons had, the more he realized he'd formed his own pack. The forest and Kaede's village became his territory. His pack had even started the way a traditional pack usually did, two loners; Kagome and himself; that join to facilitate the hunt; in this case the Shikon no Tama; pups came later. At the thought of her as the mother of his pups he visibly blushed making the adults wonder what he was thinking; he… liked that thought. Shippou became the pup; as the kit saw Kagome as some kind of mother, what he made of him was in question though; then some other hunters would join and form a bigger group; Miroku, Sango and Kirara. Small packs some times accepted old ones, especially if the leaders were young to benefit from their experience and wisdom; Kaede-baba and Myoga-jiji.
But by both Inu-Youkai and human standards he was too young to have taken leadership, for youkai he had to be at least 100 or reached his prime; which he had not yet; in human age he should be 16 to be considered an adult* and considered for leadership at least 10 more; not counting the time he was pinned at the Go-Shimboku, he was just 15. But he'll be a year older by the end of autumn.
The thing was he formed his pack, and took the leadership with Kagome's help, by dog-demon customs she became something akin to a mate even if he'd never claimed her. This realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He also realized that the moment Shippou became part of his pack, his responsibility was to provide food, shelter, protect and teach the little pup the ways of the pack; something that had not crossed his mind. He began to see his relationship to the kitsune in a new light, knowing this, things had to change.
Asami and Seijuro watched him silently each wondering what could be in his mind to make such a rapid and strange play of emotions on his face. Confusion, surprise, understanding, doubt, embarrassment and determination all went through almost in a flash. Of course Inuyasha could not tell them all he found out, it was not the way of the humans. Higurashi-sama might understand if he later explained, but that 'police man' would not. Instead he fixed the man with a steady, confident and quite penetrating gaze. It made Nomura think it was much too serious to belong to a teen, and wonder who he was again.
"You wouldn't understand who I am to decide 'police man'." His tone was slightly disdainful. "But let me tell you this, Kagome's safety is MY responsibility. I've been protecting her for some time and I will continue to do so." By the time he finished speaking his tone was deadly serious.
'Protecting her? Against what? There's something odd going on here.' Seijuro thought.
"Inuyasha I know what you do for her, and I'm grateful. But we must do what's right."
"Higurashi-sama, Kagome is very brave and doesn't scare easily; but don't tell her I said so; you know what we go through some times, and never have I seen her like she was yesterday."
"I understand." She finally said with a sigh. For the hanyou to actually compliment someone, least of all Kagome, meant that indeed he thought highly of her. And if he was telling her he'd never seen her daughter that frightened when they fought demons and risked their lives almost everyday... It was something she should pay attention to. "But they can force her, using the law, if they request her testimony she can't refuse."
"Look k… Inuyasha." Nomura realized that this kid had more influence with the older woman than he thought. So he had to convince him to cooperate. "We need her to tell us what happened, and to describe these men so we might have a sketch. This is a very important line of investigation; we need to find if there is a link between her attack and the murders. This man can't be allowed to keep on killing young women."
"There is a connection. It's not one man, there are two." The hanyou assured him; he paused for a moment thinking the options he had. This time was very different from his own, when over there he could use brute force or threats, he got the distinctive feeling they would be of no use here. "I'll track these men for you if you leave Kagome out of this." He finally said surprising Asami, Inuyasha was really set on protecting Kagome; she knew he was quite stubborn, and perhaps the police had a better chance of catching them with his help. That is, if they accept it.
"Kid you have not seen them; you don't know how they look like. No offence, but I don't think you can do anything."
"Besides, I told her Inuyasha, it'll be her decision to speak or not with the police."
"She knows?" He was surprised, then thought about it some more, before saying. "If she wants to talk to you I won't stop her. But…"
'Feh! Like I could, she'll probably 'sit' me until my back breaks.' He thought.
"Once you get your description you leave her alone. I'll track these guys."
"Kid I understand you want to help but I don't think you can do anything. You didn't see them."
"Don't call me kid!" He snapped. "There's no need for me to see them." Nomura narrowed his eyes, wondering what he meant. "I have this, and it's all I need." He said tapping his nose.
"Your nose?"
"Yesterday after Kagome was safe at home. I went out to look for these guys. Both men; they aren't old but not young either; were drunk, it wasn't sake and an odd cloying smoky odor surrounded them. Higurashi-san says it might some kind of drug; if I smell it again I'll be able to identify it; although it makes me sneeze; same as the alcoholic beverage. One gave chase while the other waited ready to ambush, the one waiting reeked of this drug, and he was hiding behind a tree."
Nomura was surprised by Inuyasha's words, he could not find fault with what he was hearing, they had found traces of the drug near a tree, and a bottle of cheap whiskey not far. There were also two distinctive foot print patterns that lead the experts to believe the girl had been ambushed, and none of these details had been released to the press.
"I managed to trace their scent to the recreation area." Higurashi-sama had told him its name when they talked earlier. "A lot of kids were gathered; probably 30. Most of them were having fun, but a small group of five or so were not. They smoked this drug and the scent of 'them' clung in the area where they sat. Then the war started and I had to leave. If it doesn't rain I'll probably be able to trace them again. Beginning to get interested?" He asked the detective. The young dog-demon could hear the quickening of the cop's heart; cap and all his ears were still able to get the tiniest sounds; and smell some excitement. He was interested all right.
"I might be. What else can you tell me?" Inuyasha looked at Asami for a moment then said.
"Can you wait here Higurashi-sama? We'll be going back to the alley." She nodded and he stood up, she gave him the lamp and without waiting for the detective started walking to the entrance.
The detective observed him as he walked in front, the teen's movements betrayed strength, power and an assurance at odds with the youthful appearance; even with the limp. Unlike most kids he'd seen recently this one walked straight, alert, he got the impression he'll spring into action at the least provocation. Once outside Inuyasha turned the lamp on, it was better to pretend he needed it. The man stood beside him and got his own lamp out, the young man waited for a few moments deciding how and what exactly was he going to tell him. It was better to start from the beginning so he'll reconstruct the murders.
"I'll reconstruct the events, from the oldest scent trails to the newest; although your fucking people did a good job of messing the trails." Nomura raised his eyebrows in surprise at hearing him swear, the language he'd used had been quite proper and he began to think he did it for the woman's benefit.
"That's an abrupt change in attitude kid."
"Don't f****ng call me kid again!" He growled whirling so fast to face the detective and grab him by the neck with surprising strength, that Seijuro Nomura former kenjutsu champion did not even see him coming. "She's not here so I don't have to watch my f***ng language."
"Hey take it easy Inuyasha." The one handed grip on his throat eased. "How old are you anyway?"
"Feh! That's not for you to know." He growled, releasing his hold on the cop's neck. His eyes glowed golden in the night, much like a wolf or a cat. Nomura again got the creeps, and Inuyasha smelled his fear, he gave the cop a predatory smile, careful not to bare his fangs.
"I will have to if the information you provide is important." He saw him shrug, then duck under the yellow tape. "And talk to your parents for permission."
"I have no parents. They are both dead."
"Then your tutor."
"I don't have a tutor."
"Then to whoever is responsible for you."
"You're talking to me, aren't you? I'm responsible for myself." He started walking inside, ignoring the surprised look on detective Nomura's face.
'So he's a street kid?' He thought. 'He has the though act, and yet… There's something odd about him, and how come he knows the Higurashi girl? Most well to do mothers would not let a street kid get close to their daughters.'
"The couples got in this way. Why they chose such a shitty place goes beyond me." He shrugged and began walking toward the back. "Two decided to stay here and began… well you know." He felt a bit uncomfortable and had stood by the first boy's mark. "The other two, went farther back." He took him there, following the path they had. "The ones in the front; let's call them one; got pretty exited but didn't actually do it." He blushed and thanked the gods it was dark, after being asked his age he did not want to appear too naive. "Unlike the ones in the back; they'll be two. Girl one was against the wall, boy one? You can guess. One of the killers stood here before he struck the boy with something sharp. From the distance I think it was probably a katana." He measured the distance with Tetsusaiga to give the detective a visual of what his nose and eyes told him. "He cut either back or neck but he was not beheaded as there's not much blood on the wall…"
"How come you know about this kind of detail Inuyasha?" He asked in a matter of fact tone, but the hanyou could sense some undercurrent there, suspicion.
"I like to hunt." He explained. "I've beheaded game before, when you do that it some times gets pretty messy." Then for a measure of safety, and remembering the conversation he overheard the night before, he added. "Besides, you can see it on TV or the movies."
'A street kid hunting? Hmmm things are getting interesting.'
"You hunt? That's nice, what type of gun do you prefer?"
'Feh! Me and my big mouth now how do I get out of this?' He thought with a mental groan. He only used his claws for hunting, and he had not hunted in some time. But he did learn to use a bow when he was finding ways to protect himself. He hated to admit it but Kagome was probably a much better shot than he was.
"I don't like guns; they stink even from a distance." That got him another surprised look from the cop. "I use a bow instead, but Kagome is a better shot though."
'Did I just say that? What the hell am I doing?'
"And I suppose she doesn't know you think so?" There was amusement in his tone, which only served to anger him.
"The kid didn't even know what hit him." Inuyasha went on ignoring the comment.
"Kid? They were probably older than you." Was the low comment, he had not intended for the kid; as he thought of Inuyasha; to hear, but of course the aforementioned dog-demon had exceptional hearing.
"There isn't the scent of fear in his blood or around the place, and the figure of the girl had only the faintest traces of his blood near the head. And I heard that, Higurashi-sama forgot to mention I also have good hearing."
"The other couple was just finishing, the scent of his musk is strong… but I did not find it on the floor where the girl laid." He said as an after thought. "Anyway this one used the same method of killing the boy. They probably struck at the same time or pretty close to each other, because if they hadn't they would have been afraid. The girls are another matter, they were tortured or something because the stench of pain and fear is rather a bit overpowering. Both were raped I think because I scent their musk is here, mixed with these bloodstains."
"Musk? That's an odd way to call semen kid." The dog-demon flinched and had to do a big effort not to turn and kill the man. Kagome's mother would not be pleased to say the least.
"Don't call me a f****ng kid again!" He snapped, then in his normally gruff voice he added. "And well that's the way it smells to me, kind of musky." He said and shrugged. "Girl two died here, girl one remained alive for a bit longer. She crawled to the street but did not make it. The men left before she died, and they took something from both girls, the scent is very faint. The drug and the alcohol are just traces so this happened a few hours after the park."
Seijuro Nomura was truly amazed, this kid had described the murders and things the forensic pathologists had only begun to confirm, yet they could not tell who was where or with whom, like he just had. And the sperm on the blood was something they had not found but he'll have a team work on it, if Inuyasha was right perhaps they could extract some DNA for identification.
They walked in silence back to the diner where Asami waited, Seijuro deep in thought; he no longer doubted the kid had a very good nose. In fact he was beginning to think having him on his side to track the murderers would be an asset. The problem was how to convince other people that his testimony was valuable? There had to be a way. Then he got it, it might seem a little demeaning but if he could go through some of the tests designed for search dogs and got scientific confirmation of his abilities then there would be no doubt about his assessment that the thugs from the park assault were the same as the alley killer.
"Interested?" Inuyasha asked once they were seated again Asami had ordered some Chili French fries and another coke for him; he attacked the fries with singular relish; after going through his sniffing ritual. "This is good!" He exclaimed popping another French fry covered in chili into his mouth.
"Yes. But I'll need some kind of scientific backup to his claims of an excellent sense of smell." He sipped his coffee, watching the teen in front of him gobble up the food.
"What do you have in mind Detective?" Asami asked a bit worried about what kind of scientific confirmation was needed. It would be no good if they found out Inuyasha was a half-demon.
"Don't be offended Inuyasha by what I'm going to suggest, but maybe you should take the tests we have designed for search and rescue dogs."
"I'm no dog! I'm a… I'm a…" He exploded indignantly, but caught himself up before he said youkai. Luckily Nomura thought he was protesting his humanity.
"I know you're a human being kid, but you have to demonstrate that your nose is as good as theirs." Nomura added in a pacifying tone.
"Feh! My nose is better than a f***ng dog's!" He exclaimed confidently, since he knew that for a fact. "Besides I have brains to go with it."
"Prove it. You'll be surprised how smart some mutts are."
"Damn it 'police man' I just did!"
"Detective." Seijuro corrected him.
"What?"
"My rank is detective kid. Don't forget it."
"Feh! Whatever." Inuyasha said with a dismissive gesture. He'd just found a way to get even for being called kid. "I just showed you what I can do 'police man'."
"Really? You showed me you probably watched one too many detective series on TV, but I'll give it to you that you are a good observer."
"You Assh***!" He said cracking his knuckles ready to claw the man into tiny pieces.
"Take the tests kid. Prove you're not just boasting."
"All right I'll do it." He said grudgingly. "But I want your word that Kagome is not going to get involved after you talk to her."
"Ok, I'll do my best to keep her out Kid. She'll have discrete police surveillance until we find these guys."
'What's this surveillance thing? I'll have to ask Higurashi-sama later.' He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Higurashi-san, Inuyasha told me he's an orphan, has no tutor or an institution looking after him, I'll like to know if that's true."
"Yes, that's true detective… But since he's staying at my home I'll assume responsibility…"
"Hey! No one is responsible for me but myself!" He interrupted angrily.
"Inuyasha you don't understand, but children and teens need to have the providence, supervision and protection of adults until they are eighteen…" She realized it was the wrong thing to say, but he needed to know how things worked in her time.
"I don't need anyone's protection Higurashi-sama, you know that! I've been providing for myself since I was 5, I can even provide for Kagome and Shippou!" He exclaimed offended. Not that he'd really hunted for Kagome, although he had shared one or two kills with the kitsune pup.
"I know Inuyasha, but it's the law, you can't change it. I assume you have not reached eighteen yet, have you? How old are you anyway?"
'The law? What strange laws they have here, in the Sengoku Jidai there's nothing like this. You learn to survive and no one is obliged to take care of you. I've been on my own since I was a pup, I don't need anyone protecting and supervising me'
"No." He finally admitted after a long silence, and then with a sigh he said. "I'll be 16 by the end of autumn."
"I know you've been taking care of yourself since you were very young, so you're not used to this… But you know we consider you part of the family, so let me accept these responsibilities for you."
'She's already provided for me.' He thought as viewed things over more carefully. 'I eat the food Kagome takes back, and what she feeds me when I come. She clothed me, these odd garments… she provided them for me. I guess I'm really not able to look after myself and Kagome in her time.'
"I'm asking that you accept us as family, at least while you remain with us." He was speechless; she was making him a member of her family? Him? A hanyou and Kagome's mother wanted him to have a family besides his pack at least for the time he hunted for those men and the Shikon No Tama. To say that he was moved was a HUGE understatement. "Do you accept?" He just nodded unable to utter a word; his face had told her a lot. "Then Detective I'll assume responsibility for him."
"Higurashi-san this goes against procedure."
"I know, but I've counseled kids for a long time; I know the procedures, don't worry I'll get at least foster parent status. Meanwhile you should go on with what you planned." She said confidently although, she knew it was going to be a bit difficult, as there were no records of Inuyasha in her time.**
"Well, I'll have to arrange some things for the tests, so drop by my office on Monday morning 9 sharp."
"Ok we'll be there." She said
"I'll take him to the police academy dog training facilities for the test." He handed her his card. "Do you have any number where I can reach you?"
"I didn't bring my card, but you can find us at the sunset shrine."
"Ok, a couple of blocks from the Sakura Park, I know where it is. By the way Inuyasha those kids WERE older than you, 18 and 19." The dog-demon just growled dangerously as the cop walked away.
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A/N: I'm not sure if after the descriptions of the murders I should move the rating to R. please tell me what you think.
* In some ancient societies 15 or 16 were the age when teens became adults. I'm not really sure about Japanese feudal society, but since it serves the purpose of this story I'll make it 16.
**The legal procedures to get Inuyasha into Asami Higurashi's custody are also going to be supposed, I know real life doesn't work that way. But it serves a purpose here.