A/N: Okay, incase you're wondering, when I write, I'm always afraid I'm
giving away too much, too soon, and as a result, I tend to overcompensate.
Looking back, it shouldn't be particularly obvious what Naraku is after,
but since I already know, it seems so clear to me. Also, sorry this one
took longer than normal to get out. I was sort of stuck.
Thanks for the reviews. I do love them.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
The smell of coffee drifted across Kagome's senses as soon as she opened the bathroom door, even though she hadn't put on a pot before she got in the shower. . . which meant Inuyasha had. Taking a deep breath, Kagome let the strong aroma lead her into the kitchen as she towel dried her hair. She felt remarkably better than last night. It was amazing what eight hours of sleep could do, and now she was clean, rested, and Inuyasha had made her coffee. . .
"Eep!" Shippo's squeak reached her in the hall. "Don't take it out on me! It's not my fault you're a dunce."
"Say that again, twerp," Inuyasha dared in a threatening growl, followed by the sound of feet slapping against the linoleum floor.
. . .She ought to have known it was too good to last. With a tolerant sigh, the girl stepped in to break up the fight. As soon as she appeared, Shippo darted behind her legs to escape the hanyou. Kagome shot Inuyasha a look that stopped him in his tracks before leaning over to pick up the little youkai.
"What's this about?" she asked, lifting Shippo off the ground and balancing him on her hip.
"Inuyasha's trying to take his inferiority out on me, because--"
"I am not!" the hanyou in question interrupted and made a grab for the cause of his annoyance.
"Never mind," Kagome said. "I get the picture."
"So, what are we doing today?" Shippo asked as the girl went to get herself some of that coffee.
"I thought you were staying here from now on?" Inuyasha muttered, folding his arms across his chest and shooting the youkai child a dark glare. His yellow eyes were light and sharp, not the molten gold they became when he was really angry, Kagome noted as she took in his look.
Shippo stuck out his tongue in response. She was happy to see Inuyasha didn't return the gesture in kind.
Taking a careful sip from her mug, she told them both, "Well, first we're going to visit Momma and ask to borrow a some money since it looks like I won't have a job for a little while."
Both youkai blinked. The fact that she still needed to buy food and pay her bills had apparently slipped their minds. Kagome winced, glancing down at the black coffee in her cup. It was more than a little too strong for her taste. Where had Inuyasha learned to brew the stuff?
"After that. . ." she continued, spooning a little sugar into the bitter mix. "After that I'm not quite sure. I suppose I should try to see if I can find out anything about Inutaiyoukai. Or Kazaana. Or Kikyo's death. Or you, Inuyasha. I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Why do that?" Inuyasha asked, brows coming together in a perplexed frown.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't mean to sound callous or anything," he paused, shrugging uncomfortably. "It's just that they aren't your problems. Why not let Miroku and Sango deal with it themselves?"
Kagome didn't have an immediate answer for that. She wasn't even really sure if he was asking why she was concerned in specific, or if he just meant 'Why help?' in general. Not that she would have been able to come up with a reply more quickly if he had been crystal clear what he meant.
Finally she said, "Because Miroku's my friend, and he needs help. That's just what people do."
Inuyasha gave her a skeptical look, but kept his mouth closed.
"Besides, it affects us too if this youkai, Naraku, killed Kikyo," Kagome added, hoping that would appease him.
He shook his head. "Kikyo's been dead for a long time." His voice was a little rougher than it had been. It reminded Kagome of when she first turned him back on. "She chose to shut me down. What she did after that isn't my business either."
For a long moment Kagome didn't say anything. Inuyasha wasn't meeting her eyes anymore.
"I'm truly sorry you feel that way," she said softly into the uneasy quiet.
*~*~*
Kagome's mother greeted them at the door, smiling brightly at her daughter and the youkai with her. Kagome's smile, on the other hand, looked false. Inuyasha thought it was because she didn't want to have to ask her mother to borrow the yen. He knew her well enough to be able to tell that she didn't like having to depend on others. She also didn't like having to inconvenience others over her own problems.
She always seemed to put others first. Even when it was a stupid hanyou.
Inuyasha watched as Kagome's mother pinched Shippo's cheek, suppressing a smile while the childlike youkai squirmed under the woman's cheerful attention. 'Karma's a bitch, ain't it brat?' he thought smugly while Shippo tried to pull away from the woman.
"Ah, Momma?" Kagome said, rescuing Shippo. "Do you think we could talk? I have something really important I want to ask you."
A softer expression replaced the woman's grin. "Of course, sweetheart. What do you need?" Then a wicked little gleam came into her dark eyes and she added, "I thought you were old enough to know what to do with a youkai like this, but if you think you need it explained. . ."
Kagome's face turned red. Not a cute, pink blush, but real red, starting in her cheeks and spreading outward to cover her entire face and trail down her neck. "Mother--I--I don't need," she stammered. "I mean I'm not... Mother!"
Kagome's mother laughed at her discomfort. "Of course not. Come one. Let's sit down in the kitchen. I'll make us some tea."
Inuyasha followed behind them, still amazed a human could change color like that. He was fairly certain he'd never seen anyone else turn quite that shade. Kikyo never had, he was sure of that. She would never have let anyone know she was embarrassed or flustered by something they'd said. Taking a seat on the floor, he waited to see what Kagome would say when she recovered her voice.
"So,"Kagome's mother said, sitting down across from the still flushed girl. "What do you want to talk about, honey?"
Kagome fidgeted with her tea cup, twisting it around and staring at the liquid as though she would divine the future from it. After a long moment she slumped forward and set her tea aside. "You heard about the riot downtown I suppose," she began. "Well, it started outside where I work because there were some protesters there."
Slowly Kagome unfolded the story of how the cafe had been vandalized prior to the riot, and how they had gone to see the damage and talk to her boss. She explained about the youkai attack, and Inuyasha felt something inside him swell as she made him sound like some sort of champion. She spent a little more time that absolutely necessary describing how he had disabled the rogue industrial youkai. She didn't even say that he wouldn't have done a damn thing if she hadn't told him to.
Inuyasha bowed his head, but kept his ears trained on their conversation. "The thing is, Momma, I'm not going to be able to get any hours until the cafe is fixed up again, so I was wondering if maybe you could lend me a little money? I'll pay you back as soon as I can, of course, and I shouldn't need too much. Just a little to hold me over until they're through with the repairs."
"Kagome," the other woman said gently, "you know I'll give you the money. Don't worry. It'll be alright."
Inuyasha was starting to see where Kagome had come by her attitude. The idea of not helping her daughter had never crossed this woman's mind. Not even for an instant.
"Thank you, Momma," Kagome cried happily. "I really hate to ask, you know? But I don't have that much money left in the bank, and I don't know how long it'll be before I can get back to work. Thank you so much."
Inuyasha shook his head slightly in wonder.
*~*~*
Miroku woke up reluctantly. His neck was sore and one hand was almost numb. He stretched slowly, cracking his eyes open to see if there was any reason not to got straight back to sleep. Seeing none, he rolled over. And fell onto the floor.
"Damn it anyway," he groan, levering himself up. "What time is it?" The hands on his watch said is was thirteen minutes after eleven in the morning. No reason to be up now. No, not at all.
So why was he reclining on his floor, most painfully awake?
There was something. One of those strange, disjointed thoughts that occur to one when they're still mostly unconscious. Miroku ground the heel of his palm against one gritty eye, trying to recall what was so important that it required him to be awake.
What the hell was it? Something to do with that Naraku bastard, he was sure of it. Something about what a youkai might want if it was still bound by its original programming even after it had turned rogue. . .
Miroku slapped his forehead hard. It was just so damn obvious.
If a rogue youkai was still restricted by it's innate codes, it would want to find a way not to be.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he told himself as he staggered to his feet and made his wobbly route toward the phone.
What could make more sense? A youkai like Naraku, autonomous but still limited by his human makers, would want nothing more than to be free of those limitations. "Stupid," he said again as he called Kagome's number.
*~*~*
Kikyo knocked on the door of the woman who had once been her sister, long ago when she was still flesh and blood and could claim relation to any living creature. Her inhuman hearing tracked the heavy steps of the now old woman as she made her way across her living room to answer the knocking. It took more time than it should have in Kikyo's mind. To some part of her, Kaede should still be a young girl.
The door opened and the careworn face Kikyo had seen from farther off appeared in the gap. The Replica watched as Kaede's expression changed from curiosity to horror as what she was seeing became more apparent to her.
"Hello, sister," Kikyo said calmly.
"Kikyo. . .? But, you can not be. . ."
A thin, humorless smile twisted her lips. "I'm not."
*~*~*
A/N: Very sorry. Another short chapter, an not very interesting (which is why it took so long to write). Hopefully the next one will come out quicker.
Until next time.
Thanks for the reviews. I do love them.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
The smell of coffee drifted across Kagome's senses as soon as she opened the bathroom door, even though she hadn't put on a pot before she got in the shower. . . which meant Inuyasha had. Taking a deep breath, Kagome let the strong aroma lead her into the kitchen as she towel dried her hair. She felt remarkably better than last night. It was amazing what eight hours of sleep could do, and now she was clean, rested, and Inuyasha had made her coffee. . .
"Eep!" Shippo's squeak reached her in the hall. "Don't take it out on me! It's not my fault you're a dunce."
"Say that again, twerp," Inuyasha dared in a threatening growl, followed by the sound of feet slapping against the linoleum floor.
. . .She ought to have known it was too good to last. With a tolerant sigh, the girl stepped in to break up the fight. As soon as she appeared, Shippo darted behind her legs to escape the hanyou. Kagome shot Inuyasha a look that stopped him in his tracks before leaning over to pick up the little youkai.
"What's this about?" she asked, lifting Shippo off the ground and balancing him on her hip.
"Inuyasha's trying to take his inferiority out on me, because--"
"I am not!" the hanyou in question interrupted and made a grab for the cause of his annoyance.
"Never mind," Kagome said. "I get the picture."
"So, what are we doing today?" Shippo asked as the girl went to get herself some of that coffee.
"I thought you were staying here from now on?" Inuyasha muttered, folding his arms across his chest and shooting the youkai child a dark glare. His yellow eyes were light and sharp, not the molten gold they became when he was really angry, Kagome noted as she took in his look.
Shippo stuck out his tongue in response. She was happy to see Inuyasha didn't return the gesture in kind.
Taking a careful sip from her mug, she told them both, "Well, first we're going to visit Momma and ask to borrow a some money since it looks like I won't have a job for a little while."
Both youkai blinked. The fact that she still needed to buy food and pay her bills had apparently slipped their minds. Kagome winced, glancing down at the black coffee in her cup. It was more than a little too strong for her taste. Where had Inuyasha learned to brew the stuff?
"After that. . ." she continued, spooning a little sugar into the bitter mix. "After that I'm not quite sure. I suppose I should try to see if I can find out anything about Inutaiyoukai. Or Kazaana. Or Kikyo's death. Or you, Inuyasha. I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Why do that?" Inuyasha asked, brows coming together in a perplexed frown.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't mean to sound callous or anything," he paused, shrugging uncomfortably. "It's just that they aren't your problems. Why not let Miroku and Sango deal with it themselves?"
Kagome didn't have an immediate answer for that. She wasn't even really sure if he was asking why she was concerned in specific, or if he just meant 'Why help?' in general. Not that she would have been able to come up with a reply more quickly if he had been crystal clear what he meant.
Finally she said, "Because Miroku's my friend, and he needs help. That's just what people do."
Inuyasha gave her a skeptical look, but kept his mouth closed.
"Besides, it affects us too if this youkai, Naraku, killed Kikyo," Kagome added, hoping that would appease him.
He shook his head. "Kikyo's been dead for a long time." His voice was a little rougher than it had been. It reminded Kagome of when she first turned him back on. "She chose to shut me down. What she did after that isn't my business either."
For a long moment Kagome didn't say anything. Inuyasha wasn't meeting her eyes anymore.
"I'm truly sorry you feel that way," she said softly into the uneasy quiet.
*~*~*
Kagome's mother greeted them at the door, smiling brightly at her daughter and the youkai with her. Kagome's smile, on the other hand, looked false. Inuyasha thought it was because she didn't want to have to ask her mother to borrow the yen. He knew her well enough to be able to tell that she didn't like having to depend on others. She also didn't like having to inconvenience others over her own problems.
She always seemed to put others first. Even when it was a stupid hanyou.
Inuyasha watched as Kagome's mother pinched Shippo's cheek, suppressing a smile while the childlike youkai squirmed under the woman's cheerful attention. 'Karma's a bitch, ain't it brat?' he thought smugly while Shippo tried to pull away from the woman.
"Ah, Momma?" Kagome said, rescuing Shippo. "Do you think we could talk? I have something really important I want to ask you."
A softer expression replaced the woman's grin. "Of course, sweetheart. What do you need?" Then a wicked little gleam came into her dark eyes and she added, "I thought you were old enough to know what to do with a youkai like this, but if you think you need it explained. . ."
Kagome's face turned red. Not a cute, pink blush, but real red, starting in her cheeks and spreading outward to cover her entire face and trail down her neck. "Mother--I--I don't need," she stammered. "I mean I'm not... Mother!"
Kagome's mother laughed at her discomfort. "Of course not. Come one. Let's sit down in the kitchen. I'll make us some tea."
Inuyasha followed behind them, still amazed a human could change color like that. He was fairly certain he'd never seen anyone else turn quite that shade. Kikyo never had, he was sure of that. She would never have let anyone know she was embarrassed or flustered by something they'd said. Taking a seat on the floor, he waited to see what Kagome would say when she recovered her voice.
"So,"Kagome's mother said, sitting down across from the still flushed girl. "What do you want to talk about, honey?"
Kagome fidgeted with her tea cup, twisting it around and staring at the liquid as though she would divine the future from it. After a long moment she slumped forward and set her tea aside. "You heard about the riot downtown I suppose," she began. "Well, it started outside where I work because there were some protesters there."
Slowly Kagome unfolded the story of how the cafe had been vandalized prior to the riot, and how they had gone to see the damage and talk to her boss. She explained about the youkai attack, and Inuyasha felt something inside him swell as she made him sound like some sort of champion. She spent a little more time that absolutely necessary describing how he had disabled the rogue industrial youkai. She didn't even say that he wouldn't have done a damn thing if she hadn't told him to.
Inuyasha bowed his head, but kept his ears trained on their conversation. "The thing is, Momma, I'm not going to be able to get any hours until the cafe is fixed up again, so I was wondering if maybe you could lend me a little money? I'll pay you back as soon as I can, of course, and I shouldn't need too much. Just a little to hold me over until they're through with the repairs."
"Kagome," the other woman said gently, "you know I'll give you the money. Don't worry. It'll be alright."
Inuyasha was starting to see where Kagome had come by her attitude. The idea of not helping her daughter had never crossed this woman's mind. Not even for an instant.
"Thank you, Momma," Kagome cried happily. "I really hate to ask, you know? But I don't have that much money left in the bank, and I don't know how long it'll be before I can get back to work. Thank you so much."
Inuyasha shook his head slightly in wonder.
*~*~*
Miroku woke up reluctantly. His neck was sore and one hand was almost numb. He stretched slowly, cracking his eyes open to see if there was any reason not to got straight back to sleep. Seeing none, he rolled over. And fell onto the floor.
"Damn it anyway," he groan, levering himself up. "What time is it?" The hands on his watch said is was thirteen minutes after eleven in the morning. No reason to be up now. No, not at all.
So why was he reclining on his floor, most painfully awake?
There was something. One of those strange, disjointed thoughts that occur to one when they're still mostly unconscious. Miroku ground the heel of his palm against one gritty eye, trying to recall what was so important that it required him to be awake.
What the hell was it? Something to do with that Naraku bastard, he was sure of it. Something about what a youkai might want if it was still bound by its original programming even after it had turned rogue. . .
Miroku slapped his forehead hard. It was just so damn obvious.
If a rogue youkai was still restricted by it's innate codes, it would want to find a way not to be.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he told himself as he staggered to his feet and made his wobbly route toward the phone.
What could make more sense? A youkai like Naraku, autonomous but still limited by his human makers, would want nothing more than to be free of those limitations. "Stupid," he said again as he called Kagome's number.
*~*~*
Kikyo knocked on the door of the woman who had once been her sister, long ago when she was still flesh and blood and could claim relation to any living creature. Her inhuman hearing tracked the heavy steps of the now old woman as she made her way across her living room to answer the knocking. It took more time than it should have in Kikyo's mind. To some part of her, Kaede should still be a young girl.
The door opened and the careworn face Kikyo had seen from farther off appeared in the gap. The Replica watched as Kaede's expression changed from curiosity to horror as what she was seeing became more apparent to her.
"Hello, sister," Kikyo said calmly.
"Kikyo. . .? But, you can not be. . ."
A thin, humorless smile twisted her lips. "I'm not."
*~*~*
A/N: Very sorry. Another short chapter, an not very interesting (which is why it took so long to write). Hopefully the next one will come out quicker.
Until next time.