Chapter Three: Restless Spirits
The Higurashi household was finally quiet, as the people within the house settled down. After Kagome had explained all that had happened to her in the Sengoku Era, and after Speed had recounted the gruesome vision he'd had during the time trial the day before, Pops Racer finally decided that the best way to handle things was to get a good night's rest and start from scratch the next morning. Too generous to send them away so late at night (it was around one in the morning when the 'meeting' finally ended) Toko Higurashi invited them to stay the rest of the night. Trixie roomed with Kagome, Spritle with Sota, and the rest of Team Go got the downstairs.
"Trixie-chan, is Speed-san usually that serious?" Kagome asked, after about an hour of tossing and turning. Trixie sat up, smiled slightly, and shook her head.
"No, not usually. Most of the time he's restless; a bundle of energy is what his mother calls him. More often than not, he's settling things with his fists than with words." Trixie said, noticing when a slight smirk adorned Kagome's features.
"That sound more like Inu-Yasha. But at least Speed-san has good manners." Kagome added.
"True. Yet you noticed how Speed looked at the back door when I asked you where you got those 'obedience beads', didn't you?" Trixie asked, as some giggles escaped from Kagome.
"Hai, I noticed, and I guess I should have taken that as a clue, huh?" Kagome said. Trixie nodded.
"Yep. It seems that Inu-Yasha-san and Speed have more in common than at first glance." Trixie stated.
"In more ways than one. When something is really bothering them, they both get really quiet and withdrawn. I noticed that with Speed-san earlier, and I've seen it on a number of occasions with Inu-Yasha as well…….Trixie-chan, may I ask you a question?" Kagome asked, her expression now serious.
"Ask away, Kagome-chan." Trixie replied.
"Has Speed-san always had the ability to see things other people can't?" Kagome again asked. Trixie took a deep breath, then sighed.
"I've known Speed since we were both in grade school, and I can honestly say that yes, he's had the ability to see the 'unseen' since even before then. I know that on a number of occasions when we'd go to some races, he'd tell me that there are more spectators than what I could see. He would even describe some of them to me. I think his elder brother Rex and his younger brother Spritle could 'see' in that sense as well. But I don't know where they could have gotten it from. It's a complete mystery to me." Trixie murmured.
"Well, Inu-Yasha got his youkai powers from his father, so maybe Speed-san and his brothers got theirs from their own father." Kagome suggested.
"Maybe………….or their mother. It always seemed as though she could see around corners." Trixie added, her eyes widening when something occurred to her.
"What is it, Trixie-chan?" Kagome asked, noticing the look and answering it with concern.
"I think I remember Speed's parents talking about this one night; it had something to do with his great-great grandmother and Japan. But it's been so long ago that the details are vague." Trixie mused.
"Do you think maybe Speed-san's great-great grandmother was a psychic who was originally a native of Japan that had moved to the U.S.?" Kagome asked, now focusing her full attention on Speed Racer's girlfriend.
"I'm starting to think so." Trixie said, as some of the pieces started falling into place.
Later that same morning, Kagome found Speed Racer in the center of the shrine. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a towel was draped loosely about his shoulders. From where she stood, she could tell that Speed was meditating; something Inu-Yasha would never do.
"Alike in so many ways…………and unlike in others." Kagome mused, silently, as she watched him. It was then that she noticed the scar in the middle of his back. It was an old scar, probably as old as he was, give or take a few years, and it was only about two inches long.
"How did he get a scar like that?! It looks almost as though he'd been struck by a kusari-gama!" Kagome thought, as she recalled the only other time and place she'd seen a scar like that; he friend Sango in the Sengoku Era! She jumped when Speed spoke to her.
"It's rude to stare, Kagome-san." Speed murmured, as he turned and looked at her.
"Gomenasai, Speed-san. But I didn't know you had been scarred like that." Kagome said, as she sat down beside the racecar driver.
"No harm done. Not a lot of people know about it, either. Only you, Trixie, Sparky, and Pops know. Oh, and my elder brother Rex knew too, but he's not likely to tell, since he disappeared eight years ago." Speed said, bitterly, then smiled sadly at her.
"It seems that I'm confiding in you again. I don't know why I feel I can trust you, but, for some reason or another, my heart loses its walls when you come around. Why is that?" Speed asked, as Kagome gently looked him in the eye.
"Maybe you feel you can now share your feelings with someone. And not just with me; you can open up to Trixie-chan too." Kagome replied.
"True. Yet I'm sure you're wondering how I got the scar in the first place." Speed said, calmly.
"I am, but I'm not going to pry. It's obviously something you're not comfortable telling me about yet." Kagome said, not wanting to rush the young racer into telling the uncomfortable tale.
"Arigato, Kagome-san." Speed murmured, as the conversation drifted into silence. They both looked up when Trixie entered the room.
"Speed, Pops and Higurashi-san are going to go and pick up your mother at the airport. Do you want to go with them?" Trixie asked, noticing when the troubled look again took up residence on Speed Racer's face.
"Trixie, Kagome-san, I have the feeling Mom knows what is going on here in Japan. I don't know why she's coming, but I think she intends to help fight whatever it is to the best of her ability." Speed said, unwittingly confirming what Kagome and Trixie had discussed only hours earlier.
"Well, in any case, we're gonna need all the help we can get." Inu-Yasha said, as he reappeared behind Trixie.
"Why? What're we up against, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, tensely.
"Y'know how quiet it has been in the Sengoku Era? How uneventful your last few visits have been?" Inu-Yasha in turn asked. Kagome slowly nodded.
"That's because Naraku's no longer causing trouble there. Miroku, Sango, and Kaede-baba can't even sense his presence anymore." Inu-Yasha stated, as all the color fled from Kagome's features.
"But that can only mean…………….!" Trixie trailed off, as she remembered all that she and the rest of Team Go had heard about the insidious youkai from Kagome and Inu-Yasha.
"He's somehow found a way to transcend time." Speed said, finishing Trixie's sentence with grim certainty in his blue eyes.
"But how can we be sure of that? I've never even sensed him here!" Kagome said, with true horror in her own eyes.
"He could be cloaking his presence. We won't know for sure until he shows himself…………in this time or mine." Inu-Yasha murmured, with unusual seriousness in his golden eyes as he spoke.
"How do we find out? Is there any way to get to the past from here?" Trixie asked.
"There's only one way I know of; it's through the old well on the shrine grounds. That's the way I take to get to the Sengoku Era." Kagome replied.
"Then the next time you go, Kagome-san, we're going with you." Speed said, as he and Trixie gave Kagome their 'Don't argue with us' look. Kagome sighed in resignation, then jumped when Inu-Yasha shouted at the pair.
"You two can't handle my time! There's youkai everywhere there! Leave my time to those who understand it." Inu-Yasha snapped. He took notice when Speed got a challenging look in his eyes and crossed his arms.
"It shouldn't be that hard to learn. Besides, if it was Naraku that caused me to see that vision of Racer X, then we have a common enemy." Speed argued, his patience already worn thin because of all that had gone on and because of the Shikon Shards and his ability to see them.
"All the more reason for you to carry the treasure of this shrine with you." Kagome's grandfather said, as he approached the four with a long, burlap-wrapped bundle in his arms.
"What's that?" Trixie asked, casting a confused glance at Kagome while she was at it.
"I dunno. I've never seen it before." Kagome said, as at a loss as Trixie, Speed, and Inu-Yasha were at that moment.
"This, you four, is the treasure of the Higurashi Shrine. This is the sacred sword that was given to our ancestors when this shrine was first established. It has a tremendous amount of spiritual power. In the right hands, this sword can slay youkai and any manner of evil beast with one good swing. I am entrusting it to you, Speed Racer, so that you may have a weapon for the fight." The old man said, quietly, as he handed the bundle over to Speed (who took it with reverent reluctance).
"But why? Why are you entrusting me with this? You barely even know me! How could you trust me with so much?" Speed asked, stunned when he saw the beautifully crafted sword, and by the old man's good faith in him.
"Because I know you're the right man for it. And it is the right sword for you. You, and only you, have the power to wield it. But you must wield it wisely, or the people around you will be hurt." The old man said, sternly. Speed nodded, then bowed politely to the old man (after Trixie had him put on a shirt, of course).
"Thank you. I will try to make myself worthy of your trust." Speed murmured, then turned and gave Kagome a look.
"All right. I guess we have nothing to lose. We'll try it and see." Kagome promised.
"Just don't say I didn't warn ya." Inu-Yasha grumbled, as he and Kagome led the way to the well house.
"Speed, Trixie! Where're you two goin'?" Sparky asked, as he jogged up to them.
"We're going into the past to see if we can find the 'Naraku' Kagome-san and Inu-Yasha hand mentioned last night. Since Inu-Yasha had just mentioned how quiet it is in his era, I thought we'd go and check it out." Speed said, as an unusually serious expression adorned Sparky's usually cheerful features.
"How long will you be gone?" Sparky asked, again, this time with concern.
"I don't know. Will you let Mom and Pops know where I went?" Speed asked, in turn.
"Yeah. I'll let them know. Just be careful. You're too good a friend to let disappear in time." Sparky said, as he and Speed exchanged firm handshakes.
"Thanks Sparky. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please tell Mom that, so she won't think she's lost another son like she lost Rex." Speed murmured.
"Will do. Good luck and keep safe." Sparky replied.
"You too, Sparky." Speed said, before following Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Trixie into the well house and closing the door behind them.
Shippou sighed as he sat beside the stream that fed into the village's rice fields. Things had been so quiet around the village lately, and, strangely enough, he was bored to tears. Not only that, but Sango was edgy and extremely restless. She'd told him, Miroku, and Kaede that she could no longer detect Naraku's dark presence, and that her brother's presence had disappeared as well.
"I wonder what's going on? It's never been this quiet for so long before! Has Naraku finally decided to leave people alone?" Shippou wondered, jumping to his feet when he heard some familiar voices coming down the path towards the village.
"Kagome! Inu-Yasha!" Shippou shouted, as he ran towards the voices, overjoyed that the reborn miko had returned to visit, and also a little relieved that the hanyou had returned as well. But he was in for a surprise; as soon as he'd crested the hill, he saw that at least two more people now walked with Inu-Yasha and Kagome! One, a girl who appeared to be about two years older than Kagome, had short, chocolate brown hair and matching brown eyes. Her companion, a young man of about eighteen years, strode confidently and fearlessly forward, blue eyes filled with both curiosity and courage.
"Who're they? They look like they're from Kagome's time." Shippou mused, then bounded towards them.
"Kagome!!" Shippou cried, as he leaped into the miko's arms.
"Hey, Shippou-chan!" Kagome greeted, as the kitsune gave her a hug.
"Friend of yours' Kagome-san?" the eighteen-year-old boy asked, curiously. Kagome smiled and nodded.
"Shippou-chan, these are two friends from my time. May I introduce you to Speed Racer and his girlfriend, Trixie?" Kagome said, introducing the young kitsune to the two strangers.
"Good to meet you, Shippou-kun." The young man said, calmly and with much civility.
"He's so cute!" the girl chirped, earning a slight look of embarrassment and chagrin from Shippou as a response.
"I thought I'd heard their voices……..Sango! Kagome and Inu-Yasha have returned." Miroku said, as he approached; his face only showing slight surprise when he saw the two extra people standing alongside the miko and hanyou. Yet, even before Inu-Yasha could say anything, he could tell that the next few hours or days would be strenuous at best. He could also tell that the same thought was crossing Kagome's mind as well (hence her now deadpan expression).
"Agh! PERVERT!!!" Trixie yelped, before knocking the lecherous houshi into orbit with a well-aimed kick.
"When he comes back down to earth, he's going to need a body cast." Speed growled, hinting at what he wanted to do to Miroku when they next met.
"Yep. Speed-san and Inu-Yasha definitely share the same temper." Kagome thought, dryly, as Sango and Kirara carefully joined their friends on the scene.
Speed had to admit, he had been very surprised when the four of them came up from the well to find themselves in the midst of a forest clearing, with no shrine in sight. He'd been even more surprised when the small creature known as 'Shippou' had jumped into Kagome's arms.
"Well, Kagome-san had mentioned a kitsune named Shippou. Guess I should have taken her seriously." Speed mused, as he went over the events in his mind. He was now in what could only be described as an idyllic setting; it was a pristine field that was dotted with different kinds of wildflowers, undisturbed by the hands of men.
"Seems almost sad that a city will be built on top of this. It's so beautiful." Trixie murmured, as she and Kirara joined him where he was reclined.
"Yeah. And to think, in this time, somewhere around here, some of my ancestors are going about their daily lives." Speed said, as he gave Trixie an ironic glance.
"And mine too, don't forget. Part of my family came from Japan too." Trixie said, then added, "You know, this is the most peaceful I've seen you since before the other day. You are your usual self again."
"That is what is so strange, Trixie. Even though Kagome-san doesn't think so, I think Naraku has definitely found a way to our time. I don't sense the evil presence I'd felt on the track, here. And, furthermore, even her friends from this time can't feel their enemy's presence anymore. Call it a gut feeling, Trixie, but I doubt that even a car my father and elder brother built with their own hands and poured all their hearts into could shield us from what is about to come." Speed murmured, as the look of unease again stole into his deep blue eyes. He jumped and looked when he saw that Kirara had just climbed onto his chest and had licked his chin with her coarse pink tongue, concern showing itself in her wide orange eyes.
"I think she's worried about you, Speed." Trixie said, smiling as the neko youkai cooed in response to a gentle scratch under the chin. Speed let slip an unreadable smile, and carefully sat up; cupping one strong, capable hand beneath Kirara as he did so.
"I think everyone is, Trixie. The Higurashi family because they understand somewhat what I'm going through, and Pops, Sparky, and Hank because they think I've gone crazy. You won't let them send me to the funny farm, will you?" Speed asked, trying his best to lighten his own mood. Trixie laughed gently.
"I'll protest so loudly they'd have to duct tape my mouth closed, put me into two straight jackets and send me with you! Don't worry, I'll vouch for you!" Trixie replied, encouragingly. Speed smirked, trying his level best not to laugh at the mental image of the delicate 'tomboy' of Team Go in two straight jackets; and was failing miserably. Trixie smiled wholeheartedly when she heard some laughter escape from Speed; she hadn't realized just how long it had been since he'd laughed like this.
"The last time must've been before Rex disappeared. Even though he rarely says so, he was deeply hurt by his leaving. Time has been slow to heal those wounds." Trixie thought, as she turned and watched Kagome and Sango approach, obviously looking for Kirara.
"Hey! Looking for Kirara-san?" Speed asked, calling out to the two girls to get their attention.
"Hai! I see she's been keeping you both company! Has she been good?" Sango replied, as she and Kagome jogged over to them.
"I think you know the answer to that, Sango-chan. Has anything been decided yet, Kagome-chan?" Trixie asked, directing her attention to the young miko.
"Not yet. Though right now I think we should get back to the modern era; it's getting close to dinnertime and Speed's mom should be at the shrine by now." Kagome said, as realization dawned on Speed's face.
"Of course! C'mon, Trixie!" Speed shouted, as he took to his heels, heading for town.
"Speed, where are you going? We can't go through the well without Kagome-chan and Inu-Yasha!" Trixie said, as the currently displaced racecar driver stopped and gave her an irritated glance.
"Trixie, I left the Higurashi sword in Kaede-sama's hut! I need to go back and get it before we leave this time!" Speed replied, impatiently, before taking off again.
"Oh." Trixie muttered, having forgotten about the sword that quickly.
"Is it just me, or does he share some personality traits with Inu-Yasha?" Sango asked, as she watched the racer go with a hint of a deadpan expression on her face.
"No, Sango-chan, it isn't your imagination. They really are a lot alike." Kagome muttered.
"Especially as far as tempers are concerned." Trixie agreed, as they all watched with deadpan expressions on their faces when Miroku went flying again, and the words 'dirty-minded' and 'lecher' came to their ears.