Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Inuyasha. Takahashi-san. Does.
"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
- change in scenery or time
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Previously, on Lock Down:
{Well, it was now or never.
Taking in another deep breath, he hopped on the balls of his feet.
'That's it. You've got nothing to lose. Go for it.'
Squeezing his eyes shut, Inuyasha took a step into the divider.}
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The Other Side
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Feb.27.299 NA
New Tokyo, Sector 118It was almost like stepping into a room filled with white light- there was nothing. Nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to feel.
It was just… empty.
Carefully examining his body, Inuyasha found that he was still whole. He moved his limbs- still functional. Quickly glancing around, the boy checked what he considered to be his more… valuable parts over- still whole.
Satisfied with his physical condition, Inuyasha looked around, having stopped after stepping completely into the area that divided the two divisions. The barrier seemed like one extremely long room that stretched on forever. There were no doors in this place, but glancing back, the boy could almost make out the dark shapes of the business buildings in the Demon Division. It was like examining something behind a veil of white.
Waiting for something, anything, to alert him to his discovery, the teenager stayed still for what seemed like an eternity. But there was nothing. Not a single life form, artificial, or other, was in this… place except for him.
Letting go of a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, Inuyasha walked a few paces towards the right. Experimentally sticking his hand through the thin wall, he watched in fascination as it seemed to slide right through, becoming blurred. Half of the hand was clear, and the image of the other half seemed to… shimmer?
Bending closer to the wall, Inuyasha found that his hand was, indeed, shimmering, although he couldn't feel it. Taking this time to examine the wall, he discovered that it wasn't a 'wall', more like a constantly moving sheet of gas. A solid looking sheet of gas.
"Whoa."
The word bounced off the 'walls' of the enclosed area of white, causing an echo to reverberate through the entire divider. The teenager blinked in surprise, and opened his mouth again, "Cool."
"Cool… cool… cool…"
Taking in a deep breath, Inuyasha shouted into the barrier, ignoring any possible dangers it could cause, "IT WORKED!" The echoes bounced back and forth, starting out so loudly that the boy was thankful he didn't have his usual sensitive hearing, before fading into silence.
Nodding in adolescent approval, the boy crossed his arms.
Now what?
The hanyou-turned human abruptly became aware of a strange ringing noise in his ears. All of a sudden, he didn't feel so good any more. An almost queasy feeling was bubbling up inside of him. A light aching began to pound in his head, and the boy squeezed his eyes shut.
In a few moments, the pounding faded away, as did the queasiness. Checking himself over again, Inuyasha could find nothing wrong on the exterior, but his heart was poun-…
Wait.
That's right.
His heart.
Which pumped blood.
The blood that contained that of a demon.
And it became clear.
The divider had been designed to keep the two blood types separated, and that meant blocking one blood type, and allowing the other to go through. Even though the night of the new moon did take away his demonic powers, the blood of his father, a demon, still flowed through his veins.
Considerably more alert, the hanyou turned his attention to the other side of the barrier.
So this was it.
This was what he had been aiming for- crossing the barrier to see the humans. He had no idea what was on the other side, nor did he know how the inhabitants would react-
Hell, they might not even be humans!
For all he knew, the Government education system could have been feeding them lies all the time. There could be many more different intelligent species living on Earth than they had been taught.
Hesitant once more, Inuyasha paused before the wall of gas that separated the supposed Human Division from the Demon Division. If he looked closely, the boy could just make out outlines of the buildings on the other side. Ambiguously, he wondered if the people on the other side could see him, even if he couldn't see them.
Pushing one foot forward, Inuyasha stepped closer before pausing.
What would happen once he finally passed through? What if he were found out and killed?
But then all doubts were pushed out of the teenager's head as another wave of head pounding and nausea washed over him. This one was slightly stronger than the first. Not eager for any more discomfort, Inuyasha pushed all doubts aside and stepped through the thin wall, and into the next Division.
"Kagome! Hurry up!"
Kagome rolled her eyes at her friends' impatience as they pounded at her door. She had been loading a few student credits onto her personal identification card, just in case she found something worth getting. Eri and Yuka had decided that the group would be going to the nearest commercial district- strips of Government run shops that sold the occasional extra needs. The closest commercial district was located right beside that area's business district.
The teenager glanced at her clock. It read 18:48. Walking to her door, Kagome opened it, and smiled at her friends.
"Finally! What were you doing, Kagome, homework?!" exclaimed Yuka.
Kagome shifted nervously, and grinned, "Of course not!" She placed a hand on either of Yuka and Ayumi's arms, and started pulling them down the hallway, leaving Eri to follow, "Now let's go…!"
Walking down the corridor, they waved to different classmates, occasionally throwing a greeting across the narrow hallway. Passing the dining room, they smiled at all of the people within it, and waved. Reaching the settlement doors, Kagome tossed them open. The girls were greeted by the sky that was steadily darkening as the sun set.
The blue-eyed girl looked at Eri and Yuka, "So, where's the commercial district, oh knowing ones?"
There was a lapse in sound. All three of her friends gasped, looking horrified.
"You mean you don't know?"
"You've never been to the commercial district?"
"What have you been doing these past years?"
Kagome smiled nervously and shrugged her shoulders, "The only place I've been to besides the recreational district was… well… er… the… ah…" she drifted off.
The other girls gaped, shocked, at their friend, and Kagome squirmed uncomfortably. They really could be quite frightening when they wanted to be…
Eri's eyes were wide as she exclaimed, "You mean you've never been any place except for the Student Settlement and school?!"
"That's not true…" argued Kagome
"Then where have you been?" questioned Ayumi.
The girl thought for a moment before answering sheepishly, "I lived in the private residential area before school, you know…"
The others gawked at her.
"Even I've been to more places than you have!" exclaimed Ayumi, the bookworm.
Snapping out of her daze, Yuka grabbed onto the teenager's arm, suddenly cheerful, "That's why we're going out now! It's been almost 5 years, and we still haven't gone anywhere together!"
"Yeah!" agreed Eri, "We have to spend some more time together before we all graduate and get moved to the corners of New Tokyo!"
With that said, the group started to walk in the direction of the commercial district, chatting all the while. Kagome grinned and looked around at her friends. This was what she wanted- to forget about everything else except for having fun. For one night, she wanted to forget what she had seen, meet some new people, and maybe even spend some credits.
They walked into the business district, deciding to cut into the shopping area through the empty office buildings. Strolling past the high-rise buildings, the girls continued to talk. The streets were abandoned, except for the foursome. If anybody had bothered to notice, they would have discovered that the students were walking along a path parallel to the borderline of the Human Division.
So immersed in their conversation were the friends, that they did not notice a shadow emerge from the divider, slipping into the shadows quickly.
Inuyasha sighed as the group of people took no notice of him. He had gathered the courage to exit the barrier, only to have a close shave at being caught. Luckily, the people had been too preoccupied to take notice of him. Sneaking about the corner of the building, the teenager caught a quick glimpse of four figures.
Examining them as well as he could from such a distance, the boy discovered that they looked like many of the demons at school when they were in their contained forms.
They looked like mother had.
They looked like he did right now.
They were definitely human.
He waited until the chattering of female voices faded away into the distance, and then stepped away from the tall building he'd been hiding against.
Looking around, the boy blinked. This place looked almost exactly like the business district in the Demon Division! In fact, once he stepped back from the taller buildings, and looked at the skyline, the formation of the structures were a mirror image to that in the Demon Division.
Back facing towards the divider, Inuyasha tried to figure out his bearings.
'If the Human Division is parallel to the Demon Division, then the school settlement would be… that way?' He pointed his finger straight forward. 'But then, if this place is supposed to be that way, then this would be… right?'
After several minutes of deliberation, the boy finally gave up.
'Keh. This is confusing… Whatever. If in doubt, always go… right.' Redirecting his hand, Inuyasha pointed towards his right, and nodded in satisfaction, 'Right. Right is always right.'
Now, wasn't that good logic?
The boy began to quickly walk in the direction his hand had been pointed, eager to meet some humans. Although he would never show it, the hanyou really was interested in how the humans really lived, and whether they were all the Government claimed them to be. He wondered whether they spoke Japanese, or some other language, and if they learned the same things.
Hell, he was curious about a lot of things.
Not that he would ever admit to it.
As Inuyasha walked, the business buildings thinned as the business district came to an end. Walking towards the end of the high rise buildings, the boy became aware of the low murmuring of a crowd. Assuming that the next district was beginning, his attention became even more affixed to his surroundings. Smaller structures began to emerge in between the taller ones until they dominated the scene.
More and more humans were appearing along the streets, as Inuyasha walked into the heart of what he assumed to be the commercial district. The hanyou looked around in fascination at all the people walking around- he had never seen a human apart from himself and his mother.
She had been right- there were lots of others like herself. The teenager watched as human after human strolled down the streets, occasionally stopping in front of a window to check out the goods being sold. Some were in groups, some were in pairs, and still others were alone. There were females, males, and people of all ages. Some carried bags while others walked empty-handed.
Some were walking extremely fast, as though in a hurry, and some strolled leisurely down the path. Many of the younger people around his age were in small groups, chatting excitedly.
The hanyou was lucky in the fact that he wore the same outfit as the humans. The crowd was a sea of moving grey uniforms with black topped heads- everybody was dark-haired. People of different ages had different coloured armbands, just as it was in the Demon Division.
Inuyasha could only wonder at the number of people in this small district. The population of the people who ventured into the commercial district of the Demon Division wasn't half as large as this. If these humans were only a fraction of the total population… then the demon population was only two thirds the size of the human population!
Noticing that he was at the receiving end of several stares from the passer-bys, Inuyasha hastily shut his mouth, and resumed walking, albeit slowly. He looked into one of the windows, and discovered that most of the goods were similar to those sold in the Demon Division. The items sold here were mainly accessories that might please the humans. There were books, and extra stationary. While the necessities were provided by the Government, there were some frills that the people sometimes desired.
The occasional over-the-counter drug could be bought in the commercial district as well.
For those extra tid-bits, the Government granted a certain amount of credits to the people. The students had a fixed amount of 300 credits for their entire student career, while those who had graduated received yearly grants. Those credits could be spent on anything that was offered- books, equipment- anything that was authorised by the Government.
While some of the shops were interesting, Inuyasha found the people to be more so, and studied the mass, feeling a strange feeling of longing. He didn't know if he really wanted to live among these people, or if it was just that familiar desire of being accepted. Everybody here seemed to be so happy, and friendly.
But on the other hand, so were the demons when they were among each other.
Suddenly, a man brushed against the boy, making him stumble in his stupor. The middle-aged human stopped, and bowed apologetically, "Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me," and then, offering a kind smile, he walked off.
Surprised, the hanyou wondered that if he was here in his regular form, if the people would treat him the same as they did now. He wondered if the man would have excused himself, or whether he would have laughed at him. He wondered about a lot of things.
But for now, his questions would remain unanswered.
He checked his wristwatch- 19:45. It had been almost an hour since he'd left home.
So immersed in his thoughts was Inuyasha, that he didn't realise he was walking in the direct path of somebody until he collided with them. Falling to the ground, his first instinct was to be annoyed. Forgetting that this was the Human Division, and that he looked 'normal', the boy's only thought was that he was being bullied again by some self-righteous demons.
So he reverted into defensive mode.
Standing up, the boy brushed himself off, and glared at the person, who turned out to be a black-haired girl.
"Oww…"
"What the hell!?" He yelled, "Watch where you're going next tim…" He drifted off as the girl has helped up by her friends, and she stood, glaring at him.
"You bumped into her!" was one the friends' indignant shout.
However, he did not hear that as he got a glance at the person he had collided with.
"Hello? I expect an apology!" She crossed her arms expectantly.
He stared at her, an expression akin to astonishment. She looked like… But it couldn't be…
When he didn't reply to her demand, she took an inquisitive step closer.
"Hello?"
His thoughts snapped back to the present.
"It's you…"
"Look! Up ahead! See that, Kagome? That's the com-mer-cial dis-trict." Yuka used a deliberately slow voice as she pointed out the shops. It was as if she were explaining something to a slow child.
The blue-eyed girl glared flatly at her friend, "I know, Yuka. I can read." She, in turn, indicated at a small sign affixed to the wall of a flat building.
Yuka clapped her hands, "Very good!"
Kagome sighed in exasperation. Ayumi rolled her eyes, and Eri shook her head. Yuka could be extremely childish at times. They didn't know whether she was acting this way deliberately, or if it was her nature.
Ignoring the girl's comment, Kagome continued in the direction of the shops, Eri and Ayumi in tow. Once Yuka realised nobody was really listening to her, she 'hmphed' and hurried off after them.
Suddenly, Eri squealed, and ran into a shop, dragging Ayum with her. Exchanging bemused looks, Yuka and Kagome followed the pair. They found themselves in a shop that sold the few accessories that were authorised by the government. Eri was excitedly trying on a light blue hair-band that matched the band on her arm.
"Look! I've been wanting to get one for months! Isn't it cute?" Rushing to the android at the counter, she held out her personal ID.
Kagome raised an eyebrow. 'Cute…?'
The android took the card, and swiped it through a slot behind the counter. The 23 credits were automatically taken off of the card.
Ayumi, having followed her, stating wryly, "Careful, Eri, if you don't watch out, you're going to spend all your credits tonight."
The girl only grinned at her.
Eri walked out the door, the other three trailing after her, "I might as well, we're graduating soon anyway, and then these won't be of any use anymore." She adjusted the hair-band that was now resting on her head.
Yuka nodded her head, "That's true."
Kagome's face, had however, fallen, "You mean our credits will be nullified after we graduate? And I've been saving them up all this time!"
Eri wrinkled her nose. "I know, doesn't it suck? I just found out a few days ago from Hotaru."
As the minutes passed, the four friends continued to chat, and occasionally stopped to explore the different shops. So far, Kagome had seen nothing worth getting, while Ayumi had purchased several new school supplies that were of a better quality than the Government issued ones.
Abruptly, Kagome stopped, and bent down, "Wait, Ayumi, you dropped your pens..."
At that moment, a person walked into the girl, knocking them both over. Yelping, Kagome fell onto her posterior, and sat up, rubbing it.
"Ow…"
As Yuka and Eri helped the blue-eyed girl, a masculine shout was directed at the fallen her, "What the hell!? Watch where you're going next tim…"
"You bumped into her!" was Ayumi's accusation.
Standing up fully, Kagome pulled away from her friends, and put her hands on her hips. She glared at the boy. He had unusually long black hair, and lavender eyes. He was… cute. Blushing slightly, Kagome shook her head, clearing her head of any traitorous thoughts. She stood, looking expectantly at the boy, but he did nothing.
"Hello? I expect an apology!"
However, his face wore an expression of shock and… something that Kagome didn't recognise. Slightly taken back, She took a concerned step closer to the boy.
She blinked at him, "Hello?"
That seemed to shake him a little as his eyes focused.
"It's you…
… You…
…Ki-
Kikyou…"
Review Responses (taking a leaf out of SG…)
-- WinterBlossom/YukiSakura
Here's your update!
-- Gueshoo
Thanks so much! And, yes, this is a sort of a combo of Animal Farm, The Giver with the Inuyasha characters… I actually thought of the idea at school… while we were doing a novel study on Animal Farm… And then the themes rang out 'The Giver'… I think I mentioned that on my bio… Anyway, thanks for the review!
[dances They met! They met! Yay! Finally!
Now I just have to play up their real 'first encounter'…]