"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 6

O. This has got to be some kind of record for me…

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, blah blah blah, you know the drill!

Wow! I can't believe the response to the last chapter! ^_^ Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! (Kaa-chan: thanx for the note on Kaede; I've only seen the first four episodes in Japanese – everything else has been either Viz books or Cartoon Network dubbed episodes.. so I didn't really know how she talked ^^; Thanx!)

Merry Christmas, everyone! Consider this my gift to you all. ^__^

** ** ** ** **

The entire court seemed to lurch away from him, before the guard next to him, obviously offended, spluttered, "You cannot speak to his lordship in such a way!"

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and started up toward the dais where the lord stood. He was a strong-looking man, though not particularly tall, his head just beginning to bald as he was slowly passing into old age. Icy blue eyes glared at the half-demon as he approached, completely uncowed by the demonic presence.

Inuyasha didn't stop moving forward until he was right in the other man's face, their gazes clashing angrily as they stared each other down. "Genshi," he finally growled.

"Inuyasha," Higurashi Genshi replied, doing a rather good human impression of the dog-demon's growl.

"We need to talk," Inuyasha said curtly, still glaring at the human.

Genshi's face darkened. "What about? You have no business here."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha challenged. "I heard you had a daughter some sixteen years ago."

The entire room went completely still, and Genshi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his face went cold again and he calmly sat back down on the dais.

"You are mistaken. I have no daughter," he said, shifting his kimono as he sat.

Inuyasha growled. "I'm not 'mistaken,' you bastard. I know you had a daughter–"

"Yes, I had a daughter," Genshi cut him off sharply, "but she was killed in infancy."

At this, Inuyasha smirked, "Now, see, you're the one who's got it wrong…" Genshi looked up at him, confused. Inuyasha jerked his head toward the inner part of the castle, his face turning grim. Genshi nodded and stood, frowning at him, and they made their way away from the court, the lord's personal guard trailing after them.

***

"What is it you wish to speak of?" Genshi asked, once in a more private room where they could talk. "You implied that my daughter is still alive."

Inuyasha grinned across at the other man. "Tell me, Genshi, what was your daughter's name and how did she 'die'?" Let's see if the flea was right..

Higurashi watched him suspiciously. He really hated this damn half-breed… "She was called Kagome. And the tale of her death is a long one…"

"She was kidnapped as a baby, your flunkies caught up with the guy carrying her away, shot him, but at the same time supposedly killed the baby, too, because she fell down a well," he ticked the major points off on his fingers, satisfied when Genshi looked absolutely livid at the shortened tale. "Doesn't seem so long to me," he smirked.

"Yes, that is how she died," Genshi replied icily, his eyes narrowed at the dog-demon, his tone as scathing as possible. He arched one fine eyebrow. "How does that concern you?"

Inuyasha leaned back on his hands, grinning at Higurashi smugly. "Let me tell you a little story," he began. "It starts about a year ago… about fifty years since I last saw you…"

"Fifty years ago we heard of your demise at the hands of a miko, and thought our family's dignity might be saved. Alas, it seems it was too good to be true," Genshi glowered at him.

Inuyasha growled. "Yeah, well, a miko did pin me to a tree and put me to sleep for 50 years. But about a year ago, a fifteen-year-old girl came around and woke me up. A girl named Kagome."

Genshi regarded him coldly. "What you imply is ludicrous and impossible, and I do not wish to waste any more of my time listening to the babblings of some flea-bitten mutt–" He began to stand to leave.

"Sit. Down." Inuyasha growled, his ears laid back, his eyes glinting dangerously. Genshi did so, though he continued to glare at the white-haired young man. "This may be hard to understand, but I'll be sure to dumb it down for you as much as possible," he growled, then began again. "The well she fell into had some kind of portal in it that took her to…" –I can't say time, that'd be way too much to explain– "…to another world. People found her there and raised her, and then when she was fifteen, she fell in the well again and was brought back here."

Higurashi seemed to be considering this suspiciously. "I have heard of such things before, though never of anyone passing through to another world… All this time, she's been alive? All her life, raised in a different world…"

"Well actually, for the last year she's been with me," Inuyasha interjected causally.

Genshi's eyes suddenly snapped up to his, looking absolutely outraged. "You… You fiend!!" he roared, suddenly leaping to his feet to tower over Inuyasha. "That even you would sink this low, to… to turn a lady, a daughter of a noble house, into a whore!!"

Quick as lightning, Inuyasha was on his feet as well and had pummeled the older man hard in the jaw, with enough force to knock him flat on the floor. Around the room, the guards tensed, looking ready to leap into action to defend their lord at his signal. Instead, though, Higurashi just sat up, bracing his arms behind him, and glowered up at the dog-demon with unadulterated hatred.

"If you ever say anything like about Kagome again, I swear I'll rip your throat out before you can even finish the sentence!" Inuyasha snarled down at him.

Higurashi matched him glare for glare. "She is my daughter. She must be returned to me!"

"Keh," Inuyasha folded his arms angrily. "Frankly, I don't give a fuck whose daughter she is, 'cept that now I know I don't have to worry about your fucking treaty coming in and screwing things up once you or your descendants spit out a daughter."

Genshi's eyes flashed. "You–" he began, but Inuyasha had already turned and sprinted away. He slammed a fist into the floor next to him. "Dispatch a force to follow him!" he barked to his head guard. "I want her brought back here, completely unharmed!"

"What of the half-breed?" the guard asked, pausing.

"If he gets in the way, kill him. If not, I'd rather not loose any good soldiers to his claws."

The man nodded once before taking off down the hallway to do his master's bidding.

Genshi continued to kneel on the tatami floors, his hands clenched in fists as he remembered… Remembered how, as just a young boy, he had had to watch his father bow to the will of that… that monster… that demon! He had watched his family be shamed, and he had sworn that he would not let it be! Their honor would be regained, and so long as he lived they would never give up a daughter to that abomination!

***

Meanwhile, as soon he was back outside the castle, Inuyasha slowed and stopped. He reached to the sky, stretching his arms and back and letting out an exhilarated breath. That had felt so good! In the rather brief time in his childhood that he'd known Genshi – before his mother had died, before he'd fallen to wandering – he'd learned to hate the older boy for all the taunts and jeering he'd brought upon him. It was an amazing feeling to finally have something to hold over that bastard's head.

He smirked to himself and took off at an easy lope up and out of the valley.

"That went well, m'lord," Myouga commented as he settled himself more securely in the dog-demon's mane.

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, grinning again. And it's just going to get better when I get back to the village…

Distracted as he was by his thoughts of the girl waiting for him back home, he didn't notice the small band that left through the main gates of the castle behind him and began to follow his trail.

***

"No, Shippou – like this."

The young kitsune watched Kagome's fingers deftly manipulate the bright red string, forming a neat criss-cross pattern between her two hands.

"Now stick you hand through the hole in the middle," Kagome instructed, smiling as he dubiously obeyed. "And – volia!" she pulled her hands apart, the string coming off her fingers to hang around Shippou's wrist in a slack ring.

"How do you keep doing that?!" Shippou wondered aloud, fingering the string. "It was all tied up a second ago!"

Kagome laughed softly as he inspected the string, as if trying to see some kind of magic to it. "Here, hold out your hands and I'll help you," she offered, taking the string back and beginning to thread it through his splayed little fingers.

"Kagome," a voice said behind her, and Kagome looked up to find Meisai standing over her, wearing another of the yukatas she'd lent her.

Kagome smiled up at her. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could… help me with something out in the forest," Meisai said, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve.

"Sure. Shippou-chan, why don't you go show Sango and Miroku what you can do with that string, ne?" she said, standing up next to the other girl. The kitsune cub looked crestfallen for just a moment, but then happily skipped off to go find their other companions. He vaguely heard Kagome and Meisai talk briefly, and then they walked away into the trees.

"Miroku, Sango, Kaede-baachan! Look what Kagome showed me how to do!" he said, proudly holding up the string wrapped around his fingers.

"That's, uh, very nice, Shippou-chan," Sango said politely, not quite sure what to make of it. Miroku and Kaede echoed her sentiments.

"That's not all!" Shippou was practically bouncing with excitement at being able to show off like this. "Here here here – Miroku, put your hand in through the middle and I'll show you the trick Kagome taught me!" Miroku just smiled and obliged, Shippou stretching the string out wider so that the hole was big enough for the monk's hand. "And – volaa!" the child cried, imitating Kagome, and tugged his hands apart sharply. The string, however, still being attached to his fingers, did not come apart to hang around Miroku wrist, but simply tightened.

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Is that what it's supposed to do?"

"No…" Shippou murmured, dismayed. He tugged on the string a few more times, tightening it more, and Miroku was about to suggest trying this 'trick' again later when a new voice entered the conversation.

"You gotta pull your fingers out for it to work, twerp." Shippou leaned way back to see Inuyasha looking down at him. "Kagome showed me that one already," the dog-demon said, a hint of amusement in his voice as Shippou tugged on the strings once more, this time slipping his fingers out and freeing the monk's hand. Miroku quickly pulled his hand back , rubbing the wrist.

"You're back!" Shippou squealed, spinning around to race up the older demon's side and plant himself on his shoulder. "Where'd you go?!"

"Had to talk to someone," Inuyasha shrugged, and couldn't suppress a smug grin.

Shippou folded his little arms and frowned at him. "That's what Kagome said you said! Where'd you really go?!" he demanded.

"I really had to talk to someone," Inuyasha said, seeming to be in a strangely good mood. He brushed Shippou off his shoulder and looked at the rest of the hut's inhabitants. "Speaking of Kagome, where is she?" he asked, one clawed hand nervously resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

The three humans shrugged and shook their heads, but Shippou spoke up again. "She went into the forest with—" but he didn't get to finish as Inuyasha was already out the door and following the girl's scent into the trees.

Sango's eyes widened slightly with realization as they watched him go. "My gosh – he's going to ask her!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Miroku replied, levering himself up to his feet with his shakujou. "Come – this is not something I want to miss." He moved toward the door, but Sango paused a moment.

"Kaede-san, are you coming?" she asked, looking down at the still-seated miko.

Kaede waved them on, shaking her head, "I am needed here… Just bring me news of it afterwards."

Sango smiled and nodded, and followed Miroku and Shippou out into the forest.

***

Meisai walked quickly, almost impatiently, and Kagome had to hurry to keep up. "I saw something out here that I wanted to ask you about…"

"What?" Kagome asked, brushing a low-hanging branch out of her way. It was a good thing she knew this trail so well or she'd probably be tripping over every other rock and tree root, at the pace they were going…

"That." Meisai stopped at the edge of the clearing, pointing at the small wooden structure in its center.

Kagome's breath caught. "The Bone-Eater's well…" She suddenly felt rather nervous. What could Meisai want to know about that? Most people here either didn't know or didn't understand that the well was a portal to the future. Plus the fact that the well brought up some unpleasant memories that she just didn't really want to think about at the moment…

"Yes, the well." Meisai went to sit on the edge, facing Kagome. "Tell me, what do you know about it?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kagome stammered. She wanted to bolt, to run away… to be anywhere but here..!

Come on, girl. Let's just get this over with already… "There's some kind of magic in it," Meisai stood and approached her. "You know—"

"Kagome!"

Kagome barely had time to turn around before Inuyasha came bursting out of the forest to skid to a stop right in front of her. "Here you are! I—" He broke off as he looked around the clearing. "I could have sworn I smelled a youkai here…" He looked around, but it was just the two of them. "Weird…"

Kagome looked around at the clearing as well. "Meisai was here a minute ago," she offered, "You must have startled her when you came running in here like that. Meisai! Where are you?" she called, hoping that the other girl hadn't run too far.

"Kagome, who's Meisai?" Inuyasha frowned, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"She's a girl I met the other day. She just kinda showed up in the village and she's staying with us now," Kagome replied, making her way over to the far side of the clearing to look.

"Okay… Then she probably just went back there. Look, Kagome, I wanted to talk to you about something…" he began, fiddling with Tetsusaiga again.

"Mmhm?"

He fidgeted some more. She wasn't even looking at him… "It's kind of important…"

"Okay," Kagome came back over from the edge of the trees. "I guess she must've doubled back to the village, like you said," she said absently, coming to stand by him. Finally, she gave him all her attention, smiling up at him. "So, what's the matter?"

"Uh, nothing's 'the matter,' it's just, um…" He suddenly dropped down to one knee, trying to remember all that he'd been told he should do.

"Inuyasha?!" Kagome cried, coming to kneel in front of him. "What's wrong?!"

Inuyasha frowned at her, "Nothing's wrong, wench! Stand up!"

Kagome did so, slowly, watching him with an odd look. "Inuyasha, what are you..?"

"Just listen, okay?" he growled, and took a deep breath. "Kagome, I want…"

Sango, Miroku, and Shippou chose that moment to burst into the clearing, yelling, "We're not too late, are we?!" and nearly making the couple jump out of their skins.

"Too late for what?" Kagome asked, one hand going over her racing heart, while Inuyasha got to his feet and advanced menacingly on the new arrivals.

"What are you bastards doing?!" he yelled. "Go away!"

"But we want to watch," Shippou said from Miroku's shoulder as if that should have been obvious.

Inuyasha just seemed to bristle all the more. He was about to yell at them again, when a booming voice rose from somewhere in the trees around them.

"Release the princess, demon!" the voice ordered, and the tips of many arrows were suddenly visible around the edge of the clearing, completely surrounding the small company.

"What the hell..?" Inuyasha muttered, straightening and looking around, his eyes narrowing.

"By order of his lordship Higurashi Genshi, release his daughter the princess!" the voice bellowed again.

"Higurashi?" Kagome gasped, sparing a glance at Inuyasha.

Oh, shit… Inuyasha thought. Genshi, you bastard!! He must've had his men follow me! He growled threateningly and drew Tetsusaiga, crouching slightly into a defensive position. There was no way he was giving up without a fight—

"Inuyasha, you two go through the well!" Miroku barked. "It sounds like they're after you and Kagome-sama. Go!"

He faltered. He didn't want to just run away from a fight like this. "But…"

"We'll be fine!" Sango hissed, pulling a few small blades out of the sleeves of her yukata. "Just go!"

He growled one more time, before jamming his sword back in its scabbard and reaching out to grab Kagome around the waist. "Halt!!" the soldier's voice roared, before it faded away as they were swallowed by the darkness at the bottom of the well.

***

"Meisai!"

Meisai jumped and spun around. Marudashi stood over her, looking none too happy. "You're back… and I don't see the Child with you." She frowned dangerously and began to move forward.

"I-I had to!" Meisai stammered. "The white dog came back and… he would have found me! I had to leave!"

Marudashi stopped just in front of her crouched figure, nodding vaguely. Suddenly, her hand flew out, catching Meisai in the throat to hold her dangling in the air. "You should be able to do better than this," she snarled, her eyes flashing.

"But… the dog…" Meisai gasped, tugging vainly at her hand.

Marudashi growled and threw her down to the floor again. "Foolish weakling! The dog is not your concern! Whether he discovers you or not does not matter! Once you bring the Child here he won't be able to reach her!"

She stood fuming over the younger fox for a moment before regaining her composure. "Now go. And Meisai, this is you last chance," Marudashi stepped back as Meisai nodded and jumped up to hurry back through the portal.

"And don't worry," Marudashi murmured to herself after Meisai had gone. "I'll take care of Inuyasha."

** ** ** ** **

Again, I think Inuyasha might have been a little OOC at the beginning. Just remember that he and Lord Higurashi really hate each other, and so he was basically going 'ha ha, I have your daughter and there's nothing you can do about it' and rubbing it in his face. Heh, too bad Higurashi did decide to do something about it… I gotta say, though, it is unbelievably fun writing he and Inuyasha, especially their fight near the beginning ^_^

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all! It would be a wonderful gift to me if you pushed that little blue button in the left corner – yeah, that one – and reviewed!! It's the number one thing on my Christmas list, I swear! ^__^

Glossary

tatami – woven mats used as floor coverings indoors, usually made of reeds or grass (?)

shakujou – Miroku's staff thing ..I'm not sure of I spelled this right, so if it's wrong, please tell me!

I figure everyone knows the rest of the Japanese terms by now, so there's only a few for once ^_^

Review please!!