Chapter 24:
Spider Kelso marched into Kirsten's office, shutting the door behind him. He flung a pile of papers down on her desk.
"Gotta speak to you about Inuyasha," he said.
Kirsten had looked up from her journals when her colleague had entered. Now, she stared at him, concern in her eyes.
"Something wrong?"
"Well… I guess it's all in the way you look at it. Ever hear of Werner syndrome?"
"It's one of those rare genetic diseases, isn't it? Genetics isn't my field, Spider."
"Yeah, it's pretty rare. Had to look it up and speak to a few colleagues of mine at other hospitals.
"Werner syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder and the gene for it is on the eighth chromosome. It causes premature aging. People with this disorder are often short and have thin arms and legs with a thick trunk. But they do not get senile, although they exhibit other signs of aging and die fairly young."
"What's this got to do with Inuyasha?"
"He has a mutation in the same spot, but it's different. Wait a minute – let me back up a little. Inuyasha's chromosomes are remarkably similar to ours. He has the same number of pairs, and they look virtually the same as ours do. But certain genes are so…different. And the WRN or Werner gene is one of them. His mutation has pretty much the opposite effect, which is why he looks so young for somebody who's supposed to be close to three hundred years old.
"And here's the kicker: both you and Jonathan have a similar mutation to that gene– a tad different, but enough to make me wonder if your lifespans will be increased significantly as well, beyond what we know the Psicorin will do."
"Well, that's … interesting."
"Uh-huh. Even more interesting, several of your mutant genes are identical or nearly identical to Inuyasha's. Now, we've figured out that both you and Jon had a common ancestor about four hundred years back, which accounts for the fact that you both have the same mutant genes – genes which lie dormant unless exposed to Psicorin. So how come Inuyasha has some of the same mutations and they're active like yours are now?"
"Coincidence?"
Spider shook his head. "Not likely. It would be interesting to see if his brother has the same mutations as well. They both had the same father, so that would be the most likely source of the mutations. But it still wouldn't answer the question of why you and Jon have the same ones as they do."
"To the best of my knowledge, none of my ancestors were ever in Japan. I do have an uncle who was stationed there after World War II, but he wouldn't count."
"Well, it sure is a mystery. Unless… unless members of Inuyasha's family travelled about the world and settled in other areas."
"It's a possibility," Kirsten agreed. "But he wouldn't be able to tell us anything."
"Hear from the brother yet? Maybe he could tell us."
"Still waiting on his decision."
Spider snorted. "Okay. And about that sword of his, what does he call it?"
"Tetsusaiga."
"Between me and Jerry, we finally figured out why it won't work for anybody but Inuyasha and his brother."
"Why won't it?"
"Because somehow, and don't ask me how, it's genetically encoded to him. The sword is – well, I don't know how else to put it – alive. Possibly because it was made with a part of Inuyasha's own body. The original blade was apparently made from his father's fang. When it was broken, one of Inuyasha's fangs was used to repair it."
Kirsten frowned. "Well, it sorta makes sense."
Spider began to grin. "So… are you gonna tell your little friend that he might be related to you and Jon?"
Kirsten gulped. "I'm not so sure it would be a good idea. Do the math, Spider. Jon and I have a common ancestor about four hundred years in the past somewhere in the British Isles and most likely in Scotland. Inuyasha comes from five hundred years in the past. If I tell him, I could be messing with history – not good. Let's just keep this to ourselves for now, shall we?"
"Whatever you say. But it is damn interesting, isn't it?"
OoOoOo
Inuyasha fidgetted while he waited in the kitchen. He wasn't sure about this dating stuff. Both he and Kagome were going to the movies with Lintet and his girlfriend. Kagome couldn't be more excited about what she constantly referred to as her first real date with him.
"Ahem!"
Inuyasha spun around. Kagome was standing at the door, wearing the pretty sundress he had so admired when she had gone off on her first date with David. And now, she was wearing it for him. He looked her over with frank admiration.
"Does it meet with your approval?" she asked, turning around full circle for him.
"Oh yeah!" he sighed. "Come over here, wench."
"Wench?"
"Pardon. Lady mine."
She sashayed over, the movement of her hips mesmerizing him. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her forward slowly, being careful not to catch his claws on the material. If he tore her dress, he'd never be forgiven. He bent his head to give her a kiss, which he intended to be short and sweet. Kagome intended otherwise and put her arms about his neck to keep him from ending the kiss until she was quite through with him.
"Wow!" Inuyasha said when he was released. His head was spinning pleasantly.
He bent his head again, but before he could kiss her, a horn sounded outside. "Damn!"
Kagome smiled at him and put a finger on his lips. "Later."
She took his hand and pulled him out the kitchen door.
Lintet was waiting in the driveway for them. He had a nice four-door grey Camry, a birthday present from his mother and step-father when he had turned eighteen. Tayne had joked that it was to keep him from asking for the keys to her Jaguar. Kagome motioned Inuyasha to get in the back of the car.
"Hi!" Lintet said. "I don't think either of you have met my girlfriend yet. This is Margaret."
"Hi!"
Margaret was a drab little sparrow next to Kagome. Brown hair, brown eyes, freckles and glasses.
"Hi, Margaret. So nice to meet you finally," Kagome said pleasantly. "This is Inuyasha. Or you can call him Yasha."
Inuyasha stuck his hand over the back of the seat for Margaret to shake. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Lintet's told me all about you."
Lintet gave his girlfriend a devastating smile. "Shall we be on our way?" He manoeuvered the car out of the driveway.
Despite the seatbelt, Margaret twisted part way around so she could talk to Kagome and Inuyasha while Lintet concentrated on the road. She was a pleasant girl, certainly not the sort of beauty Inuyasha had envisioned Lintet with, but she had her own charms. Inuyasha liked her.
The movie was a great deal of fun. Kagome had drawn his arm around her shoulders, and Inuyasha was happy to leave it there. Even if it meant that he didn't get so much of the popcorn they were sharing. He had nearly jumped out of the seat when Kagome put her hand on his knee, but in the dark, he couldn't see the expression on her face as clearly as he'd like.
"Careful, wench," he warned. "Watch where you put that hand."
"This hand?"
Her hand slid up his thigh an inch or two. Inuyasha sucked in his breath. Well, this was certainly a side of Kagome he'd never seen.
He bent over and gave her earlobe a gentle nip. "Yeah – that hand."
Inuyasha cast an eye over to Lintet, who was beside him. Oh - kay, then. Lintet was not exactly watching the movie. Was anyone in the theatre watching the movie? It was a question destined to go forever unanswered.
Afterwards, they had picked up some take-out and had gone down to the marina where Tamisé kept his boat. Inuyasha hadn't known the alien had a boat. There was a nice park next to the marina, and they had walked over, finding some rocks to sit on near the water while they ate their hamburgers.
"This is a nice place," Inuyasha remarked, looking around.
"Not so nice after dark," Lintet said. "Too many people like to use it for drinking parties. We should get going soon, or we'll be caught up in it."
Inuyasha nodded.
The small group strolled back to the marina, where Lintet showed them Tamisé's sailboat before they got back in the car.
"I'm surprised he hasn't taken you sailing yet," Lintet said.
Inuyasha shrugged. "We've all been rather busy."
"Has he taken you riding?"
At Inuyasha's quizzical look, Lintet laughed.
"Tam's got some horses that he boards outside the city."
Kagome got a strange look on her face. "A sailboat; horses…Tam's well-off, isn't he?"
Both Lintet and Margaret laughed uproariously at this.
"Tam's about as rich as they come," Lintet choked out. "But you'd never know it with that stupid old van he likes to drive around."
After Lintet and Margaret dropped them off at the Windrows, Inuyasha and Kagome headed down to the park and their favourite willow. Kagome had promised 'later' and he was going to hold her to it.
It took a little doing to get Kagome into the tree without ripping her dress, but they managed. They sat as they had the first night they'd been there: Inuyasha with his back against the trunk of the willow and Kagome settled in front of him. He put his arms about her and let her lean back against him.
Kagome laughed a little. "Boy, this seems familiar!" She was also remembering their first night in Toronto.
Inuyasha thrummed contentedly deep in his throat as Kagome snuggled against him. Nothing was said for a long time. When Kagome shifted her weight a little, Inuyasha finally moved himself. He brushed her hair away from her neck and planted a kiss on her shoulder.
"Oh, Yasha." Kagome sighed.
She tried to twist around very slowly, so as to not unbalance them, but found herself slipping to one side.
"Ack!" She clutched at him to keep herself from slipping further.
Inuyasha tightened his arms. "Stop moving, Kagome. Here – I think we'd be better on the ground."
It was easier getting out of the tree. Inuyasha sat down and pulled Kagome into his lap so she would not dirty her dress on the ground. She came willingly, putting her arms about his neck. He smiled and touched his forehead to hers.
"You promised me 'later'," he reminded her.
"So I did."
The kiss she gave him made his head spin so much, he was thankful that they were on solid ground instead of in the tree boughs. He would have fallen right off the branch and taken her with him. As it was, he found himself recumbent with Kagome half-lying on him, and he had absolutely no recollection of how he'd gotten there.
"I sincerely hope you never kissed David like that," he moaned.
"Uh-uh."
"Good. 'Cause if you had, then I'd really have to disembowel him."
"Why's that?"
Inuyasha grinned up at her. "'Cause I know he'd act on what I'monly thinking about."
"Huh? What are you thinking?"
"You're too young to know."
"Oh, just tell me! Please?"
He shook his head, grinning.
"Inuyasha! Do I have to say it?"
"Go ahead. I'm already lying down."
OoOoOo
Inuyasha considered his options rapidly. He thought he was prepared for anything, but he had been dead wrong.
Juromaru crouched in front of him, waiting. If Inuyasha moved a muscle, the creep would attack. He could not smell Kogeromaru, which meant that the smaller creep had to still be inside his younger brother.
Charming duo. He remembered them well, if not fondly. The problem was, it had taken both him and Koga to deal with them and he was by himself. He didn't have Sango and Miroku to run interference either.
Of the two, Juromaru was the lesser threat in Inuyasha's eyes. He was all brawn and speed and not much more than a killing machine. Kirsten would call him a berserker.
Kogeromaru would be the toughest to deal with. He was much faster than his brother, possessed those terrible blades in place of hands and could attack from underground. Even worse, he was intelligent and the brains that directed the juggernaut that was Juromaru.
Well, first things first. Kogeromaru would have to be drawn out into the open and dealt with. Inuyasha leaped for the nearest tree to give himself some space before Juromaru came after him. He needed a small amount of time to find… ah! His hand closed over the fukiya which was already loaded with a fukibari tipped with a compound that Kirsten had told him would slow down anything bigger than a poodle. And if you were smaller than a poodle, then you were quite, quite dead.
Inuyasha brought the blowgun to his lips, aimed and puffed. The dart hit Juromaru in the throat next to the carotid. The demon brushed the dart away, of course, but it was too late – the poison was already in his system. Juromaru stopped his charge, wavered on suddenly shaky legs, then crashed to the ground. Inuyasha watched the other demon intently as he tucked the fukiya back into his belt. Any moment now – ah hah!
Moving too fast to be seen as anything other than a faint silver streak, Kogeromaru burst from the mouth of the immobilized Juromaru. Inuyasha's eyes tracked him as he readied another new weapon in his hand: a modified manriki-gusari, or throwing chain. This one had three weights instead of two, making it more similar to bolas. He swung the weapon above his head, making sure it was whirling rapidly, while he tracked the progress of Kogeromaru. He watched as the ugly creature finally spied him and leaped towards him, blades raised to strike.
Inuyasha let the weapon go and was gratified to see that his aim was not off even though Kogeromaru was as fast as ever. The chains wrapped around the smaller demon, trapping the blades close to his body. He also crashed to the ground, the weight of the chains dragging him down. Kogeromaru lay there, hissing and spitting ineffectually as Inuyasha dropped down beside him.
Part of him wanted to gloat over what seemed to be an easy victory, but those chains would not hold very long and Juromaru was already stirring. Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga and dispatched Kogeromaru to whatever hell awaited him. Stooping, he snatched up the throwing chain, thinking he might need it again.
Inuyasha staggered forward as Juromaru's weight hit his back, his hands trying to wrap themselves about the half-demon's throat. Inuyasha used a move Thorne had taught him to send the other demon flying over his shoulder. Juromaru hit the ground on all fours like a cat, hissing at Inuyasha.
The half-demon resheathed Tetsusaiga quickly. The tremendous sword was no good for the close-quarters fighting that Juromaru engaged in. Inuyasha remembered well how the other demon could simply run along the Tetsusaiga's blade, he was that fast. He flexed his claws – time for some good 'ol hand-to-hand.
Juromaru charged again, but Inuyasha was more than ready for him. The half-demon used a combination of holhsi and kick-boxing against his foe. Juromaru had no concept of how to deal with any of it and only hit back reflexively. Inuyasha smiled grimly as he smashed his fist into Juromaru's nose and felt cartilage give way. He had imagined too many times doing that to David, so it was nice to take out some of his frustrations on an enemy he didn't have to be careful with. He would not be allowed to vent his anger fully on the puny human, but he could trash Juromaru with impunity. And trash him, he did.
Inuyasha dragged the fight out longer than it needed to be before he finally drew the Tetsusaiga and sent Juromaru to join his brother. He'd been having too much fun pounding the daylights out of the other demon.
The space around him returned to its normal appearance of a large, empty room. Kirsten came into the room, applauding.
"Nicely done, Yasha! Nicely done. You're using your new tools well."
Inuyasha coiled the throwing chain. "Yeah, I really like this one. I'm gonna show Miroku how to use it too."
"Good. How do you feel about us bringing your friends over for a visit?"
Inuyasha grinned from ear to ear. "That'd be wonderful!" He suddenly stopped and stared at Kirsten. "Have you… heard from Sesshomaru, then?"
"Not yet. Does the thought of him coming bother you?"
Inuyasha studied his toes for a moment. "Yeah. I don't think it's a good idea, Kirsty, really. He doesn't like humans, y'know. And he's bound to be arrogant and demanding with everyone."
"I think we can manage." Kirsten's eyes were twinkling. "But I thought about bringing your friends over because it's Kagome's birthday soon, and I thought it would be a nice surprise."
"She'd like that. I know she misses Sango."
"Well, I'm also making arrangements to bring over her mother and brother for a visit."
"Kagome would be ecstatic."
"Okay then. Don't breathe a word of it to her, or the surprise will be ruined."
"Not to worry. I have a few surprises of my own to work on." He put his arm around Kirsten and hugged her. "Let's go get some coffee or something. Punching out Juromaru's thirsty work."
"Yeah – about that. It took you far too long to take him out, Yasha."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Please – I had him after about the third strike. I just needed to work off some frustrations. Better I take it out on the likes of him, eh?"
Kirsten grinned at him. She did not need to be told who Inuyasha had been seeing in his mind's eye as he had fought Juromaru. She patted his back.
"You're learning discretion, Yasha."
He shrugged. "Well, I'd just rather not be clobbered by Tamisé and read a lecture on appropriate use of my strength."
