A quick call, and Kagome's waving as Meyumi is driven off home by a confused Ijichi. "A taxi would have sufficed."
Satoru shrugs his shoulders, hands stuffed into pockets. "Why pay when Ijichi was right there?" one hand is smoothly removed from one of his pockets.
Her cheeks warm once again when he catches her hand, fingers weaving with her own as he begins to tug her in a direction that didn't lead her back to work. "Uh- hey! I have to go back to work!" her attempts to tug free are useless.
"Call in sick, we have a curse user and customer to track down." his thumb starts to rub across her knuckles, causing her blush to sink low.
"I just can't-!" she managed a harsh exhale before doing just that. It didn't hurt that her boss was so accommodating, though that could be due to the fact that where she worked was more a front for youkai and those in the loop. Though Sesshoumaru would be hearing about it and asking questions later.
"That's the spirit!" he chuckles as she fumbles in putting her cell away, what with only having one hand.
Speaking of which. "Do you really need to hold my hand?" she looks down at their joined hands. Just like the rest of him, his hand practically swallows her whole.
"You started it." he gave a squeeze when she looked up at him, frowning slightly as she tried to figure out what he meant. Not only that, the argument to not letting go is so childish. Shaking her head, she follows along with him, she does wonder though, how he's tracing back to this curse user. So she decides to ask. "So, mighty navigator, how are you tracing this curse user?"
"Navigator?" he throws her an amused smile, head dipping down to do so which causes his white hair to appear almost translucent. She's starting to wonder what it is about her that makes most males she meets have silver to white hair. And tower over her.
"Yes, navigator." she mentally prays he's nothing like Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru. "Is it some sort of GPS? Tracking system? How are you tracing back to the curse user?"
"Ah." he raises their joined hands to scratch his cheek, snickering when she's forced to stand on her tip toes at the action. "I can see the energy signature. Sloppy work if this curse user didn't bother to hide it. And you?"
Soothing her abused arm and shoulder, she hums. "I can't outright see the trail like you, but I can pinpoint the direction they are in." despite saying this, her raised hand is pointing in a direction that veers from the way they were headed in. "Although, with the distance between us, it's more in that general direction by around ten kilometers give or take."
The air is suddenly robbed from her when she's spun about when Satoru pulls them into an alley without notice. "What the heck was that for?!"
"Hang on!" he wraps his free arm around her waist, pulling her close.
The next thing she knows, their surroundings are completely different. A park, where they're surrounded by trees and bushes. Nausea and dizziness causes her to sway at the sudden change, she nearly tips before clutching to Satoru for support. "...please, warn me next time…" her breath wheezes.
"Never teleported before?" his voice is slightly muffled by the rushing in her ears, but her posture eases when he pats and soothes her shoulders.
"I have… I just hate doing so without warning." breathing deeply, she closes her eyes to block out the spinning ground. It helps to get her bearings straight. "I need a second."
"No problem!" he continues to sooth her, which soon includes petting the trailing ends of her hair.
Once she feels everything is settled, she takes a few last deep breaths and pulls back. "Okay. I'm good now." eyes fluttering, she pulls away. Already she's focusing on locating the aura she felt, humming upon realizing it's much closer, perhaps within a few blocks from where they currently are. "There, I'd say a five-minute walking distance from here." she tugs their joined hands, taking lead this time.
The area is more subdued than the downtown they had just been in. The park large, and upon exiting, surrounded by family homes. Not exclusive modern, but not all traditional, an interesting mix of both. A few stores dot the streets, but otherwise, it's quiet with only elderly and mothers with their young children walk along the streets.
"Hard to believe the curse user is here." she murmurs, nodding when they pass an elderly couple.
"Not really. Sure curse users can charge a lot, but it's not like they can advertise their skills openly." his pace was sedate to keep in step with her, which she appreciates. "My guess, they're operating out of a store, perhaps one a little tucked away, but something that will keep a stead flow of income."
She's about to comment when her phone buzzes in her pocket. Pulling it out, she groans at the number. Didn't she just know it. Lips pursing, she stuffs it back, deciding it would be best to deal with it later, after the curse user.
"Everything alright?" the knowing smirk seems to rub her the wrong way.
"Fine! It's just my boss confirming my leave!" the words are grit out, she also squeezes his hand since he refuses to let go.
He gives a low whistle, playfully wiggling his fingers. "Ouch! Easy there, Kagome-chan!" his snickers only have her grumbling.
They turn down a narrow side street, and just as Satoru said, there's a little novelty shop tucked away. But that's not what has Kagome pausing. She raises a hand to press it over her nose, reeling from the caustic scent, even though Satoru appears unaffected. "How do you not smell that?"
"Smell?" he makes a show of sniffing the air, only to shake his head and shrug his shoulders. "I don't smell anything. You alright?"
Shaking her head, Kagome presses closer to him. Whatever cologne he uses helps greatly, but she's still reeling from the initial shock of that smell. There's no way she can return to work. If she can smell it, the hidden youkai will easily pick up on it. It takes everything she has not to scrunch up her nose, gag, or attempt to block out the stench as they enter the little shop.
"Ah, dear customers, how can I help you today?" the store owner is plain, a little on the lanky side, but not someone Kagome would have pegged as a curse user. They look like a retired banker. Dressed neatly, but in modest clothing, everything in place including the older style round glasses they're wearing. "A couple, how nice. Are you new to the neighbourhood? Don't think I've seen you around."
Satoru is all smiles as she continues to cling to him. "You could say that. It's a nice neighbourhood. Quiet, family friendly, everything in reach."
The older man nods his head, smile a little too wide and sharp to be considered inviting. "Yes. Though, I didn't think the great sorcerer Gojo would settle down here, of all places." dark eyes slide to her, assessing and dismissing her. "With someone that has no curse energy to boot. To each their own. But, she's pretty enough, if that is more your thing."
The hand she placed on his arm, more to help keep her standing rather than appear like a loving couple, tightens. Satoru pats her hand. "What I do, and with whom, isn't really any of your business. You cursing others, however, is my business."
Spindly fingers steeple atop the counter, the man's smile now showing teeth. "Oh? I run a humble shop. Using curse energy takes talent, and it was a great disappointment to my family when it became clear that I didn't possess the skills to do such. Instead, I sell tools that sorcerers can use, alongside office and stationery supplies." he ends his statement with a little giggle, a trickle of sweat rolls down the side of his face.
Kagome could almost believe his words, almost. The shop was filled mostly with stationary items, and office supplies. She was guessing the odd nick-nacks were the 'tools' specific for sorcerers. But the energy about the man is, off. It's nothing like Satoru, or his students, the only jujutsu sorcerers she's knowingly met. Nor is it comparable to regular people, as this man claims to not have the talent to wield 'curse' energy. But she just can't place it.
Looking towards Satoru, he shows no outwardly sign if he's aware of there anything being off about the man. "Look, I'm a busy man. Why'd you curse the young woman?"
At the question, more sweat breaks out on the man's face, his pallor is now sickly, and his breath is wheezy. "G-girl? What girl? I told, I'm a humble shopkeeper!" only, every exhale, a purple smoke or mist escaped past his lips, the stench of which has Kagome pressing herself tighter against Satoru.
There's a sigh from Satoru. He lets go of her hand, only to wrap his arm around her waist instead. "Brace yourself."
A few seconds later, the world around them shifted, reminding her of when she used to jump through the well. Only, at high speeds. Which felt odd since they were standing still. The darkness is illuminated by a red light the moment he raises his free hand, a sphere gathering at the tip of his finger. It crackles and pops before shooting off towards the man whose mouth was gaping wider and wider to allow a thick purple fog to roll out. Within a heartbeat, the light explode upon impact, vaporizing whatever the man was.
No sooner, the darkness and flashing dots of lights disappear, revealing the little shop once again. Evidence of the man having ever existed are gone as the world outside the shop trickle in. Dust motes dance in the light from the window as the songs of birds flow in. Thankfully, the stench has been cleared out.
Pulling away a bit, Kagome pauses when she recalls what the man had said. "So…"
"Amazing?" the smile tossed at her has her pulling away completely.
"No!" she smacks his arm as before moving to inspect the shop. "Are you not in the least bit concerned that the man claimed he had neither the ability or talent to wield curse energy, but suddenly was able to curse others?" she inspects one of the oddities that is so out of place among stationary and office supplies. "Don't you find it just a little odd?"
"He's gone, which makes one less curse user and more people protected." he shrugs his shoulders, obviously not seeing what she's so worried about.
Shaking her head, she honestly wonders how he can be so carefree about it. "First the stench which only I could smell, be thankful for that, then a man suddenly getting the ability to curse. None of this makes you worry?" she pauses when she spies an open notebook on the floor just behind the counter. Walking around, she ducks down to pick it up, tucking some hair behind her ear when she realizes it's the man's journal, and they had just interrupted his latest entry. Thinking, she begins to flip to earlier entries, coming to about a week ago, just before when Meyumi showed up with the curse. "A… Haniko Kimura came in asking, looking for a gift to give a man."
Satoru approached her, leaning on the other side of the counter. "Does the name sound familiar?"
"No. And it's literally my job to know." looking back at the journal, she skims ahead. "Ah, the man is her neighbour, Shiro Matsuda. He does work for our company, and Meyumi had mentioned how the two were starting out as a couple. Anyway, says here, the clerk, upon hearing how Haniko was desperate to gain Shiro's affection, that he offered her his assistance. My guess is the curse. No other details though."
She flips to earlier entries, disgust rolling her stomach when she skims over mentions of him cursing others, regardless of gender or age for practice. He even went as far as targeting a child. Until she comes across the first entry of where he explains about a procedure. "He talks of a procedure?" she looks up at Satoru. "Is there such a thing within the jujutsu community? To give a person the ability to use or wield curse energy?"
His lips dip down as he shakes his head. "No. If you don't have the energy, you can't manipulate it to become either a sorcerer or curse user. Does it say what kind?"
"Hmm, no. It's rather vague." now her brows furrow, flipping to earlier entries. "There are mentions of it being old, centuries old. Something about trading or wishing, he used both terms interchangeably, so can't say which one he meant. Gathering tools and ingredients, and-!" her blood freezes cold when a title comes up, one she was only familiar with since her history was tied to it.
"What? What is it?" Satoru is leaning on a propped hand, his other fingers drumming against the wooden counter top.
"Impossible…" brows furrowing, she flips through more pages, seeing the title pop up more and more, along with accounts of others having succeeded in attempting this 'procedure'. Ignoring Satoru's questions and concern, she pulls out her cell and begins taking pictures. She sincerely hopes, the others didn't know about this, because if they did and kept her in the dark, there would be hell to pay. Sending the pictures off to Shippo, she flips the book around and points out the entries with the names of others that took part in the procedure. "Do any of these names mean anything to you?"
"Hmm, not really. Should they?" his lack of concern is a little off-putting, but then again, he doesn't know the whole story. "What's this all about?"
"Please, look into these names for me. I'm just hoping the store clerk was a one off, but…" she bites her lower lip, really, really praying that her gut instinct isn't right. "I have a feeling our worlds are about to collide in a way that no one is really prepared for."
AN: Thought I updated this last week, only to remember just now that I only uploaded the file. Sorry. Lets hope that doesn't happen again.
Read, enjoy, and review!
- BunnyWK