Inuyasha paced around the Higurashi kitchen, waiting for Kagome to finish getting ready. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides in rhythm with his steps. Occasional growls and muttered curses mixed with his huffs and harsh breathing. Eyes unfocused, ears flat to his head, and every muscle taut, Inuyasha was a spring wound too tightly, one twitch away from bursting.
Three solid weeks without an attack should have been a relief. Instead, the stress and anticipation were eating away at him, knowing they wouldn't be truly safe until Naraku was dealt with. Their friends were hidden away, well outside the city and behind barriers to disguise their scent and location. Sango and Miroku were staying somewhere north of the city and Shiori and Kikyo had gone to stay with Kikyo's estranged sister.
Sesshomaru helped them take additional measures of security. He and Kōga both had their most loyal men keeping an eye on the Higurashi shrine as well as Kikyo's house and Mushin's shrine. Shippo had his closest friends, the ones most talented at disguising their scent and yōki, keeping an eye on everyone from a distance. Inuyasha was on guard almost 24/7, barely sleeping, not letting Kagome out of his sight, and not letting her leave the shrine.
Anyone else would assume that the extra precautions were why they'd had three quiet weeks. Inuyasha didn't believe that for a second. Something dangerous was coming and the weight of impending disaster threatened to bring him to his knees. The small kitchen felt like it was closing in on him and he tensed, ready to bolt outside.
"Inuyasha, could I have a word before you leave?" Mrs. Higurashi's voice broke through the growing white noise dominating his hearing.
Turning to look at her, he did his best to appear composed. Her motherly smile and relaxed posture helped and he felt some of the tension leave his muscles. "Sure," he said, his voice surprisingly steady. "What's up?"
She gestured for them to sit so he took the seat across from her at the kitchen table. Her expression turned serious, her forehead crinkling in concern. "I've noticed that you've been a little on edge the last few weeks. I want to make sure that you're alright."
He was about as far from alright as he could get but he didn't want to tell her that. "I'm as good as I can be right now," he said, unwilling to flat out lie to Kagome's mother. "Just worried."
She hummed in agreement. "That's understandable. But you know, you're not the only one who's worried about her. You don't have to bear this burden all alone."
"It's not that simple," he said. He made fists so he wouldn't dig his claws into the tabletop and let the sting against his palms ground him. "I promised to protect her with my life and I've already failed her twice. Those attacks shouldn't have-"
Two small hands covered his and gently pried at his fingers, pulling the sharp tips of his claws away from his skin. "You haven't failed anyone, Inuyasha. You can't be her shadow and you can't predict the future. Nobody blames you for those attacks so you shouldn't blame yourself."
He shook his head then hung it in shame. "I should've been there to protect her."
Those same gentle hands cupped his cheeks and lifted his face. "You got her to Kikyo, stayed by her side while she was injured, and helped stop the second attack. Just because you weren't in that alley with her doesn't mean you weren't there for her."
He watched as she gripped his hands again and finished uncurling his fingers. Crescent cuts marred his palms and there were bits of red staining the ends of his claws. She used a handkerchief seemingly conjured from thin air to dab gently at the tiny wounds before carefully cleaning the blood off each claw. "You don't have to do that," he mumbled and cast his eyes downward.
"Stop it," she said and the gentle admonishment made him look up. The look she was giving him reminded him so much of his mother that his breath caught in his throat. "I'm doing for you what I would do for any of my children. Now, I'm not going to let you beat yourself up about this anymore."
"But I'm not-" A gentle squeeze of his fingers stilled his tongue.
"You are. You live under my roof, help around the shrine, give terrible brotherly advice to Sota, and go above and beyond for my daughter. You may not be mine biologically or legally but you are a part of this family whether you like it or not."
Inuyasha had to push back the mass of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. It was hard to believe sometimes how easily he had been accepted into Kagome's family. "Thank you," he said, finally meeting the older woman's eyes. "That means a lot."
She nodded and her smile reminded him so much of Kagome that he couldn't help but smile back. "Good, I'm glad," she said. "Now you better get moving. You two have a long drive ahead of you."
A few minutes later, Inuyasha was outside and watching a disgruntled-looking Kōga pace around. "Bad news or no news?" he asked, leaning against Kagome's newly repaired car, arms crossed and wearing a similar scowl to Kōga's.
Kōga looked up from his phone and shook his head. "Nothing. Finding anything on this guy is like trying to grab smoke. The barrier breaker and the body of the hanyō your girlfriend killed-"
"Fucking watch it," Inuyasha said, growling. "She'll be out here any minute." She was still having frequent nightmares and Inuyasha spent almost every morning trying to comfort her and convince her that she didn't need to carry any guilt for what she'd had to do. She certainly didn't need the stupid fucking wolf throwing it out there as a reminder.
"Fine, whatever," Kōga grumbled. "Anyway, we still haven't been able to locate either of them, dead or alive."
"Fuck. I'm not even surprised at this point." Inuyasha's ear twitched in the direction of the house as he heard the side door slide open. Kagome's scent drifted to him on the breeze and he let out a sigh of relief. She smelled a little off but he figured it was just the stress catching up to her.
Kōga turned his head slightly, also noticing Kagome's approach. "We can't keep doing this forever. You two need to find something this weekend."
"We will," Inuyasha said. They were finally taking a trip into the mountains to look for his father's research. Inuyasha had a pretty good idea of where to start, having been struck with inspiration while staring at the mini-Tessaiga one night. He knew there had to have been a reason his father was so adamant he have that little puzzle box.
Kagome joined them, a new recurve bow and quiver of arrows thrown over her shoulder. "What are you two talking about?" she asked.
"Nothing," Inuyasha said before Kōga could run his mouth. She didn't need to know how miserably they were failing.
"You know how to use that thing yet?" Kōga asked, eyeing the bow and arrows.
Kagome glared and huffed. Kōga had only witnessed her shooting once and it was the first day she'd tried it out. "I've been practicing every day for two weeks so yes, I know how to use it now...mostly," she finished quietly.
"Keep talking shit and I'm going to let her shoot you," Inuyasha said, also glaring at Kōga. "I'll even hold you so she doesn't have to hit a moving target."
"What are you doing here anyway?" Kagome asked, putting a hand on her hip.
Kōga gestured towards another car parked in the driveway with two wolf demons and two wolf hanyō sitting inside. "I'm offering you an escort, again."
Inuyasha snarled, his lip curling to reveal a fang. "Do you not fucking remember what happened last time I had an escort through the mountains?"
"This isn't last time," Kōga argued.
"I don't give a shit," Inuyasha shot back. "They are not fucking following us."
"Inuyasha." Kagome placed a hand on his arm, the muscles underneath tensing and twitching. "He's just trying to keep us safe. They don't have to come with us."
"Good, 'cause they're fucking not," he said but his body was starting to relax and he deflated completely when he took in the worried look on Kagome's face. He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, just...just bad memories. I'll protect you though, we really don't need them."
Kagome nodded. "I know you will. We should get going soon if we want to get there before we run out of daylight." She gave him a quick kiss on his jaw then waved to Kōga. "We'll stay safe, we promise."
Kōga returned her wave as she walked around the car and climbed into the passenger seat. "You better keep her safe."
"Keh, like I need you to tell me that."
"These guys are no joke. You have that list Sesshomaru gave you?"
Inuyasha patted his pocket. "Right here. Got it memorized too. We'll be fine." There wasn't much cell phone reception in the mountains so Sesshomaru had sent someone ahead to find all the best places to make a call from. Then he'd compiled a list and handed it off to Inuyasha in case they ran into trouble during their trip.
Kōga didn't look convinced but there would be no talking them out of this. "If I don't hear from you guys at least every few hours, I'm coming up there to check shit out myself," Kōga said. "I've got a bad fucking feeling about letting you two go off alone."
"He could hit us anywhere at any point," Inuyasha pointed out. "I'm done sitting back and waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Kōga nodded curtly and shot one more glance at where Kagome sat in the car. "Good luck, mutt."
"Thanks but I don't need luck, fleabag." Inuyasha returned the brief nod and climbed into the car. He watched Kōga walk over to wave off his men in the other car, not missing the disapproving glare he sent Inuyasha's way. Whatever, they would be fine without an escort.
"We should get going," Kagome said softly. She was watching Inuyasha and all the emotions that distorted his features. The rage, the sadness, the loneliness, and finally the relief as his eyes swung her way. She offered him a small smile. "It won't be like last time."
He grunted then leaned over and kissed her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
"It's so pretty up here," Kagome said as her eyes scanned over the valley below them. They were far enough into the mountains that everything had a light dusting of mid-December snow. She could only imagine what this same drive would look like come spring when everything was lush and blooming.
Inuyasha hummed in agreement. "You should see it in the fall and spring. It's something else."
"I bet."
Their drive had been mostly silent with only occasional bursts of conversation to lighten the mood when it grew too heavy. Inuyasha figured they had another 30 minutes until they got to his planned destination and another 15 minutes of walking after that. The sun was still pretty far from the western horizon, reflecting brightly off the patches of snow.
"What was it like, living out here?" Kagome asked.
"Isolating and a little lonely," he answered honestly, shrugging. "Can't really complain though. I had a good life before everything...well, you know."
"Sorry, didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"S'ok." He reached over and placed his hand over hers on her knee. "Can't keep forgetting all the good stuff just because I don't wanna deal with the shitty memories."
Kagome turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. "So, now that we're all the way out here, can you tell me what you're plan is?"
He'd been tight-lipped leading up to their trip, worried about prying eyes and ears even behind the protection of the shrine's barrier. He wasn't taking any chances and even now he was hesitant to share.
"I'm pretty sure I know where my father hid his research and I may even know how to get to it."
"And where would that be?"
"Don't wanna say until we're there."
"Why not?"
"Because I fucking don't." He cringed at how harsh his words sounded.
Kagome huffed and slumped back in her seat, pulling her hand away from his so she could cross her arms. "Don't know why you can't just tell me," she said under her breath knowing he'd be able to hear her.
"Because I don't-" Something bolted out of the woods to the right and Inuyasha slammed on the brakes. Both hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white and vinyl creaking under the strain. He swore loudly as two more deer ran across the road. Fucking hell, his heart wasn't going to survive this trip. He looked over at Kagome to make sure she was alright.
Her eyes were wide and she was taking deep breaths through her nose. "What the hell?"
"Sorry. Deer."
She nodded. She'd seen the deer but she was already so on edge, the smallest surprise was bound to send her nerves into overdrive. "This is going to be a long couple of days."
"You're not kidding."
Their terse conversation dropped after that, both too occupied with surveying the road and surrounding forest. They weren't far from their destination and all too soon, Inuyasha was driving a stretch of road that was burned into his memory, even 50 years later. His muscles tensed as he approached the turn that took them onto the road that wound through his parent's property. He was vaguely aware that he was holding his breath as he passed the place where his life had taken a turn so long ago.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly beside him. "Are you alright? Is this where…?" She let the question hang between them.
He turned onto the service road and finally let the stale air escape his aching lungs. "We're past it now. My parent's property starts once we pass that sign." He nodded to a worn wooden sign with lettering too faded to read.
"How far is it to the house?"
"About a five-minute drive but we're not going that far," he said. His eyes scanned the forest looking for a specific marker.
"Oh," Kagome said. "Well, where are we going then?"
He spotted a large rock in the vague shape of a dog that marked the beginning of a small trail. "Right here," he said, pulling the car over to the right, just past the trailhead. "We've got a small walk. Bring your overnight bag just in case."
Kagome didn't complain as they grabbed their bags and started down the overgrown path. Winter made their walk a bit easier as there wasn't as much foliage to impede their trek. Their shoes crunched in the thin layer of snow covering the bed of dead leaves and they both kept their hands up to protect their faces from wayward branches. The physical exertion kept them warm despite the rapidly dropping temperatures.
Inuyasha trudged ahead, being quieter than usual, lost in thought. Kagome didn't want to push him as he processed all his feelings surrounding where they were and what they were doing. She couldn't even begin to imagine the thoughts that must be swirling around in his head so she pushed her misgivings aside and did her best to remain calm and relaxed. She sped up and took his hand as they walked and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
A few minutes into the walk, Kagome began to feel dizzy. She swayed a little and the gentle pull on Inuyasha's hand drew his attention.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked, stopping and putting a steadying hand on her back.
She leaned into him, her stomach giving a small gurgle before settling down again. "Yeah, I think so," she said. "Think I just ate something bad last night."
"Keh, I warned you that sushi smelled off."
"But it tasted so good. I couldn't resist." She smiled up at him and patted his arm. "I'm fine, really. Whatever it was, it passed pretty quick." Straightening back up, she took a few confident steps to demonstrate.
Inuyasha watched her for a few seconds, not entirely convinced. "Alright, but if you're gonna throw up you better warn me."
"Fine, fine. Let's go."
It only took about ten more minutes to reach the edge of a small barrier. Inuyasha trailed his fingers through the shimmering air until an opening appeared to let them through. On the other side stood a small cabin, slightly run-down but looking sturdy enough. A screened-in porch took up most of the front of the single-story dwelling, the sliding door hanging slightly off its track. A broken ax stuck out of the snow near a tree stump meant for cutting firewood. A layer of pristine snow covered the ground.
"This is where me and my old man stayed when he started teaching me how to hunt," Inuyasha said as they stepped through the barrier opening. It closed behind them, cutting off the ambient sounds of the forest. "It's the only place not connected to another safe house or the main house."
He led her, still holding her hand maybe a bit too tightly, up to the broken door. This was a place of memories, almost all of them pleasant. This entire area, the cabin and the forest around it, was where he learned to fight, to hunt, and to survive. The lessons he learned here carried him through some of the lowest points of his life and would hopefully continue to aid him through whatever Naraku threw at them.
"It doesn't look like anyone's been here in ages," Kagome commented. "I thought your brother was taking care of the property."
"He wouldn't have known this was here," Inuyasha said as he moved the broken door out of the way and led her onto the porch. Everything was covered in dust and dirt, a few bare vines were growing through broken bits of screen, and the floor creaked loudly in protest of their weight. "Nobody but me and my parents knew this place was here."
Kagome stayed close even when he let go of her hand. She could almost feel the weight of Inuyasha's past pressing in on them. His ears were laid almost flat and his shoulders were squared, the tension obvious. Hoping it would help, she placed her hand on his back and rubbed a small pattern over his taut muscles. He grunted in acknowledgment and his shoulders relaxed slightly.
The door leading into the cabin was intact and closed but not locked. There was really no need for locks in the middle of the woods, especially behind a barrier. Inuyasha pulled the door open easily with one hand while fishing his flashlight out of his pocket and clicking it on with the other. The beam of light sliced through the dimly lit room, dust motes swirling as the light passed over grimy furniture. For Inuyasha, it was like walking straight into his past.
He could almost hear his father lecturing him on how to stay silent as he stalked his prey; how to stay downwind; how to defend himself against a larger opponent; how to move a sword with deadly precision. It had felt like nothing more than a hobby back then; an excuse for a father and son to get away and bond. Looking back, Inuyasha realized that his father may have been preparing him for an uncertain future. Did Toga know what was coming? Did he know his life was in danger?
"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just thinking. Place has a lot of memories."
Kagome nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "Take your time. We've got another hour before Kōga is expecting a phone call."
While Inuyasha stayed lost in his thoughts, Kagome began to explore. The area they were in was a large living area combined with a small kitchen against the back wall. To the right were two doors and Kagome could see a bed through the door closest to the front of the cabin. The other door was closed and she wondered if it led to a bathroom or if she would have to go to the main house for that.
Since the door was already open, she explored the bedroom first. There was a window directly across from the door so she moved the curtains aside and pried it open to let some air in. She was hit with a burst of freezing air but the cabin was already almost as cold as outside and the musty air was starting to clog her sinuses. The bed was against the wall next to the window and a dresser sat against the wall to her left. The only other bit of furniture in the room was a nightstand next to the bed.
On the nightstand was a picture frame, the glass too dusty to get a clear view of the photo within. Kagome picked the frame up and swiped her sleeve through the dust to reveal a picture of three people, none of them paying any attention to the camera. A very clearly child Inuyasha was standing between a beautiful woman and a tall, imposing figure of a man. Inuyasha, no more than 5 or 6 years old, was staring up at the woman with a large smile on his face. The woman, Inuyasha's mother she presumed, was looking back with an equally radiant smile on her face. And the man, who could only be Inuyasha's father was watching them both with a mixture of pride and love in his eyes, one hand on Inuyasha's head and the other brushing a lock of hair behind Inuyasha's mother's ear.
Kagome's heart broke for the little family and tears started to stream down her face. There was so much love and warmth in that single image, a heartfelt moment frozen in time. They didn't deserve the fate they suffered; nobody did. How would life have turned out for Inuyasha if he hadn't lost his family? What opportunities did he miss out on because of Onigumo?
She carried the picture with her back into the main room, the glass covering the picture damp from her tears. Inuyasha was sitting on the dingy couch, hunched over and looking at a piece of paper. As she got closer, she could see the neat script of Inuyasha's mother sprawled across the page; he was reading his parents' letters. He'd mentioned wanting to wait until they were here to read them so he could feel like he was even closer to them.
Inuyasha looked up, a little startled, as Kagome settled next to him, heedless of the cloud of dust that puffed up around her. He saw the picture in her hand and the splotches under her eyes and immediately knew which one it was. Smiling, he said, "That was my old man's favorite picture."
Kagome held the frame out for him to take. "It's a really nice picture. You can feel the love when you look at it," she said, sniffling and trying to reign in her errant emotions.
"Yeah," he said, setting down his mother's letter so he could take the photo. "I remember, it took forever to get a 'good' picture because the photographer couldn't get us to all look at the camera at the same time. One of us was always sneaking a glance or making a face at each other." He ran his fingers over the glass to clear away the rest of the dust. "That's the back of the house," he said and pointed behind his parents. "The entire backyard was decorated for my seventh birthday. It took weeks to find and clean up all the bits of confetti."
"You all look so happy."
"We were," Inuyasha said. His smile fell and he sighed. "We're not here for happy memories though. We've got work to do." He set the picture on the table and stood. The weight of the miniature Tessaiga in his pocket drew his attention and reminded him why they were here.
As much as she wanted to argue, Kagome knew he was right. They could reminisce later after they'd accomplished what they came for. She pulled out her phone and checked the time. "We've got to call Kōga soon," she said. "Are we near somewhere with a signal?"
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, there's a spot about a five-minute run from here. I'll go call him now and come right back."
He was through the front door before Kagome could respond. "Alright, I'll be here," she said under her breath then huffed. "Impatient man." Not wanting to sit on the dusty couch anymore, she got up to continue her exploration. It was time to find out what was behind door number two.
The phone call with Kōga took far too long. The stupid wolf kept asking inane questions to verify that it actually was Inuyasha calling and not someone who'd stolen his phone and was imitating his voice. Which, to be fair, wasn't an impossible scenario given that someone had stolen Kōga's entire likeness to murder Inuyasha's father. It was still annoying as hell.
He didn't like leaving Kagome alone for that long in the middle of the woods, barrier or not. He sprinted back towards the little cabin, his worry propelling him forward. There had been a small knot of dread burning in his stomach ever since they'd stepped foot into the forest. It was probably nothing but he would feel much better once he was back by Kagome's side.
He stopped outside the little barrier, relieved to find it still intact. Sniffing the air, he did a full circuit around the perimeter to look for anything suspicious. Maybe he was being paranoid but he refused to be caught off guard in these woods again. He found nothing out of the ordinary and finally allowed himself to relax.
The entire situation was frustrating to no end. They were in the middle of the woods and nobody but their closest friends and family knew where they were. He knew they hadn't been followed given how impossible it was to hide another car's presence on the nearly deserted mountain roads. There wasn't anything out of place; no sights, smells, or sounds stood out. And yet, despite how secure they should have been up here, he still couldn't shake his paranoia.
With a heavy sigh, he finally stepped back through the barrier and was immediately met with the scent of Kagome's fresh tears. His nose started working overtime trying to sniff out the source of her distress as he bounded into the front room. She'd been smelling off all day, probably from the minor food poisoning, so it was hard to pick out anything specific. He found her much the same way she'd found him earlier: sitting hunched over on the couch, trembling hands holding one of his parent's letters. He relaxed knowing she was safe and joined her on the couch.
"I'm sorry," Kagome said when she felt him settle next to her. "I wasn't going to read them without asking but you were gone for so long and there wasn't anything interesting behind door number two and the door on the left was locked and I didn't want to leave the cabin without you here and-"
"Hey, hey," he said, trying to soothe her and stop her rambling. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "It's alright, I'm not angry or anything."
Kagome sniffled and leaned into his side. "Did you finish reading both letters earlier?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Then you already know," she whispered and pressed her body even closer.
He sighed and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I do."
His parents knew they were being targeted. They knew they were living on borrowed time, having avoided several attempts on their lives over the span of only a few years. It was the reason for the extra security, the barriers, and the safe houses. They were doing their best to keep themselves and Inuyasha safe.
What the letters didn't tell him was why. Why was someone hellbent on destroying them? Why were they targets?
"I think it's time to do what we came to do," Inuyasha said. "It's time to get some answers."
