Chapter Five
Pack what you need for two days. I'll pick you up at 5:00pm.
It had been a week since Kagome was officially initiated into The Militia. And this was the first time since then that Sango had texted her with some type of vague wording. It was similar to when she sparred with Ayame so Kagome was forced to believe that this was Militia related. The overnight bag was a curveball though.
"Miroku!" Kagome yelled from the kitchen, "I'm gonna be gone for a couple days!"
Sango had been driving outside of Shikon for twenty minutes now. The city limits were long gone and they were now in the countryside. Some houses dotted the scenery but the landscape was mostly untouched. It varied between rolling, green hills and large patches of tall Noble Firs. When Sango turned down an unmarked dirt road, Kagome couldn't hold her tongue anymore, "Are you going to murder me out here?" She joked, trying to get the real answer from the other woman.
"Shut up." Sango rolled her eyes with a smile, "You'll see when we get there."
Sango drove for a few more minutes until they reached a thick cropping of trees. Once the car was surrounded, Kagome was reminded of all those years in Mushin's cabin. This felt comforting to her. Sango took one more turn that Kagome would have never seen and the trees around them cleared. Kagome looked out the window at acres upon acres of lush green grass, obviously meticulously cared for, with tall trees skirting the property line.
The worn road led in a straight shot to what Kagome could only describe as a compound. She could see three large farmhouse style buildings at the end of the road but she had a feeling there were more hidden behind them. The first one on the right was clearly the garage. With six fucking doors. Did one guy need six cars? It was also three times deeper than any normal garage should be. The building was tall enough that there had to be something on top of the garage too.
Bet it's just more fucking cars.
The picture of a vending machine type mechanism came to her mind. Sango didn't say anything about the buildings so Kagome stayed silent while continuing to appraise them.
Sango parked near the garage, making sure not to block any of the doors. Heaven forbid he couldn't get one of them out. As Kagome exited, she looked across the courtyard to the smallest of the three buildings. It was modest, the size of a two bedroom house.
Probably the shoe closet. Kagome thought bitterly. All her fears about what The Militia had turned into since her parents created it were coming to fruition. She followed Sango silently to what was clearly the main house. Kagome grew up lower-middle class, lived in a cabin for two decades and then moved into a two bedroom apartment with Miroku. This was literally the biggest house she had ever seen. It was like something out of a shitty celebrity magazine. It could have easily been three stories but Kagome knew how much rich people loved their tall ceilings. The front door itself had to have been ten feet tall but Sango opened it without any issue.
Walking into the foyer, Kagome was annoyed at how right she had been. The ceilings were at least twenty feet tall. Unnecessary. And the crystal chandelier hanging down was far too ironic to be taken seriously. Everything was bright and white and suspiciously clean. But it was the staircase, the big ass, fucking, stupid staircase, that Kagome couldn't help but gawk at. It was hard to miss since it was kind of the focal point of the room. It started just on the other side of the foyer with wide steps that led to a landing where the stairs split in opposite directions to separate sides of the upstairs.
This is some real Beauty and the Beast shit.
Sango continued to lead the way around the staircase to a large room hidden behind it. Kagome could sense about 20 or so demons throughout the house but only a few stood in the great room when they entered. Kagome assumed there were humans as well but none of them had any reiki to sense. It was the few hanyous she could sense that had her insides flipping. Kagome immediately knew none of them were Inuyasha, but she was painfully aware she would most likely see him tonight. Sango was the only person who knew he was her initiator, and even that was too much. Kagome would act like she was meeting him for the first time and she just hoped he was a good enough actor. Kagome was also thankful his scent on her was long gone since that night. That's all she needed, every demon in this place knowing. God, her insides were waging war on itself, confused about how she actually felt. She didn't want to see him, but fuck did she want to see him. She was embarrassed and nervous and clammy. Kagome didn't do clammy. Inuyasha was the only person in this world that knew her intimately and it was like he took a piece of her that night. But, fuck, she would give it to him again if he asked nice enough.
Flashes of the hotel room ran through her mind without permission and Kagome couldn't help the heat that flowed through her stomach. No. There were youkai everywhere and they would be able to smell her if she indulged in those memories.
'Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light. What so proudly...' Kagomerepeated the song's lyrics until all visions of Inuyasha were gone from her mind.
As they walked farther into the great room Kagome shifted her focus to the extravagance of the new area. It was even worse than the foyer. And it was really starting to piss Kagome the fuck off. She knew the struggles of the Shikon people. Naraku was raising taxes on small businesses, changing zoning codes to push people out of their homes and had increased police presence in low-income neighborhoods. The unemployment rate was on a steady incline and the shelters were to capacity with people needing a place to sleep. The Shikon Rebellion had started to help people in need. And it was twenty years later and that asshole was still in power reeking havoc on the community. What were these people doing? Eating bon bons by the pool while they collected their 'protection fees'?
"This is where the weekly meeting takes place." Sango gestured to the fifty chairs set up in the extravagant room, all facing the fireplace on the right hand wall. The thing was taller than she was for fuck sake. The back wall was nothing but window, floor to ceiling and there were comfortable looking couches and sofas pushed to the left of the room that some people were congregating around.
"We've got some time before it starts so let's-"
"Sango!" Ayame called when she noticed the pair. She trotted over with a concerned look on her face, "There's an issue with some of the equipment out back, can you come help me take a look at it?"
"Uh, yeah ok. Um…" Sango looked at the other occupants by the couches, "Kouga!" She called, beaconing the man over. A tall wolf youkai sauntered over, his long dark ponytail swishing behind him. Kagome instantly recognized his youki as the one hiding on the balcony the day she sparred with Ayame. Interesting.
"This must be the new blood." He stuck out his tanned arm, "Kouga."
Kagome shook his hand, "Kagome."
"Kouga, will you show her around the place while I help this one?" Sango flicked her head towards Ayame.
"Try not to electrocute yourselves!" Kouga called as Ayame and Sango walked outside through the glass door on the back wall.
"So has Sango given you the rundown of how things work around here?" Kouga started walking to the adjoining room on the left.
"She's been pretty vague leading up to tonight. She did just mention a meeting though." Kagome made it sound like more of a question.
"Sunday nights are our weekly meetings. Cap goes over the previous week and the objectives for the coming one. Members can present any pressing matters but usually it goes pretty quick. Then whoever isn't on shift heads home."
"Cap?" Was this a Marvel movie?
"Oh yeah, sorry, Captain." Kouga corrected. "He's in charge around here. I'll take you to his office if we have time before the meeting starts."
"And the shifts?"
"You'll be assigned to the A or B shift. Shippo should have that information for you tonight. Shifts last 48 hours and you're required to sleep here on site. After your shift you're off for the next 48 hours. It's rare that we get called in to help with a mission on our days off but it's not unheard of. If something comes up or you're sick or whatever, you're responsible for getting someone to cover your shift."
"All right." Kagome said. So that explained the overnight bag Sango told her to pack. It also explained why this house was so fucking big. If they needed enough rooms to house all the members then maybe this Captain didn't live here all by himself. The pair had left the great room and were heading towards what Kagome assumed to be the kitchen. But before they reached it they were met with the dining room. Strangely this room was far cozier than any other part of the house Kagome had been in. The walls were painted a creamy gray and the ceiling had beautiful exposed beams running across it. The table in the middle was the focal point as Kagome scanned the number of chairs: twenty-four. There were even two in the back corners, it seemed, as extras.
"Yeah, we like to eat together." Kouga laughed. He kept walking to the other opening across the dining room as Kagome admired the table. It was warm cedar wood and had a rustic trestle design to match the exterior architecture of the house. The chairs matched the table perfectly with off white upholstery covering the seat. Kagome could see the sun was just starting to set through the picture windows that covered the wall to her right. It was homey and her frustration was slowly easing.
"And here is where all the magic happens." Kouga flourished his arms to present Kagome with the gigantic kitchen. Standing there, she felt like she was on some HGTV show. The design was immaculate and she again felt very out of place. The white marble island caught her eye first. It was absurdly long with six bar stools at the far end of it. There was a sink and a range along with countless white cupboards and drawers. The cabinetry surrounding the island matched but had matte black quartz countertops instead. There was a second sink under a grouping of windows and two more ranges under a large hood on the opposite side. Tucked in the back corner was a refrigerator you would expect to see at a five star restaurant with a frosted glass door next to it. The pantry she assumed.
"This is the cleanest you will ever see it so don't get used to it." Kouga mumbled. Kagome stayed silent and took it all in. It was all so weird. "Shippo is in charge of doing all the shopping. They love him at Costco." Kouga snickered. "So if you want anything just write it on the list." He pointed his clawed finger at the lone notepad magneted to the gargantuan fridge.
"Shippo seems to do a lot around here."
"Oh you don't even know the half of it. Let's head upstairs and I can show you the living quarters." Kouga turned to the set of stairs in the left corner. Kagome hadn't even noticed the alcove behind her.
"So Ayame says you have a brother who might be interested in joining too?" Kouga asked without looking back at her.
"I don't know if he's interested in joining or just interested in being initiated by Sango." Kagome smirked and rolled her eyes. Kouga snorted, "Well he'll have to get pass step one before the Captain will even consider him."
"So can I watch from the balcony too?"
Kouga's step on the stair faltered for only a moment, "Saw me there did ya? Thought I was being pretty sneaky."
Kagome ignored his baiting question, "Miroku and I trained together growing up so he should be able to handle himself well enough."
"Well if he can handle a demon the way you did Ayame he should be joining us real soon."
"It wasn't hard to see Ayame isn't a seasoned fighter. She's got some fire in her though."
"Yeah." She didn't miss the genuine smile on Kouga's face as they reached a long hallway. "These are some of the rooms." Kouga's voice lost the bit of warmth it had and was back to his strong vibrato. "Each one is numbered along with the occupants' names, just so there's no confusion. It's not a written rule but genders tend to separate up here. Let's see, where is Sango's room…" Kouga's voice trailed off as he checked each door for the woman's name. "Here! You're in luck, if you're assigned to shift A the girls have an open bed in here." Kouga knocked on the thick door and waited for an answer.
"It's open!" An unfamiliar voice yelled from the other side.
"Rin? I thought your name was on there just as a formality. Sesshomaru let you out of his sight?" Kouga teased.
"Ayame let you out of hers?" The woman shot back quickly.
Kagome couldn't help but laugh at Kouga's balk. A woman who looked to be about twenty-five sat on the bottom bed of the huge built in on the left side of the room. It was made up of four full sized beds, two stacked on top of each other, with a narrow set of stairs between them leading to the top bunks.
"I'm Kagome."
"Rin. Sango's told me all about you. Glad to have you aboard." Her smile was sweet and Kagome could easily tell it was genuine.
"You girls have a free bed in here?" Kouga asked even though he already knew the answer.
Rin pointed to the top bunk diagonal from her and smiled, "Sango called in a favor and you'll be on shift A with us so that one is all yours."
Sango sure does have a lot of favors doesn't she?
"That's the closet and the bathroom is through there," Rin pointed to the two closed doors on the other side, "And don't worry, they're both plenty big for the four of us." That, Kagome didn't doubt that. Before the conversation could continue, both Kouga's and Rin's phones chimed with the same sound.
"Duty calls." Rin sighed and stood up. Kagome noticed her long brown hair fell over her shoulders in designed layers before she threw it up into a quick messy bun. She was dressed casually in heather gray joggers and an oversized, cream sweater with the front tucked in. The whole scene gave a very college dorm room vibe. Or, at least, what Kagome imagined what dorms to be like, since she never actually went to college.
"I've gotta head down and finish some things up before everybody sits down, Rin will take care of you though." Kouga waved as he ran out of the room.
"Thank you!" Kagome called after him even though he was already gone. Demon hearing and what not.
The walk back to the great room was slow as Rin continued to show Kagome around the upstairs. She pointed out another hallway of sleeping quarters, the laundry room and the four different media rooms. Four seemed excessive. "These idiots can ever agree on what to watch." Rin rolled her eyes. The pair finally made it back to the main staircase leading to the foyer. "This staircase is only good for one thing," Rin mumbled to Kagome as if it were a secret. Before she could even ask what the other woman meant, Rin was hopping onto the elaborate banister and sliding down to the bottom floor. Kagome cocked an eyebrow as an amused grin colored her face. When Rin landed at the bottom, she turned with a glowing smile back to Kagome.
"Well?" Rin called up expectantly.
Kagome rolled her eyes playfully. Following Rin's example, she gripped the banister and jumped back so her rear was in the middle of the wood. Without any help, she started to slide down, picking up speed as she went. When Kagome reached the bottom both girls were snickering.
Sango appeared out of nowhere with an unimpressed look on her face, "Let's go, it's about to start." She whispered.
"The training facilities are out back but we can check those out after the meeting." Rin whispered to Kagome as they followed Sango into the great room. Most of the chairs were now filled with Militia members. Kagome recognized a good chuck from Slayers but most she had never seen before.
Even though Kagome couldn't sense Inuyasha, she still scanned the room just in case. Nothing. She followed Rin and Sango to the back row and sat down. All the other members were quiet but no one stood in the front to lead the meeting.
"I thought you said it was starting?" Rin leaned around Kagome to stage whisper at Sango.
Sango sighed, "I just sent Shippo to go get him." Kagome didn't miss the quick glance Sango gave her.
Another minute passed and Kagome could finally feel Inuyasha's youki getting near. The Captain wasn't here yet to start the meeting. Inuyasha wasn't here either.
Fuck. No no no.
Kagome's scent smacked him in the face the moment he opened the main house's front door and he suddenly forgot what he was saying to Shippo.
"What time?" Shippo asked, annoyed.
"What?" Inuyasha's voice was lighter than it had been when they were walking outside. He had been practically yelling and now it was like he had been hit on the head.
Shippo glared at the older man, "What time do you want to start training tomorrow?"
"Oh- um, 6:00am."
"Ok…" Shippo typed it onto his iPad and just gave the older man a weird look.
"Go sit down Shippo." Inuyasha commanded while he stayed frozen in the foyer. When Shippo disappeared behind the staircase, Inuyasha closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. She was everywhere. He couldn't escape it.
Fuck. He needed to get his shit together. He had a meeting to run.
Kagome felt sick when she finally saw him walk to stand in front of the fireplace. He was the Captain. He was in charge here. She had sex with her- her boss?! Fuck she couldn't concentrate. He had started talking but she couldn't concentrate. She was pissed and confused and fucking mortified.
Kagome knew he was going over what they had accomplished the previous week but she couldn't hear any of the specifics. Minutes passed and then...
"As for this coming week, the first thing on the docket is our newest member: Kagome Houshi."
He was saying her name. Why was he saying her name? Sango nudged her as the rows in front of them started to turn back. Kagome smoothly stood from her chair to wave at the onlookers. She felt like they all knew her secret. They all knew what she did.
"I expect you all to welcome Kagome and show her the ropes around here." She couldn't help but look at him now. Steel blue clashed with bright amber and the anxiety from a week ago resurfaced. She looked away first-fucking coward-and returned to her seat.
Kagome Higurashi was not an anxious person. She controlled the world around her and she took pride in the power she held. She could take on anyone in that room and she was here for one purpose - find her parents' killer. One man would not distract her from that. Kagome took the night that they shared, balled it up tight and locked it away in the back of her mind.
