TWENTY FOUR
Ren pulled the car door closed, everyone sat in the car satisfied from the delectable lunch they just had, "Alright! Next stop!"
Their friends' eyes widened, "What next stop?" Inuyasha grabbed Ren's seat and peeked at their driver, "Aren't we done?"
"We're going to see dad." Kurenai announced and Sesshoumaru shifted on his seat, looking back at her with knitted eyebrows, "Oh right, we were interrupted by Ryan's arrival yesterday that we didn't get the chance to mention our adoptive father to Sesshoumaru and Rin." she gave the daiyoukai an apologetic smile.
"He's actually our second adoptive father, he adopted us when our first adoptive father died." Ren added and Sesshoumaru's attention shifted to him, "He's the one who encouraged us to pursue a career in the music industry through his guidance after he discovered us doing a small performance at our first adoptive father's cafe."
"We thought we'd pay him a visit and introduce everyone." Kurenai smiled at children beside her as they began to drive off.
The visitors from the Feudal era found themselves trailing behind the Ren and Kurenai as they weave through one of the many floors in the glass clad building the siblings brought them to. They were told that the expansive space is called and 'office' where the employees perform duties and tasks to achieve the company's goals.
The air is filled with the buzz of people chatting amongst each other or on their phones, the clatter of fingers hitting keyboards and the muffled thud of urgent footsteps over carpeted floors. But these movements go still as curious eyes followed them.
They reached the end of the hall where the siblings happily greeted a blonde woman who seem to be in her mid-40s sitting behind a black matte geometric faceted desk with the word 'RAVE' in steel letters mounted on one of the facets on the right. The wall behind her is decked with three slabs of white marble. The level of elegance in this area is different from the rest of the floor and somewhat felt like a gateway to something grander than what they've seen so far.
"President," the woman began on the phone while keeping her eyes at the siblings, "your children are here. Yes, understood." putting the phone down she said, "He's waiting."
"Thanks Millie." the siblings said in unison as they walked towards the door behind her.
"Hey dad." Kurenai walked towards the middle aged man sitting back on his leather office chair skating a finger over his phone. There's a glint in his baby blue eyes as they landed on her and the man smiled as he stood on his feet.
"Those are the faces I love to see." Ethan Walry gave his daughter a quick hug and pressed his cheek onto hers, his son followed shortly with a hug and a pat on the back, "What happened to your foot baby girl?" he stared at his daughter's foot, his eyes clouded with worry.
"It's a minor sprain dad. It'll heal fairly quickly." she assured before setting a brown paper bag on his desk, "Anyway, we got you some snacks." she smiled at the obvious delight on his face at the small gesture.
Her adoptive father looked incredible for someone who's fifty-four. His golden brown hair is streaked with a wave of silver on his temples but it didn't make him look old, if anything, it's one of the things that make women crazy over him. He's also in great shape and his toned body perfectly held up his dark grey suit.
"Thanks you two." Ethan's gaze flew to the foreign faces with his children, "I assume this visit is about these new faces you went shopping with?" he sat back down, "Please, have a seat." he offered while lacing his fingers together.
"You've already seen the photos from this morning dad?" Ren asked as he and his sister occupied the seats in front of his dad's desk and their friends sat on the couches across the room facing Ethan.
With a smug smile, their dad spun his computer screen towards them, "Of course, I'm not your manager and the head of this company for nothing." it's the photo of them entering the mall this morning.
"Mama! That's us!" Rin exclaimed.
"It's really us..." Miroku added as they, except for Sesshoumaru tiptoed closer to the screen and were in awe at seeing exacting portraits of themselves in the modern era.
"So what's happening?" Ethan threw his daughter a penetrating look. He didn't just imagine the young girl calling his daughter mama.
"Alright, let me introduce everyone." Kurenai gestured a hand towards her dad, "This is our dad, Ethan Walry."
The guests stared at the man their friend called dad. He has an intimidating presence that will not make anyone doubt his authority as the head of the large number of employees they saw diligently working earlier. He smiles kindly at them yet studies them with penetrating eyes as Kurenai introduced them and began to explain their situation.
Ethan's eyes grew wide as he listened to his daughter and his sights fell on each of his visitors on the couch, "Wow, I'm actually staring at ancient relics." he gasped after processing the incredible information.
Two dog demons growled at the remark while the others chuckled at it.
"Dad... Please don't forget that there are two full grown demons in your office." she warned.
"Well, if you're that relaxed around them, I don't think they mean any harm as long as I know my limits." he declared casually, "So you and your friends from the Feudal era are now banished to our era and the well, your portal through time, disappeared."
"That's pretty much it and now, we need to figure out a way to bring back the well so my friends can go back to their own era."
"Researching spells and a seemingly complicated one to boot…" Ethan rested his chin on his right knuckle and threw his daughter an intent stare, "Baby girl, you do understand how swamped you are with work here, yes?"
Even her friends from the Feudal era understood what the old man meant. Kurenai has been on and off her phone the entire time they've been out; in a phone call or tapping away on the screen sending something called an 'e-mail'. It's the same with Ren same except for when he's driving; he takes calls through the car's stereo and the conversations are mostly about business or people checking up on Kurenai's condition.
"I am dad." she nodded, "I'm also aware that my friends can't turn their backs on their lives just because the well is gone. They're experiencing huge changes and I feel bad making them adjust this era's way of living." Her eyes flew to the photo in her father's screen, "Ren and I's lifestyle is not helping the situation either."
"You've spent more than a year of going back and forth between here and their era and had to fight demons in theirs. If you compare that to their situation, I don't think they're getting the short end of the stick here." her father insisted.
"That's exactly why I want to find a solution as soon as I can because I know how it feels to be in an era that's completely different from my own. I at least had the luxury of going back to the comforts of my own era time and again. On top of that, we can't just leave Naraku to his own devices and easily collect the jewel shards for himself."
Everybody else in the room shifted uncomfortably, their conversation is turning quite tense.
"I will be resting dad, I know that's what you're worried about. We have a lot of commitments coming up but isn't the current situation better than before? I don't have to go to the Feudal era so I can use the days that I'm supposed to be there in researching ways to bring the well back instead and be taking it easy at the same time."
Ren slipped into the conversation, "Besides dad, we've sorted it out. Our friends here have offered to help us around the house, we just have to teach them."
"Not all of them." Kurenai murmured to herself, though her dad looked at her curiously.
"He's right Mr. Walry." Miroku said, even though he feels quite intimidated by his friends' dad, "It's not our intention to impose on your children and they're not enablers either, they are efficiently showing us how this modern era works."
Ethan raised an eyebrow at the man who had the courage to jump into the discussion, "It's not like I'm looking at you guys as people who'll take advantage of my kids. My only concern is that my workaholic daughter will forget to take care of herself, but if you say it like that, I can be at ease. I'm counting on you." he smiled at the people on the couch.
Kurenai rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "Geez dad, I'm not a kid." and continued, "Anyway, with them staying here for an indefinite period of time, they're bound to have their expenses but they're not comfortable just receiving money from us, well except Miroku maybe..." the monk went into a coughing fit at this, "So we thought since the contract with our bodyguards have expired, they can do it instead. No need to pay agency fees." she proposed.
Ethan stared at his daughter weighing her words, "Hmm... You did say that they're used to fighting demons, so long as they don't kill anybody, they'll be good."
"They know how to pull their strength back dad. Ren and I will also teach Sango, Miroku and Sesshoumaru how to drive."
"Hey wench! Why am I not included?!" the hanyou growled from his seat.
"That's why you're not allowed. You're too hot-tempered. I'm sure you'll curse the hell out of every driver you encounter. NO." a melody erupted in the room before Inuyasha can further argue with his best friend.
"Oh, I haven't heard that ringtone in a while. How's Mav?" Ren smiled at his sister but then frowned when he noticed that her face went pale.
She looked away and nervously swirled her finger over the desk, "I don't know yet." she said and his eyes grew wide.
"You haven't called him?!" he huffed and glanced at his dad's computer, "If dad saw the photos from this morning, he has seen it and your injury, he's probably flipping out right now! Out of all the people you'd forget!"
She pressed a hand on her chest, glaring at her brother through squinted eyes, "Oh I'm sorry, guess it's my fault for not calling him yesterday even though I wasn't busy." Ren can only shake his head at his sister's sassy 'apology', "Oh wait, I WAS busy yesterday! You were there!"
Four pairs of eyes ping ponged between the siblings both in confusion and amusement; wondering who's the 'HE' they're talking about and amused at Kurenai's sarcastic monologue.
"Alright, alright." Ethan cooled his children's bickering, "Hurry and take the call baby girl, it'll be worse if you don't answer."
Kurenai pulled her phone out of her bag and looked at the name on the screen wearily. Taking a deep breath, she swiped to answer.