Chapter 11: Train Ride

Inuyame sighed and smiled as May-chang came outside with a pair of red converse high-tops in her hands. She took them and slipped them on her feet, glad to feel the familiar glide of fabric on her skin. She stood up and hugged the older woman.

"Thank you so much." She said, tears evident in her voice. While she had been waiting for May, she had been thinking about how she may never get home and how she might be stuck here forever. She saw the sweet woman as a sort of motherly figure she could count on if need be.

"Oh sweetheart, there's no need to thank me. I can't let you run around without shoes on now can I? What kind of caring mother would I be?" May said and separated herself from Inuyame, looking the girl up and down with her hands on her shoulders. She carefully wiped a tear off of the younger's cheek. "Now, don't cry. I'm sure those in Central can figure out how to get you back. Chin up, be strong. This place might be different than what you're used to and I want you to stay safe. There's been quite a lot of crime in the city lately, but you'll have the boys so you should be safe. Just, just all of you come back in one piece, okay?" May-chang said, her voice thick with held emotion.

"I promise." Inuyame said and smiled, her eyes fierce with determination, her voice steady as a rock.

"Good girl, now get a move on so they don't leave you behind." May said and gave Inuyame a little push towards where Edward, Edwin, and William were all standing by the dirt road. When she reached them, the conversation they were having stopped and Edward gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's all planned out. They'll meet you when you arrive so you won't have to travel in the city all alone, alright?" He asked.

Inuyame nodded once and he gave her a pat on the back, she assumed it was meant as good luck, she was good at telling when people had a hard time showing their emotions considering who her father was.

The trio took off, walking quickly to get to the station before it got dark. It was quiet, and it was really starting to piss Inuyame off. If she had been walking with her friends, there wouldn't have been a second where there wasn't a conversation going. William seemed to sense this and decided to strike a conversation.

"So, Inuyame, you never did tell us why you and your father have dog ears." He said in a cheery tone. His mood lightened hers, so she answered him genuinely.

"Well, William, my father is a half-demon, or hanyo." She said.

William didn't seem the least bit surprised. "You can call me Will, and that's cool. I'm guessing half dog demon then?" He said curiously.

"Yep. But my mother is human, so I'm only one-quarter demon. For some reason I still have the demon ears though. But I don't have hardly any of the power my father has. I get most of my powers and skills from my mom. She's the reincarnation of a priestess, so she has spiritual powers, which I inherited." Inuyame tried to explain.

"Ohh, that's fascinating." At first Inuyame thought Will was being sarcastic, but the look on his face told her he was being sincere, that made her smile.

"Ahem." Edwin coughed into his hand and Inuyame looked at him. He looked sheepishly at the ground before he gathered the courage to ask his question. "So, demons and priests and priestesses, they're common in your land?"

Inuyame was at first taken aback that he was actually speaking to her, then second that he wasn't being condescending, so it took her a little longer to answer. When she regained her composure, her answer was short and sweet, "Yeah."

Edwin nodded and looked away again. William rolled his eyes then noticed they were almost there. "Hey there's the train station! Let's go!" He said as he grabbed Inuyame's hand and started half running half dragging her to the station. When they got there William dropped her hand and looked around in awe.

Edwin came up behind Inuyame and spoke quietly. "Sorry about that, he's never been on a train before." He half smiled.

Inuyame grunted. "Well he could've at least pulled me a little gentler." She said as she rubbed her wrist. Edwin looked shocked. Inuyame was surprised too. She had meant to say that it was perfectly understandable to be excited about your first train ride, so where had that other stuff come from? "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, honest."

Edwin shrugged. "Whatever."

Inuyame followed Edwin and William up to the ticket booth. William hopped up and down eagerly in front of the booth. "Three tickets to Central, please." Edwin said to the ticket vendor and paid him the money. Inuyame waited quietly off to the side and admired the train until Edwin and William came over by her.

"Come on, it's leaving soon." Edwin said and walked over to the train, first helping William climb in then climbing in himself. Inuyame was about to huff about him not helping her when he reached his hand out. Surprised, she took it and was pulled into the train. The trio showed the ticket checker their tickets then went to find their seats. William and Edwin sat on one side of the cube booth and Inuyame sat across from them. They waited there in silence until the train began moving, and as the station melted into the distance, Inuyame gathered the courage to speak.

"So, who are these people we're going to meet and why are they so important?" She asked quietly.

Edwin sighed and leaned forwards, clasping his hands together and setting his elbows on his knees. "The people we are going to see used to be my father's bosses. They have the resources to try and figure out how to fix this…predicament." He said.

"Oh. Well, that's good then." Inuyame whispered.

Edwin nodded and leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. This was when Inuyame actually noticed him for the first time as the sun made his blond hair look golden. Now that she was actually looking at him, he wasn't half bad-looking. She shook herself. No, you like Kovu. Gah, she corrected herself again, no, Kovu betrayed her, and she didn't know who she could trust at this point. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize they had arrived until William shook her shoulder. As the trio got off the train, Inuyame raised her hand above her eyes and blinked in the sunlight. Edwin smirked and spoke with pride, "Welcome, to Central."