General Chapter-ness
Miroku's hands were tight on the steering wheel. He kept resisting the urge to glance over at his passenger—half-afraid that, in his current state, the distraction would be enough to send the car spinning out of control in the still-melting snow and ice. I never do much driving during the daytime anymore, it seems…
Mrs. Higurashi's wrath seemed to have worn off long ago, but at the moment Miroku wasn't in any mood to test that. She looked more concerned than angry, now; sitting upright in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing trees. She hadn't spoken to him since the telephone call, when she'd asked (very politely, too) for his assistance in getting to Glennesville. He could only be thankful that he'd thought to wash out the car before leaving… had Mrs. Higurashi seen the blood splattered across the seats, her composure would probably have suffered a nasty blow.
As it was, he was currently worried about her proximity to the glove compartment. He'd stuffed a number of ofuda into it before leaving the city. Chances were that if she were to see them, she'd think they were merely scraps of paper… however, if Kagome was any indication, she might sense otherwise…
…Perhaps she could feel their power right now. Miroku snuck another glance at her, eyes darting from the windshield and back. She didn't seem to be aware of much aside from the passing nighttime scenery…
Then again, she was probably still worried for her daughter. Miroku was too, for that matter. What if he had been completely wrong about Inuyasha? His instincts had never lied to him in the past, but with his luck recently, his childhood friend could have grown up into an axe murderer or rapist… and one with hanyou blood that disrupted other powers from sensing it. The thought was distressing.
Then again, Inuyasha was still technically recovering from a rather severe wound. It seemed unlikely that he would do such a thing…
Oh, kami… please let them both be safe…
"Miroku," said Mrs. Higurashi. He concealed a twitch, inclining his head slightly to show that he'd heard.
"Do you… what do you remember of Inuyasha?"
"Well…" Miroku paused to gather his thoughts. He smiled faintly. "For the most part, a small boy with silver hair."
"Yes…" said Mrs. Higurashi, waiting for him to continue.
"He was… very straightforward and determined," said Miroku. "He enjoyed sports…" Or at least sparring…
"Hm." Mrs. Higurashi turned to look out the windshield as well. "So basically, one's typical young boy…"
"I suppose."
There was silence for a few more minutes, broken only by the sound of the car's engine and the faint noise of the tyres moving through slush.
"Do you know anything of this Kikyou woman?" said Mrs. Higurashi suddenly. Miroku shifted in his seat.
"He met her after I had left," he reminded her gently. She was already shaking her head.
"No, no, I mean… has he spoken to you at all about her?"
Ah… so she thinks Inuyasha has told me about her…
"He's still very reticent, even towards me," said Miroku. "All that I know about Kikyou is that she and Inuyasha were on very good terms for a long time."
"Good terms?" Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "But… wait… isn't she the one who shot him?"
"Yes, or so I gather," said Miroku. He allowed himself another faint smile. "Information has been scarce all around, it seems. But the general impression I get is that, whatever relationship Inuyasha and Kikyou had, something disrupted it in a… drastic way."
Mrs. Higurashi nodded, looking thoughtful.
More silence. Miroku found himself wishing that he hadn't broken the radio, earlier… music, even the hollow, staticky tunes of his old cassettes, would be more welcome than the deadly quiet.
…or perhaps not.
"Do you have a radio in the car?" asked Mrs. Higurashi suddenly, leaning forwards to peer through the dimness at the dashboard. "This silence is unearthly…"
"Uh…"
00:00
Kagome held the cup of hot chocolate in both hands, blowing steam off the top of it. However small the Akakitsune's house may have been, cozy was definitely a well-chosen word in describing it.
Now that her clothes were relatively dry, both Inuyasha and Shippou were fast asleep, and she was sitting on a soft couch with a mug of hot chocolate, she felt like she could think again.
"So, where were you two going when you got so badly lost?" asked Mrs. Akakitsune, lowering herself into an armchair. Kagome laughed.
"Ah… we were actually heading back home, which is why it seems so silly now," said Kagome.
"We were exploring the area, and just… went a bit too far, I guess." Well, it is halfway true… I don't think Inuyasha would want me telling anyone else about the Shikon jewel…
Why should I care what he'd want me to say, though, anyway? For a brief moment, she considered telling the woman, just to get it all out there… make one good, honest clean sweep of it. But she hadn't even told her own mother yet… something about that idea just seemed terrifically unfair.
If I'm telling anyone anything, I'm waiting until mum gets here, she decided.
"Oh…" Mrs. Akakitsune was nodding, and Kagome's attention was snapped back with a guilty jump. "Well, you know you probably shouldn't have gone out in the middle of winter wearing so little. I mean… even if your boyfriend is a hanyou, it doesn't mean that he's invincible."
It took Kagome a few seconds too long to process the mistake in Mrs. Akakitsune's statement.
"Oh, no!" she said quickly. "I…Inuyasha's not my boyfriend!"
"Really? Mrs. Akakitsune tilted her head to one side, and then laughed in a way that made Kagome feel embarrassed without quite knowing why. "I'm sorry! Well… I guess that I'm not one to know, am I?"
"I… I guess…" Kagome fiddled with the handle of her mug, uncomfortable.
"Anyway," said Mrs. Akakitsune, resuming her composure, "relationship notwithstanding, not even a full youkai would want to go out in this weather wearing as little as you two. He may have a very strong youki, but you can't rely on that for…"
"Um…" Kagome caught herself lifting one hand off the handle of her mug, as if she were in class. "Would you mind explaining to me exactly what that is? I'm not… totally clear on that yet."
Mrs. Akakitsune blinked at her, clearly surprised by the question. "You mean… youki?"
Kagome nodded, trying to suppress the blush that she knew was spreading across her face. Why did it feel like she was asking something hideously embarrassing?
"You mean you're with a hanyou and you don't know what youki is?" the woman was clearly shocked. Kagome felt like doing nothing so much as sinking down and vanishing into the soft cushions of the couch, but instead she lifted her head and nodded slightly.
"Well… I haven't known him all that long, really, and he doesn't find it easy to tell people things offhandedly." I make it sound like he's some poor little shy boy…
Mrs. Akakitsune paused, thinking. "Well… if you plan on staying with him, then it would probably be better for you to know…"
S…staying with him? What… what does she think our relationship is? By this point Kagome was half-afraid that she had sunk into the couch. Her face felt as if it were aflame. "I…uh…"
"Youki is the aura of power that surrounds every youkai," said Mrs. Akakitsune, thankfully oblivious to Kagome's plight. "Hanyou have it too… generally it's weaker around hanyou than around a full youkai, but… well, I suppose your friend is very strong. I could only tell he wasn't full youkai because I've been told all the differences…"
Kagome leaned forward, curious now. "So, you can… feel youki? What does it feel like?"
Mrs. Akakitsune paused again. "Well, it's…" she made a useless gesture. "It's like… it can't really be explained. Just a sort of… it's like the way you feel wind, or a chill… except the feeling can be warm…" She smiled suddenly.
"Oh." Kagome sat back, remembering her hot chocolate suddenly. She raised it and took a sip, trying to think of another question. The drink was still a bit hot, though not enough so that it would scald. Turning her eyes again to Mrs. Akakitsune, she spoke again. "I've been wondering… I never used to know that youkai even existed, so I'm still kind of in the dark about it… I mean, he's the first youkai—er, hanyou—that I'd ever met… aside from you, of course…" she frowned, beginning to get the feeling that she was running her mouth but unable to stop herself. "But you don't look like a youkai. He has the ears, and claws, and… well, I could tell that he wasn't human. And the ones that followed u—er, the other youkai that I've seen… they didn't look human, either. You do."
She paused, swallowing hard. Mrs. Akakitsune was still smiling, but… perhaps that wasn't a question she was supposed to ask…
Without speaking, the woman reached up and tugged at something on her neck. She had to reach up with both hands when whatever it was jammed; after a few seconds of fiddling, it gave way, and a thin golden chain slithered down her collarbone. Mrs. Akakitsune caught it in one hand, then looked up at Kagome.
To the girl, it seemed that a sort of invisible ripple had just passed through the room. She stifled a gasp. She couldn't put her finger on anything specific taking place, but very suddenly Mrs. Akakitsune was… different. Kagome blinked a couple of times, not quite realizing what had taken place. Very abruptly, her eyes widened.
"You're a youkai!" she squeaked, unable to voice a better reaction.
Mrs. Akakitsune put out a hand and Kagome twitched, until she realized that the woman had simply righted her mug of hot chocolate, which was in danger of spilling. The woman's ears were pointed, just enough to not be mistaken for human ears, but not to quite such an extent as, say, the youkai in the forest—the hand that had been extended was tipped with claws, just as sharp as Inuyasha's (though perhaps somewhat daintier-seeming)—and there, just at the edge of Kagome's vision but still definitely there, was a bushy tail.
Mrs. Akakitsune nodded. "This necklace is a charm that keeps my own youki in check. Shippou has one as well—he hides it a lot of the time, but he keeps it with him whenever we go out in public."
Kagome tried to swallow. She kicked herself mentally. How can I be this rude? Sure, she's a youkai, but… she's helping us! And I'm drinking her hot chocolate!
"So… those charms… they let you live like humans would?"
Another nod. "Yes. Without these, we run the risk of being hunted down by groups who aren't too friendly towards youkai."
Kagome stared at her hot chocolate. Of course… Miroku and I can't be the only humans in all the world who know about youkai, right? Something this big… and I guess… with creatures like the ones that were chasing us out there, it only makes sense that people would get a bad idea of them… The drink was cooler against her hands, now… she ought to drink it soon, before it lost its warmth entirely. "That makes sense…" She looked up suddenly, a thought striking her.
"How did you get those charms?"
"In the city," said Mrs. Akakitsune. "My husband works there… he knew a woman who had studied the ways of the miko, and she charmed them for us."
"Who was the woman? Do you know if I can meet her?" Kagome was leaning forward unknowingly, eager to know.
Mrs. Akakitsune seemed to sense the underlying question then. She looked at Kagome, more seriously. "Are you thinking of getting one for Inuyasha?"
Kagome blushed despite herself. "Well… yes. I mean, he'd probably have a much easier time if he could pass as human…"
Mrs. Akakitsune shook her head. "The charms don't work on hanyou."
Kagome blinked. "What?"
The woman began to reattach her necklace, not meeting Kagome's eyes. "Well… for one thing, most miko refuse to make anything for hanyou. They're…" She raised her eyes momentarily, to cast a nervous glance towards the corridor. "They're seen as cursed… the majority of youkai see them as an aberration that has to be hunted down and killed, especially because most hanyou are born monstrous. And humans… well." She met Kagome's eyes apologetically. "They tend not to believe in us in the first place…"
Kagome stared blankly at the woman. Hunted…? Is that why… "So… you mean that…"
Mrs. Akakitsune sighed, having finished with the necklace. She looked fully human once more—blunted ears, short fingernails and all. "I… take it that Inuyasha hasn't spoken to you very much on the subject…"
Kagome tried to kick herself mentally again, but it didn't seem to be working very well. Everything was frozen—her hands couldn't have let go of her lukewarm hot chocolate if she'd wanted them to.
I… I had no idea…
Ohh, I must be so rude… she probably took us in thinking that I knew what she was, because I was with Inuyasha…
"Wait a minute," said Kagome suddenly. "If youkai tend to dislike hanyou, then why did you let us in?"
Mrs. Akakitsune smiled enigmatically. "I've never really been able to hate hanyou…" she said softly.
Kagome thought about this for a moment. Suddenly she gaped, her mind falling to a rather startling conclusion. "You… you don't mean that… Shippou isn't a…"
Mrs. Akakitsune laughed suddenly. "Oh, no! It's not that… my husband is as much a youkai as I am." She laughed again. "No… I have a friend whose child has a rather… complicated ancestry…"
"Oh." Kagome smiled too. "Um… what did they do?"
The woman's smile did not vanish, though it became faraway, almost melancholy. "I don't know. I've never seen her… and I haven't seen her parents in years… I only know the circumstances of her birth."
"Oh…"
The room was quiet again. Kagome sipped again at her rapidly-cooling drink, hoping it might conceal her agitation.
Hunted down and killed? Is that why there were… no, those were after the jewel, weren't they…
But why didn't he tell me? Or Miroku… he had to have known, too. If I'd understood, I
could've… I could've…
Ah, this getting so complicated!
"May I ask… why exactly are you with Inuyasha?" Mrs. Akakitsune asked.
"Huh?"
"Well… how did you meet?"
That wasn't a question Kagome had been expecting. "Uh…"
"It's all right if you don't want to answer," Mrs. Akakitsune said hurriedly. "Though I'm curious… I'd thought that most hanyou stayed out of sight of humans for the entire duration of their lives. I suppose Inuyasha is different."
Kagome nodded, peering at the woman over the rim of her mug. Well… she had a hard time thinking of how exactly anyone could manage to stay so far out of human affairs as to stay ignorant of things as simple and common as cars…
Or he could just be too dense to pay attention, she thought, but couldn't put any conviction behind it.
Hunted down and killed
Suddenly a small head topped with thick red hair peered around the corner. "Mum?" said Shippou quietly.
Kagome glanced over as the woman stood up and gasped. The boy had been crying; she could see the lingering remnants of his tears—but that wasn't what startled her. His ears were pointed, the small hands gripping the doorframe were tipped with miniature claws, and she could see his fangs showing as he spoke to his mother.
Youkai…of course he's a youkai. Come on Kagome, you should be used to this!
That boy has a tail… not even Inuyasha has a tail…She paused. I think.
"What's wrong, Shippou?" asked Mrs. Akakitsune softly, kneeling to gather the boy into her arms.
"I… had… a dream," he gulped softly, turning his face to bury it into her shoulder.
Kagome stood up, setting down the half-empty mug. "I'm going to check on Inuyasha, okay?" she said, moving towards the door. Neither Mrs. Akakitsune nor Shippou reacted, and so the girl left the room as inconspicuously as possible.
The faint sound of sobbing receded as she moved down the corridor. She was reminded forcibly of Souta—he used to suffer from night terrors, and would on occasion wake up nearly the entire household (with the exception of Grandpa, who would sleep through anything) and bring Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi running to his room to comfort him.
The lights were still off in the room she'd left Inuyasha in—but when she looked in through the doorway, both of the beds were empty. She blinked, momentarily puzzled, and leaned in through the doorway as she tried to look closer—that failing, she moved into the room entirely, walking to the window at the far end before turning around to see the whole chamber from a different angle.
"Not here," she breathed, trying to hold down a surge of worry. Darn it, I shouldn't be worried about that jerk! I should be angry! I have every right to be, after all…
But where could he be? He hasn't left… has he? He… I should have made him promise… but why would he agree to that? He has to leave at some point.
Just… not now…
Realizing the circular direction her current train of thought was in danger of taking, she rubbed a hand across her face and tried to focus. He has to be somewhere. People don't just drop off the face of the earth… granted, sometimes they can leap very, very high, but…
Did he go outside?
Well, there is one way to find that out…
She turned around again to find that the latch on the window was open, and there was a distinct gap between the bottom of the pane and the sill. Swallowing hard, she moved towards it, finding little resistance when she pushed it open.
The rough wooden sill scraped at her even through her now-dry clothes as she climbed awkwardly out the opening. She shivered as the wind blew her hair across her face and seemed to go straight through her clothes, especially after the warmth of the Akakitsunes' living room. Oh, I am going to get him for this…
"Kagome?"
Caught halfway through the window, she looked up, gaping. "I…Inuyasha?" He hasn't run away?
He was leaning against the wall, just out of sight from within the room, but most definitely still there. Hasn't left me…
Her breath caught in her throat. Silver hair spilled down his shoulders, blowing in the night breeze as it glowed with the cold light of the waning moon. The curve of his face was outlined sharply in the same light, while his golden eyes were half-hidden in shadow. For a moment, all thoughts left her head.
Then the moment was lost as he flushed, scowled, and turned his face away with a soft 'keh.' She reddened too, realizing how ridiculous she must have looked in her current position, and struggled to extricate herself from the window.
Inuyasha looked up again at the sound. "You're coming out here?" he said, surprised.
"Yes," she said, panting as she made it out the window but didn't drop to the ground. "Why not?"
"You…" He stopped. "You might get sick," he said, his voice completely free of emotion.
"I might get sick?" Kagome laughed. "And who is it that spent more than half of the last four days flat on his back?"
He snorted softly. "That's different. You're just a human—you aren't built for the cold."
She smiled. "Idiot."
"Wench."
Well, at least it's better than… the other…
For a moment she just sat, content to simply remain there with him. He had turned his face towards the sky, watching the thin crescent of silver moon rising slowly among the stars. All questions fled her mind; all worries, all concerns were pushed back for another day.
After a few minutes, however, the cold became impossible to ignore. She shivered again as a gust of wind pushed at her, and glanced at Inuyasha. He didn't move at all, except for the blowing of his hair.
Wonder what it's like for him, she thought, watching silently. His hanyou blood protects him from so much… but is that really a good thing? I mean… if humans don't believe in him, and youkai are out to kill him… and then there was whatever happened with Kikyou…
He's always so angry, too—and then whenever he's not, he just looks sad. A memory flew through her mind, of the grin he'd worn while fighting the youkai, but she dismissed the thought within seconds. I guess I've never seen him truly happy…
She didn't realize that her eyes had turned elsewhere until sudden warmth brought her thoughts up short. Turning, she saw Inuyasha settling in beside her on the windowsill. He was peering steadily at a stand of trees some distance away, shifting slightly on the narrow wood to get comfortable.
"Inuyasha?"
He dragged his eyes away from the trees. "You… you looked cold."
Kagome blinked up at him. And you knew what I was going to ask… Instead of asking him what he'd been doing outside in the first place or why he rarely called her by name; or what he'd been doing so many days ago that had ended with his being shot, she just smiled at him. "Thank you."
He looked down at his hands. There was a look to his face that she hadn't quite seen before—she was still trying to discern quite what it was when he whispered "why… why did you let me stay?"
She frowned, confused. "When?"
"Days ago… why did you let me and Mir… why did you let me in?"
"You needed help," said Kagome, smiling again. "And we could give it."
He was silent for a few moments more. "So it didn't bother you at all?"
"Well, we were really worried for a while," said Kagome. "And… maybe it did a little bit, when you wouldn't tell us anything."
"And not… just now… when I took you out here without even asking?" he said, glancing over at her at last. A strange feeling rose up inside her at seeing his expression.
He looks almost… shy… "Inuyasha, if I had really been dead set against coming, I wouldn't have come," she said, trying to reassure him. "I don't mind, really." She laughed. "Besides, whatever else I can say about the last few days, they've definitely been an adventure."
"And when… when I dropped you?" he said, too softly for her to catch any emotion in his voice.
"I was… scared," she said carefully. "But you caught me."
That doesn't make it any less my fault. He gazed at her—the girl he'd known for such a short amount of time. Her black hair had gained a number of bluish highlights from the moon, which moved as she did; and her dark eyes were earnest as she spoke to him. The more time he spent in her presence, the less like Kikyou she looked… the less like Kikyou she acted. And it doesn't change the fact that I'm the intruder—she never asked for any of this. I should leave before someone starts to figure out what's going on…
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Kagome blinked up at him. He just… apologized. Again.
Abruptly she leaned sideways and wrapped an arm around his side, leaning against him more fully.
He tensed, briefly, before relaxing and looking down at her. It took a moment or two before he could gather enough thoughts to move an arm around her, too.
It registered in Kagome's mind that she had stopped shivering—she was still cold, on the side that was facing away from Inuyasha, but his warmth stopped her from noticing. Oh, I'm going to regret this in a day or so…
But she would stay like this a little while longer.
00:00
For most of her life, Sango had considered tears to be warm. In addition to being physically warm, they also represented the loss of something that one cared about—and caring was a warm emotion, even if the sadness was not. Now, though, the tears that streaked her face were as cold as ice; blown back against her cheeks and frozen before they had a chance to dry, she tried to ignore them, keeping her eyes fixed on her destination. It hurt, it hurt to keep herself focused. It hurt to stay on Kirara's back, to ignore the warehouse behind her, to ignore the corpses that were doubtless still there.
Father…
Half of her instincts screamed at her to go back, kill the youkai that had murdered her friends and her parent, and then cradle her father's body until she had no more tears left to give. However, that was not an option. She knew that it would do no good; she would simply be killed herself, and there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
Like the smoke. It was approaching far too slowly…
Her teeth were clenched against the wind—she couldn't think, couldn't feel. All that was left was to act. I'll kill it… I'll kill whatever is threatening the Core, and then I'll go back, when I have nothing left to lose…
It took her a few moments to realize that she'd reached the Core already. The smell of smoke was not as thick in the air as she had expected—the building itself did not seem to be particularly damaged, though there was a fire somewhere, if the smoke was any indication. Then what…?
She sagged against Kirara's back upon seeing the noticeably different shape of the building itself.
Certainly, there were no actual breaches in the walls… but something had caused the roof to cave in violently, taking the dilapidated sign with it. Kirara was not making any move to descend—a sign which Sango's harried brain still recognized as meaning that there was nothing there, or that whatever had just been was not gone. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the absence of any direct threat was unnerving.
It's finished with the Core.
She dropped her face into the cold ruff of fur around Kirara's neck. I'm… too late. Again.
The cat youkai was still agitated, however. Without giving any signs of wanting to head down, she was turning her head impatiently—almost as if she were trying to get Sango's attention. After a few seconds, Sango lifted her head, rubbing a hand across her face.
"Ki-Kirara?"
The cat ignored her. Large red eyes turned, trying to scan the horizon through the darkness and fog.
"Do you… sense something else?"
After a moment, the youkai turned her head in a new direction. Sango peered through the gloom, trying to follow her gaze. There was little to see… small pinpoints of light marking houses, slightly brighter ones marking the locations of streetlamps. Nowhere were these bright enough to give actual details.
Nonetheless, something deep within Sango plunged, dragging at her heart. She knew that direction. How often had she pedaled along, imagining that she was riding Kirara?
The cry was startled out of her before she even had time to think, and then they were moving again.
D-dammit…
00:00
And thar she blows. -grimace- This is the first chapter I'm uploading from India (yes, that's where I am right now... the city of Bangalore)... and I'm really short on time. So... here's a post of a chapter that's just about as raw as it can get.
Anyway, I don't have time for full-out review responses... but there was one which kind of amused me, so...
Me: Well... it only really counts as a flame if it's hurtful, see. I posted this story in the romance category becausethat is what I'm aiming towards... I'm just not going to make it fast. Though I could put in more, I suppose... right now both characters are acting rather abrasive...
Short, short... anyhow...