Chapter 20
The ride back to Aneston had been long, and awkward, and silent. Mrs. Higurashi did not say anything at all, which made Kagome's sense of being in trouble increase tenfold. By the time Mrs. Higurashi pulled up in front of the familiar storefront, her daughter would have liked nothing better than to curl up under the covers in bed and never climb out.
Kagome waited quietly on the sidewalk as her mother unlocked the door, and then followed her inside. She paused just inside the door, staring at the floor, and Mrs. Higurashi turned around on her way to the back.
"Kagome," she said. "Hurry up."
Kagome raised her head slightly, watching her mother's dark shape as it put a hand to its hip. "But I… aren't I in trouble?" she whispered.
Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "We'll talk later, Kagome. Right now, you need to go to bed. I won't press you for explanations while you've been up all night."
This delay in what Kagome assumed to be an inevitable punishment did not alleviate the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She nodded, swallowing, and followed her mother to the back of the shop.
She couldn't even decide what to worry about the most—the trouble she was doubtless in, for keeping things from her mother… her family, and whether whatever had been going on for the last few days would continue to affect them… Inuyasha, and Miroku; where they were, and whether they were okay or even still alive…
She held in a moan at the bewildering tide of thoughts which streamed through her head as she walked slowly to her bedroom. What do I do now? Is there anything left?
Will I ever see either of them again?
Somehow the more rational thought, that she was probably better off and safer with them back out of her life, was drowned out instead by a rush of leaden sadness. She kept her head down, biting on her lower lip and trying to keep her chin from quivering. Her chest felt tight, as if something were tightening an invisible band around it. Keeping her eyes carefully averted from the empty spare bedroom, she walked to her own room.
At the very least…
Despite all the thoughts which likely would otherwise have kept her awake, Kagome had been up for so long that falling asleep was almost instantaneous.
…I hope they're still alive…
::00::::00::
The streets were still mostly dark; Inuyasha was weak from blood loss and the blows he'd taken, and everyone was tired. Miroku debated inwardly. The group was in no state to be picky right now, and a long search would just result in crankiness. Miroku himself wasn't in the mood to haggle, either. None of them had a home to go back to, and traveling too far at this point would not be a good idea.
"This will do," said Miroku, putting a hand to his chin as he surveyed his find.
"Hoss-tell?" Inuyasha read off one of the signs in the front, while Sango eyed the front door in weary distaste.
"We can rent out a small space and rest in it for now—all day if we have to, more if necessary. They won't provide much, but we can worry about that later." Miroku smiled. "And it's inexpensive."
Sango's hand clenched slightly around the handle of the Hiraikotsu as they walked in the door. The lobby was a small, cramped space, with wooden wainscoting on the walls and a large, heavy desk taking up a good half of the space. The elderly man sitting behind it looked up sharply, glasses flashing a smudged yellow in the half-light from the lamp.
"Hello," he said, moving some papers around as he eyed them from behind the dirty lenses of his wire-rims. "Yoshida Hostel service, may I help you?" The door closed with a faint hiss.
Miroku approached the desk, motioning for Sango and Inuyasha to stay where they were. "Hello, sir," he said pleasantly. "I'd like to rent some space here for tonight… me and my two friends there."
The old man's gaze flicked from him to the two standing at the door, lingering on the Hiraikotsu which Sango was still keeping behind her body, and on the disguised Inuyasha's tense posture. "You three…" he said, slowly, returning his eyes to Miroku, "look like trouble."
"Oh, we won't cause any, I promise," said Miroku, smiling still and waving a hand as if trying to wave away the old man's suspicions. "My name is Miroku Tanaka…"
"Miroku… Tanaka?" the old man echoed in a quiet hiss, suddenly sitting up in his seat. A paper fluttered to the ground. "Yuusuke's boy?"
Miroku closed his eyes and nodded imperceptibly, trying not to smile. "I need a space for today, and possibly tomorrow night… and I couldn't think of anyplace more trustworthy than this one."
The old man blinked at him, before inclining his head, and sorting through his papers. "You would be right on that count, young Miroku..." he pulled a single sheet out from a pile of others and slid it forward on the surface of the desk, disappearing beneath the surface briefly before reappearing with a pen.
"You just need to fill out this paperwork, and then I will show you to the space we have available," said the old man, rearranging his glasses as Miroku stepped forward to do just that. He looked past Miroku to the two still standing by the door. "And you two, you're friends of his?"
Sango nodded, and Inuyasha grunted. The old man smiled suddenly. "Ah, that's nice. We don't get too many travelers out here, so there's not much demand for temporary rooming… and more than half of the time, we have to turn them away. There are lots of suspicious people around these days… makes it hard to keep up a place like this, even though my daughter does make more than enough money to maintain it…"
Sango smiled creakily. "I would imagine." Inuyasha was staring at the floor.
Miroku pushed the sheet of paper back across the desk, and the old man picked it up and scanned it briefly, then smiled up at Miroku. "All right… I'll show you to your accommodations, then."
He pushed himself slowly up from the desk, proving to be not quite tall enough to reach Miroku's elbow. His joints creaked faintly as he levered himself off the chair and around the edge of the heavy wooden object, pressing a key into Miroku's hand before moving to a nondescript green-painted door to his right. Sango and Inuyasha finally moved away from the front door as the old man opened the second door, revealing a corridor.
"Your space will be the second door to your left," he told them, pointing to the door in question as they walked past him to enter the corridor. "I hope that you have a good stay."
As Miroku passed, he patted him on the shoulder with a smile, before turning back to the desk and closing the door, leaving them in the even dimmer light of the hall. The walls were completely made of wood, heightening the gloomy atmosphere.
Silence reigned as they made their way to the room, broken only by the sound of Miroku unlocking the door and opening it with a creak. The room they had been allotted was extremely bare; a dusty wooden floor, four bare mattresses, a single lightbulb in the ceiling, and one barred and curtained window, through which thin rays of dusty, early-morning sunlight streamed. They walked in, footsteps whispering on the floor.
Sango turned to Miroku as he closed the door behind them. "Do you know that old man?" she asked.
Miroku shook his head. "No… but my father did. He mentioned this hostel once… he'd done a favour for old Mr. Yoshida, who I assume greeted us on our way in."
She continued to gaze at him, her expression thoughtful. "…So your father is Yuusuke Tanaka..."
Abruptly Miroku broke out in a cold sweat. He forced down the rising panic immediately. He'd come here in part for the privacy they would be offered, so that he could explain certain important things to them both—chances were, as all of their fates seemed to have been connected even prior to them meeting, his father's name would ring a bell for her. He gave his inner self a hefty kick for even caring about that at this point—soon everything would be out in the open, at least the parts that mattered.
Inuyasha kicked one of the mattresses warily, shifting it a foot or so diagonally, neatly breaking off both of their trains of thought.
"Ah yes…" said Miroku. "The primary reason for our coming here: I believe we all are in need of some rest, and explanations. In that order. Inuyasha, you for one need to lie down."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why should I?"
Miroku smiled at him as he sat down on the edge of his own mattress and pulled off his shoes. Sango was laying the Hiraikotsu carefully on the floor. "If not to preserve your own health, then so as to not be bored out your wits while I and Sango try to sleep. None of us did last night, do remember."
Inuyasha scowled darkly, searching for words. "…Keh!"
As Sango stretched out on her own mattress, he maintained the scowl, turning away from them to face the window—only to be brought up short by one of Miroku's shoes hitting him squarely on the back of the head. He actually staggered before he could stop himself, whirling to growl murderously at the culprit, who looked blandly at him with another shoe at the ready.
"Just lie down already," said Miroku. If I had my staff…
Inuyasha growled at him once more for good measure, then lowered himself onto the mattress closest the window, wincing soundlessly as bending over pulled at newly-healing wounds. He cupped a hand to his left side, gauging whether or not anything had actually opened, and whether it would bleed enough to stain the mattress—it seemed fine enough, if painful, so he lay down on his right side and closed his eyes.
…Damn bouzu…
::00::::00::
Kagura was sitting on the couch, legs pulled up close to her body, and filing her nails when Naraku called again. She stood up and walked across the room to turn off the television before picking it up.
"Yes," she said sharply into the receiver, holding it gingerly to her face.
"You're getting slow, Kagura," said Naraku.
"I wouldn't be able to hear you with the television on," said Kagura, resuming her position on the couch. She deposited the file beside the telephone.
"Well," said Naraku. "I have your instructions, if you're not too busy to hear them."
Kagura could almost hear his smirk. If she ever were too busy for his instructions, he could and most definitely would see to it that she dearly regretted it. "Of course not. Go on."
"Tankyuusha is going to deliver some objects to a local museum—some very valuable artifacts, foremost among them being a pair of antique swords. Do you know this?"
"Yes, it was in the paper today," said Kagura.
"The exhibit is being set up in three days' time; the area of the museum will be roped away and off-limits to patrons, so you will have to be discreet. Your task is to observe the proceedings, and notably the security provided for the swords, and report back to me. Look for weaknesses, specifically; if you have the opportunity to create one without being detected, then by all means do so, and then tell me."
Kagura paused, startled. He means to… steal the swords? But why couldn't he just… "Very well, sir. I will go then. Am I to be alone?"
"Yes, Kagura. A large party will be more likely to be detected, after all."
Why so much secrecy, Naraku? Why not just barrel in and steal them, as you doubtless can? Or is there something more to this… Genken Tankyuusha?
"All right. I'll start preparing today. Do I get any equipment?" Kagura twisted a lock of black hair around her finger.
"Of course," said Naraku. "You will receive a visit tomorrow from a certain youkai. I believe that is all the information you need at the moment; good day, Kagura."
A click sounded over the line, and Kagura hung up, perplexed. She hugged her knees to her body, staring at the black screen of the television.
Why?
::00::::00::
Sorry for the somewhat shorter-than-standard chapter—over the next few days, if I have time, I will be reading over this story to see if I can get back into the Inuyasha-writing groove (blasphemous as it is, I seem to have left fandom writing behind in large part—I've been spending my time writing and drawing a webcomic and drawing lots of Jak fanart in paintchat and on Photoshop).
If I can stay in the writing mood and remember about FFN, I'll change my profile page to state the status of chapter 21. Sorry for leaving anyone reading this story hanging for so long.
Oh yes; as you may notice, I've changed the genres of the story again. Romance is now General; not because I don't mean for romance to eventually be forthcoming, but because it's not here yet after 20 chapters and even once introduced, won't likely get much farther than perhaps a kiss or two within the frame of this story.