Chapter Seven: Souske wa Kódài no Ibútsu. Souske's Ancient Relics
Sesshoumaru turned the corner after the light changed, thinking silently on the conversation he and Inuyasha had with Sango and Kirara. Wrinkling his nose, he tuned out Inuyasha's voice as the hanyou muttered something about the list of pranks he could pull on the counter girl at the hotel.
Sesshoumaru's memory recalled Sango and Kirara's response to his question.
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"There are a few things I would like to discuss with you." He had started, without giving it too much thought.
Kirara had snapped to attention immediately, and Sango had nodded, sipping at her drink.
"Tonight something happened and I am inquiring about the customers who entered the place. Were there any suspicious characters who entered here tonight?" Sesshoumaru asked, lifting his own glass to his lips, while his golden eyes traveled over the two girls searching for lies or misleading answers.
Kirara had been the first to pipe up. "I did notice one thing that seemed slightly out of place, but I don't know about being suspicious."
Sango placed her glass down and she glanced at her friend. "Are you talking about that guy who came in?"
Kirara nodded, also placing her drink on the table. "The one who was dressed all in black. He had a black shroud over his head, so I was not able to see his face, even with my incredible eyesight."
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"Hey are you even listening to me?" A voice shook Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts and he blinked, and then glanced over at his little brother.
"Hai." Sesshoumaru muttered absently.
"No you're not." Inuyasha accused.
"Then why not repeat what you said." Sesshoumaru ground his teeth together.
"I was saying that we can take all the keys to the place, and hide them on this girl."
Sesshoumaru felt a grin cross his lips. "Actually, I have something a little bit better than that, in mind, Inuyasha."
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Inuyasha molded himself against the lobby pillar swallowing nervously, and watching the hotel clerk look up from her computer desk as a customer approached. He felt a slight nudge in his side and he threw a glare at his brother, and then slipped silently behind the plants that filled the place. This was going to prove more difficult with his cast, but he sucked in his slight handicap, and nodded to Sesshoumaru.
Inuyasha peeked around the plants and pillars quickly, as he approached the desk, and he promptly fell to his hands and knee once he was close enough to see behind it. Dropping down to his stomach, Inuyasha slid across the polished floor and frantically made his way to the counter.
Inuyasha noticed the girl was so engrossed with the customers that she was oblivious to everything around her. Smirking to himself, Inuyasha quickly covered the distance, and molded himself against the corner of the desk, and he poked his head around the corner, making sure she was distracted. Taking in a deep breath, Inuyasha pulled a small object out of his pants pocket, and tore a piece of tape, that he had taken from his other pocket. Quickly placing the two ends together, he stuck the sharp object onto the bellhop call button, and he glanced down at the girl's shoes, and he shuddered.
Glancing up once more, Inuyasha made sure she was not paying attention to anything but the customer, before he edged forward, and untied her laces, and tied them together, with ease. This had been Sesshoumaru's suggestion, his brother saying that the girl would be embarrassed and disgraced when she fell in view of the customers.
Suppressing a chuckle at the image, Inuyasha lifted his eyes and saw his brother at the other end of the counter with a vicious smirk on his face, and the hanyou shook his head. Slipping back behind the counter, Inuyasha followed his brother's movements and saw Sesshomaru pour a faded yellow liquid onto the floor by the girl's desk. The liquid could only be described as oil.
Sesshoumaru glanced over at a few things he knew the girl used frequently, quickly flexed his claws, and promptly melted a few of the items onto the hard polished surface of the desk.
Golden eyes met golden eyes, and both brothers' quickly moved back from the counter and out of sight.
Once they were together again, they watched the girl laugh and chat with the elderly couple, and shared a quick look, before turning their eyes once again towards the desk.
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were both still well hidden behind the pillars and plants, so being found out by the girl was no worry for either of them.
Inuyasha placed his hand over his mouth, when he saw the girl make to move but she stopped and the hanyou frowned.
"Patience, otouto." Sesshoumaru whispered.
Inuyasha nodded eagerly, but neither brother had to wait long, as the girl released another soft laugh, and abruptly turned away from the couple, squealed loudly, with both her arms pin wheeling on either side of her, and finally in slow motion seemed to pitch forward, and crash behind the desk with a loud bang.
Inuyasha slapped his other hand over his mouth, as he waited to see her get back to her feet.
The elderly couple glanced at one another quickly, before leaning over the counter to see if she was all right. A hand lifted into view, followed by another, and the girl pulled herself back to her feet, glancing around the lobby with narrowed eyes. Seeing nothing, the girl apologized to the elderly guests, and shook her head.
Her hand lowered and she released a loud cry, and lifted her hand immediately to her mouth, and Sesshoumaru glanced down at his brother curiously.
Inuyasha muttered absently. "Tack on the call button."
Sesshoumaru snorted and shook his head.
Once again the girl glanced around the lobby, and then down to where the call button sat, and she ripped off the tack and threw it onto the counter behind her. Sniffing, and trying to maintain an air of dignity, the girl took a step towards her desk, and then another, edging towards where Inuyasha had seen his brother pour the oil on the floor, and Inuyasha had to bite his lip to keep from snickering.
The girl took one more step, and her feet slid out from under her. Inuyasha watched in wonder as her feet lifted into view, and it looked like her body was suspended in the air above the counter for a moment, before she released a loud cry, and crashed to the ground onto her back. Several items followed her progress to the floor, as she made to grab the counter for support.
The girl regained her feet quickly, and her body seemed to dance as her feet slid on the oil, which stuck to her shoes. Quickly gathering her wits, the girl frowned, and made to grab her stapler from the edge of the counter, and paused surprised.
The girl pulled and tugged at the stapler with all her might, but the object refused to budge. A loud crack filled the air, and the girl squealed when the stapler let go of the counter, and she flew backwards with such force that she slammed into the desk behind her, knocking the monitor off it. She once again fell behind the counter with a horrified look on her face.
Sesshoumaru grabbed his brother's shoulder, and pulled him towards the elevator, before the girl could regain her feet. Inuyasha snickered softly.
Both brothers darted into the elevator, and once the doors had shut, Inuyasha released his pent up laughter. Once on their floor, they scrambled for their room and finally fell into it, laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.
"Oh Kami! Did you see her face the first time she fell?" Inuyasha roared with renewed laughter.
Sesshoumaru nodded, and snorted, amusement dancing in his golden orbs. "The second time was even funnier. I am certain that the guests will be informing their friends of the incident for many years to come."
Inuyasha snorted. "I can't believe you used your dokkasou to melt her stapler onto the desk."
"That is not the only thing I melted, little brother." Sesshoumaru replied with a snort.
"What else?" Inuyasha asked, as he pulled out a small bottle of vodka from the mini fridge. He reached back into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of 7-up.
"I melted the keys on her keyboard. Her mouse is also molded to the desk."
"Oh Kami. I would love to see her face." Inuyasha snorted, tossing a small bottle of vodka to his brother.
Sesshoumaru caught it effortlessly, and smirked as he sat on the bed. "You know Inuyasha, you aren't so bad."
Inuyasha frowned as he stood up and he glanced at Sesshoumaru confused.
Sesshoumaru shook his head and smiled. "Tomorrow I will be heading downtown."
"You're going to father's business?" Inuyasha asked, gathering two glasses with ice in them.
Sesshoumaru nodded. "I have to see if I can find the files father was working on. Bokusenou told me about some files that father had password protected."
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "You can hardly turn on a computer, let alone hack into his files."
Sesshoumaru frowned, knowing full well his brother was right. "I will find a way."
"I could do it, you know." Inuyasha said simply, handing the glass of ice to Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru nodded, knowing his brother's experiences with computers. "I refuse to have you involved until I know exactly what are in those files."
Inuyasha shook his head and opened the bottle of 7-up, and poured it into his glass, handing the remaining pop to his brother, he sipped at his drink silently. Lifting his gaze, Inuyasha frowned. "Maybe I don't have to be directly involved."
Sesshoumaru glanced at Inuyasha for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you could always send the files to me, so I can access them on a laptop. I can use a wireless modem, so no one will realize who it was who opened them." Inuyasha stated. "If anyone followed the progress of these folders and files, they will only have another IP address, not mine."
"I don't understand any of what you just said."
"Okay, let me put it this way. We go to the store and purchase a laptop, along with a wireless networking card. Then I will go to a restaurant, or the park and hack into someone else's server. As long as I'm not on for a long period of time, they won't be able to find my location. I'll download the files you send me, and then sign off. Once here, I can access the files and get around father's password." Inuyasha tried to explain.
Sesshoumaru pondered his brother's words before frowning. "It's dangerous. Bokusenou thinks this is part of why father received all those threats."
Inuyasha snorted. "We have been receiving threats, if you remember. Either way, we are already in danger. Let's try to see what it is exactly that caused this."
Sesshoumaru took a long deep breath. "Let me go tomorrow and judge the situation, before I make a decision."
Inuyasha nodded. "Am I to go to the restaurant?"
"Iie. I have other plans for you tomorrow." Sesshoumaru stated, placing his glass onto the nightstand. Lying on his back, he closed his eyes wearily. "Sleep, tomorrow will be a long day."
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As Sesshoumaru drifted off to sleep, the conversation he had had with the managers of his brother's restaurant came back to him full force.
Sesshoumaru nodded, mentally urging them to continue.
Sango rubbed her eyes. "This guy came in, just far enough to see inside, but not actually coming inside, as though he wanted to be seated. I recall the girl at the hostess stand asking if he would like to come in to sit, but he had only glanced at her, and from what I had gathered the poor girl had actually paled and backed away against the wall."
Kirara nodded. "I had seen that too, which was why I took notice of him. I looked at him, but he only seemed to want to look at the place. When I had come down the stairs, he about faced and vanished back outside."
Sesshoumaru nodded, and Inuyasha glanced at the girls curiously. "Did he have an aura?" Inuyasha asked, before his brother could form the words.
Kirara shook her head. "No, but there was something about him that made my blood run cold. I had shrugged it off only as his strange behavior."
Sesshoumaru pursed his lips.
Something was wrong, whatever it was, Sesshoumaru decided that he would find out once he accessed his father's computer files. Nodding to both the girls, he pondered in silence, until Miroku came out from the kitchen looking tired and worn.
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Sesshoumaru groaned, and he slid his eyes open slowly, and winced against the sudden light that filled his vision. Closing them tightly, he groaned again rubbing his temples.
Was it really morning already? It felt as though he had just fallen asleep. Taking in a deep breath, he sat up and glanced around the room slowly, and his eyes fell on the lump that was supposed to be his brother. Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru planted both his feet on the ground, and stood up, stretching. With a final groan, he wandered to the bathroom, and quickly hopped into the shower.
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Inuyasha sighed, and rolled over, quite happy in his little dreamland, however in his dreams it began to rain and he grumbled irritated. There had been no clouds in the sky only moments ago.
He cracked open and eye, and shifted his position, facing his brother's bed and he growled. Sesshoumaru probably planned that. Closing his eyes tightly, Inuyasha rolled back onto his side and flopped the pillow over his head and blocked out the annoying sounds of the shower.
On the verge of drifting into sleep, he felt a firm shake of his shoulder and he muttered darkly. "Not here, go 'way."
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Get up lazy ass."
Inuyasha pulled the pillow from around his eyes and glared at the freshly showered youkai that resembled his brother. "No thanks."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Do I have to tip the bed to make you get up?" His brother threatened.
Inuyasha growled. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh?" Sesshoumaru drawled. With a wicked grin, Sesshoumaru picked up the edge of the bed and flipped it over effortlessly.
Inuyasha snarled and jumped to his feet, flexing his claws.
Sesshoumaru nodded once and turned away. "Put those claws away otouto. We wouldn't want you hurting yourself."
Inuyasha barred his teeth. "Let me sleep!"
"Iie. There is much to be done today." Sesshoumaru threw a plastic card in his direction and smirked. "Savings, 3477."
Inuyasha dropped his hands and blinked. "Huh?"
"The banking information you will need to buy yourself some clothes." Sesshoumaru shook his head and tossed his brother a thin flat cell phone. "You will need this also. If you run into problems, call me at Chichiue's office."
"What about you?" Inuyasha asked, still staring at the objects on the bed, as if they would jump out and bite him.
"I'm going to father's office." Sesshoumaru stated the obvious.
"I know that, baka. I'm talking about your attire. I don't think they will be too pleased to see you walk in there wearing a t-shirt." Inuyasha scoffed, angrily.
"Hnn. Matters not. I am the boss, and thus will wear what I please until I can attain the proper attire." Sesshoumaru ground out. Grabbing the keys into his hand, Sesshoumaru placed his hand on the door. "Try not to spend all the money on idiotic things."
Inuyasha grinned and snorted. "How much is in there?"
"Enough to keep us going until the next installment of father's money is deposited. As I said, do not spend all our money, Inuyasha. That is what we have until months end." Sesshoumaru glanced back at his brother.
"You still didn't answer my question. How am I to know how much to spend without knowing how much is in there?" Inuyasha glared at his brother before gathering the items into his hand.
"Do not spend more than three hundred dollars on attire." With that Sesshoumaru walked out the door and left his brother standing there with his mouth gaping.
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Inuyasha stood there for several minutes, his mind registering his brother's words, and he grinned widely. "Three hundred bucks? Sweet!" Immediately Inuyasha wandered to the bathroom and gave himself a sponge bath and then wandered out of the room butt naked. Sitting on the bed, he glanced at the only clothing he had with him, the same clothes he had worn the day before and he grunted.
"Keh!" Shrugging his shoulders, he got dressed and exited the room with his room key, debit card, and cell phone. It was going to be a very exciting and eventful day for him and he grinned broadly.
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Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder, merging into the traffic flow, leading to downtown Tokyo, and he grunted. He didn't like the long drive to downtown, but he knew it had to be done. Finding a comfortable speed with the flow of traffic, Sesshoumaru listened to the radio station on the news for the day and he snarled at some gruesome event, which had happened several nights before. There had not been any mention of the fire which burnt their house to the ground and for that he was thankful.
Apparently two nights ago, a family had been brutally murdered in their sleep, and their house set fire to. The reports stated that a small girl was not found and was needed for questioning, however everything had been destroyed so no evidence pointed to the girl still being alive.
Snorting, Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder and pulled off the highway into the business parts of Tokyo and he turned corner after corner, trying to recall his father's business location. The large buildings seemed to loom over him and he wrinkled his nose. As Sesshoumaru turned yet another corner, several buildings began to look familiar and he grinned, remembering now where the large building was located.
Soon, the youkai pulled up to the curving drive and stepped out after parking his car. Glancing upward, Sesshoumaru took in the large number of floors, and he winced. He had been here before, so he knew his father's office was at the very top. Sesshoumaru wasn't afraid of heights, but for some reason, being so high up was not a welcoming prospect. Glancing to his left, Sesshoumaru noticed a narrow ally and he frowned. He had heard something, but shrugging it off as a rodent or some other kind of animal, Sesshoumaru climbed the stairs leading to the entrance and he sighed once before lifting his hand to open the doors. Once inside the large glass doors, Sesshoumaru recognized Saya standing by the elevators with another man.
They appeared to be arguing over something and Sesshoumaru frowned briefly. Before he walked over, Sesshoumaru tilted his head, trying to recall why the man Saya was speaking with seemed so familiar. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks falling a hundred feet from the sky right onto his head.
Narrowing his eyes at the one man who his father had despised, not to mention the difficulty in dating the girl of his dreams, Sesshoumaru suppressed a low growl of rage, and stalked over to the pair with as much dignity as he could muster. He held his head up high and proud as he approached them, and he caught Saya's eyes, immediately.
"Oh goodness, sir. Mr. Souske sir, I wasn't expecting you to be here so early." Saya stumbled over his words in surprise.
The man standing next to Saya turned around slowly, as if he feared he would see his business rival. His eyes widened surprised for a moment and then his mouth quirked into a sly smirk. "Ahh, Souske Sesshoumaru. What a pleasant surprise." Naraku bowed low, and then lifted his head regarding the youth before him. "I was just asking Saya here to set up an interview with you. What remarkable timing."
Sesshoumaru bit back a snarl and he slid his face into a mask of indifference. "Oh?" He raised a single brow in question.
"I had wanted to speak with you regarding the sale of Souske wa Kódài no Ibútsu." Naraku began.
"Excuse me?" Sesshoumaru's other brow rose to meet the first one. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, Mr. Kúrò Okúbyō-mono, I have no intentions of selling the business."
Naraku raised his brows slightly, before he narrowed his eyes. "I think you will reconsider once you see my offer."
"I have no interest in seeing your offer, Mr. Kúrò Okúbyō-mono. I have no intentions in selling, so if you will, I have more pressing matters to attend to." Sesshoumaru stated firmly.
Saya glanced at the two bristling men, and he watched in silence as Sesshoumaru escorted Naraku out of the building.
Sesshoumaru turned to Naraku, and smirked. "Whatever deal my father made with you, disregard it."
Naraku descended the stairs angrily. "You will regret this, I will take this place down piece by piece until you have nothing left. Heed my warning, Mr. Souske, I will bring you begging to my door for a job before the year is out."
"I think not, I have no desire to speak with you any longer. Good day." Sesshoumaru made to turn around, but Naraku's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"You had better stay away from my daughter, Mr. Souske. Kagura is to have nothing further to do with you or your family." Naraku sneered.
Turning around slowly, his eyes narrowed, Sesshoumaru snorted. "I believe Kagura is old enough to make her own decisions. If she desires to no longer involve herself with me, then I will gladly accept that, however, you have no say in our relationship."
"Perhaps not, however I will not have a crippled youkai dating my daughter. I must say that your attire is rather becoming, Sesshoumaru." Naraku drawled lazily, before walking towards the car.
Sesshoumaru turned, and grinned faintly when he heard a car door slam shut firmly. A loud crash in the ally to his right brought his attention once again to it and he frowned. Descending the stairs, Sesshoumaru made his way over to the blackened area, and peered into the dark recesses carefully. Two small brown eyes peeked around a tattered old box, and his frown deepened.
Slowly, he slipped between the two walls of the buildings but he stopped when the small filthy being bolted down the ally and around a corner. Shaking his head confused, Sesshoumaru exited the ally, his thoughts racing after the small child, who he could not distinguish as being female or male. Ascending the stairs to his father's business again, Sesshoumaru entered and walked up to Saya giving a slight nod.
"I trust you will inform me of all the happenings that have gone on since my father's passing?" Sesshoumaru began as the elevator opened allowing them entrance.
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Sesshoumaru rubbed his temples once Saya had left his office. He had a splitting headache from all the information that Saya had filled his head with. Taking a deep breath, Sesshoumaru glanced at the computer on his father's desk and snorted.
Standing up, he peered around the flat monitor and looked for the on switch. Pursing his lips, he lifted the monitor into his hand and flipped it over, and then laid it flat on the desk. He really didn't have much choice in the matter seeing as the base had suddenly vanished on him.
Staring down at the monitor, which now lay flat on the desk, Sesshoumaru peered around for the tower thing he had seen in his brother's room. To his dismay, there was nothing other than the monitor, which mocked him on the surface of the desk. Narrowing his eyes, he went so far as to flex his claws in warning, knowing perfectly well that the monitor would not heed it. However, despite knowing this, the youkai didn't refrain from threating.
Snarling in frustration, Sesshoumaru lowered his claws, and glanced over at the filing cabinets lined against the walls of his father's office. Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru reached over for the phone and placed it in the crook of his neck and winced as he dialed the number of someone who could aid him with the computer.
"Hello?" A voice asked quickly. "Yes, no, no, you don't have to wrap the blasted thing, just stuff it in the bag. Sorry, who's this?"
Almost rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru snorted. "Inuyasha."
"What do you want, baka?" Inuyasha grumbled. "Just give me the stupid bag will you. No, dammit, I don't need scented beads. I don't need those scented dried flower flakes either. Just give me the fucking bag already. Thank you."
Sesshoumaru snorted again. "How civilized."
Inuyasha grumbled, and then scoffed. "Keh! What do you want?"
"I need you to tell me how to fix this computer." Sesshoumaru began, already knowing that Inuyasha would be standing there laughing at him in silence.
"What'd you do to it?" Inuyasha's voice filled the phone, sounding much more amused than concerned
"Nothing, I was trying to find the on switch and the monitor refuses to cooperate. Not to mention it doesn't have that tall thing that stands on the floor."
Inuyasha snickered. "You mean the CPU? If it's in father's office, then he probably has one of the small models. It could be under the desk, or in a drawer."
Sesshoumaru opened the drawer to his right, and then the other drawers below it and frowned. Glancing to his left, he proceeded to look in those ones and found nothing after dumping all the drawers onto the floor. "Nothing."
"Did you look under the desk?" Inuyasha asked, hearing his brother's frustrated growls.
"Yes, there is only that plastic thing that the chair sits on." Sesshoumaru growled.
"That's a floor mat. I mean molded on the underside of father's desk, baka. Not the floor."
"Well you should have just said that, clarify things, would you?" Sesshoumaru knew he was not going to hear the end of this. "I see a small box thing, and it has green lights on it with a red flashing light."
"That's the CPU. Now what about the monitor?" Inuyasha inquired.
Sesshoumaru hesitated. "Well the monitor and I had a bit of a misunderstanding, it refuses to stand upright."
He could hear Inuyasha's choked laughter, and Sesshoumaru sucked in his breath sharply for patience. "Where's the base?" Inuyasha asked.
"Base?"
"The thing it stands on?"
Sesshoumaru blinked and glanced around, but couldn't find it. "To tell you the truth, it vanished."
Inuyasha snorted again. "Lift the monitor up, and look at the back."
Sesshoumaru did as he was told and he snorted. There was the stand, folded neatly against the back. "Found it."
"Good, now pull it down gently, and place the monitor back onto the desk. Don't break it."
Sesshoumaru pulled the base down and placed the monitor upright onto the desk and wrinkled his nose.
"Are you done yet?"
"Hai. How does it turn on?"
"Do you see the mouse?" Inuyasha asked, around a mouthful of food.
Sesshoumaru blinked. 'Mouse?' He looked under the desk again to see if it was around the CPU thing his brother had told him about, then he glanced on the floor amongst the pile of paper and pens that littered the floor. "No. What does it look like?"
Inuyasha's voice suddenly filled the phone with coughing and hacking. "Look at the back of the CPU, is there a cord hanging out the back of it?"
Sesshoumaru leaned over and glanced down at the cords, and he mumbled. "There are several."
"Don't you know anything about computers?" Inuyasha asked.
"No." Sesshoumaru replied simply, as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"There should be a thin cord hanging out the back of it, so you see a thin cord?" Inuyasha asked.
"Hai."
"Follow it and you should find the mouse."
Sesshoumaru crawled under the desk and slipped out the other end of the wooden structure, and found a small oval object hanging from under the base of the monitor. Standing up, Sesshoumaru lifted the monitor, released the mouse and placed the flat screen back down, and he grumbled, as it once again lay flat.
"What was that?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Nothing, found it I think." Sesshoumaru stated, pulling the monitor's base back down and placing the flat panel back onto the desk, properly. "Is it oval, with a red light under it?"
"Yes, now put it down and move it around, the monitor should respond."
Sesshoumaru held the oval object in his hand, and he almost didn't want to ask his next question. Sighing, he asked anyways. "Where do I put it down?"
Inuyasha went into another choking fit, this time followed by several gulps, signaling his drinking, and finally he shouted into the phone. "On the stupid desk."
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and slammed the mouse down onto the desk, successfully shattering it into tiny pieces and he felt his eyes widen. "Inuyasha?" He whispered.
"What?" Inuyasha shouted.
"I think I killed it."
"Wha…?" Inuyasha remained quiet. "What the fuck did you do?"
"Well the monitor is on." Sesshoumaru quickly changed the subject.
The line was still quiet.
"Are you still there?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Hai, what do you mean killed it?" Inuyasha asked.
"Is there a store around there that sells these oval things?" Sesshoumaru asked, staring at the remains of the mouse.
"Of course there is, and it's called a mouse. Why?"
"Well I destroyed this one and I think I might be needing a new one." Sesshoumaru stated simply. "But the monitor is on and there is a black screen with a flashing dash."
He could almost hear his brother roll his eyes. "Okay that's the password protection. Try typing your mother's name."
Sesshoumaru glanced around the desk again; there was nothing there. "Inuyasha?" He moaned.
"What now?"
"What do I type it on?"
The line went dead, and Sesshoumaru stared at the phone for a moment. Dialing the cell number again he waited for his brother to pick it up.
"What?" Inuyasha's voice filled the air.
"Why'd you hang up?" Sesshoumaru asked curiously.
"Because you are a complete baka. You need a keyboard to type on, so there should be a flat thing around there with letters all over it." Inuyasha raged.
Sesshoumaru nodded, and went searching for a flat thing with letters on it. He found a gray thing and it had kanji and numbers on it. "Ok, I think I found it. It was on the floor."
"Is there a cord attached to it?"
"Iie." Sesshoumaru stated.
"Nice, a wireless keyboard." Inuyasha mumbled. "Now try your mother's name."
Sesshoumaru picked out the characters of his mother's name. Glancing up at the monitor, Sesshoumaru waited for something to happen. "Nothing's happening.'
"Is the keyboard turned on?" Inuyasha asked slowly.
"Uhh." Sesshoumaru looked down at the keyboard and pursed his lips.
"Are there any lights on it?" Inuyasha ground out slowly.
"Iie." Sesshoumaru flinched.
"Oh for the love of Kami! You are a complete moron. Turn the switch on."
"Uhh…which one?" Sesshoumaru could almost feel Inuyasha's rage through the phone, and secretly he was glad for the distance between them at that moment.
"How many do you see?"
"Three."
"Flick the top one."
Sesshoumaru pressed the top button and the keyboard flared to life. Suddenly the room filled with a loud squealing noise and Sesshoumaru growled.
"What did you do?" Inuyasha asked.
"Nothing, it just started." Sesshoumaru protested.
"Flip the switch off." Inuyasha snarled.
Sesshoumaru did as he was told and the noise stopped. "What was that?"
Inuyasha was quiet for a second. "Nothing, don't worry about it. Try it again, but move the keyboard away from the CPU."
Sesshoumaru racked his brain trying to remember what the CPU was again. "That's the thing under the desk right?"
"Yes."
"Okay." Sesshoumaru did that and smiled when the noise did not sound again. "Now what? I typed in my mother's name."
"Hit okay." Inuyasha stated.
Sesshoumaru glanced at all the keys on the board, searching for okay and frowned. "There is no okay on here."
Inuyasha's voice seemed to drift away from the phone for a moment, and a loud tapping noise filled Sesshoumaru's ears. Holding the phone away from his ear, Sesshoumaru frowned at it.
"Hit the damn enter button." Inuyasha's voice raged, still too far from the phone. "Enter, enter, enter!"
Sighing, Sesshoumaru searched for the enter button and grinned at finding it. "Okay, done."
"Now look at the monitor. Anything happening?"
"It says invalid password."
"Try my mother's name." Inuyasha told him, with a great deal of patience.
Sesshoumaru typed it, and then paused his finger over the enter button. "I hit enter again, right?"
"Yes."
"Same thing."
"Invalid password?" Inuyasha asked. "Okay, try your name, and then mine."
Sesshoumaru did and shook his head. "Same thing, Inuyasha."
"Okay, this is too hard over the phone. I'll take the monorail over." With a click the phone went dead and Sesshoumaru blinked stupidly at the phone for a moment before his brother's words registered. "Uhoh, I'm in shit." Sesshoumaru mumbled, searching for a rather nice place to curl up in and cower. He found himself to be a little bit afraid at that moment. Blinking dumbly at the phone, Sesshoumaru wondered what sort of anger Inuyasha would display upon his arrival.
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Inuyasha pocketed his cell and snorted. Was Sesshoumaru really that computer illiterate? He had no idea there were still people like that out there. His elder brother had a photographic memory, how could he not even know how to turn on a computer? Snorting, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. His brother could keep his photographic memory, to him, turning on a computer was much more useful. Snickering, he knew he could use this to his advantage and he grinned, walking into a small computer store.
He quickly picked out a wireless mouse, and glanced at the laptops with bright red tags under them and he paused at one. He was almost drooling when a sales man walked up to him.
"They are impressive aren't they?" The guy said.
"Yeah." Inuyasha swallowed his drool. His pocket began to ring and he quickly answered it. "Hello?"
"Enjoying your day of shopping?" A soft hissing voice asked, causing Inuyasha's blood to freeze.
"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
"Not a thing, Inuyasha. I only wanted to be sure you were enjoying your day alone, shopping for clothes. However it seems to me that you are currently looking at laptop computers now, why would that be?"
Inuyasha immediately about faced and stared around him. There was no one there, except for himself and the clerk of the store. Frowning, he gulped. "You spying on me, bastard?"
"Always." The phone clicked and Inuyasha swallowed once before dialing his brother's number. "Sesshoumaru Souske, onegai."
Soon his brother's voice filled his ears. "Hello?"
"Sess?" Inuyasha whispered.
"Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru sighed. "What's wrong?"
"I just got a call from our little friend."
Sesshoumaru was quiet for several long minutes before he seemed to breath. "Are you still at the mall?"
"Hai, he is watching me. He knows exactly where I am." Inuyasha whispered, still looking around trying to see the guy.
Sesshoumaru hissed. "Get on the monorail and get over here. Don't go to the hotel, or anywhere else. Come directly here, do you understand?"
Inuyasha nodded.
"Did you hear me?"
"Hai. Sorry, I nodded." Inuyasha released a soft nervous chuckle.
"Where are you right now?"
"Getting you a mouse."
"There are laptops there?"
"Hai." Inuyasha whispered.
"Get one and come over here."
Inuyasha gulped and flipped the phone closed. "I'll take this laptop, and this. Make it fast."
"Do you need a laptop bag, or maybe…"
"Iie. Nothing else. Be fast." Inuyasha snapped.
"Yes sir."
As soon as Inuyasha made his purchase, he exited the store casually, glancing around him nervously, and finally made a hobbling run for the monorail once he was outside the mall.
He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him and as he looked forward, his vision was filled with a girl's and they crashed into one another, falling to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and one annoying cast.
Inuyasha quickly picked himself up off the ground and helped her up. "Sorry, sorry." He apologized. Without another word, he bolted down the street and up the stairs leading to the train and he watched the crowd of people.
Soon a train pulled into the station and Inuyasha scrambled for the entrance, and sighed once the doors were closed. He clenched his fists around the bags in his hands, cursing his lack of control and allowing his fear to overwhelm him. He took a seat and sighed. What would Sesshoumaru think of his weakness? How could he let that phone call get to him? Shaking his head, Inuyasha silently watched the tops of the houses and buildings pass, and finally they began to come to larger structures.
Anxiously, Inuyasha glanced out the window and watched for the station that would bring him to Souske wa Kódài no Ibútsu. Standing up quickly, Inuyasha waited for the doors to open and he hopped off the train and made his way out of the station in due time. Glancing at his watch, he realized that more time had passed than he first thought. It had taken him over an hour to get to downtown Tokyo on the monorail and he groaned.
Quickly rounding the corner, he glimpsed the building and hobbled over to it, and entered as quickly as he could. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he felt safer when his elder brother was around.
He entered the elevator and rose to the floor he knew his father's office was on and he glanced around curiously. Everything seemed to be exactly the same, and he approached the desk at the end of the hall in front of a large set of double doors, made out of fine mahogany. The girl behind the desk lifted her head and nodded at his approach.
"Mr. Souske is expecting you." She stated simply.
Inuyasha nodded once and opened the door quickly, and entered quietly.
Sesshoumaru whirled around from his pacing and sighed in relief. "Shit, took you long enough."
Inuyasha nodded. "Would be easier with a car."
Sesshoumaru snorted and waved to a chair at the desk.
Inuyasha raised his brows at his brother, taking in the seat Sesshoumaru indicated.
"You are the computer wiz after all." Sesshoumaru smirked.
"Keh." Placing his bags beside the door, Inuyasha wandered in as Sesshoumaru glanced at the bags curiously. "Oh yeah, there is something in there for you." Inuyasha smiled.
"The laptop?" Sesshoumaru asked with a snort.
"No. Take a look." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't let you near a laptop after our earlier conversation."
"I wouldn't either." Sesshoumaru laughed. He dug through the bags, pulling out dress pants and shirts, along with a pair of jeans and more shirts. There were socks and undergarments, and his hand finally found a small object wrapped in blue paper.
Sesshoumaru turned to face Inuyasha holding the item up.
Inuyasha nodded and looked back down at the computer he was typing on.
"May I open it?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Hai." Inuyasha granted permission.
Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and ripped the paper off the gift with his teeth, holding the item in his hand. He opened the box carefully, and stared at the shiny silver item inside, breathlessly. Perfectly etched on the silver surface was the image of an Inuyoukai in their true form, and under the picture was his name.
Lifting his gaze in wonder at his little brother, who had a small smirk on his face, while typing away on the computer, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Domo arigato gozaimashita."
Inuyasha glanced up and noticed the key ring on his brother's finger. "You like?"
"Hai, very much." Sesshoumaru nodded.
Inuyasha grinned and glanced back down at the computer screen. "Ah! I'm in." He declared.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "That fast?" He walked over to his brother and bent over to peer at the computer screen. Sure enough, on the monitor was a picture of himself and Inuyasha as young pups, standing in a riverbed up to their knees. On top of the picture were several folders.
Inuyasha took a deep breath and glanced at Sesshoumaru for a moment, before dragging the mouse cursor to the first file listed on the desktop. Double clicking the file, the screen snapped up and a black box flashed with bright red lights. 'Password Protected.'
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and groaned. "Maybe we should order pizza or something, this might take awhile."