Chapter Eight: Computers, and A Talented Kitsune.
Inuyasha released another yawn as he typed endlessly on the keyboard on his father's desk. Pizza boxes and empty pop cans sat on the floor a little ways away from the desk, and Sesshoumaru was slouched over the couch on his stomach, snoring softly.
Inuyasha grunted as he made his way into yet another file on his father's computer and peered at the text in the document. Whatever it was his father had stumbled across, he had made it so it was virtually impossible for anyone to find, let alone have enough patience to get around hundreds of passwords to locate the blasted thing.
This one held well over forty names, addresses, phone numbers and places of businesses. Shaking his head, he printed the file and then saved it to a flash drive he had coaxed the computer guy to include with the laptop. Wrinkling his nose, Inuyasha opened yet another can of pop and took a sip, before closing the file and moving his mouse to yet another one.
A noise outside the door drew his attention and he paused in his constant clicking and waited. His eyes lowered slightly and he saw a shadow under the door, indicating a presence outside it, but still he waited. Frowning, he wondered if the person behind the door was going to knock, or just move on its way, but it remained still and motionless.
His golden eyes flickered up to the lock on his father's door, and he bit his lip to remain quiet. It was locked, but the handle turned slightly, testing the door. Inuyasha stiffened and gulped nervously. Glancing out the window quickly, he knew it was late, so who still remained at the office? Releasing his lip, Inuyasha flicked his tongue out and licked his lips. The handle stopped its movement and the shadow seemed to move away from the door. Inuyasha allowed his ears to follow the progress of the person.
A door closed at the end of the hall, and Inuyasha's ears rolled back to the computer. His golden eyes remained locked on the door for a moment, before they too slipped back to the monitor.
Swallowing around the lump that seemed to have lodged itself on the back of his tongue, Inuyasha softly cleared his throat and once again worked on the files. Once again a box appeared, flashing red letters at him, saying password required, and Inuyasha stifled a groan. Even knowing as much about computers as he did, and knowing how they worked, this stupid password thing was going to drive him mental.
His father definitely covered his tracks well. The firewall that the computer had was one of the best out there, virtually unbreakable and patented with a 100 guarantee. The virus scanner was also the highest out there, costing well over a thousand dollars, and well worth it in the end. This password program seemed to be also one of the best, and was Inuyasha's first time working with it.
Everything else on the computer besides the desktop was hidden by a ghost program, and a monitoring system had been installed so that if anyone attempted to access something they weren't supposed to, it recorded the information and sent it to the proper authority, that being his father, and now Sesshoumaru. Of course his baka brother never bothered with computers, actually never having the need to until now, so that left him.
Smirking, Inuyasha was somewhat glad that he knew something his brother didn't, but with Sesshoumaru's photographic memory, Inuyasha was certain should his brother ever find an interest in the machines, he could pick up a book and learn more about them in a simple once over read than Inuyasha had in the past two years of playing around on them.
Shaking his head, Inuyasha concentrated on breaking another password and hit enter allowing him entrance. His father definitely had not been stupid, he used different passwords for each file and folder on his computer, however Inuyasha had been able to find the secret after following certain mathematical calculations and rather complex words. If he hadn't taken physics or calculus during a private schooling session the previous year, Inuyasha would have been at a loss.
A little red icon in the right hand corner of the screen stole his attention from the file for a moment, and he frowned at the red exclamation mark twitching violently in the corner. Dragging the mouse over to it, he allowed the mouse to touch the mark to see what warning came up as he hovered over it with the cursor.
'Accessing internal database.' Flashed in the little box above the red exclamation.
"Huh?" Inuyasha cocked his head to the side confused. He hadn't even gone anywhere near the database yet. Right clicking on the mark, another box flew up into the center of the screen and he read. 'Accessing password protect.' He blinked. 'Access denied.' 'Accessing Echo.' 'Access denied.' Realization filled Inuyasha's brain. 'It's a hacker.' He thought. Smirking, he watched as the stars slipped across the white blank spot and then vanish before another 'Access denied,' flashed onto the screen.
Flipping open his cell, he quickly dialed a number to someone who could help him in vanquishing the unknown intruder and try to find out who it was exactly. A groggy voice answered. "Whassa?"
"It's me. I need you to sign on."
"Sleeping." Came the muffled response.
"I need you to help me locate a hacker." Inuyasha growled, lowering his voice so he didn't wake his brother.
"Inuyasha? A hacker?" The voice sounded much more awake. "Where the hell are you?"
"Can't explain. Can you sign or not, Shippou?"
"Hai, hold on." A rustling sound filled the phone, and then a click whirring noise, indicating a computer loading. "What the hell happened to you, Inuyasha?"
"I can't explain that right now. Just sign on and don't ask so many damn questions." Inuyasha snarled to his friend, a young kitsune youkai.
"I never thought I'd hear from you again." Tapping followed after the voice, and then a grunting sound. "Okay, where do you need me?"
"Type in this IP." Inuyasha voiced the number of the connection and waited while he heard Shippou enter the numbers.
"Yup, you got yourself a hacker alright. A rather good one too."
Soon, Inuyasha lost control of his mouse, and he watched it dance across the screen clicking open boxes and words appearing and then more boxes opening and closing. Blinking, he shook his head.
"Wow, this guy is good. Or girl. Whoever it is, is cleaning his tracks as they go. Where are you?"
"At my dad's office."
"Hai. He has a monitoring program on here." Shippou muttered.
"I know that. Can you find the guy or not? Or can you at least disable his access to the computer?"
"Hai, I can find him, just give me a minute." Shippou growled. "Shit, do you know he is downloading stuff from your dad's computer?"
"What? Shippou, you gotta disable him, now." Inuyasha panicked. "The stuff on here my dad secured with hundreds of passwords, hoping to keep guys like this out."
"Guys like us, you mean." Shippou snorted. "Hold on. Inuyasha, the computer is in the same building as you are in. Damn this guy is good."
"Can you find his exact location?"
"Iie. He has already hidden it. Okay, take control, I'm going to track him with my computer." Shippou muttered.
"I thought it was easier this way?" Inuyasha snarled.
"This guy knows you are searching for him, and he is blocking your path. He doesn't know I will be in a second. Try to keep him distracted and I'll set up traps in his path."
"Hai."
Soon Inuyasha was frantically moving boxes around, and closing others as they appeared and soon Shippou cried out with glee. "Okay, he's gone. What the hell are you trying to access?"
"Files on my dad's computer. It's a long story Shippou and I can't explain right now." Inuyasha grumbled, hating having to hide stuff from his good friend.
"Need any help?" Shippou asked.
"No, I refuse to have you involved. It's too dangerous right now. For now, pretend that you forgot all about me, forget my name. I will talk to you again soon." Inuyasha quickly closed the phone before Shippou could protest and he sighed. Out of all the people he had come to know over the years, it had only been Shippou who he had allowed to get past his rough exterior. The kitsune had taught him everything there was to know about hacking and cracking, and Inuyasha had been thankful for the friendship that had grown over the years.
Placing the phone back down onto the desk, Inuyasha bit his lip, trying to figure out what files the guy had downloaded. Soon he came across a blue colored folder, and had one heck of a time getting around the massive amounts of passwords his father had applied.
'So this was what he was after.' Inuyasha thought, as he broke through one password, only to grit his teeth in annoyance when another box popped up with a timer. "Ah shit." He growled. The growl woke his brother who blinked and glanced at the window.
"Are you still working on that stupid machine?" Sesshoumaru asked, stretching.
Inuyasha ignored him and frantically tapped the keyboard, calculating numbers in his head as he did. Watching the timer carefully, he slammed his hand on the desk when the box closed and another box appeared. 'Access denied. Password changed.'
Sesshoumaru frowned and stood up slowly, walking over to his brother curiously. Inuyasha was so engrossed in the computer; he never noticed his brother approach. Glancing over his shoulder, Sesshoumaru watched as Inuyasha clicked on a blue folder and open a password box. It took his brother maybe five minutes to get around the password, when another box opened up.
Inuyasha cursed under his breath and Sesshoumaru raised a brow as his brother frantically typed in several passwords before the boxes closed. Another menu opened. 'Access denied, password changed.'
A tirade of curses exploded from Inuyasha's mouth and Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose. Once again Inuyasha clicked on the box, and Sesshoumaru watched fascinated as his brother fought with the counter that timed his tries at the passwords. Every time the box closed another flurry of curses flew from his mouth and his fist hit the desk.
"Interesting." Sesshoumaru chuckled. This sent an immediate response from his brother. Inuyasha yelped and jumped out of the chair so fast, it shot backwards into Sesshoumaru's shins and the hanyou dove over the desk and onto the floor, his cast clunking into the ground as he landed. "Jumpy."
"Dammit, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha snarled. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Sesshoumaru shook his head and took a sip from his brother's pop and winced. Lifting it up to his view, he wrinkled his nose. "Root beer?" Shrugging his shoulders, he leaned against the side of the desk as Inuyasha hobbled over. The hanyou flopped into the chair and rested his casted leg on the stool it had been sitting on prior to his brother's approach.
Inuyasha sucked in his breath and groaned, allowing his forehead to land on the desk with a thud.
Sesshoumaru chuckled and tapped his brother's ear. The appendage flicked out of the way and Inuyasha growled. "Leave them alone."
"What are you working on?"
Inuyasha lifted his head, and stared at the monitor. "Well I was working on getting around this password, now I'm working around in my brain seriously thinking of throwing the machine out the window."
Sesshoumaru raised a single brow and smirked. "Giving up?"
"Iie. I can't do this alone, Sesshoumaru. I've been up for hours, and I have gotten into a lot of folders. But this one has a timer. Every time it closes, the passwords change."
Sesshoumaru nodded, not really understanding, but listening.
"A hacker tried to get into this folder, but failed." Inuyasha sighed.
"Hacker?"
"It's computer jargon. There are computer hackers, and crackers. It's similar to typing lol on a screen, or rofl. That's jargon."
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes.
"Some files were downloaded, and I was trying to figure out which ones." Inuyasha pointed at the screen.
"So you believe that whatever it is we are looking for, is sitting in that folder?" Sesshoumaru mused.
"Hai. Whatever is in there is rather important for father to place a switch password and then a timed one. If you don't get them right, the passwords change to new ones and the cycle starts over again." Inuyasha groaned and once again his head flopped onto the desk with a thud.
"I see. Who would you get to help?"
"Shippou." Came the muffled reply.
"The fox kit? I thought he didn't know anything about computers." Sesshoumaru asked surprised.
Inuyasha lifted his head and smiled. "He taught me what I know."
"We need what is in that file, Inuyasha. We have to get to the bottom of these threats." Sesshoumaru pointed out, leaving the final decision to him.
"Hai." Inuyasha grinned. At first he had been reluctant to inform his brother of Shippou, but now he all too happily obliged. He picked up the phone again; he redialed the fox's number.
"Whassa."
"Sleeping already?"
A string of muffled curses filled the phone.
Inuyasha chuckled. "Shippou, I know I said I didn't want to get you involved, but I really need your help."
A sigh and then rustling. "Hai." Once again the sounds of the computer that sat in Shippou's room filled the phone. "Okay, what do you need?"
"Log on and then look for a blue folder." Inuyasha told the kit, feeling his brother move up behind him to peer over his shoulder.
"Hai." Came Shippou's response.
Sesshoumaru felt his brows rise under his bangs and he blinked. He watched the mouse cursor fly over the screen, and then click on the blue folder. Frowning, Sesshoumaru glanced at Inuyasha's hand, but it was nowhere near the mouse. "Uh."
Inuyasha looked up at Sesshoumaru and smirked. "It's Shippou." He mouthed.
Sesshoumaru nodded slowly.
"Shit!" Came the curse as soon as the first password box opened. "Wow." The amazed huff of air filled then phone then.
Inuyasha chuckled again. "I think I tried four times or so."
"Kami, Yasha. Hells who is with you?"
"Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru frowned and glanced at his brother at the mention of his name.
Inuyasha shook his head and placed the phone down, hitting a small button allowing them to speak on speakerphone.
"Ah, Ohayou, Sesshoumaru."
"Ohayou, Shippou." Sesshoumaru grinned.
"Inuyasha, this thing is intense. Hold on a second." Some rustling filled the air for a moment as the kit did something around his desk and then something slammed down. "Okay, give me a second. Did you find any calculations for the passwords?"
"Hai. Calculus, and Physics are the basics. Complex words and placements of them." Inuyasha mumbled.
"Ah. Right." Another thump filled the air, and then silence.
"Shippou?" Inuyasha asked after several minutes.
"Shush, reading." Another few minutes of silence and then a grunt. "This program hasn't even come out yet, Inuyasha. Damn."
Inuyasha groaned and flopped his head back onto the desk. "So what you're saying is it's useless."
"Iie. It will just take a bit longer than normal." Soon a clicking sound filled the air, and the screen on the monitor flashed. The new screen that flared to life was split into two halves. One half of it was their computer on the left, the other half Shippou's sitting on the right.
"Do you have a video option on your computer?" Shippou asked.
"Uh…" Inuyasha blinked for a moment.
"Never mind." Another screen flared up and soon Shippou's disheveled face appeared. "Ah, there you are." Shippou grinned.
"I only saw you do this once." Inuyasha grinned.
"Relax, this way I can interact with both, without having to log on and off of yours to gain access to my stuff." Shippou mumbled, typing furiously on his computer.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru watched as Shippou's desktop opened a bunch of files and then a few of those files mysteriously appeared on their desktop. Soon the right screen vanished and theirs was whole again.
The mouse moved again and clicked on the blue folder and another screen, a black one shot onto the screen.
"It's DOS." Inuyasha frowned. "But you never use DOS." He accused the kit.
"Hai, I just need the echo."
"I saw the hacker try to gain access to that." Inuyasha nodded. Soon boxes and files started popping open on the screen and Shippou gave a quick cry of triumph.
"Now for the other one. There are six more colored folders." Shippou mumbled.
"Really?" Inuyasha squinted at the screen.
"They're hidden." Shippou laughed. "This first one is going to be a bugger, though." The face on the screen scrunched up with concentration and then twisted into frustration as Inuyasha watched the password protect flare to life with each of Shippou's attempts. "What the hell." Shippou hissed between clenched teeth.
Ten minutes passed and then twenty and soon Shippou's face vanished and returned a few minutes later. Once again the face seemed to slip half off the screen and then came back on with an even more concentrated look on it. Shippou's fangs barred at his monitor and it appeared like he was growling at them.
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "You're growling, Shippou, rather impressive for a kit."
The face flushed for a moment and then the kit grinned sheepishly. "I forgot you guys could see me."
Inuyasha laughed. "Any luck?"
"Hai. Some. This is some intense program. If I break through this, I'll be happier than a pig in shit."
Sesshoumaru raised a brow at the metaphor but remained silent.
Inuyasha however snorted. "Pleasant image."
Sesshoumaru silently praised his little brother and grinned.
Soon the blue folder flared to life and an exalted cry filled the room. "Ha! Match that, Kouga!"
Inuyasha felt his grin wash away into a scowl. How he hated the mere mention of that name.
"Shit!" Shippou exclaimed. "Damn, Yasha. Print this off and get the hell out of there." The kit said slightly panicked.
"Huh? Ah!" Inuyasha quickly saved the files to the flash drive and printed off the contents.
Sesshoumaru frowned as he saw a timer appear in the left hand corner, and turned his head slightly to stare at the soft hum of the printer. Blinking, he noticed a massive amount of paper already sitting there with information on it.
"Damn, Yasha. You stumbled across something I don't think anyone was supposed to see." Shippou exhaled his breath.
"Uh." Inuyasha nodded in agreement. He hadn't missed the words that had displayed on the top of the file. "Shippou, I'm not going to finish this before…"
Sesshoumaru frowned, the looks of panic that filled their faces he found rather disturbing.
"Sess, grab the laptop." Inuyasha muttered.
"Huh?"
"The laptop, quickly."
Sesshoumaru did as he was told, and handed it over to his little brother. "What's going on?"
Shippou's face glanced up for a moment. "A worm."
Inuyasha nodded. "It's eating away at the file."
Sesshoumaru pursed his lips. "A worm?"
"It's a virus. Without the password, the worm activates and eats away at vital parts of the file, basically destroying it. It won't stop there, it will destroy your computer." Shippou explained breathless, the tapping of his fingers clicking quickly.
Sesshoumaru flinched. "Shit!"
Inuyasha quickly plugged in the laptop and loaded it up. It was taking too long. "Shippou!" He growled.
"Hai. I'm working on it." Came the frustrated answer.
"I thought with the password, you could gain access to this stuff?" Sesshoumaru asked, getting angry.
"Hai, but I didn't use the password." Shippou tried to explain. "It's virtually unbreakable, unless you know the exact format your father used. Basically it's protecting itself from being read."
Inuyasha nodded. "He's a hacker; he hacked into it. Shippou, hurry."
"Hai."
"Sesshoumaru, keep pressing the print button, try to get as much of the file as you can."
Sesshoumaru stared blankly at the keyboard, until Inuyasha's finger pressed a key and he sucked in his breath sharply. "Hai."
Doing as his brother asked, Sesshoumaru watched his brother typing on the laptop his keys matching those of Shippou's through the phone. Shaking his head, he cringed, as the lower parts of the file seemed to be growing fuzzy and then vanish completely.
Suddenly the air filled with a beeping noise and all movement froze for a moment.
Inuyasha's eyes widened and horrified rolled the chair back towards the printer, which sat on a long table behind the desk. "Kami, what next?" He raged.
Sesshoumaru stared at the flashing red light on the printer and he wrinkled his nose. Shippou cursed. "Yasha, get your ass back here, now!"
"Sess, printer, paper, fill." Inuyasha said stuffing his brother's arm with paper and then rolled back to the laptop.
Sesshoumaru stared at the paper in his arm and grunted. His nerves were already rattled enough as it was, let alone trying to figure out how to work another blasted machine.
He followed the instructions on the top and quickly loaded the paper as though he had been a master at it already. Lifting his head, he grinned in triumph. Glancing at the screen, he narrowed his eyes. A word seemed to fly out at him before it grew blurry and vanished off the screen. "What was that?" He scowled. Sesshoumaru made his way over to the computer and stared at the words on the screen, relaxing his mind enough to filter the important words into it.
Reading swiftly, Sesshoumaru placed as much information into his brain before the words dissolved. Cursing under his breath, he wrinkled his nose. He knew what it was he had read, whatever this file was; it was not something to be taken lightly. His father had stumbled across something that no one was ever meant to find.
The relics that had been listed on the page, before they had dissolved, were ones that everyone sought. Several unexplained deaths resulted in attempts to retrieve them, or even find information as to their whereabouts. None of the relics were ever found, period. Not even in the feudal times when Sesshoumaru had been nothing but a mere pup. He remembered the wars that had resulted in the discovery or loss of one of the relics he had caught a glimpse of.
Then they had all disappeared. Not a trace had ever been found. Until now. Swallowing, Sesshoumaru placed the information in the back of his head and watched Inuyasha click away on the laptop keys.
Soon a string of curses came flooding out of Inuyasha and Shippou's mouths as the screen fell black and the whirring of the CPU under the desk died down to absolutely nothing. Sesshoumaru blinked and stared at the black screen for a moment. "What just happened?"
Inuyasha slammed his hand on the desk. "Shippou, please tell me you got something!"
"Hai." Shippou cursed. "Not everything, but some."
Inuyasha groaned. "Same here. I was able to save some of the files onto the laptop, but…" He glanced at his brother.
Sesshoumaru stood there, his face pale.
Inuyasha frowned. "Sess?"
"Inuyasha…this is more than we thought it was." He whispered. "Shippou, get the hell out of your house. Gather the information and meet us somewhere."
Shippou's voice gulped nervously. "What exactly did we stumble across?" He whispered.
Sesshoumaru nudged Inuyasha, to make plans to meet some place safe.
"Uhh, remember that old restaurant we used to frequent? Before we got into this computer stuff?" Inuyasha mumbled into the phone, somewhat nervous by his brother's change in mood.
"Hai." Shippou's voice confirmed.
"Go there, stay there, until we come get you." Inuyasha whispered.
"Hai." The phone clicked and died.
"Okay, now will you tell me what's going on?" Inuyasha asked, turning the chair around to face Sesshoumaru.
"Not now." Sesshoumaru hissed, pulling his brother to stand upright. "Get your things. I will explain when we meet with this friend of yours."
Inuyasha nodded and unplugged the laptop and packed it into his bag. They left the room quickly, and Sesshoumaru locked the office door, before turning to face his flustered brother.
They remained silent as they exited the building with great care, making sure they were not being followed. Sesshoumaru glanced down and noticed a rather large mess on the sidewalk, beside a garbage can and made a mental note to inform the janitor of it once he returned to the office. A soft gasp filled Sesshoumaru's ears, and he frowned turning his eyes upward in the direction he knew the small crevasse, that was supposed to be an alley, lay. His eyes widened slightly as his eyes met a pair of deep brown ones, and he felt his mouth fall open surprised. It was that small child he had seen earlier. Wrinkling his brow more, he knew it had been yesterday when he had caught a glimpse of him or her.
The small face was so dirty that it appeared black in the shadows. Still there was no way to figure out what sex the child was. The hair was so matted and dirty; it was almost impossible to tell if it was naturally black, or if it was caked with muck. Slowly, he inched his foot over, as though intending to approach the child, but the eyes vanished and the child was gone.
His ears followed the progress of the frantic steps, until they became too soft for even his sensitive hearing to pick up. Shaking his head, he proceeded down the steps and headed towards the silver car still parked in the lot. Inuyasha stood beside it impatiently, and tilted his head asking a silent question.
"What were you looking at?" Inuyasha asked, opening the door as his brother unlocked it.
"Nothing. I thought I heard something." Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose. The smell of filth from the child still lingered in his nose and no matter what he did he couldn't dislodge the scent.
Inuyasha snorted, and buckled his belt, and settled comfortably in the seat.
Sesshoumaru turned the car on and pulled slowly out of the curved lot, he felt his eyes widen once again as his eyes locked onto the brown ones of the child, and then the eyes vanished. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Sesshoumaru saw the child slip out of the shadows and onto the sidewalk, where the figure bent over, and picked something up.
Frowning, he knew what it was. It had been a stepped on morsel of food beside a tin garbage can; his eyes had fallen onto it and the other filth before he had seen the child. He didn't even know what sort of food it had once represented, but the child ate the thing quickly and then darted once more into the shadows.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, idiot." Inuyasha yelped, digging himself back into the seat, staring out at the road in horror.
Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped from the mirror to the street and he swerved quickly back into the flow of traffic, cursing softly to himself. 'Damn it.'
Inuyasha glared at him, panting. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
Sesshoumaru snarled and shook his head, trying to calm the pounding of his heart. Shaking his head clear, Sesshoumaru remained silent and ignored the curses from Inuyasha's mouth.
Soon, Sesshoumaru had his heart under control and he listened half-heartedly to Inuyasha's directions towards the old restaurant It took them longer then Sesshoumaru would have liked, but soon they pulled into a very unkempt parking lot, one that signaled that this was not the best neighborhood, and two it was left untended far too often by the owners and it appeared as though they did not care of the condition.
Grunting in disapproval, Sesshoumaru parked the car and stepped out, wincing as a flood of obnoxious odors filled his sensitive nose. Choking back a cough, the youkai waited while his hanyou brother worked his way out of the car and finally hobbled towards the run down place.
Locking the doors, Sesshoumaru glanced at the worn and rotting wood, and flecks of paint lying on the ground that had come off the building itself. The wooden gate was missing in several places, and warped from the weather. The walkway was broken and missing in many places, and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the uneven terrain.
Loud shouts raised Sesshoumaru's eyes from the cracked cement, and the golden gaze slid to the side where a brawl had broken loose over something he really didn't care to listen to. The door creaked, and drew the youkai's attention back to his brother who held the door open with a nervous grin.
Once inside, Sesshoumaru winced at the cheap lighting of the place. It was so dim, dark and hazy inside that he had to narrow his eyes more so they would not sting from the stench of the smoke. He opened his mouth slightly, allowing his nose a bit of a break from the smells and he almost gagged.
Inuyasha blinked several times, before slipping through the very crowded place, and waved for Sesshoumaru to follow him. The youkai glanced at his brother as though he were half mad, and almost made a mad break for the door that sat behind him. All he wanted was fresh air. Swallowing the lingering taste in his mouth, Sesshoumaru lowered his head and cursed his brother for bringing him to such a horrid place without warning.
Sesshoumaru slipped through the crowd easily, most seemingly moving out of the way at his impressive height, and that was when the youkai saw his brother waving him over to a small table in the corner. As he approached, he saw a figure huddled in the shadows, and Inuyasha took a seat quickly.
Sesshoumaru followed suit and waited. Shippou came out of the shadows and glared at both of them.
"Just what the hell did you drag me into?" He growled.
Both Inuyoukai stared at the kit for a moment, before Sesshoumaru frowned.
"As soon as I left my house, I had someone following me. I have no idea who it was, but it sent shivers down my back. Do you know how long it took me to loose him?"
Inuyasha sighed. "I really didn't want to drag you into this."
Shippou scowled. "This bugger knows where I live now." Shippou continued on his tirade. "What the hell is going on?"
Sesshoumaru leaned forward and shook his head. "We can't here. For one it stinks in here, and two it is too crowded."
Inuyasha snorted. "This is probably the safest place for us to be right now. Shippou knows most of the people here."
Sesshoumaru glared at his brother. Inuyasha shrank back, laughing nervously.
Shippou shook his head. "It doesn't matter now, whatever it is you dragged me into, you didn't know. Besides that, it looks like you two have been through enough." A large burly youkai wandered over and whispered softly to the kit, and he glanced over at the two youkai listening.
"You asked to see me?" The man's gruff voice filled the air.
"Hai. Is there a back room open we can use?"
The man nodded and waved to the one at the far end.
"Good, keep it clear from prying ears. I'm sure you catch my drift." Shippou muttered.
The youkai smirked and nodded. As the man turned away, Sesshoumaru's eyes followed his progress to several large burly men and youkai. Their eyes trailed over to Shippou who nodded and they nodded once in understanding.
Shippou pushed himself to his feet and grabbed something off the floor that looked like a flat backpack that slung over his head hugging his right shoulder and left hip. "Come."
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha followed him into the back and the kit shoved open the sliding door, revealing clean air and a refreshing atmosphere that Sesshoumaru was grateful for.
Shippou placed his bag onto the single table in the undecorated room, and pulled up one of the rickety wooden chairs, and sat down crossing his arms scowling. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru both followed suit and they stared at each other long and hard, before Shippou clicked his tongue.
"Are you willing to explain now?" Shippou asked impatiently.
Inuyasha turned his eyes to his brother, hoping to get some answers himself.
Sesshoumaru sat forward and rested his arm on the table. "What do you know of the feudal era, Shippou?"
The kit shook his head. "Not much, I was still just a baby back then. My father told me stories before his death."
"What did he tell you?" Sesshoumaru pressed.
"Just exciting stories really. Nothing on the wars that happened, or the battles between humans and youkai. He told me of his adventures."
"Did he mention at all why the wars were fought?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Shippou shook his head.
Sesshoumaru nodded and leaned back. "I, too, was also a pup, but Chichiue told me of the past. He told me about the wars and why they were fought. The wars were over items of magic and power. Both sides fought hungrily for them, and I think this has something to do with that."
Shippou frowned.
"Back then, there were many youkai, and humans, and they both fought for more power, it ended up almost destroying the world. It was a time of nothing but desire for power, and placement. These items that all sides sought, gave power, but they also came with a price. This price was death apparently. Strong and powerful monks and miko's cast out the relics, hiding them forever. The curse was instant death upon being discovered."
Inuyasha had also frowned. "So what does this have to do with us?"
Sesshoumaru whispered. "I think Chichiue found out where these relics are."
A loud bang against the door caused them all to freeze and Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose. They stood up and Shippou shook his head. The kits mouth opened in a wordless warning and lifted his hand for silence. The banging intensified and soon the door banged open, revealing a ruffled bar owner.
"Shippou, you and your friends had better go. You know the way." The door slammed behind the heavyset youkai.
Shippou scowled and nodded, instantly reaching for his bag. He tossed it to Inuyasha and shook his head as they made their way to the back of the room. The kit pushed on the wall and a small section came away. "Go through here, turn left at the first fork, keep following it until you get to the end. Don't look back, don't contact me, I'll find you, and don't worry about me." With that, the wall closed behind Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and they did as they were told.
The trip was not a pleasant one, as both youkai crawled through the sticky mass that coated the floor of the tunnel. The roof was so low that Inuyasha found himself more on his belly, pulling himself along with his claws. He gagged at the stale scent of urine and filth. Sticky sludge slid through Inuyasha's claws as he pulled himself along, not really having much of a choice with his heavy cast. Inuyasha shuddered as the thick muck slid into his cast, causing his leg to make a horrid slurping sound. Gagging, Inuyasha felt more stuff slide between his toes. His shoe was already filled with the gunk, also making his foot slurp and suck as he pushed against the floor with it, trying to hasten his escape from the place.
Behind him, he knew Sesshoumaru was doing no better, having better senses then he did. The youkai's panting filled the tight air and his brother choked a few times as they crawled through the sludge. Inuyasha couldn't even turn his head to glance at his brother to make sure he was okay, but the sloshing sound behind him told him all he needed to know.
Inuyasha felt the tunnel curl to the left and his hand slipped on the greasy stuff causing him to fall flat on his face. Lifting himself from the gooey stuff, he choked and gagged and spat out the filth. "Uhh, gross." He whimpered.
Sesshoumaru's grunt agreed with him.
It took them no time at all to reach the exit, but to the brothers it had felt like an eternity. They crawled to the opening at the end of the tunnel covered by a wire grate and Inuyasha punched at the thing until it fell away from the entrance, or exit. He practically fell out of the hole, sucking in sharp breaths of air into his burning lungs, and he heard a flop beside him.
Inuyasha rubbed his face into the lush grass outside and wiped the grime off it. Rolling onto his back, he still found it hard to suppress the gagging reflex his throat was making. He was going to kill Shippou.
Inuyasha lifted his head and glanced at his brother who just lay there, silent and unmoving. Frowning, Inuyasha shook his shoulder, but received no response.
"Oi, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha shook his brother firmly and finally received a grunt and a groan. The hanyou breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced down at their soiled clothes. They sure were a sight for sore eyes. Their long silver hair was caked with black and brown filth, and their clothing was destroyed.
Sesshoumaru released a shaky breath and groaned. "I'm going to kill that kit." He whispered harshly.
Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "My cast is ruined." He muttered softly. He struggled to his feet, and winced as his clothing stuck to him wet and sticky. Shaking his head, he reached down and aided his brother to his feet and slowly they began making their way back to the car.
Inuyasha flinched as black gunk slid between his toes on his casted foot, and he felt his leg slide against the sludge that soaked the inside of the cast. Soon he knew it would be absorbed into the white thing, and would make the cast only that much heavier.
They turned the corner prepared to get into the car, but they were not prepared for what their car looked like. Both brothers stood there, mouths gaping open in shock and surprise, for instead of their car, there stood the frame. The once silver vehicle was up on blocks with all four tires missing. All the smooth silver panels were gone, the doors, the seats and the engine.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, staring at the frame of the car. Even the seatbelts were gone. Inuyasha gawked stupidly. Swallowing nervously, he glanced at Sesshoumaru. "Uh, heh, maybe we parked somewhere else?" He asked weakly.
Hard golden eyes turned to him slowly and menacingly. Those eyes flashed in anger, then the corners seeped red. Inuyasha felt is eyes widen in horror, and he shuddered at the sudden surge of fear that washed through his body at that look. Gulping loudly, he took a wary sloshing step back and clenched his fists.
"Sess?" He whispered. The aura around his brother flared to life, causing his hair to lift away from his clothing, in wet caked strands and the hanyou took another wary step backwards. "Sessho?"
Sesshoumaru grit his teeth against the fury that ran through his veins. There was something just outside his hearing, and he shut it out as the surge of power filled his blood. Closing his eyes tightly, Sesshoumaru heard a soft utter of his name and he felt the rage snap in two and the power slipped out of his body.
Sesshoumaru swallowed and turned away from the car. Flipping open the cell phone, he dialed Bokusenou. They needed a car, anything to getaway from this place.
Inuyasha slung the bags over his shoulder and released the breath he had been holding. Relaxing his frame, Inuyasha glanced around and shook his head at what was left of their car. Which in truth was not much. Just the frame was left, and the antennae. The whole under carriage was gone, and the windows, but there wasn't even a speck of glass on the ground indicating that they had been broken, even the pedals were gone.
"Hai, a youkai." Sesshoumaru's voice cut through Inuyasha's head. "Arigato, Bokusenou."
Sesshoumaru glanced up at the sky and rolled his eyes. He certainly didn't want to wander around Tokyo in stained clothing. Turning to his brother, he sighed. "Arigato, Inuyasha."
"Huh? For what?" Inuyasha blinked at his brother.
"For calling me out of my rage."
"Oh. I did that?" He mumbled, staring at the ground. "Sess?"
Sesshoumaru glanced away from his brother, but uttered. "Hai?"
"This cast…it's…" Inuyasha began, staring at the slow brown stain that covered the area that was drying.
"Hai, it will come off later." Sesshoumaru murmured softly. Grinning slowly, he glanced at Inuyasha, and flexed his claws. "Unless you would like it off now."
Inuyasha snapped his head up with wide eyes, and noticed his brother's claws gleaming in the early morning light. "Hai!" He cried out excitedly.
Sesshoumaru smirked and nodded. "Do you still feel pain?" He asked, waving for his brother to sit on the curb.
Inuyasha shook his head slowly, and watched as Sesshoumaru knelt down to his level. Sesshoumaru slashed and cut away the rotting piece of cast, and soon Inuyasha stared at the white limb of his leg, and shuddered at the black bruises and muck that covered parts of it. He wasn't sure what were bruises or gunk, but he sighed in relief.
"Thank you." Inuyasha allowed a slow smile to spread across his lips.
They sat there in silence, and watched the sun rise. By the time it had reached early morning, roughly eight, Sesshoumaru estimated, a black car pulled up to them and Bokusenou stepped out with a raised brow.
"You two have a knack for finding trouble, don't you?" He asked, casting a glance at the remains of their car.
The brother's stood up and rolled their eyes skyward.
"You two reek; get in the car." Bokusenou waved them away with one hand, while the other pinched his nose. "I'll find you some clothes and take you back to the hotel."
Inuyasha nodded and groaned. It was going to be a very long day.