Chapter Sixteen: The Dragon Festival; Baby Lion Dance
Inuyasha heaved a sigh as he waited for the monorail to take him to the school. He had spent the entire morning shifting through papers at the records building, only to come up empty handed. Not only had he not found what he was looking for, but also he had found absolutely nothing on his parent's deaths. Nothing. No time, date, place, cause, nothing. He rolled his eyes skyward, and tilted his head as the familiar sound of the monorail reached his ears.
"Finally." He growled and watched, as it seemed to skid to a halt. Inuyasha climbed on and took a seat close to the front so he could at least exit and try to make it to class before school ended.
Fifteen minutes rolled by and Inuyasha saw the familiar signs come into view, informing him that his stop was soon. With a grunt, he made his way to the doors and took a step making to exit. A strong shove from behind him, caused his to stumble off the train and he glanced back curiously. With a shrug, he quickly descended the stairs and made the trip in less the five minutes.
He opened the front doors just as the bell rang and he groaned. At least he didn't have to attend Phys Ed again. Besides that, he had his brother's excuse anyway, saying that he had therapy for his leg. With a shrug, he took the stairs to his locker quickly and twisted the lock so he could grab his history books. He glanced at his watch and with a gasp; he turned and raced for class. If he hurried he could make it before the second bell rang.
He just skidded to a halt at the door and stepped inside just as the bell tolled, signaling that class was starting and he sighed in relief. Inuyasha quickly took his seat before the teacher could begin his lesson and he winked when Kagome glanced over at him with a frown. She rolled her eyes and hid her smile behind her hand.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the front of the room. He wasn't that interested in the lesson itself, but he fought with himself to keep his mind on what the teacher was saying, rather then think about what had transpired earlier that morning. Finally, the bell signaled the end of the class, and he sighed and shuffled his books back into his bag. The lesson had been a simple one, one that Inuyasha had had to suffer through before at his old school.
Inuyasha shook his head, finally being ripped from his train of thoughts on his whole morning. He quickly got up to leave the class, and he lifted his head to the door where a familiar and welcoming scent reached his nose. Kagome stood by the door and smiled warmly as he approached.
Inuyasha couldn't help but return the smile as he came up beside her and slipped out of the class.
"Hi." Kagome grinned happily. "So how'd it go today? Are you okay?"
Inuyasha furrowed his brows curiously. "Huh?"
"Your appointment?" Kagome shook her head.
"Oh, uhh-" Inuyasha reached out for her arm and pulled her closer as he whispered into her ear. "I didn't go. I never had one." He whispered. Quickly, he glanced around him to see if they were being watched or overheard, and he pulled her to the wall with a tug on her elbow. "Come here."
Kagome tilted her head slightly in confusion and allowed Inuyasha to pull her to the less crowded side of the hall. "What's wrong?" She asked.
Inuyasha shook his head and drew in a slow breath. "I did what you suggested. I went to the death records building."
Kagome gulped and nodded, waiting for Inuyasha to continue.
"I found nothing. Not a thing on my father or mother. There wasn't even anything on Kikyou."
Kagome furrowed her brows and bit her lip.
Inuyasha plopped down on the bench that sat just off to his right and placed his head in his hands. "I searched through every file in the category I was given at the front desk. I even went so far as to search as many other files as I could in the time I had. I found absolutely nothing on the accident or any mention of my parents."
Kagome sat down beside Inuyasha and placed her hand on his back. "So what now?" She whispered, rubbing his back comfortingly.
Inuyasha shook his head, and his ears flattened into his thick mane of silver hair. "I guess I have no other choice but to go to the festival tonight."
"Didn't Sesshoumaru say you couldn't go?" Kagome asked gently, placing her hand onto his shoulder.
Inuyasha nodded and sat up. "I don't have a choice, though. I mean, if I want to find out what this guy has, I need to go. I want to know the truth of what happened."
Kagome sighed. "I'll go with you."
Inuyasha shot a stern look at her. "I don't want you to be involved. This could be dangerous."
"I'm already involved Inuyasha." Kagome protested. "Besides, you could use a friendly face if what this guy has is something horrible."
Inuyasha frowned. "Kagome…"
Kagome placed her finger to his lips and silenced his argument. "I'm going." She smiled and Inuyasha sighed. She moved her finger and tilted her head to the side waiting for his reply.
"Fine, but the first sign of danger and you get out of there, understand?" Inuyasha looked at her almost daring her to comment, but the girl just grinned and nodded.
"I will. I think everything will be fine though. With all those people around, and everything happening, I don't think anyone will be stupid enough to attack us." Kagome stared into his golden eyes seriously. "Right?"
Inuyasha took a deep breath. "People do strange things when they are stressed, Kagome. Just promise me, that at the first sign of danger, you'll get out of there. As fast as you can."
Kagome nodded and stood up.
-------------------------------
"See I told you everything would be all right." Kagome grinned at him and tugged on Inuyasha's hand to guide him down the stairs of the monorail. The area below the balcony was filled with hundreds of people and youkai, including mass amounts of hanyou. Inuyasha shook his head and gave Kagome a small smile, before he took his first step on the stairs leading to the rush of activity below.
Kagome grinned excitedly and pointed anxiously to the costumes they could see below them. "Oh look!" She exclaimed. "It's the lion dancers."
Inuyasha followed the line of her finger and nodded. He had waited all his life to see a lion dance, never being allowed in the past due to all the spectators. Growing up with a strong and well-known family had always been rough on him and Sesshoumaru. He remembered his father doing his best to keep them out of the papers and news polls. Not to mention the paparazzi who had relentlessly followed their every move for anything worth writing about or taking pictures of.
Inuyasha remembered the first time Sesshoumaru had taken Kagura out on a date into the respectable parts of Tokyo, only to read all about it the next day in the papers. Sesshoumaru had been angry and had almost confronted the ones who had taken the pictures and twisted the stories around so much.
Inuyasha had never really been a target so much as his brother was, being the youngest in the family, and his not being the heir, but now he knew that once the paparazzi found out about their new identities, they would swarm all over them in an instant.
For now, he could relax some, and at least enjoy, hopefully his first lion dance festival. He shuddered to think of what Sesshoumaru would have to say once he found out about his betrayal, but if his older brother never found out, all the better. Inuyasha felt a tug on his hand and he grinned as Kagome pulled him down the stairs.
"What time is it?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know. I think it's almost four. We have to get moving if we want to meet this guy." Inuyasha muttered, his eyes lingering for a few moments longer on the lion costumes. His eyes caught sight of the poles that they danced on and he wanted so much to see them. The colorful material and vibrant displays were exciting, and he smiled even wider as they rounded the corner at the bottom.
"He said the fountain right?" Kagome asked, pulling him through the waves of people. "At five?"
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, problem is trying to get to Central Square with all these people around."
Kagome nodded and somehow managed to maneuver through the crowd somewhat easily, even though most of the people were pushing and shoving to get closer to the highlight of the evenings events.
Inuyasha smirked as she pulled him along, and both received some rather shocking and disgusted looks at their clasped hands. He looked down at her smaller one and noticed just how small and frail it seemed in comparison to his longer fingers and claws. He gripped her hand tighter and blinked in surprise as she gave him a happy little smile.
Kagome quickly maneuvered around a large group of people and they found themselves standing in front a wide display of food. Inuyasha smirked as Kagome gasped and quickly ran over to a stand that featured various delicacies from other countries, and he watched as she pleadingly grinned at him. It was almost as though she was over anxious, even though she knew that they had a timetable to keep. Inuyasha wasn't certain where the central square was located exactly, and he wanted to be early, just incase anything were to happen unexpectedly.
It wasn't only that though, he also wanted to do a thorough scan of the area, just incase anything was amiss, or if they were being watched. Whatever those guys wanted, they had definitely done their homework in regards to hiding pertinent information from the world. He still couldn't believe that there was no information in the death records building on his parent's death. His only answer to that mystery was what this guy had gotten, and placed his grubby paws on it for some reason, and was putting everyone's lives at risk for containing or keeping it on his person.
Inuyasha wasn't sure if this guy intended to bribe him into paying for the information, or if this guy was plotting his demise in holding it, but he was bound to find out. With a quick nod to Kagome, he watched silently as she stepped into line and ordered a food item he had never seen or heard of before.
Even though he worked and now owned a restaurant, Inuyasha was not familiar with the delicacies of the world, but he would find out the longer he remained in the industry. Not only that, but he seriously didn't want to be a restaurant owner for the rest of his life. He wanted to follow his own path, and that had been his dream since he was a pup. However fate dealt him this card, the one of owning the restaurant, and he was determined to make it work until he was out of school and ready to head off to whatever collage accepted his kind.
He knew that he and Sesshoumaru were well off in regards to money, however that didn't give him any comfort. The money came in bits at the beginning of the month, mostly enough to cover expenses and needs, but it was not nearly enough to pay off a bribe or blackmail call, he knew that much. Not only that, but Sesshoumaru was in charge of the money and only gave Inuyasha what would be an okay amount to live off for the month. Sure, to him it was enough, but if this guy wanted money, Inuyasha had no idea how he would approach Sesshoumaru on the subject. He would need an extremely convincing excuse as to why he needed any amount of money. It wasn't just that, but it was also if they had enough in the account for that month to cover a blackmail or bribe number.
Inuyasha shuddered and blinked as Kagome moved away from the food stand, and she walked up to him holding out some kind of strange item for him to try. He really wasn't all that hungry so he shook his head. His stomach was too coiled up for even the thought of food and he moved away with Kagome following slowly, munching on her own morsel.
Inuyasha heaved a sigh and allowed his thoughts to wander back to the meeting this guy had called. The guy had told them that he had important information for him but he seriously couldn't contemplate anything other than the records on his parent's deaths. He was angry, there was no doubt about that, but that didn't give him any comfort in thoughts of having his brother confront him if he was late.
There was the other thing that had happened earlier, with the whole threat to his brother. Inuyasha knew Sesshoumaru could hold his own, but would these guys really attempt their own deaths in facing his angry brother? With a snort, he could just picture what Sesshoumaru would do to them if they were stupid enough to confront him. Furrowing his brows, Inuyasha wondered exactly how they would go about gaining any sort of ground on the older youkai.
There were only a few possibilities for them if they wanted to take Sesshoumaru by surprise. One would be to threaten someone close to the older youkai, that being himself or that human child that he was in the process of adopting. The other would be to drug the youkai. With a shudder, Inuyasha hoped that his brother was smart enough to know that Inuyasha was more than capable to protect himself, however would he also be jumped on unawares?
Inuyasha froze on the path and furrowed his brows darkly. Kagome bumped into his back and she quickly mumbled an apology.
"Is something wrong?" She asked nervously.
Inuyasha shook his head and glanced at her from over his shoulder. "Stay close. I don't know what these guys are capable of, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Kagome glanced around her and gulped visibly. "Okay." Unconsciously, she moved closer to him and he snorted.
Inuyasha moved once again, and perked his ears up to full attention as they walked through the crowded market place. The music began as the dancers began their practicing, and he tightened his lips to ignore the exciting sound. His eyes drifted over to the large clock above the new museum and he sighed as he noticed that they had less then half an hour to make it to the fountains.
"Oie! Where are the fountains, anyway?" Inuyasha demanded loudly.
Kagome moved to his side and waved to the front and slightly to the right of them. "Should be over there." She mumbled around a mouthful of food.
"What the hell are you eating anyway?" Inuyasha smirked, glancing at the food in her hand as she took another bite.
"Haggis, I think." Kagome shrugged and took another bite just as Inuyasha choked.
"Haggis?" He exclaimed and chuckled. "Do you even know what that is?" Inuyasha knew, only because it had been one of his mother's favorite dishes whenever they had gone out for dinner.
"Well it was either that or a German bullet." Kagome protested and tilted her head at the hanyou who was laughing heartily. "What's so funny? It's good."
Inuyasha shook his head and slipped through another grouping of humans who had gathered together. He waved his hand quickly and shook his head, moving to the right. "I think I see the fountains." He rolled his eyes. They moved over to the far side of the fountains, hiding themselves behind some heavy pillars that stood in front of a large building. "Now we wait." He grumbled.
Kagome quickly finished off her food and nodded. "So how will we know it's him?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "I'm not sure, but he should be acting really suspicious. He might be carrying something, or looking all weird."
Kagome breathed and nodded. "Okay." She peered at him for a moment. "Just what is haggis, anyway?"
Inuyasha snorted keeping his eyes on the fountains, and shook his head. "Trust me, it's safer with you not knowing. My mother used to love it."
Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, and Inuyasha glanced at her as her anger scent flared.
"What? You ordered it, not my business what you stuff in your stomach." He defended himself. "If you don't know what something is, don't get it."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "It sounded good, better then that German bullet, so I got it. Why won't you tell me what it is?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Like I said, if you don't know what it is, don't order it." He turned his attention back to the fountains and stood upright when he saw a guy standing where no one had been before, looking around nervously. The guy didn't have anything in his hands and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Stay here." He growled softly. After making sure that Kagome remained where she was, Inuyasha slipped from the shadows and into the light. The man's eyes scanned the area quickly and his face drained of color the instant he caught sight of Inuyasha.
Inuyasha made his way over to the guy warily, but full of determination so that it almost appeared that he was stalking the man.
Once Inuyasha was close enough, after making sure that there was no threat, he stopped and stared at him. "Are you the bastard who called me?" He snapped.
The man started and glanced around fearfully before nodding.
Inuyasha stalked over to the man and stuck his face so close their noses were almost touching. "Who are you? Just what is it that you want?" His demand sounded like a threat.
The man took a step back and shook his head furiously. "Who I am is not important, but before you jump to conclusions, you have to know the details." The man began, glancing around again. "Whatever it is that your father found, it has caused an upheaval in the youkai world. You and your brother are targets, just as your father was. It just happened to involve more than just your father when they went after him. The opportunity was there, and they took it."
Inuyasha ground his teeth together and narrowed his eyes. "Who are they?"
The man shook his head. "That I can't tell you. They're too smart to let the underlings like me see them." Inuyasha must have looked a bit skeptical, because the man explained further. "I promise that's the truth. I'm not even trying to protect myself. It's too late for that. My life was forfeit the moment I decided to go to you."
Inuyasha still was not completely convinced, but obviously time was pressing. The man continued after another nervous scan of the area. "This thing that your father stumbled across has the youkai world spinning for its possession. If they gain control of it, it will mean the end of the world as we know it."
"What do you mean end?"
"I mean, it will turn things around so much that human kind will no longer be the dominant ones here. The youkai will take control."
"With all the absurd laws they have in place for youkai and hanyou?" Inuyasha scoffed.
The man shook his head. "The laws will no longer have any effect if this thing is ever put to use. Your father found it, or at least that's what the rumors state. That is why they took the opportunity to kill him that night. Your mother, you and your brother just happened to be there, and they decided to off you all in the process, but something went wrong."
Inuyasha snarled. "Just what went wrong?"
"You and Sesshoumaru survived. Now you are the targets. They watch your every move, they know every step you make and they will do whatever is in their power to kill you two off." The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a bulging manila envelope. "I am taking a huge risk to even bring you this. They intended the destruction of any evidence that stated your father existed. Not that they could do that with all the power he held, but at the very least anything stating what really happened that night."
The human man handed Inuyasha the envelope like it was made of glass and glanced around again. "My life is over as of this moment. We will never meet again, so you and your brother make damn good and certain that these guys don't get their hands on whatever it is your father found. If they do, it means basically another war. Humans and youkai will fight for possession of the world and you being a hanyou must know who the winner of that war would be."
Inuyasha gripped the envelope tightly. "What is in this?" He asked, squinting at the man.
"Everything you need to know, and then some. Watch your backs because these men will not stop in their pursuit of you or anyone who is with you. That goes for Higurashi Kagome, her brother. They know everything there is to know about you, your identities, where you work. They will even go so far as to destroy that new joint you and those lawyers renovated. They know where you live, where you go after school, what classes you have. They even know about that lovely situation in the gymnasium."
Inuyasha blinked stunned. "What? Are you saying we're being watched even right now? You stupid jackass, why out in the open? Why not somewhere hidden?"
"They will not do anything with so many witnesses around, they will wait until you are alone. Once I'm gone, they will follow me and kill me."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Baka! So lose them, or is your life so bloody worthless that you'll go down without a fight?"
The man leaned forward. "Look, I care if I live or die, but I also know the difference between dying and living," the man snapped. "They will kill me by any means necessary. I will give my life gladly to protect my wife and daughter at home from what they have planned. And I will not endanger their lives, by running to them and making them targets. My betrayal is my own, not theirs. I'm warning you, those who are close to you will also be targets. It's up to you whether you wish for them to live, or if you want put their lives at risk."
Inuyasha scowled. "Then I'm warning you and anyone else involved in this that if someone is with me, I will protect them. I don't care who they are. They better watch their backs if they think that me or Sesshoumaru will go down without a fight."
The man grinned weakly. "I sure hope so. I, we're counting on you to keep this thing from the wrong hands. Good luck. As I said, they know your every move, so be careful."
Inuyasha stepped forward to say something more to the human, but before Inuyasha could say a word, a loud crack filled the air and a sticky substance spattered the hanyou. His steps faltered and he turned around slowly. Several people in the square also stopped and stared in the direction the noise had come from and all movement ceased. He blinked, mouth gaping in shock as he watched the man topple to the ground in a heap.
Inuyasha stood there for what seemed like several minutes as everything rushed to him. The man lay dead at his feet and Inuyasha stood there covered in his blood. The human had been shot, in the middle of a public place, with witnesses all around, and he gasped in shock.
"You said they didn't target out in the open, you baka!" Inuyasha raged and spun around quickly, just as several screams filled the area.
Inuyasha frowned darkly, and craned his hearing trying to determine where the gunfire had come from but the screams and sounds of frantic running prevented it. Shaking his head, he raced back to where he had left Kagome and his heart jumped into his throat. There behind her in the shadows, for only an instant, he had seen a flash of something.
As fast as his hanyou body was capable, Inuyasha bolted right for her and grabbed her by the shoulders, just as a large flash of silver sparked against the stonewall where her head had just been. A loud curse, and shuffling was all Inuyasha heard, before he spun around, shoving Kagome behind him.
Had it been a human, the crushing blow from that object would have been missed at the high speed it was descending, but Inuyasha caught the guys wrist in his grip and snarled ferociously. Inuyasha tightened his grip and heard the distinct sound of bones cracking under the pressure, and the large metal pole dropped to the ground with a loud clang.
Kagome gasped in surprise and stepped back against the wall. She had missed everything. Her eyes had been on Inuyasha and the now dead man he had been speaking to, and then he had become a blur of motion. She had felt a firm grip pushing her aside and then shoving her back. Now she stood with her back to a pillar, staring at Inuyasha. An Inuyasha she had never seen before.
The rage that covered his face was so intense, not to mention the fear, she was almost certain he was another being all together. Not hanyou, but something more. Almost full youkai, but not. Kagome shook her head and gaped at the action as the attacker and Inuyasha wrestled.
Inuyasha quivered with rage and balled his fist, sending the blow directly into the man's stomach and knocked him down in an instant. He spun around so quickly, he was all but a blur to Kagome, and she stepped back surprised. The hanyou gripped her by the shoulders quickly.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, his words laced with a deep thick snarl.
Kagome's mouth opened and closed in shock and fear.
"I said are you hurt." He demanded.
Kagome shook her head, and squeaked when she was practically lifted off the ground, flown through the air, and next thing she knew, she was clinging to Inuyasha's back desperately and frantically as he broke into a run.
"Hold onto me!" He growled.
Kagome gasped when Inuyasha increased his speed so much everything around them was a blur. "Inuyasha!" She squealed. "You're using youki!"
"Hai! How else are we supposed to outrun them?" Inuyasha snarled over his shoulder, wincing as Kagome's fingers dug into his shoulders desperately.
"You can't. It's not allowed. The authorities will find out."
"Damn it I know that." Inuyasha snapped, jumped onto a stone fence, and leapt higher until he landed on the roof of a building nearby. "Just shut up for five minutes, so I can get us out of here."
Kagome bit her lip and nodded, burring her face into his long silver hair. She couldn't believe the speed they were traveling, it was so disorientating that her stomach lurched. Somehow she knew Inuyasha was using what youki he possessed to create a speedy motion only known as tunneling, and she gulped as he jumped off one roof to another with a loud thump. She was surprised that the sudden jumps and landings didn't affect her; in fact, she felt his arms tighten under her, as though he was supporting her weight and absorbing the shock waves he was creating with his movements.
She gulped and shuddered as Inuyasha leapt into the air again and landed on the ground below causing such a violent tremor, she felt it even though he was trying to absorb it all. Kagome gasped as the cement under his feet cracked and lifted from the landing and she peered at his face, feeling a sudden thrill of excitement at the speed. Almost immediately after the landing, Inuyasha raced down the sidewalk and headed down some black ally, and sped around a corner too fast for her to keep up with. Soon, Kagome had gotten lost, even though she knew downtown Tokyo fairly well, seeing as her mother took her down here every chance they got.
"Where are we going?" Kagome squealed surprised as Inuyasha rounded yet another corner; took a jump over a brick wall and ran down another ally.
"Somewhere safe. How you doing back there?" He asked arrogantly.
"Uhh-" Kagome almost bit her tongue as Inuyasha crouched and sprung into the air, and she swore she left her stomach on the ground below. "Fine…" She whispered weakly.
Inuyasha snorted and landed on the roof of this building and broke out immediately to his left so suddenly it left Kagome believing that other parts of her anatomy were being left behind. "Just hold tight, we're almost there." He laughed joyously.
"I can't…" She squealed loudly as he took another sharp turn, "believe you're-laughing."
Inuyasha grinned widely and slowed his speed slightly. "I think we are far enough away."
Kagome gasped in relief and rested her forehead against his shoulder. "You will get in so much trouble using your youki."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Stupid, youkai use their power all the time."
"Yeah, with permits, if you don't have one the consequences are unbelievable." Kagome chastised him.
"Feh, only if you're caught." Inuyasha slowed down even more as he slipped through an old broken wooden fence.
"They have youkai working in the force you know, they can track these things." Kagome shook her head while her forehead still rested on his shoulder. Her heart was still pounding madly in her chest and her breathing was making it difficult to talk straight.
"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted and finally stopped moving. He tightened his grip on her though, just to make sure she was within the right mind to gain her feet. "Think you can stand?" he whispered, lowering himself to one knee.
Kagome gulped and nodded. She planted both feet on the ground and her knees wobbled slightly, before she felt two strong hands gripping her shoulders tightly.
"Baka." Inuyasha whispered. "Don't think about standing, so much as just letting your body adjust."
Kagome swallowed and nodded, closing her eyes tightly to regain her bearings. "You're fast." She whispered, and finally opened her eyes to stare at him.
Inuyasha winked at her. "Think that's fast? You should try with Sesshoumaru sometime. Not sure how fast he is, but he leaves a trail of his youki behind when he moves. You actually see several images of him as he moves, and the real self practically vanishes."
Kagome's mouth dropped open in a wide oh, and her eyes blinked. "That sounds like a flash step. That was used mainly in the feudal era for protection." She whispered.
Inuyasha shrugged. "Come on, it's in here." He waved to the old shack silently. "I've got a few calls to make, and I don't want to be interrupted when I look over this stuff that guy gave me."
Kagome rubbed her arms and nodded. "I can't believe he's dead."
Inuyasha scowled as he guided her into the tattered shack and he sat down against the wall and pulled out the envelope silently. "Have a seat. I want to go through this before I call anyone to come get us."
Kagome knelt beside him and nodded, still rubbing her arms. "You don't think they will find us here, will they?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "No, but we're not taking any chances. Just stay quiet."
Kagome nodded and glanced around the shabby old shack before she whispered. "How long are we going to stay here?"
Inuyasha furrowed his brows and shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak when his phone suddenly blared loudly in the silence, which caused Kagome to jump and shriek. The hanyou glared at the girl as her hands flew to her mouth to hold in her whimpers of fright.
"Yeah?" Inuyasha asked, after he flipped his phone open.
"Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha winced at the very familiar voice on the other end. "Hai." He grit his teeth and gulped.
"Where the hell are you? I've been home for over an hour, did you happen to forget that you have a restaurant to run?" Sesshoumaru asked, a slight edge to his voice.
Inuyasha cursed his ill luck, of course it would be now of all times for his brother to call him. "Uhh, I had to get some things. I got them, but it was rather uhh difficult." He sighed lamely.
"Uh huh." Sesshoumaru's disbelieving voice uttered quietly.
"I'll uhh be home soon. I got some stuff for you to look over. I think you might be interested in what I found." Inuyasha quickly added, hoping that would get his brothers interest. He was about to add more when a loud crash outside the shack sent his hair rising on the back of his neck. "Oh Shit!" He yelped, and grabbed Kagome with his free hand to roll them away from the wall. The wall crashed inward and Kagome shrieked loudly. "I'll call you back Sess."
"What the hell was that?" Sesshoumaru demanded.
"Oh nothing." Inuyasha panicked and pulled Kagome along with her. "Just clumsy me knocking down a trash can!"
Kagome glared at Inuyasha, and almost lost her lunch when she was lifted and hefted onto his back effortlessly.
"Trash can my ass. What is going on?" Sesshoumaru growled.
"I'll call you back in a minute." Inuyasha snarled into the phone. "Let me clean up this mess." He flipped the phone closed and broke into a full out run, and he winced when he felt Kagome's fingers dig into his shoulders. "Mind the nails, baka!"
Kagome glared at the back of Inuyasha's head as he once again flared his youki and broke out into tunneling. Everything became a blur, and he leapt over obstacles as though they were nothing but pole vault jumps. She couldn't believe it. Kagome thought about it some, if Inuyasha really wanted to, he would be able to take on any of the jocks at school without batting an eye. If he wanted to join the track team, he could out do anyone there with just a simple smirk. Suddenly, she realized something, Inuyasha held himself back so much that his powers were still dormant. If he released his powers, he would be a force that could very well be unstoppable.
Was this due to his youkai blood, or his human blood? Kagome wasn't sure, but there was something within this hanyou that set him apart from other hanyou she had ever met. His determination to protect even those he didn't know, but more importantly those who he knew and in his own deranged way, cared for, was in Kagome's mind, outstanding.
She shook her head, buried her face into his long silver hair, and smiled. She felt a slight shiver flow through him as he jumped over yet another obstacle and he threw a startled look over his shoulder, as she relaxed in his supporting arms. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha landed, the ordeal of all that had happened being forgotten in the excitement and he skidded to a halt upon hearing her amusement.
"Oie! What are you laughing at?" Inuyasha demanded, breathing heavily.
Kagome shook her head in his hair and took a deep breath. If she didn't know any better, he smelt of fresh spring air and fresh cut wood. She lifted her head and peered into his golden eyes with a large smile. "Nothing, go." She breathed.
Inuyasha's brows furrowed and he shook his head. "Stupid human emotions." He growled, and broke into a run again. He was extremely surprised when she yelped for joy, and he cast another glance at her.
"Faster, Inuyasha. You could probably beat the monorail at this speed." Kagome said excitedly.
"Keh! Weren't you the one who told me not to use my youki?" Inuyasha snarled, amused at her happiness.
Kagome lifted her mouth to his ear and whispered. "Hai, but I feel so free."
His ear twitched as her breath touched it and he planted it firmly into his hair with a soft growl. "Oie, stop that!"
It didn't take them long to reach the apartments and houses that stood on the outskirts of Tokyo, and Inuyasha smirked when he saw a large field. They only had maybe ten more blocks to go until they reached his street, and he was not about to stop and admire the sights. With more energy at being so close to home, Inuyasha was about to release his youki again when his phone rang.
Inuyasha shot Kagome a quick look and fumbled for his phone, while keeping his arms around Kagome. Somehow he managed to keep her on his back and answer his phone, and he put it to his ear.
"Hai?"
A deep snarl filled his ear and he flinched. "Inuyasha?"
"Hai, I'm almost home." He gulped. "I got something for you to read. Stay put."
"What happened?" Sesshoumaru asked him.
"I'll tell you when I get there." Inuyasha snapped. "Sess, do me a favor?"
Inuyasha could almost hear the wheels spinning in his brother's head.
"Look outside and tell me if you see a black car."
"What for?"
"Please, humor me." Inuyasha shook his head, trying to keep his voice even.
He heard shuffling and the distinct sound of the bamboo shades lifting. "Iie, nothing is out there."
"Arigato. I'll be home in about ten minutes. Maybe less." Inuyasha flipped his phone shut and dashed across the field, hoping to cut his time in half. His lungs were starting to burn a little from his exertion, and a thin layer of sweat lifted to his skin. He knew he had over done his endurance and he shook his head to clear it from the weariness. "Almost there."
Kagome nodded into his shoulder, and bit her lip. The whole meeting came back to her in a rush. Once they had stopped, and her mind was allowed to clear, she felt the familiar twinge of fear rise in her stomach. "Are you taking me home?" She whispered.
"Not yet. Let me meet up with Sesshoumaru first, and then I'll take you home." Inuyasha stated simply. "I want to make sure nothing is lurking around your place."
Kagome smiled and nodded again. "Okay."
Before long they reached his street and he lowered her to her feet. "Can you stand?" Inuyasha asked, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
Kagome nodded and took a gingerly step before flashing him a large grin. "Yeah." She grabbed his hand and tugged him along. "Come on."
Inuyasha stared down at their clasped hands for a moment, before he tightened his hold and he followed, somewhat confused, but satisfied they were alive and well. They walked up the pathway and opened the door to his home and Inuyasha released their hands.
"Sess?" Inuyasha inquired.
Immediately Sesshoumaru was in the hall and was glaring at him. "Just what in hell do you think you were…" He broke off upon seeing Kagome wave and smile at him. "Higurashi Kagome." Sesshoumaru nodded in greeting before sending another spine shattering glare at his brother.
"Here." Inuyasha pulled the envelope out of the front of his shirt and handed it to his brother. "You know this morning I had gone to the death records place to find anything on father and mother."
Sesshoumaru took the envelope and waved them into the living room.
"I found absolutely nothing." Inuyasha started, and ignored the shocked look from his brother. "There were no papers, incident reports, police records, death statements. Nothing. Last night when Kagome and I were at the library, this guy called my cell and told me to meet him. He said he had something important, and I was not sure if I should go or not. I made my decision when I found nothing at the records building." He tried to explain.
"So you foolishly placed yourself and Kagome in danger, and went to meet this guy?" Sesshoumaru snarled, opening the envelope.
Inuyasha nodded.
"So that would explain the blood splattered on your shirt and in your hair…how?" Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose and pulled out the papers inside.
"It doesn't. He gave me the envelope, told me that inside was information these guys were willing to kill over and told me that we need to keep something that father found away from them."
"What father found?" Sesshoumaru repeated and placed the stapled paper in his lap.
"He didn't go into detail on that exactly. He was shot right in front of me." Inuyasha sighed.
Sesshoumaru twitched and his mouth opened slightly. His fingers placed with the corner of the paper and he lowered his eyes to the script written on it. "You are not injured then?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "No, but I had to use my youki to get us out of there. I mean if I just ran normally, the bullets would have found us." He waved to Kagome and himself. "I wasn't sure if they would shoot at us, so instead of finding out, I ran."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "I see. Sit." For several minutes, nothing was said or heard as Sesshoumaru rifled through the papers. A soft gasp filled the air when Sesshoumaru read through something written and Inuyasha leaned forward anxiously.
"What? What is it?"
"Shush!" Sesshoumaru snarled, as he kept reading.
Inuyasha began to grow rather impatient as his brother rifled through the stack of papers on his lap. "Oie, hurry up will you. I haven't even read it yet." Inuyasha griped.
Sesshoumaru shot his brother a glare and held the paper up in his fist. "Do you have any idea what this is?" He growled angrily.
Inuyasha blinked. "No. I took it and came here remember? Or did you happen to forget that little detail?"
Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered between gold and red for a moment, which caused Inuyasha a tiny bit of worry.
"Will you just tell us what it is?"
"Everything! Everything we need to figure out what is going on and then some, Inuyasha! It even mentions what it is these guys though father had found. Baka!" He raged, and stood up throwing the papers into Inuyasha's face. "Read it, and memorize it, fool. Perhaps then you will realize just what it is we are caught up in and the seriousness of it." Without another word, Sesshoumaru stormed out of the room.