A/N: First - thank you all so much for your sweet comments! I'm so glad this story makes other people giggle.
Second - I know I'm kinda slow with updates of my other stories - I'm getting to work on Adorable Curse and hopefully will have something else to update/post soon.
Third - It's highly possible I'll do a sequel about the Inu Fight Club (don't know what it is? Check out Barks Chapter 59: The Club. Origins) because I have an idea for a plot.
6. Innocent Inquiries
Hojo sighed in sadness. Higurashi was sick again - the boy haven't seen her for past three days. It seemed she had to go to a specialist in a city to the North. It was depressing to see Higurashi's seat empty again - and here she had been looking so healthy lately!
From what he had gathered that Inuyasha boy was accompanying her to make sure she was safe. In Hojo's opinion a boy slightly older than them and with his character was the last person one should entrust their sick child. But yet, from what Higurashi's friends had told him before the school today, Inuyasha had been taking care of Higurashi many times already, replacing her mother and letting Mrs. Higurashi take care of the rest of the family.
It would be really noble of the boy, but Hojo had his doubts.
He was almost sure Inuyasha was taking advantage of the kindness of the shrine keepers. From what he knew already Inuyasha was living with them while visiting Tokyo, it was probably the safest place to stay for a guy like him - no police men would suspect a gangster hiding in a shrine.
Hojo knew he couldn't wait any longer. When the lessons were over he left the school and went a different way than usual, the path which was leading to the stone steps of the Shrine. He was walking alone. The school boy looked down at the shorter boy, who smiled up at him.
"Hi, Hojo," said Souta. "You're headed to see sis? She's out of town," the boy said with a polite bow to the older one. Hojo smiled at the brother of his crush.
"I know," he nodded. "I have a thing to talk about to your mother..."
"Cool! We can go home together!" Souta exclaimed. At first Hojo wanted to say he had something else to take care of first, but then he thought it could be a divine intervention. Souta could know something...
"Oh, yes," the older boy said. "Higurashi is visiting a doctor, right? With Inuyasha?"
"Oh, yeah!" Souta nodded eagerly. "He's always making sure sis is safe."
"This is a relief," Hojo said slowly. "I met Inuyasha the last time he was in Tokyo and I must say I'm surprised your mother is fine with making him responsible for Higurashi's well-being," he added, observing Souta's innocent, open face. The boy giggled, his eyes sparkling.
"I'm sure sis can tame Big Dog Brother with one sit command!" the boy snickered. "And I'm sure he can keep her safe no matter what. Big Dog Brother's fast and strong, cunning... Even if he usually acts silly. And he totally loves sis and follows her like a lost puppy!"
'What's with all those dog references?' Hojo thought, imagining the Higurashi family playing a game where they were coming up with all possible dog-related puns because of Inuyasha's name. He wondered if the boy ever got annoyed about that - he obviously didn't like Higurashi calling him 'koinu'.
"Um..." Hojo looked ahead for a moment. "So... How did he come to be Higurashi's friend? Where is he from?"
To his amazement Souta knew the answers and was more than happy to share his knowledge about his Big Dog Brother with Kagome's friend. Hojo felt a little guilty asking the unsuspecting boy about the gang member. He had to make sure never to let anyone know who his informer was - maybe Inuyasha'd try to harm the boy for spilling his secrets?
"Sis met Big Dog Brother when she was running from a monster lady. Big Brother kicked that lady's butt for attacking sis and since then he's keeping sis safe. From what I know Big Dog Brother's from the neighborhood of the Shrine, he actually lived in the forest growing on the Shrine grounds," the boy reached the stone steps first and started to climb them with ease Hojo envied. "Since they're on a hero mission to gather jewel shards they're traveling a lot across the whole country."
"He lived in the fores? Like a homeless bum?" Hojo asked incredulously, following Souta up. The younger boy nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! His brother rules in the West but Big Dog Brother didn't inherit anything from his parents, beside the Tessaiga and his red kimono, so he had to fend for himself since he was a kid. He knows how to camp in the wild, how to find water, make fire, hunt, everything!"
Souta went on, telling Hojo about Inuyasha promising to take him camping as a birthday gift, but Hojo did't listen to him anymore. He was more focused on sorting all the information Souta provided so eagerly.
Inuyasha's brother was ruling... Should he understand this as Inuyasha's brother being a wealthy businessman or a higher member of the underground society?
Higurashi's sicknesses had started around the same time Inuyasha had entered her life with a violent act of beating up a woman - probably pretty ugly one, to be called a 'monster lady'. Maybe it had been some old, wrinkled lady?
Before Hojo's mind eye the white-haired boy not only hit the old woman, he also robbed her. This vision was the result of him focusing on the 'gathering the jewel shards'. It seemed the boy was misled to think that pocket picking was a heroic mission to save the world. It made sense - after all Inuyasha seemed to be a street kid, stealing money and jewelry would be his way of providing for himself.
And he was trotting, not mentioning trespassing on a private grounds.
As Hojo was reaching the Higurashi house the list of Inuyasha's crimes grew longer and longer when the boy was decoding every bit of information from Souta. The younger boy was already running to open the door, calling to his family that he was home.
Hojo looked at the house and the great tree growing nearby. He thought about Mrs. Higurashi and her kindness, old Mr. Higurashi with his vast knowledge about the past, the innocent boy worshiping his hero and the girl he loved, who was in real danger from the boy she was calling 'koinu'.
How could such a bad, vile demon make his den in the house of the kindest, most innocent and good-hearted family?
A/N: The best part imho is that Souta told Hojo everything he knew. And I really enjoy Hojo's cluelessness about Kagome being a total badass and seeing her as a meek girl.
Next chapter Hojo faces Mr.s Higurashi. Guess what's going to happen? Will Hojo make the coolest mom ever start doubting Inuyasha? Will he make her forbid Kagome from seeing the hanyou? Will the web of lies be torn to pieces?