I do not, nor will I ever, own Shugo Chara! and InuYasha and its affiliates.
KANA-CHAN LIVESSSSS! :D IT'S A MIRACLEEEE!
I am SOSOSOSOSOSOSOOOOO sorry for the entirely long wait. I got a lot going on, and a serious case of writers' block. I'll try to update it as fast as I can, but I can't gurantee a quick update. Thank you so much for being so patient with me and following my story. It means a lot. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Ikuto stood in the same spot, unmoving, his azure eyes narrowed suspiciously at the woman in front of him. Just what the hell was going on here? She hadn't seemed to notice he was standing there, but Ikuto decided to make his presence known.
"Mr. Director," Ikuto began, his stoic voice masking his curiosity perfectly, "who is this?"
Rin jumped at the sound of his voice and turned fearfully towards the younger boy. Even from looking at her, one could tell there was a mantra going on in her head: Shit, shit, shit. Something seemed to click in Ikuto's mind. Judging from her panicking eyes, Rin was obviously frightened of him being here. Something was fishy, and Ikuto was an expert at finding anything fishy.
Hoshina raised a thinning eyebrow at his employee. "Her? This is Risa Higurashi. She's new. Just applied a few weeks ago."
Risa Higurashi? Ikuto had clearly seen the woman on his way out the door with Kagome. His eyes weren't mistaken. This was Rin Taisho. Why had she applied under Kagome's surname? Ikuto bored his eyes into Rin's brown ones and found the scared look was completely covered. Now they were pleading for him to keep his mouth shut.
Smirking, Ikuto stuck his hand out for her to shake. "Pleased to meet you," he purred, cobalt eyes ordering her to play along if she wanted her secret to be safe. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto."
The woman shot him a surprised glance that instantly melted into relief. The relieved gaze was quickly covered with a mischievous glint. "Nice to meet you, Tsukiyomi-san. Very nice." She gave him a sultry smirk to accompany the seductive stare.
Damn, she was a pretty good actress, Ikuto concluded.
Kazuomi Hoshina looked between his step-son and his new assistant and looked somewhat annoyed to see the two getting along so well. If Ikuto slept with Risa-san, he'd have to fire her. He was the main reasons why none of Kazuomi's assistants ever stayed long. "Well, I see you two are getting along well," the director commented stiffly. "You two are dismissed."
As soon as the sentence left his mouth, Rin whisked Ikuto out of the room and up to the roof. Once they got there, she turned to face him and pointed a finger at Ikuto's slightly disoriented face. "I know you! You're the one who took Kagome-sama's innocence!"
Again with the virginity comments. Said innocence-stealer scowled, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "Kagome and I didn't do anything."
"You two are on a first name basis? You two must be clo—" Rin was cut off when Ikuto gripped her shoulders and pressed her against the wall. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"
Taking his arms off her shoulders and resting them on the wall beside Rin, Ikuto stared intensely into Rin's chocolate orbs.
The girl squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. "What?"
"Why are you here?"
"Pinned to a wall? I think that's something only you can answer."
"You know what I mean." His glare intensified, demanding she tell him everything at the very moment.
Under his orders, Rin had no choice but to comply. "I'm here undercover, alright? Otou-san heard about this Easter organization being involved with the entire Embryo business and sent me to be close to the head. You know—keep an eye on things, feed them false information, and tell the real info to Kagome-sama?"
Ikuto nodded slowly, processing the information. He had to admit, the idea was genius. Gozen was such a dickhead he'd never suspect that his prestige company had been infiltrated by an opposing party who wanted the Embryo for themselves. Hah! That secretary and security guard were constantly sneaking off to screw each other. The security at Easter sucked ass. He urged Rin to keep talking.
"So far, I've barely found out anything. All I know is that Hoshina thinks the Embryo always shows up when X-eggs are purified. That's why he's going out of his way with all of the 'bringing-out-all-the-x-eggs' crap."
"Any other information that none of us already knew?"
"I've only been here several weeks. I don't know mu—" Rin stopped abruptly and twitched her ear, eyes flickering to the door. "Hoshina," she muttered. Turning her gaze back to Ikuto, she shoved him off of her and onto the ground. "So, Ikuto-kun, you play the violin? That's so amazing!" Her tone had gone from intense and businesslike to childish and awed in a mere second. Rin glared at him, demanding he play along.
Ikuto complied. "Hai, I play. Started when I was young. Otou-san taught me."
"Sugoi! You must have incredible skill! Will you play for me?"
"No."
"Please? Why won't you?" Rin prodded, her eyes flickering quickly to the door. Hoshina was still watching. She nodded inconspicuously, and Ikuto imitated her, signifying he knew.
Sighing and rolling his eyes, Ikuto relented and proceeded to remove his violin and bow from the case. He gently lifted the violin and cradled it between his shoulder and cheek and smoothly picking up his bow and deftly getting his fingers into a proper bow grip. Lifting the bow and placing it on the strings, Ikuto briefly thought of a simple melody and began playing.
The brunette before him was awed. She recognized the melody—it was a simple child lullaby—but was surprised at how elegant his playing could make it sound. Her eyelids fluttered shut over her chocolate orbs, and she allowed the music to engulf her.
Behind the door, footsteps could be heard, growing fainter. Finally, they were all drowned out by the music and the facades of the couple dropped.
Ikuto smirked and looked at Rin. She liked his music. Perhaps this would allow him to get more answers later.
But until then, Ikuto decided he would just play—he found it was rather soothing.
Damn, Amu. Why do you gotta be so nosy? Kagome silently groused, not pleased with being forced to reveal her mission. Even if it was a vague, almost useless description, her friend could be put into danger. As she and Yoru left the school boundaries, Kagome saw Yoru's ears twitch.
"Ikuto's playing…" Yoru trailed off, staring longingly towards his left.
Turning to the direction he was looking at but heard nothing. "Playing? You mean his violin?" Strange. Ikuto had said he was going to Easter, but the miko knew the building was at least several dozen kilometers away from Seiyou. How was he able to hear from such a far distance?
"Nya," the chara confirmed. "He doesn't play often. Man, I wish I could hear him, nya."
"If you can tell he's playing, can't you hear him?"
Yoru shook his head no. "I don't know how it happens, nya. But that violin of Ikuto's has some weird thing about it. Like it's magical or something. It attracts charas and eggs. Nya, it kinda freaks me out," he contemplated, lightly grasping his chin with his paw.
How… strange. Ikuto had already briefed them on everything. Like how the Embryo was always drawn out when X-eggs were purified. But if Ikuto's violin had this special power, maybe they could use it to their advantage…
"Purification," Kagome murmured. "Maybe I can fuse my miko power—and maybe even the Shikon no Tama—with it and it might draw in the Embryo…"
"Don't even try"—Yoru's voice cut in—"because Director's already made a bunch of attempts to use the violin in the past. Nya, believe me; it's not going to work," he advised.
"It can, and it will. We have to tell Ikuto," Kagome decided, putting her fist into her open palm. "I think it'll work!"
Sighing, Yoru told her, "He's at Easter right now. Probably on the roof or something."
"Great! I'll stop by the building on my way home," was all she said as she dashed off to Easter.
The chara let out a breath of exasperation before following her. "But Kagome… home's the other direction…"
For twenty minutes, Kagome sprinted to Easter. Despite her intense training during the Feudal Era, a twenty-minute sprint drained her energy. When she reached the base of the steps, Kagome propped her hands on her knees and rested for a few moments. After a few minutes, she stood up and strained her ears. She heard it! Ikuto's violin! But how would she get up to the roof?
Yoru cackled, sticking his tongue out at her playfully before flying up to the roof ahead of her. Damn chara.
The miko shrugged and decided to wing it. If worst came to worst, she'd say she was looking for her parent.
Exhaling sharply, she wiped the few drops of sweat on her brow with her sleeve before marching up the stairs. The minute Kagome walked in the door, she heard a loud squeal.
"Oh, my, gosh, aren't you adorable?!" a woman gushed, rushing up to her. "Are you lost, sweetie? Looking for your mom or dad?"
How old did the lady think she was? Seven? Sure, Kagome was short for the age she was supposed to be, but she couldn't look that puny!
When an idea struck her, the mischievous miko mentally smirked. Kagome wiped her eyes and let out a pitiful sniff. "Oba-san, can you help me find my onii-tan? Please?" Kagome looked up at the woman, giving her the cutest puppy dog look she could muster. Her mental smirk grew with satisfaction when saw the woman nearly melt before her.
Offering Kagome a gentle, maternal smile, the woman asked, "Of course, darling. What's his name?"
"Tsukiyomi Ikuto."
The woman froze, immediately tensing. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto?" she repeated warily. "A-are you sure that's him, sweetheart?"
Kagome nodded, tilting her head to the side.
Slowly, the woman took her hand and brought her to the elevator. "He's probably up on the roof. I think Ikuto-kun just finished his shift. I'll go with you, just in case."
Crap. This was why she hated it when people hovered. "I'm fine, Oba-san. You don't need to go with me."
"Oh, but I do." There was a kind of fiery determination in the lady's eyes that made Kagome give up on persuading her. The teenager sighed and stepped in the elevator, her hand still in the woman's.
After a short wait, Kagome and the woman stepped out of the elevator, only to see Ikuto setting his violin in his case and Rin sitting against the wall. I guess Sesshomaru already sent Rin undercover. I wonder how she's doing.
"Is this him?" the woman queried with a concerned look in her eyes.
Kagome nodded happily, another idea popping into her mind. (Man, her brain was on a roll!) "Ikuto-onii-tan!" she exclaimed, running up to him and hugging him. "I missed you!"
Her "onii-tan" seemed slightly bewildered at first before catching a glimpse of the woman watching them. He played along flawlessly. "Kagome-chan, why are you here? I thought I told you to wait at school."
"But I was waiting so long! I wanted to get home!"
The woman walked up to them. "Home? You two live together?"
Ikuto nodded. "Her parents died, so I decided to take her in."
"Honey, does this boy do anything to you?" The woman's tawny eyes had a worried look.
Kagome let out a giggle. "Onii-tan is very nice! He lets me take baths with him, and we play games like looking for the snake that goes 'squish squish!' It's really fun!" She grasped Ikuto's long fingers affectionately and beamed innocently up at the woman.
The woman gaped at them for several seconds. Soon, she snapped out of her appalled state and slapped Ikuto before walking away hurriedly. "That horrible pervert, molesting an innocent little girl like that!" she muttered under her breath as she walked away.
Once the woman left the roof and her footsteps were no longer heard, Kagome let go of Ikuto's hand and burst into laughter. Rin chimed in, her loud guffaws resonating throughout the roof.
Ikuto's eyes narrowed into a glare. "You know, that slap hurt, you little brat. You owe me."
The miko shrugged. "I can make it up to you by telling you how we're gonna find the Embryo."
Her friends immediately perked up. Dashing over from her spot against the wall, Rin demanded how to know, her expression somber.
Kagome beamed at the two of them and proudly informed them of her idea. When she was done, Rin's face was elated.
"Amazing, Kagome-sama! We finally found a solution! Do you know if it'll work? We gotta get rid of the boss. Sweet baby Jesus, that man needs to take that icicle out of his ass," Rin chirped, her American slang drawing a couple of chuckles from Kagome.
A grunt was heard. "I don't know if it will," Ikuto murmured. "I bet if you expose my violin to different substances, it'll have a reaction. X-eggs, the jewel, nuclear radiation"—Ikuto shrugged—"none will have an effect with the Embryo."
"How do you know?" Kagome objected. "How do you know unless we try? Don't you want to be free? Save your sister, destroy the jewel, and leave your father destitute?"
"I want to. You have no idea how strongly I wish I could have all of that. But the effort could kill us. We have to wait to try it out, see if Easter develops anything else that would ruin our plans."
Suddenly, a deep chuckle reached their ears. "Well, well, Ikuto-kun. I see you have more connections than I thought. You're friends with Taisho Sesshomaru's surrogate sister. Impressive," he acknowledged snidely.
Ikuto's tan face suddenly went pale. "Shit," he whispered breathily.
Rin whipped her head around to look at the voice, and she too went ashen. "B-boss…"
Hoshina chuckled. "I heard about Ikuto-kun having an affair with a child. I guess this cute little thing is it. But she doesn't seem quite as young as she looks."
The miko glared at the man, his aura nauseating her. She let out a flare of energy, deflecting the corrupted aura. "Stay away from us," Kagome threatened lowly, giving a fierce snarl.
Smirking, Hoshina continued to advance, his arms outstretched. "I don't think so, little girl." In one quick motion, he pulled a dart out of his jacket pocket and gathered Kagome in his arms, sticking the dart in her neck. Kagome collapsed in his arms. "If you want the girl to live, go home. This girl is mine."
Rin was beyond furious. "Let Kagome-sama go! She has nothing to do with you!"
"You, Higurashi-san"—Hoshina turned to his disloyal employee—"can consider yourself fired. Now leave." He turned his back to them and walked away, Kagome slumped in his arms.
Ikuto slammed his fist against the wall, vowing to help Kagome. "Fucking asshole," the teenage boy hissed, a snarl eliciting from his throat. He decided to call for Yoru, knowing he was supposed to be with Kagome.
The small chara emerged timidly from behind a small bucket. "I-is Kagome gonna be okay, nya?"
"Of course." This was beyond horrible. Rin was in a teary, furious heap near the edge of the roof, and Ikuto was too angry to think clearly. He'd have to find someone to help him.
"Yoru, chara change," Ikuto ordered. His chara sighed and obeyed, making Ikuto's signature cat ears and tails appear. Dashing over to Rin, he gathered her up in his arms and jumped off the roof, calmly floating from building to building with a struggling Rin in his arms. (Shrieks of "YOU LITTLE DIPSHIT!" could be heard throughout the city, but no one knew where it was coming from.)
It was time for a meeting with both forces.
*sigh* Once again, I'm soooo sorry for the extremely long wait. I hope this sufficed.
I know I probably don't deserve it, but feedback appreciated.