Happy reading, my friends.
-Oh Jiru-
AN: Despite the few typos, I feel like the first chapter turned out like I wanted it. Thank you to ninjamidori for your excitement!
And to answer some questions; Yes, they are all humans in this story. I chose this because I felt that it was more tangible to think of them as everyday people going through these struggles.
I appreciate all of the enthusiasm thus far. I cherish your feedback so much!
To my readers and reviewers!
A side note, I lost my great grandfather in early 2010 and Totosai is special to me, because he is familiar to me. Sometimes, you have to throw in people you've known to have something feel whole.
Secrets Within the Keyhole.
Some doors were never made to be opened.
A wayward boy, bedraggled by the weather, is taken in by an elderly couple. The story they told him will leave him setting out to find what they lost. What he will change his life forever. M for violence, sexual situations, and adult material.
Chapter Two:
Rebuilt.
Time had been much friendlier since that first night. All of the strange surroundings had faded somewhat, leaving behind the feeling of structure and home.
It was a new smothering feeling that InuYasha basked in, and still hadn't understood. The moment he laid hs head down on his pillow, in his new bed, he felt a serenity fill him to the brim.
It had swiftly lulled him to an oblivious state of being as his hands curled around the edges of his blankets.
He was like a lost child. He had found his Neverland and happily rested.
Kaede had peeked in the door to find him snoring, drooling upon the pillows. A smile had crept upon her mouth, "Oh, what an innocent face." She murmured, shaking her head in content. Her good deads seemed to please the very bottom of her heart.
Satisfaction beseiged the old woman, as she hummed a sailor's tune on her way to bed. If Kagome returned, her home would have been in its glory days. The laughter and happiness, which had been exchanged for such blind sorrow, would be restored and the last of her days could be spent in peace.
The floor creaked beneath her feet as she flipped off the last light in the hall, leaving the building hanging in darkness.
Two weeks had passed since that first night. It felt like a blink of an eye.
When the new morning pierced the white draperies hanging along the windows, it fell on InuYasha, rousing him from his comfortable sleep. Parting his dark eyes, he rubbed away the sleep that daunted the edges of his lashes.
As he did every morning, he laid still, listening to the low murmurs from his television. He figured out on the first night that he couldn't sleep without hearing noise. It had been a comfort he had picked up sleeping on the trains.
The screeching wheels burned against the tracks, jerking and clacking amongst the talking, leaving him dull and tired. The television had done the same thing, lulling him into a deep slumber.
Save, this time, he could sleep as long as he wanted. The bed he took as his own was soft, welcoming like an embrace. He cuddled with a pillow that he placed between his knees, as he looked towards a small, round clock on his nightstand.
Totosai had almost gotten the backside of the inn rebuilt with his help. It wasn't in too terrible of shape, but it was too difficult for the man to accomplish on his own.
It was a little before 9 A.M. when he realized he had slept in a little later than he had anticipated, seeing as how the old man rose before the dawn. InuYasha figured it was in their biological clock to be up before the sun and in bed before the moon.
Kaede always woke him up as she shuffled about, clanking her cane across the wooden floor. He would never complain as they had taken him in so kindly. One thing that the man had learned to do, was appreciate the smiling woman looking over him.
It was like he had fallen in love with an image of Kagome. She was something special to him. Perhaps, had she been here, things would have been different. However, for the time being, he just enjoyed waking up to the photograph.
As he grumbled, fair near rolling off the bed, he plastered his wobbly feet upon the ground. His hands grabbed to the nightstand, skidding it loudly across the floor. It was seldom that he felt so clumsy, but he admitted that he had the fault.
Groggily, InuYasha zipped across his new room to the wardrobe. He pulled out a new shirt Kaede had bought for him and a pair of jeans. That old couple sure took care of him. Part of him was still in shock when he woke up there.
It almost felt like he was a kid again, living with his parents. Every morning, he was grateful to have food and a roof protecting him from the inclement weather brewing outside.
These feelings were so new that he didn't quite know how to grasp them. Yes, they were very real, tangible and the like. It was just so foreign after he had lost his way of life.
Most of the time he kept to himself, talking to the picture in his room, or walking around the town. This particular morning, Totosai needed him to run errands and buy more supplies for the unfinished work on the side of the inn.
Kaede gave him her son-in-law's old winter coat. He'd worn it proudly after the war when he could make a purchase. He had been in his late teens, whereas InuYasha's late twenties loomed over him.
Pulling the red coat over his body, he buttoned it to the collar and headed out of his sanctuary.
Kaede was waiting for him at the table with an omelet and some rice. She was dressed in her nicest kimono, which was littered with chrysanthemums and other pale flowers. She'd worn it on each Sunday since he had been there.
InuYasha's cheeks raised, "Morning Kaede-baba." He teased, taking a seat next to her.
"I heard you stumbling about so I decided to go ahead and make you something to eat." Kaede said, grabbing a brush she left on the counter. Her old bones didn't bother resting back in her seat. Instead, she adjusted herself, standing behind the boy.
Her old hands gently grabbed his gray hair and brushed out the kinks his pillow had caused. He knew it was something she had always done for Kagome, and let her do it to appease her weary soul.
And, secretly, he loved having her do it. The day he mentioned cleaning up his appearance, Kaede had gotten a little huffy over his hair, saying how well the length suited him.
"Where's Totosai, Baba?" He garbled, stuffing his mouth full of food, bringing his attention back to the present.
Kaede tilted her head and inhaled as deeply as her creaking lungs would allow. She smacked her lips accidentally and looked out the window, seeing the sun peer lazily through the large window.
InuYasha turned his head, looking up at her when he saw tears filling in her eyes. It looked strange to him. The loose, wrinkled creases seemed to catch the moisture in pools.
"Are you alright, Kaede?" The man's brows furrowed as he stood up. His voice was curious, perturbed by the frality that washed over the nuturing woman.
Kaede attempted to compose herself and pressed a smile upon her face. The facade was hollow, just as a hole in a tree trunk. "It's nothing, my dear. Sit down at eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I didn't make it for the alley cat."
Her hands flung in front of her as she shooed him back to his seat. He eyed her for a moment, concern written all over his face. "If I eat will you tell me what's wrong?"
Kaede turned from the refrigerator to acknowledge him. Her rigid skin rubbed the tears from her sagging cheeks and running nose. The bottom lip quivering on her face, she gasped and pulled a hankerchief from her sleeve. "Kagome's been gone a year today."
Her voice was raw, full of an unexplicable amount of emotion.
"Papa went out to the shop she worked at to visit." She said shakily.
InuYasha's heart pulled. His hands coiled on either side of his plate. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but what happened to her?" He said in nothing more than a whisper.
Kaede looked over his dejected face and motioned for him to come in the kitchen. "Come on, son, come sit with me while I clean up this mess."
InuYasha did as he was told. His near empty plate and wares were placed in the sink along with the cooking pans. He naturally rolled up his sleeves and turned on the water. Kaede pulled up her back-sided stool and slowly plopped down.
Together, they washed and dried the dishes in silence before the woman sighed. It was as if she was mustering the strength to bring up those foul memories from where they were stored.
"It makes it harder because January 7th, today, is her birthday." Kaede said, scrubbing the pan with a Brillo pad. "She's just turning twenty-two."
InuYasha chewed at his lip while his thoughts ran in sporactic circles. He hunched over upon his elbows, focusing his ears on the words that started to sink in.
"Kagome used to work at the bakery. She made cakes, pies, what have you. Her mother had worked there for years, so she took a liking to the smell of sweets and the happy children, instantly." Kaede said, picking at a stuck on piece of egg.
"Of course she helped around here, helping us old folks do things we couldn't do ourselves, like go into the attic, hang the decorations, move furniture." She continued, "She was a sweetheart if there ever had been one. All the men around town couldn't wait until she was old enough to marry."
A remorseful grin caught her as her gaze fell onto InuYasha. He looked enthralled, as if it was the most interesting story that he had ever heard. To him, hearing about Kagome, was like hearing a fairytale for the first time. It was heartbreaking, lavished with excitement and wonder.
"If I had been around, I'd probably have waited for her, too." He chided delicately, trying not to upset the woman anymore than she already was.
"You see, " Her tongue wet her lips, as she handed InuYasha the pan to dry. "There was one man that came through here, oh, every two or three months, I'd say..." She babbled, "And, he had a peculiar interest in Kagome. He followed her around, threw his affections at her, and then when she had declined, he left. His pride was probably hurt."
The pan clanked against the counter as InuYasha took another piece from the woman. "You think that he had something to do with her going missing?" He asked gruffly.
Kaede scowled, her thinning brows knit together. "If he didn't he certainly knows what happened to her. I haven't seen him since, so it's certainly questionable. The authorities told us that since Kagome was an adult, there was nothing they could do." She spat, her throat wobbled, suppressing the urge to cry out.
InuYasha sat wiped his hands and knelt down to embrace the woman. Her hands felt lke brail on his wrist, clinging to him with everything she had. Her nose buried in his arm, soothing herself from the dire scenarios her mind displayed.
His warmth surrounded her for a while longer, her hands patting his shoulder in gratitude. "Well, she sniveled, wiping her nose. "You go on and go buy the supplies. The money and list is on the counter."
InuYasha felt guilt about leaving her alone, but she probably wanted it. Peeling the damp paper from the counter, he shoved it in his pocket and headed towards a sliding door that lead to the porch. It was attached to the kitchen and viewed the roaring sea nearby.
Akita in winter was blinding.
As he was sliding the door shut, Kaede tapped the glass with her cane. Her feeble hands shoved extra Yen in his hands.
Looking down, he blinked and furrowed his brows. "What's this for?"
"Go buy yourself something nice." Kaede said, shutting the door on him before he had time to argue. That boy was something else, she thought as she shook off a shiver.
InuYasha just looked down at his cold hands at the money and shook his head. "She just has to make me feel bad." He scowled, folding it and inserting it with the rest of the money.
The snow was packed to his shins as he trudged through the slush. The street was slick, broken from the artic breeze that rolled in from the ocean. Across the way, he saw some children playing.
One of them, a little auburn headed boy, was crying. The other children took their treats, obviously from their parents, and ate them in front of him. His eyes were full of upset as he tried to take back the small onigiri that was stolen by an older boy.
Their rosy faces were alive with laughter as they watched the runt struggle. He couldn't reach the length of their arms and fell face first into a lump of snow. When he sat back up, his nose was bleeding, brite and warm againt the air.
InuYasha let out a hot breath and stumbled over towards the ruckus. He wasn't a saint or a savior, but he knew what it was like to be hungry. He'd seen the little boy a few times when he had been out with his mother, and felt badly for him.
His clothes weren't as nice, and his hair was a bit unruly.
When InuYasha stepped a little close to the shaded side of the fishing-shop, where they crowded, he arched his brows. "S'there a problem?" He asked.
The older children shook their heads and pointed at the boy bawling his eyes out. "S'not our fault his Mama ain't around today. He's a baby." The dark headed boy scoffed, trying his best to impress his peers.
InuYasha scratched at his hairline and bent down to the little boy, "You okay, kid?" He asked, putting gently pressure on his round cheek. His skin was hot beneath his fingers, as he wiped away the blood with his coat sleeve.
The boy pouted, trying to calm himself down. After a few gasps, his breathing returned to normal and he looked up at him with adoration. "I'm, I'm fine. I just wanted my snack. My Mama made it special for me."
"That so?" InuYasha smirked, ruffling the kid's messy hair. "Where's your hat, aren't you cold?"
The boy looked up at him and he shook his head. "We don't have the money to buy anything right now. My daddy's at sea and Mama is gonna give me a sister." His tiny teeth were crooked in a wide smile.
The other children has since left, snickering at the five year old. The man that stood above him, extended a hand, helping him up before putting them back in his pockets. "I used to be a fisherman, myself." InuYasha said, trying to relate.
"I want to be, Mama told me no, though. She wants me to go to school. I can't in winter, it's too cold to make it there." He shrugged his small shoulders and shivered.
"Where is your Mama, now?" InuYasha asked, noticing the coldness that nipped at his cheeks and nose. It was damp and clung to him. It was like that day that he had walked all those miles and ended up here.
It was just unsettling.
After a moment, the boy started picking at the dried blood beneath his nose. "She's at the hospital in the next town." He said idly, a hint of sadness in his minute voice.
That had done it for InuYasha. He was a stray that got taken in, and as much as he hated to admit it, the kid was kind of cute. He couldn't let him go without, or let the infant stay alone.
With a huff, InuYasha grabbed the kids hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kidnap you or nothin'. You want somethin' to eat?"
The boy's large eyes shimmered with the smile that reached them. "You'd do that for me?" The boy squealed with delight. No one had ever been so kind to him.
His hand latched to his rescuer's and walked with him down the muddy side of the street. The rocks crushed beneath his tiny feet, the curls of his hair whipping around his face.
"What's your name?" The boy asked, "Do you live with Baba?" He fired, skipping against the salty air.
InuYasha tensed, trying to keep his attention on the still unfamiliar town. "InuYasha, and yes, I do." He said, as they reached a rugged looking restuarant. There was a plastic food display in the dusty window. Scraping his finger through the film of ice, he saw what they offered.
"My name's Shippo." The boy's hands rubbed the snot leaking from his nose to the side. He waited patiently for the man to open the door, warm air instantly taking them over.
"Well, at least I'm not the only one with an animal's name." InuYasha laughed. Hs mother and father had been precarious with their choice of names.
As a woman behind a steel counter smiled at them, Shippo scampered to the menu board and attempted to read it. He was proud that he could understand the numbers and the words that labeled his favorite food. "Mama said she named me it, because I wiggled so much."
InuYasha knelt down, arms resting on his knees. He read off the things to the boy until he made up his mind. After ordering, he hunkered down with a soda and a daifuku jelly.
Shippo shoved his noodles in his mouth and drank down the tea InuYasha had ordered him. The boy had finally settled down and it seemed calm, tiring to look around the busy diner. The walls were covered in photos, fishing nets and rods.
His heavy head rested in his hand, as he propped himself up. Shippo raised his eyes from his bowl to see his down-trodden expression. "What's wrong with you, mister?"
InuYasha shook his head, "Just got to get going and get my things done." He said with a rasp. Hs throat was sore from the cold that fair near killed him.
"Oh?" Shippo muttered, finding his appetite to be lost. Shoving the tray across the plastic and cork table, he slumped in his seat. "Thank you. I guess I'll go home." His head was riddled with more loneliness than his body.
InuYasha rolled his eyes, his sympathy was starting to wear a bit thin. He didn't like beating around the bush, to say the very least. Before he opened his mouth to speak, his dark eyes caught a photo of a familiar face.
Shippo turned his head to see what the man was looking at and span around on his knees. His finger pointed at the picture, "That's Kagome. She told me she'd marry me one day." He said jovial and proud. "I'm waiting for her."
If Shippo had known that Kagome watched over him in his sleep, he would have been jealous, heartbroken. It was kind of silly, he admitted, to be drawn to a still image of the girl. She had no voice, no body to hold, nothing.
Still, InuYasha was compelled to pushed himself up, "Aren't you a little young?" He inquired with a scoff, meandering to the counter. The woman pressed her greasy hands on her apron and flung her hair from her eyes.
"Need anythin' else?" She asked lightly, her eyes heavy with happiness.
InuYasha gestured to the photo, "You know anything about that girl in the picture? The one with gray eyes?"
The woman squinted. When she picked out the one, she slapped her hand on the counter-top. "I haven't seen her in a long time. She used to live with the lady that owns the inn."
"So I've heard," InuYasha said idly, a sigh escaping him. "Well, thank you."
He motioned for Shippo to come along and the boy obeyed. As soon as his hands hit the door, the open gasped, waving a hand.
"You should ask the old couple." She said, not realizing that he was staying with them. He'd heard all their stories, he just wanted to know more than everyone could give him.
Heading back outside, the pair linked hands. InuYasha guided the trusting boy to the hardware store, grabbing up the things on the crumpled list. The bag was small, filled with nails, paint, a new hammer, and some last minute chewing gum.
Shippo got excited when he saw the sweet shop with the cherries and cakes decorating the windows. InuYasha peeked in and saw Old Totosai sitting behind the counter with a young man, probably around twenty-three or four.
His hair was neat, pinned back with gel. He looked like he was born and raised in the small town, due to the innocence on his face. Mustering up the energy, the man jingled the bell upon his entry, receiving a warm hello from his surrogate father.
"There's my boy." Totosai said, thick and proud. "Seems you found a handful on your way." He said, spying Shippo's diminutive form.
"Oi, some of the kids were picking on the guy." InuYasha shrugged his shoulders, watching the man behind the counter dip down at grab a strawberry pastry.
"Oh, well, you know how boys can be." Totosai chided, watching Hojo hand Shippo the cake. "Anyway, Hojo, this is InuYasha. InuYasha, Hojo." He gestured, his bony hands shaking.
InuYasha nodded, watching the man's face beam with kindness. He didn't know what it was about all the people in this part of the country, but they sure seemed overtly nice. Maybe that's what caused all the troubles.
No one seemed sad that they lived in, what appeared to be, a ghost town. The rest of Akita was flush, larger, and new. This shanty was on the outskirts, beaten by the untimely age of techonology.
Totosai inspected the bag in InuYasha's hand. "Well, we need to get to work before the day is gone. I don't want to sleep with a draft tonight. My arthritis is acting up."
Hojo helped the man up from his chair, grabbing his cane from the glass topped counter. "I hope that you're grand-daughter is found, Totosai-san."
"Don't we all?" The eldery man said apathetically.
InuYasha frowned. All he could really think about was finding out the whole story. Just something that would ease these peoples pains. In the event that she had passed away, they would still need to know.
Grieving over the unknown is more painful than grieving over a fact. Eventually, the seasons would change, the world would renew, and these aching souls may be able to find an answer.
All InuYasha knew was that he was a lucky fool. His life was being rebuilt by the hands of those around him. Whether or not it was the life that he had truly expected, he opened his arms and welcomed it, as the trials of the day had set in.
Upon leaving the bakery, Shippo tagged along, coming home with the older men. He was too taken by Kaede and her playful behavior to care about what anyone else was doing.
He stayed in the warm house while InuYasha broke his back outside in the cold. Totosai looked like a fatter version of himself beneath his layers. They'd complained, grumbled, laughed...
The crazy old man was dear to him.
They had just about finished up with the stain on the wooden planks when Totosai collapsed beside InuYasha. His heart pounded in his chest, panic striking him like lightning.
Instantaneously, he cried for Kaede. Shippo had flown out the door in front of her as she staggered down the steps. She fell, her skin flapping with her movements.
InuYasha ran inside, realizing they had no phone. His hands flew around him and he paced for a moment before he darted back outside. He looked around and rushed towards the building across the street, pounding on the door.
It was someone's home, but it wasn't like he cared.
When the door opened, revealing a short hared woman, he swallowed hard. "What do you want?" She hissed, smoking a cigarette.
"I-I need a phone, now!" The man yelled, his eyes livid that she stood in his way.
She rolled her eyes and reached to a cordless phone near the door. He finally found the one person in this town that wasn't cordial and it had to be his neighbor.
Dialing out, he pleaded for the emergency services to come. When they did, Totosai was carried away to the same hospital Shippo's mother was at. Kaede went with the ambulance leaving the two distraught boys behind.
InuYasha let out a sigh and plastered his head in his hands. His palms stretching out the skin on his face. Shippo cried and sat in the man's lap.
Today was the day that things were supposed to be rebuilt, not deconstructed.
Biting his nails, the urgency that crawled through his body guided him to his feet. He pushed himself back inside the house, grabbing a scarf and a hat for Shippo.
The little boy looked up to him with tears still flooding his face. "Where are you going?" He whined, feeling InuYasha's hands pull the tobaggon over his ears, wrapping the blue scarf around his neck.
"We are going to see your mother." InuYasha said hastily, his body flooding with adrenaline as he grabbed Shippo by the hand. Night would fall soon and he didn't want the monstrous night to eat them alive.
AN; This chapter was hard to write. I hope you liked it. The next chapter is going to fill everything in.