KOTODAMA

"The soul that resides within words."

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Chapter VIII

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She didn't expect to catch sight of InuYasha so randomly. In fact, she was in that coffee shop as a sort of preemptive attempt at healing from the disappointment he'd left in her; She found him attractive, interesting in a way that was beyond just romance, but more like as if the whole universe would open up to her when he was near. She couldn't but sigh, for when he was near, her skin would swell in a sort of excitement that had nothing to do with the physical.

Maybe such was the reason why she didn't think twice about running after him as soon as she saw him.

Once outside the coffee shop, she realized he'd made quite some distance between them, yet thanks to his silvery hair and red jacket, it became quite easy to not lose sight of him; that, and her added haste, helped her to shorten the distance. He was walking with his hands inside the pockets of his pants, wearing the purse she'd given him as a satchel, crossed on his chest, something that despite the strange situation she was in, made her feel joy, for he seemed to like it enough to made use of it. Then, she found herself picturing a scene of her story inside her mind; the boy in her head was receiving a yellow backpack from her, and he would carry it on his shoulder while walking through a path crossing the middle of the forest. There was a particular emotion attached to that scene, and she began to explore it as her gaze sought not to lose the young-man in the red jacket.

You took your time this time. The character in her head talked to her, or more like to her, herself but inside the story.

Only one more day of what we agreed on. Was her clarification.

The heart of the girl inside her story suddenly pounded when she realized he had missed her.

She caught her heart in her throat when the InuYasha she was following suddenly stopped. Kagome turned around and hid her face beneath her long black hair as she feigned to be looking for something inside her purse. From there, she could see how he bought an onigiri, and ate it in three bites, not even bothering sitting down, before thanking the man behind the Yatai and resuming his way, Kagome hot on his trail.

Little by little, they neared the central part of the Shinjuku district, where the noise and lights never went off, and were becoming more and more evident. Kagome bumped into some people on the way as the wide sidewalks seemed to shrink beneath the booming crowd, her pursuit becoming harder and harder, so she had to start taking lighter steps and racing short distances when she managed to get enough room, hoping she wouldn't be discovered. She became aware of the spell of curiosity she was under; she couldn't help it, feeling attracted to that young-man who seemed to be a closed box with a big lock, saying: Don't get closer.

How was she supposed to obey that?

She saw him cross one of the main veins of that zone, and so she avoided as best as she could the incoming people as she made her way towards the other side. Once there, albeit still in the middle of the crosswalk, she caught him stopping once again, right by the side of a man had a punk hairstyle and was wearing a suit. He was standing at one side of the arc that welcomed the crowd into the Kabukicho district. InuYasha leaned to tell him something, and the man nodded, laughed, then bumped his fist against his shoulder in a friendly manner; it was obvious they knew each other. An instant later, he resumed his way, entering the street, but not before pulling up his hood, hiding his face, as if he wanted to avoid being seen by everyone else.

She took a deep breath, then kept on walking, spurred by her ardent desire of not losing sight of InuYasha, which became a complex task given the amount of people flocking inside, blocking her way and view. Finally, she saw him slowing his pace and stopping before one of the many places around, that seemed to be adorned by such number of lights they could illuminate a whole town. Kagome hid behind a neon ad sign, a few meters away from the entrance, from where she noted how InuYasha seemed to be taking a deep breath, only to release it in one hurried sigh, as if meant to cheer himself up before finally striding inside that place called Kyomu.

Kagome stood there, staring at the entrance that appeared to be like any door, just plagued by neon lights left and right, with a side sign burning the name of the place on the eyes of any who looked upon it. She felt a huge curiosity… What was InuYasha doing in a place like that? Would that be the work he'd put hours in?

He didn't seem at ease, and that made her consider the place. She thought about entering, yet from a sliver of her memories she heard her mother's voice, echoing a warning she must had repeated a few times during her teenager days. She was aware of the reputation the district held, yet she also knew it was a place for entertainment, albeit not a refined one, where her friends Eri and Yuka had had a good time.

Next time, you are coming with us. She recalled their words, and she also recalled how they said it was better to go as a group.

She clicked her tongue, annoyed. She had to admit that during her highshool days she obeyed her mother out of being responsible, yet now she was an adult, was she not?

She took one step forward, hoping to be able to see inside and know what kind of place InuYasha moved in, yet she felt a sharp kick in her gut, recognizing the doubt sinking in. If she were to cross that door, the possibilities surrounding the young-man would shrink, and so she would begin to categorize him. Such, she recognized, was the magic behind mystery, behind the unknown, and she also saw clearly that social need people have of attaching labels to everything and everyone they met, as if such a thing could give them some guidance among the multiple possibilities that succeeded something new.

She didn't have much time to further reflect on such a thought, there in the middle of the crowded street, for she soon heard someone talking to her.

"Hello there. Can I keep you company?" She got startled at first, although she tried to not let it show too much. "How beautiful you are! Your gaze amazes me." The stranger, a tall man with an intense gaze, and as bald as a monk, made the gesture of covering his eyes, as if he couldn't look straight at her. "Your beauty blinds me."

She understood then the man was a catcher; she'd heard of their existence from her friends, and she'd seen it on TV programs of investigation, talking about certain jobs young-women did, and of the clandestine prostitution in all of them. She recalled how shocked her friend Ayumi had been upon learning about it.

"Do you work there?" Kagome boldly asked, pointing at the place where InuYasha had just disappeared in.

"That's right. Want to come in? What's your name? I'm Renkotsu."

She most probably was before her way in.

"Kagome."

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The day, so far, was being another crappy day. He didn't know exactly how many hours he'd been able to sleep this last week, given just how much he was needing to work; Shippo's medical bill was quite expensive, and to that he had to add his own worries for the boy. He had told him many times to avoid certain places and certain people, yet he was a teenager, which meant that the passion born of youth sometimes could cloud his vision. He felt responsible for him, albeit strictly speaking they weren't related, not by a hair… yet Shippo was like a little brother to him.

He sighed out of exhaustion as his steps took him, at a steady pace, towards the Kyomu. Due to his need of money, he'd had to accept more gigs than he'd wished, and as if that weren't enough, he was now on his way to see his boss because of a sudden call from him. It had been weeks since the last time they had crossed paths, something he was quite alright with, given the freedom that entailed, allowing him to try to open up a path in some other direction. Yet that day, he wasn't so lucky.

He hadn't been able to get in contact with Kagome either, something he had offered to do. By now, she must be upset… probably, he thought. He wasn't sure, actually, for he didn't feel to know her enough to be certain; even so, he couldn't help carrying her smiles and expressions with him. He had a good time with her, sharing hours and hours of trivial, important, fun or stern conversations. He could even dare to say that dinner with her could be counted among the good things that had happened to him.

He reached the entrance and greeted Ginta, who was working as a watcher that day. He didn't have more time to think about Kagome, he had to focus on the reason why he was there, and above all, to get serious and find a way to give the slip to whatever they were going to ask of him. The boss wouldn't call him for something trivial.

He took the first steps inside Kabukicho, and was hit by the multiple scents of food, air fresheners and perfume, the latter in the too large quantity that was characteristic of the women who usually frequented the place. The smell felt enclosed, and could only be sensed once one got past that line that seemingly separated it from another, different reality. It was strange to think that if he were to retrace his steps by just one street, he'd find people, families taking a stroll and buying clothes for their children, when once inside this district, all one could find was an overflowing vice.

Back on his way to the Kyomu, he pulled his hood up, not wanting to look anywhere for too long, since he'd been coming for a few consecutive days now and had no interest in greeting any of his acquaintances. Their interactions were cordial, with some of them, but the kind of cordiality that could coexist with that particular district. He knew he had no friends there, only acquaintances who were useful for one another. Maybe there were but one or two exceptions.

When he was almost upon the door of the club, he ran into Renkotsu, two steps to his right; it seemed he was once again on catcher duty, recruiting girls to cover the quota of new arrivals of the club. In the same way as previous days, their gazes crossed without uttering a word. They didn't like each other. They weren't friends.

Once inside, his eyes took a bit to adjust themselves to the light, focused at it was so that the stage was the protagonist, shrouding the tables at the center and the sides in a veil of privacy.

"Here again, handsome?" He heard Jakotsu's voice, and breath, right on his cheek. "I'm going to start thinking you miss me."

"I've got no problems in coming to see you." He almost smiled at him. "But I'm not happy coming to this meeting." He clarified.

"Oh, a man after my own heart!" Being a flirt was a particular characteristic of Jakotsu, albeit InuYasha knew he could be an asshole if he needed to.

When they were but a couple of teenagers, they got into trouble with the owner of a restaurant that was around the corner from the Kyomu. The man had wanted to give them less food for the usual price, to which InuYasha thought to just leave and stop coming to the place, yet Jakotsu had another idea; he kicked loose one of the legs of a stool, then proceeded to swing it at one of the shelves storing the fine tableware they had for serving customers. InuYasha could still hear their own giggles as they ran outside, the sound of the porcelain hitting the ground fast on their wake.

Of course, the burst of the moment wasn't free. The boss had them cleaning toilets for the clients for a month, right after paying for the losses of the owner of the restaurant.

"Is he in the office?" InuYasha's low spirits were slipping through his voice.

"Yes, he's been the entire day there. You know how they get when their territory is challenged." He muttered as in secret.

InuYasha's brow furrowed; he didn't like what Jakotsu was hinting at, for he was probably going to be asked for a job he didn't want to do. The little gigs were fine, like meeting a quota in little burglary, or to transport a certain amount of money from place to place, not knowing where they came from nor what they were for. However, bigger jobs were another matter. He didn't want to keep doing this.

"I'll see you later." He told his friend, who slapped his back as a way of cheering him up, and went on his way.

InuYasha's steps took him to the entrance at the end of a side corridor, where he moved the curtain of dense marbles away, marking the separation between one room and the other, where he found another corridor that gave access to seldom small rooms that sometimes were used as offices or as alcohol storage rooms. Once he strode past the last one, he hopped forward, reaching the second step of some stairs leading to the second floor. Upon reaching it, the decoration changed, leaving behind the shabby club, and he soon ran into the two men the boss had for security, and that would be keeping watch in front of whatever room he were in. InuYasha greeted them with a gesture, and one of them opened the door, almost solemn, to allow him inside.

A part of him wanted to take that step inside, to know what they wanted of him and so be done with all of this. At the same time, the other side, the one whose reason was already weary of his circumstances, wanted to turn around and forget that place even existed, together with whatever else which could remind him of it. However, life wasn't as easy as he may want, and InuYasha knew that sometimes one had to eat dirt.

He took a step inside, finding a view that wasn't unfamiliar to him, for he had been there many times before. The room was wide, and adorned like an office while keeping a large couch on one side, that could serve as a bed if the need aroused. His gaze also didn't find it hard to adapt to the warm light coming from the lamps placed here and there, seeing a desk, and behind it, a large tinted crystal that allowed one to see the rest of the place without being noticed. The tall chair the boss was seated in was turned that way, as an all watcher who remained hidden from the rest of those in the room, and of their chagrined faces.

He caught sight of Bankotsu, standing by one of the walls, and noted how the man, like always, was trying not to look at him; their shared story had too many arguments and fights as to number them. To the right of Bankotsu he found Suikotsu, one of the former's loyal followers, and with who he would usually team-up for his assigned jobs. In that same direction but a bit further, was Kagura, who remained seating on the couch, and was clearly annoyed at having to give up her usual place, on the same couch but closer to the desk. Two steps away from her, half-hidden by the shadows, was Kanna in her often-worn gray dress, with her inscrutable gaze.

"Has everyone arrived?" Kouga spoke as soon as he crossed the door.

Just what I needed. He thought, sarcastic, not even bothering to turn around and look.

He put his hands inside his pockets, waiting for that undesirable meeting to start.

"Nice satchel." Kouga got near him. "Do you sew now?" He mocked him.

"Shut up mangy dog." He uttered under his breath, yet strong enough as to sharpen his insult.

The chair of the boss began to turn, and there was Kikyo.

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To be continued.

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A/N

I was looking forward to reach this part, where we can slowly get to see a bit more of what surrounds InuYasha's life.

I hope you've liked it, and that you tell me in the comments.

Kisses,

Anyara.

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart