Disclaimer: I don't own jack!

Throwing Stones

Chapter Ten: Bloodline

There was a strange tension within the group today.

Kagome watched as Tenko and Touya shared matching self-satisfied smirks. Himiko, Jin, Shuichi and Kenji weren't much better. The other four were practically giggling amongst themselves in delight. The only one who seemed unperturbed was Atsuhiro, even then he still had a slightly smug look on his face.

Something had happened when she'd gone to call Hawks back to the dorm.

Kagome reached up and tugged on Touya's sleeve, grabbing his attention.

"Spill it." She shot him a pointed look, "What did you guys do?"

Houjo had sprinted out of the dorm faster than she'd ever seen that fool run. As much as she appreciated the group for helping her out, she was concerned about the repercussions of their actions. She would need to run interference if Houjo tried claiming anything to his superiors.

Touya shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, really."

The slight smirk on his lips told another story.

"Touya," She gave a warning tone.

The man's smirk widened, "Don't worry, we didn't do anything illegal."

So they had done something though.

"Illegal and permitted are two very different things, young man." She scolded him.

"Oooh Touya's being scolded." Himiko chimed in with a teasing tone.

"That's fine with me, I like hearing you scold me." Touya's lips had curled into a wide, unapologetic grin.

Kagome swept her palm over her face.

It was like dealing with horny teenagers all over again.

"I am not going to entertain this anymore. Just know that if things go south, I can't protect you." She cast each of them a pointed look, "I'd wanted to tell you guys tomorrow but I guess I'll have to tell you now. The Safety Commission was the one that put our deadlines on us. One of the stipulations was that we have to finish one project a week. Some of these locations are going to be extremely difficult to complete." She lifted her head and folded her arms over her chest, "I've been trying to negotiate for more time on some of the assignments but they're not budging. If the work isn't done then they're sending everyone back. They'll be checking out progress every Saturday."

It was a terrible situation, but one that her hands were tied on.

"So in other words we'll need to work fast." Touya accurately surmised.

"Not just fast but thorough too. They'll be checking to make sure everything is up to code." Kagome sighed, "Sorry but my hands are tied on this. So the next representative that comes around, please try not to give them a reason to ship you back."

Himiko clung onto her arm, "Aw, you really do love us!" The blonde nuzzled her cheek against her shoulder, "We'll do our best!"

The others nodded in agreement, each of them appearing more relaxed than they'd been since their arrival.

She felt Touya's hand drop on the crown of her head, "You're looking a little pale. If you're still feelin' sick then head upstairs. The bird is coming, yeah?"

Kagome felt herself flush in embarrassment.

The faint twinges and pressure in her chest had returned yet she hadn't even noticed it. Somehow Touya did though. Just how closely was he paying attention to her?

"I'm fine," She tried to assure herself more than him. "Besides, I promised Himiko I'd teach her how to cook today."

The guys shared a look that she could only describe as abject fear.

"Yay! Cooking time with Kagome!" Himiko cheered while everyone else tried to sneak away.

Just how bad had that curry been?

Kagome glanced at the teen still clinging onto her happily.

She supposed that there was only one way to find out.

In the hours that'd passed, Kagome had found herself in the kitchen with Himiko and Shuichi.

Shuichi kept looking at the recipe with confusion while Himiko sliced the ingredients with reckless abandon.

"Himiko," Kagome called to the girl. "You should be careful when cutting your vegetables. You don't want to accidentally injure yourself."

Carefully, she reached over and took the blonde's hands, encouraging her to curl her fingers in upon themselves and guiding the knife so that the cuts would be slower and more even.

"There, just like that." She released Himiko and watched as the girl followed her instructions. "Accuracy is more important than speed so take your time."

She then turned her attention to Shuichi.

"Since she's finished with the onions, we can start by cooking them. They'll be ready when they turn translucent." Kagome guided him through the next few steps while Himiko continued with her task.

"I gotta ask," Shuichi spoke up as they started to put all the ingredients together. "Do you really not think of us as disgusting scum? Why are you trying so hard?"

His tone was more confused than accusatory.

Himiko had stopped to peer up at her curiously as well.

She supposed that it must have been unfathomable to them that anyone could look at them and see someone worth saving.

"Well I think it'd be easier if I told you about my father." Kagome began.

By now the rest of the group had huddled in the living room, each of the craning their heads in order to hear their conversation. They'd initially congregated there in order to watch the food and ensure it did become another biohazard. However now they seemed more interested in what she had to say.

She continued, "My father was born in an extremely remote tea harvesting village. They lived and died by the crop they cultivated. On the day that my father was born, all the crops withered." She watched as the others listened in intently, "Before my father was even an hour old, he'd been labeled by the village as a harbinger of death."

The scent of curry began to fill the building. She'd noticed Hawks settling against the wall as he listened to her recount their father's story. Although he wasn't biologically related to them, he also knew this tale and had been affected by it as well.

"My father also possessed a quirk the villagers considered 'evil'. Everything he touched would wither and die. He'd endured the townspeople's fury for years and even his own father considered him an ill omen as his birth had caused his own mother's death." Kagome pressed on, "Eventually, the rage my father felt towards the village that'd scorned him had boiled over. He'd been attacked repeatedly and blamed for every failed crop season. So when he turned seventeen and the village suffered another bad season, he'd lost control of his power."

She closed her eyes as she recounted the sorrowful expression on her father's face when he'd told her the story. Regardless of how many times his own father spat at him and beat him, he'd still loved him. It was a twisted and unfair love, but it was that longing in her parent's face that'd inspired her.

She continued, "A wave of death claimed the village. Neither living being nor even foliage survived the blast. The only one left standing afterwards was my father. At first he'd thought it was a villain attack but after days of wandering through the forest on his own, he'd realized that it'd been his power that destroyed the village." Kagome focused her attention on the curry as a tense silence filled the room. "He traveled for five years after that, venturing into town after town in search of a place to call home. Each time he did and someone discovered his quirk, he'd he chased out just as quickly. Eventually he'd given up on finding a home and simply decided to exact his revenge on the world that rejected him."

She finished the curry as she pulled the food from the stove top.

"He doesn't remember how maybe killed exactly, just that the number was exceedingly high. Eventually he found his way here in this town." She turned to cast the others a wry smile, "He'd found himself at this very shrine first and that was how he'd met my mother. He'd fully planned on attacking and destroying this town, but she'd seen that he was injured and brought him into her home. Her kindness and the town's acceptance of him was what made my father change." Her smile softened at the thought, "He'd spent many years here as a husband, father and pillar of support for this aging village. When the people needed him, he was there to help. Even after they'd learned about his quirk, they just told him that it didn't change who he was as a person. After that, he swore that he would become a better person."

Her smile fell away, "Ten years ago a group of villains attacked our town. My mother was killed in the fight and my father had tried to end their rampage before they'd reached the shrine. He was outnumbered and his control of his power was unstable. However he did the only thing he could think of and unleashed it on the villains." She turned to face the rest of the group, "That day my father saved our home but had ultimately been arrested. His full name is Higurashi Seiichi and you know him as the villain Shinigami."

The silence that'd swelled between them was deafening.

Kagome offered them a warm smile, "My father changed his life because he had people who'd accepted him and gave him that chance. That's why I'm doing this now. I want to offer other people the same chance my father had been given. That is the sort of hero I want to be."

Shuichi's eyes had gone wide, "Shinigami is your father?"

She nodded in response, "Becoming a hero had been difficult because of that. I didn't want to change my surname to hide my identity. Even though my name was never published publicly, it didn't take much for people to figure it out." She began pulling dishes and setting the table for everyone, "I am who I am. I feel no shame for admitting that Shinigami is my father. As far as I'm concerned it's society that'd turned him into the man that he was while it was my mother and this town that made him change."

Kagome lifted her head to meet each of their gazes, "This isn't just some passion project for me. What I want is for each of you to have the opportunity that my father did. Even if I can't save everyone, I at least one to lend a hand to those still caught in the shadows. What you decide in the end is your choice, just know that I'll do everything in my power to ensure that you have the best opportunity possible to find a new lease on life. That is what I want to accomplish with this program."

It felt somewhat embarrassing to say out loud, especially with everyone's eyes on her so intently. However it was Himiko that broke the silence first.

"Kagome!" The blonde flung her arms around her neck, "You really are an angel!"

She felt her face flush, "I wouldn't go that far. I just want to do what I can."

Jin's eyes were full of tears as he rubbed the back of his arm over them, in a vague attempt at wiping them away.

"Funny," Touya smirked as he approached her. "I always took you as the sweet type, yet here you are just as rebellious as the rest of us. You could've just gone around healing normal people but you decided to get your revenge on the society that'd rejected your dad by offering scum like us a second chance." He reached up and pinched her cheek in a teasing manner, "Whoever said that you didn't have claws? You're obviously trying to stick it to the Hero Commission and society with this little program of yours."

Kagome batted his hand away easily, "It's not a rebellious phase. I just don't see any point in helping people that already have extra resources. I'd rather go where I'm needed the most."

Touya's wide smirk caused her face to heat. Seriously, what did he think she was? A teenager? She did this because she wanted to. Nothing more.

"Sure thing, kitten." He gave her a new nickname. "Now let's eat. I'm pretty damn hungry after chasing that Houjo guy away."

Kagome felt her brow twitch in irritation.

"So you did do something!" She pointed at him in an accusatory manner.

Touya shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. He's gone now so let's eat."

She fought the urge to sigh.

Just what exactly had she gotten herself into?