KOTODAMA

"The soul that resides within words"

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Chapter XXIV

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Probably, this day would be a tough one for InuYasha; he just didn't know it yet. He had dedicated the first hours to his job at the market, and his shoulders still ached from carrying such a weight, the Kabocha boxes of Ms. Shoga being the most to blame. The woman had asked him to deliver one of those boxes to Myoga's diner, with a note inside a closed envelope. InuYasha had accepted without saying anything, in the same way he had been doing the last few years.

After that, he had taken the route that would take him to the Horaana. He didn't want to delay delivering Naraku the information any longer, his gaze seeking a nearby clock, from among the many set around the train station. It would soon be time for Kagome's lunch break, and although he hadn't told her anything about showing up near her workplace, the notion seemed possible, and so he had to try and silence that inner voice of his, warning him about how worrying that need for her was. His pace slowed down, as he sought some more time to put his thoughts in order. His most rational self, was telling him how foolish it was to go off his way just to see Kagome a few minutes, not when they were nothing of note for each other, and so there was no relationship he could wield as a reason for his appearance. However, his emotional self, was just leading him to the platform where he could take the train straight to her.

He sighed, knowing, better than most, that going against one's desires was a waste of energy.

It didn't take him long to cross the streets separating the train station, from Kagome's workplace. It had been a few days since he last saw her, or exchanged words, due to their respective occupations, although, maybe, it was also due to how afraid he was before the feelings she was stirring within him. For him, it was something completely novel, absurd and strange, to be this excited about something in his life. InuYasha had never yearned for something, not really. Since he was but a child, his only purpose had been to survive, or to try to do so in a way that his mother could be proud of, if she could see him. For a moment, then, a prayer came to his mind, one she had taught him, and they had repeated together every night before going to sleep.

I beg of you, who is at the center of the Heavens, to hear my humble and reverent plea: protect me, benevolently, indulgently, and show me the right path. Full of gratitude, I hope that everything goes according to the Supreme Being's will.

InuYasha, not really thinking about it back then, turned that prayer into a message and a request. He sought to be, by himself, what it was asking for, as soon as he felt like he had some sort of control over a part of his life. He wasn't the kind of person to dedicate time to faith, and he had long stopped praying, yet those words were among the few references he had, to infer on what she would have wanted for her son. He wondered then, if Kagome knew of that prayer, and how was her life in the temple ran by her family. The last day they were together, she had invited him to stop by there, which had filled InuYasha with a deep contradiction; A part of him, had experienced a fresh joy, born of Kagome's acceptance, one so wide she seemed to be constantly opening doors, and new doors for him. Even in the Ichidō, with Myoga, Kagome seemed at ease. However, the other part had felt intimidated by how close they were becoming. InuYasha was now sure that, when the time came for her to put some distance between them, for any reason, he would suffer. Even so, and despite such a thought, he was still there, standing in front of that girl's workplace.

He heard a door, and his gaze fell on the exit through which he had seen Kagome appear the few times he had come for her. His heart began to race, vigorously, taking away his breath; he hoped to be welcomed.

The first one to appear was that man who had harassed Kagome. It was InuYasha's first time seeing him since that first encounter he had with the girl, and so his thoughts wandered around that whole situation, considering if it would be a good idea to speak to Kagome about it, and inquire if everything was going alright. That thought, however, was broken as soon as he saw her coming down the building's lateral stairs. InuYasha, who would usually remain calm before the situations he often had to face, found himself trying to find his composure on that white line marking the street. It didn't take him long to lift his gaze, however, seeking Kagome's, who smiled as soon as she met his.

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The Horaana was only a couple of blocks away, and InuYasha moved forward with a certain optimist air to him, a stark contrast to the one he usually was surrounded by when going there. Having been with Kagome, even if only during the time she had to eat, had filled him with a good mood that only became higher before the prospect of seeing her again in a few days. The matter that was bringing him to Naraku's residence lost its priority, replaced by the smile in Kagome's features, upon finding him waiting for her. After that, she willingly spoke of the details of her work, in the last days, and of the praise she had gotten, due to her own improvement, from the sensei she was working for. A light smile appeared on his features before such memory, yet that gesture was soon darkened once he turned the corner, and it completely faded when he caught sight of Renkotsu, exiting the street where the Horaana was.

InuYasha leaned against the wall, then sought a place by the door of a store to hide himself from the man, and make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. As far as he knew, Renkotsu had never been to Naraku's residence. Maybe, something had changed, something he didn't know about, due to spending less and less time at the Kyomu. However, he also knew that Jakotsu would have told him. Once he ascertained it was him, and that he was far enough to not risk being recognized, InuYasha continued on his way, his mind still thinking about how strange it all was. Renkotsu was a man whose intelligence wasn't precisely his strong point; one could say he was relatively cunning, and efficient enough to work on minor jobs; the kind that Naraku usually made others communicate.

While pondering the matter, InuYasha found that the entrance to the building was empty, as it was the usual. He followed that sort of ritual to get past the first door, then introduced the code on the second one. Once inside the elevator, he noted how his guard was keenly risen; Kagome's influence, seemed to be a detriment to him now, since that optimism she could fill him with was not apt to the world he moved in. He took a deep breath, in search of his own inner refuge. When he reached the fifth floor, the doors opened and unveiled the stylized and calm figure of Kikyo. She looked him in the eye, and went inside the elevator while obstructing the way out.

"Come down with me," said the woman, her finger pressing the button that would leave her on the lowest floor, "Naraku is in the ofuro, anyway," she added then, with disdain.

InuYasha did not retort, realizing he needed the time. He remained in the same spot, while Kikyo came to stand by his side as they both stared at their reflection on the elevator's lustrous metal walls. More than once, he had wondered about the relationship between Kikyo and Naraku. Some things, he could guess, and more than anything because of the few chances where he had seen them together, back when she first appeared at the Kyomu.

"Have you come to report something?" Her inquire was released with her usual indifferent tone. InuYasha wondered then, if there was something that really made her happy; he had the feeling to never had seen her wearing an easygoing and free smile.

"I do not have a custom of speaking about my work," he retorted. Kikyo wasn't ignorant of his way to treat any matter that concerned Naraku.

He heard her release a joyless laugh.

"Maybe you'd like to speak about something else," she poked him then, lifting her gaze to his. InuYasha returned it down, for despite her high heels, she barely stood above his shoulders. There, he found the intense coldness of her chestnut brown eyes. "By the way, I'd like to go shopping again," she announced.

"And?" his monosyllable was released with cutting naturality. He could guess where Kikyo was going.

She smiled. "I'll call that agency, and ask for that oh so kind boy from last time." The ring of the elevator, told them of their arrival to the lowest floor. Kikyo took two steps towards the doors, then turned sideways. "Do you think they'll send him?"

InuYasha extended a hand, pressing the button for the fifth floor, then replied, "work is work."

Kikyo's smile widened slightly, as the elevator closed again.

"Of course," she accepted.

InuYasha couldn't deny how intriguing that woman was to him. There was a certain sweet side to her, sporadically unveiled beneath the layers of make up and expensive clothes she wore. He could also recall how once, when exiting the Kyomu through the backdoor to go to Kaede's izakaya, he caught glimpse of Kikyo; she stood by a girl, young and skinny, who seemed to have recently met the legal age. InuYasha, as stealthy as he was, managed to not be noticed. There, he saw Kikyo handing her some money, aside from wrapping her in her own coat. Some time later, InuYasha would see that same girl working at Kikyo's restaurant; Shoko, was her name.

The elevator's doors invited him to step into the fifth floor, and InuYasha's trail followed the usual path he took when heading to the zone Naraku lived in, during the time he remained in the Horaana. He knew the man was prone to disappearing from time to time, his location a mystery to any who were to be asked. Once, he inquired about it to Kagura, who only answered by clicking her tongue. InuYasha, through that gesture, saw the presence of a deep annoyance inside that woman, who never seemed content with the life she was leading. Even so, she would always carry out Naraku's orders.

The women whose duty was to open the shoji doors, did so readily at his approach. More than once, InuYasha had been inclined to learn their names, yet they performed their job so rigorously, they would never meet his gaze. It didn't surprise him to see they were expecting him, despite there not being a set appointment; the Horaana was full of cameras that surveilled everything.

"Thank you," he felt like saying once he entered the first room. The women's answer was a perfect bow, before sliding the shoji closed.

He stood there then, waiting in the middle of the room as the sound of an artificial waterfall filled every corner with a restless calm. It wasn't long before he heard, to his left, the voice of another woman, who was neatly dressed in a Yukata.

"The lord is waiting for you in the ofuro room."

InuYasha nodded, once, not showing a shred of emotion.

He moved to the next room, the library, place where he usually met with Naraku; then, the woman led him to the contiguous room, opening the door for him to pass. Immediately, he noted the humid air produced by the vapor from that hot bath; it was a room wide enough for an ofuro where six people could comfortably lay. It smelled to herbs, which lightened the heaviness in the air as the light slipped between the wooden shutters on the windows, enough to illuminate the room without damaging the intimate ambience. InuYasha remained standing a few meters away from the bath, where Naraku, smiling at him, was being massaged by a woman InuYasha was seeing for the first time.

"Let me introduce you to Jasumin," said the man in a rhythmic tone, not lifting his gaze.

The woman, whose name meant Jasmine, smiled delicately at him, in a way that InuYasha could only link to that refined taste Naraku seemed to surround himself by. It was strange, eerily so, to see that contrast between his private setting, and the way he had seen him dirtying his hands, and suit, when it came to business.

"I wasn't expecting you," was the next thing Naraku said. In that moment, he looked at him.

"Something came up." InuYasha kept his hands inside his pockets.

"I see," Naraku calmy accepted, "Jasumin, my yukata."

"Yes," was the monosyllable InuYasha heard her say, before she immediately stood up, exposing her nudity. His gaze stopped then, at how the drops of water trailed down and shone on her body; he wasn't foreign to female nudity, he had been seeing it since he was a teenager.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Naraku observed. InuYasha shrugged, then decided to set his gaze on something less compromising, like the ray of light that fell on one of the plants that were being suffocated by the vapor in the room.

Naraku stood up, and received the yukata from the hands of Jasumin, who was now wearing some similar clothes. Next, InuYasha heard the water stirring as the man stepped outside of the Ofuro, covering himself.

"Let's go," he said then, passing him by. InuYasha followed.

They went further inside; InuYasha believed to know everything there was in there, so he wasn't surprised to find, inside a contiguous room, a low table to eat. It already held two iron pots, which were being kept hot thanks to two small stoves, and their attenuated fire.

"Sit down," he invited, yet InuYasha knew his words did not admit refusal. Hence, he sat down comfortably on one of the pillows that were on the tatami mats.

Naraku picked a bowl and a spoon. InuYasha smelled, and observed how his host filled it with the curry inside one of the pots, serving a generous amount, before adding a few spoonfuls of rice and handing it to him.

"Eat." There was no room for refusal, again. InuYasha did as ordered, calmly. In a way, it reminded him of the first few lunches they had shared together, during that short time he had been allowed to be a child. Silence was their company, while Naraku served himself a similar portion to the one he had received. Sometimes, InuYasha pondered about that man, and his reasons for receiving him by his side. Despite everything he knew about him, there was something InuYasha could not elucidate; he could always just simplify his personality, like simple people do, and think Naraku was nothing but a thug who cared more about money than he did people. InuYasha, however, felt there was something else, something more, and maybe because of it, he had come to warn him about something that could be dangerous. That danger wasn't to Naraku, not really, but for those who were dependent of the jobs he procured for them. Yes, this was a corrupt and twisted world, yet InuYasha believed there were little places which weren't.

"Now, tell me," Naraku spoke.

InuYasha then proceeded to explain everything that happened with the client at the Kyomu a few nights ago, and Naraku told him that he was already aware of it, from the reports Kagura gave him daily. Next, InuYasha told him about the corpse he saw being brought out of a nearby club, and of his suspicions. Naraku remained silent, and seemed to be considering the information carefully.

"I also found this inside the pockets of Mr. Midori." InuYasha produced the paper envelope where that client's pills were, the one he and Jakotsu had carried, out of the Kyomu.

Naraku observed that seal with a rough gesture, and seemed to ponder something for a moment, before throwing him an order.

"You will stay in the Kyomu for a while."

InuYasha became tense; he wasn't expecting to have to deal with this in that way.

And what did you expect? Were his betraying thoughts.

The truth is, he surmised that by warning Naraku about this, he would prevent the issue from escalating to the point of seeing a client exiting the Kyomu in a forensic bag. He tried to retort, and his mouth even opened to say something, yet Naraku's index finger, gently lifted in a gesture that was elegant even, was enough to silence him.

"Don't," he warned him, "It just means you'll have to spend less time with that girl you are seeing yourself with."

After that, Naraku's looked at him sideways, the red of his irises flaring with the dark of his ideas. InuYasha felt that, if it weren't because of his anger, his blood would have frozen in his veins before such a sight. It seemed that, no matter what he may do, Naraku would always manage to corner him.

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To be continued

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A/N

I'm happy with how this chapter turned out, and with how the story is coming along. I hope you've also enjoyed reading it.

Thank you for joining me in this marvelous adventure that is to create.

Anyara

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart