Suguru does not understand why Satoru and InuYasha are on this mission with him. Surely, Satoru has better things to do, like his own missions, and surely InuYasha can go find something to do.
He also does not get why Satoru is being so needy. Ever since that older Satoru did some weird time travel, universe hopping gig, his Satoru has been clingier than ever.
Suguru blinks. Twice. Four times. His Satoru?
Bleh!
The hell is wrong with him? Satoru is not his. Satoru is Kagome's.. He is clearly going out of his mind.
"Keh, what the hell's up with ya?" InuYasha questions, scratching at the red bandana on his head. He looks like he is up to no good with his all red assemble. It looks as though Satoru got an extra Jujutsu High uniform made in red just for InuYasha. The only thing InuYasha is missing is some tattoos to really sell the whole bad boy image.
"Wondering why you two are trying to baby me," Suguru says with a tight smile. "This mission hardly requires the three of us."
"What if there's a demon?" Satoru stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Ya gonna handle that by yourself? Nah, don't answer that because the answer is no, you're not."
"You've become a mother hen," Suguru mutters. There is no point in arguing with Satoru or InuYasha. These two brothers have made up their minds that they are going to tag along on this countryside mission. "I think if it were a demon, then the village would be wiped out by now. Per the report, there are about 120 villages or so. They've been having some paranormal activity at night. People have been left brutalized in the middle of the village for the surviving villagers to find in the morning."
Satoru yawns.
InuYasha sniffs the air. "This place reeks. They don't bathe? Can smell all the way down here."
"You're one to talk."
"Oi! Don't think I won't find a way to hack through that dumbass technique of yours. I'll gut ya with Tessaiga." InuYasha glares at Satoru, who sticks out his tongue in response.
Seriously, why are these two here if they are just going to spend the entire time throwing half-hearted jabs at one another? Maybe it's because Suguru is an only child, but he does not get the banter between the two. Is this normal for siblings? Or is this just because Satoru and InuYasha have egos?
Whatever. The faster they get this mission over with, the faster he can retreat to the dorms at Jujutsu High and have some time to himself. Satoru is overbearing. Kagome is...
"Why is your face red?" Satoru presses his face closer to Suguru's.
"Don't do that!" Suguru jerks back. He turns his head to the side. "I'm just annoyed that you two are picking a fight instead of taking this mission seriously." He brushes past them and up the steps that lead to the village. It sits on a hill, which must be hard on the elderly because the closest water source is down the hill and about a mile or two away.
Suguru doesn't look back. He doesn't need to because he knows Satoru and InuYasha will follow. After this mission, he is putting a stop to whatever the hell this is.
"Kagome said she's gonna get some gauges made for you," Satoru says. "Not sure when they will be ready." He pokes Suguru's back. "And just so we are clear, it is not a romantic gift. You got that?" Satoru pokes Suguru's back three more times. "Kagome is just doing it, so she doesn't have to keep giving you candy from my stash. So don't get any ideas in that thick head of yours."
"Satoru, I do not want your girlfriend," Suguru says with so much conviction he almost believes himself. He doesn't want to want Kagome. It's just a stupid crush. She snuck up on him. He blames Satoru for this. Not only did he spend so much time yelling at Suguru about how Kagome is his type, but he also neglected to tell Suguru about how strong Kagome is.
He glances over his shoulder and scowls. Yes, this is Satoru's fault.
"Stop saying that before someone thinks I'm trying to steal her away."
Satoru splutters. "Oi! You better not be thinking about that."
InuYasha gives him a look. Suguru's eyes widen before he fixes his expression. He turns away and continues up the stairs. What was that look for? Does InuYasha know something? It's not like the dog demon to curb his tongue, so what gives? He gives himself a mental shake and focuses on the mission at hand.
Suguru introduces himself and his unwanted companions to who he assumes to be the village leader. In a place like this, there is always someone who seizes power and keeps everyone else in line. He listens to the complaints and resolves to deal with the curse before the night is over. The last thing he wants is to spend the night here. No reason to, when Satoru left the car hidden in the woods for a quick getaway.
He pauses.
Why did Satoru insist on driving when they could have easily gotten a manager to drive them out here? What is he up to?
InuYasha leans against a home with his hands behind his back. "I'll stay here and keep watch while you guys deal with the curse."
"Keep watch?" Suguru frowns.
Satoru grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him forward. "It's to keep the villagers at ease." Satoru lowers his voice. "Trust me, when it comes to old-timers like these, InuYasha knows their type better than we do." His breath fans the back of Suguru's neck.
He should have worn his hair down.
"You two confuse me."
"Huh?"
"You were just at each other's necks and now you're working together like a team."
"Oh." Satoru chuckles. "It's no different from us, though. We work together without words." He moves away and walks by Suguru's side.
No, it's not the same is what Suguru wants to say, but he chokes back the words.
"Of course." What's one more lie? "I think we found our curse." Suguru points to home on the edge of the village. It sits far back with the windows broken and the door off its hinges. Judging from all the negative emotions rolling off the villagers, it's no wonder this curse got to be so powerful. This house is a reminder of the horrors that have plagued them. "I can handle it. No need for both of us to go in."
"Fine," Satoru agrees too easily.
Okay. Something is going on. Satoru isn't trying to hog exorcising the curse? Why the hell did he even come? Suguru rubs his temple and mutters under his breath. He leaves Satoru outside. Exorcising the curse takes no time. As strong as it may be for others, Suguru isn't other sorcerers. He stares at the curse, now a grayish-orange ball. This is the worst part. Swallowing the curses. In his pocket, the blessed suckers burn, reminding him of their presence.
Right.
Suguru swallows the curse and then rips open a sucker. He closes his eyes and sighs. Kagome's purification is addicting. Does she know? Does Satoru know? Suguru opens his eyes and peeks at Satoru through the broken window.
He has to know.
"Ya done in there?" Satoru shouts. "I can hear the villagers getting all restless."
Suguru rolls his shoulders back and strolls out of the abandoned house. Instead of answering Satoru right away, he continues to suck on the strawberry-flavored sucker tinged with the honest aftertaste of Kagome's purification. He dares not tell Kagome that her energy tastes like honey. For one, he would never hear the end of it from Satoru and two, what if she doesn't know? Then he comes off like a creeper.
"Let's go."
The sun is setting, and the villagers are rushing around. Some stop and stare at InuYasha in wonder. Others scurry by, too caught up to gawk. And the cursed energy pours out from all of them like a fire hydrant. Every villager casts a look in the direction of the abandoned house. They don't try to hide it.
"I took care of the problem," Suguru says to the village leader. He rolls the sucker around with his tongue. Maybe he can get Kagome to bless a lollipop next time, so it lasts longer. "You won't have to worry about any deaths from now on."
The village leader shakes his head. "No, you only took care of the symptom. You didn't take care of the source. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. We may be able to sleep tonight, but what about tomorrow and the next night? How long will it take for you to come back out and only take care of the symptom again?"
Suguru narrows his eyes. No one mentioned this village had been visited in the past. "Then show me the source." He keeps his face blank as he follows the village leader and who he assumes to be the man's wife. Is the source in their home?
"You two don't have to follow."
"Nah, we're coming with," Satoru says. "And I'm not asking."
Suguru rolls his eyes. He takes the white stick out of his mouth and stuffs it in his pocket for now. Maybe there's a demon here or a half one like InuYasha. It's the only reason he can think of for Satoru and InuYasha to insist on tagging along with him. Satoru didn't bother going with him inside the building and InuYasha didn't bother going to the location period, but now they want to go with him?
Something is not adding up.
The village leader leads them down the hall. Despite the sun setting, there are no lights on in the house. The hall is dark, though not so dark that Suguru cannot see. "These things are the source. I have had to keep them confined to my estate."
Estate is pushing it. This house, while bigger than the others, isn't even a fraction of the Gojo clan estate.
"These things?" Suguru questions. Are there multiple curses here? He doesn't sense any more curses.
"You will understand when I show them to you." The village leader reaches into this pocket and retrieves a key. He unlocks the door and pushes it open with his shoulder. "They are terrible creatures that have brought nothing but pain to this village. They killed their mother and now they seek to kill us all."
The lady, a woman with her dark hair pulled into a tight bun, nods in agreement.
Either they are talking about a demon or a half demon. Surely they are not pinning the blame on a human child.
The man turns on the light and steps to the side. "You see, look at those monsters."
In a cage are two young girls. One with dark hair and the other with light brown hair. The cage is barely big enough for one person.
Suguru's body grows hot. "These are children." Sorcerers. Not monsters. Not demons. Human children. And these so-called villagers locked them in a cage.
"They are monsters!" the man refutes. He and his wife talk over one another, yelling their grievances.
Suguru clenches his fists. They put his kind in a cage and have the nerve to blame them for the curse when it was the negative emotions of these villagers that created the curse in the first place. He should get rid of them. A world without non-sorcerers would be better. At least there would be no more curses.
No more pain.
No more of this.
Suguru unclenches his fists. "These children are innocent." There, one more chance for them to fix the error of their beliefs. "I told you; I took care of the problem."
"Liar!"
That's it.
Suguru narrows his eyes. He should just end them. If they want to see a curse that badly, then he has plenty to of them.
Smack!
Suguru blinks. He holds a hand to his cheek. Did Satoru just smack him?
"Cut that shit out," Satoru bellows. "Some leader you are! All you're doing is punishing two kids that lost their parents and filling the villagers with paranoia because you can't pull your head from your ass." He pokes the man in the chest and looms over him. "You claim others have come out here to deal with the problem. When? Oh, let me guess, it was years before these two were born."
The man pales.
"You cannot talk to me like—" the man steps back and falls on his ass, knocking his wife down in the process. "W-what are you?"
"The monster you think these two are," InuYasha says with a snort. His eyes glow in the light. "So, here's how it's gonna go. Ya gonna release those two to us and maybe we'll let you live."
The woman clings to her husband. "Just do what they say! Take those monsters away."
"And we won't speak of this!" the man adds. "Or call for your help again."
"Good." Satoru snaps his fingers. InuYasha rips the metal bars open and holds out a hand to the girls, but they tremble and refuse to take his hand.
Suguru sucks in a breath and nudges InuYasha out of the way. He squats down and smiles at the young girls. They must be twins. They look to be the same age. "You can stay here, or you can come with me," he says. "I won't hurt you and neither will he." Suguru motions to InuYasha, who fixes his bandana, covering the dog ears. "The choice is up to you."
They look at one another. The one with the light brown hair sniffs and places her hand in his. He keeps the smile on his face. It falters when the girls embrace him.
Oh.
Suguru stands with the twins in his arms. Satoru stares at him and then gives him the thumbs up. How can Satoru be so unaffected by this? Shouldn't he be more upset than Suguru about the treatment of his fellow sorcerers?
It's only after they leave the village and they head back down the hill and into the woods where the car is parked, that Satoru addresses him.
"You don't have to go through this alone." Satoru bumps his fist against Suguru's chest. The twins are seated in the backseat of the car. Suguru looks at Satoru's fist and then at his face.
His chest constricts. His heart beats a beat too fast.
"Thank you, Satoru."
A/N: Next chapter Satoru and Kagome meet Megumi. Probably have some more clan shenanigans before this story ends. Can't imagine the Zenins will be happy when Megumi goes to the Gojos and the Kamos are still pissed about who they believe to be their heir.
"Did Kagome refuse to speak on campus grounds because of Nanami or because of Tengen?" - Kagome was trying to keep Nanami in the dark. She doesn't really think about Tengen.
"InuYasha finally told Satoru about Koga." - And now InuYasha is keeping Suguru's affections a secret lol. He must have gotten his messy ways from his uncle Ryu.
Next update will be Thousand Days and then probably Stranded since the urge to write smut is strong lol. Hope you have a wonderful week! Make sure to take care of yourselves and stay healthy. And I named the puppies: Loki Jr (or just Junior), Thor, Freyja, and Hela. Figured we would keep with the theme.
FYI: FFN has been wonky (typical) and I am not deleting chapters. It's just the site.