Trinity Blood Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows of Time ❯ Chapter 9

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: The Shadows of Time
Author: Ryukotsusei
Fandom: Inuyasha and Trinity Blood
Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Violence, torture, character deaths, language, lemons, spoilers for the entire series just to be safe, and the possibility of out of character characterizations. Read at your own risk.

Pairings: Tres Iqus x Kagome Higurashi x Abel Nightroad

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Trinity Blood. The series belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and the late Sunao Yoshido. I make no money off of this fan fiction.

Special thanks to KogasHentaiLuver for taking the time to beta this chapter. And thank you to everyone who has chosen to review thus far.

Chapter Nine

Morning had come far too early for his liking, but Father Tres had borne it without much complaint. What had struck him as strange was the reluctance he'd felt to leave as they'd planned and it was only at Father Nightroad's insistence that he'd given in and mounted Kirara. Yet, that had only come after he'd made sure that the Crusnik understood he was to guard the miko with his life. Still, it unnerved him to have left her alone and even though he knew that Abel was a good fighter, he also knew that he was not the best. He'd learned that when they'd gone head to head previously and the other priest had been forced to use dirty tactics in order to gain the upper hand.

Even now it was tempting to tell the hanyou that he was going back, but two things stopped him from doing so. The first was that they were well beyond the halfway mark and it would be pointless to do so. The second was that the mission was absolutely necessary since once his ammunition was gone, he would be unable to protect himself much less the miko.

'The rest of the supplies are unnecessary, but a new weapon cannot be overlooked.' The guns he had now would be useless soon since they had been manufactured several centuries from now, unless by some miracle he could find ammunition that would work with them. While the basic concept was the same, the bullets had to be exact in order for the firearm to work correctly. No, there was absolutely no way for him to cancel this trip. He'd just have to trust in Father Nightroad to protect her as he'd vowed to do.

“Oi, are you still brooding about leaving?” Inuyasha called up to the man mounted on the fire cat just before he leapt onto another tree branch to keep abreast of Kirara. The priest had been scowling the entire time and when Inuyasha had thought to be nice and offer the man a chance to dismount and stretch his legs, the disgruntled refusal had come as a bit of a surprise.

The bland look that he was receiving now had Inuyasha snorting in amusement, “Damn and I thought I had it bad at one time.” He'd been wondering if there was more to the priest's protectiveness than just doing his job and this just seemed to make it even clearer to him. 'I wonder if Kagome's noticed it yet or not.' Then again, that girl noticing something that obvious was unlikely since she tended to be blind to the attention she received. 'Either that, or she ignores it completely like when that wimpy wolf shows his ugly face.'

“Just what are you speaking of?” Father Tres demanded, breaking into the hanyou's thoughts. Now that his curiosity was aroused, he wanted answers and he wasn't going to let the man turn his thoughts inward, leaving his questions unanswered. Clearly, the hanyou thought he'd figured something out and he wasn't averse to probing the man for information. As if sensing his desire to talk, Kirara descended at an altitude until they were at a distance where conversing wouldn't be too problematic; if one discounted the mad dashes punctuated by wild leaps that Inuyasha was performing.

“You mean you haven't figured it out yet?” Inuyasha asked with a chuckle and shook his head, “You're more oblivious than that stinking wolf. It seems as if you can't tell that you like her.” Thoughts of Kouga caused his more sadistic side to laugh in glee. 'Oh I can't wait to see what his reaction is when that bastard pulls the 'my woman' bullshit.' Kouga was going to be lucky if he didn't walk away with more than a few bullet holes marring his mangy hide.

“Explain. By her, I deduce that you mean the miko, but what is your objective in this conversation? Define 'like',” the priest said, determined to find out just what the hanyou was blathering on about now. He got along well enough with the miko, that much was obvious to everyone, but something told him that wasn't quite what Inuyasha meant. 'And who exactly is Kouga to her that Inuyasha would purposefully mention him specifically?' Granted, he'd heard the name before as being one of Kagome's old friends, but the way the hanyou mentioned him made him look at the other male skeptically.

Inuyasha scrunched his nose up trying to decide whether or not Tres was being serious with his question. “How can you not know what liking someone is?” The confused look he was receiving now only made him sigh when he realized that Father Nightroad had been right. This guy had been made without emotions for the most part and it was up to him to explain it as best as he could.

“Why do I always get stuck with the strange shit? Oh all right, okay let me ask you a question. You know what liking someone as a friend is right?” Inuyasha asked, trying to find a decent starting point to work with. He'd never been good with his own emotions so how in the hell was he supposed to help someone else figure out theirs? 'Better yet, do I even want to help him?' The question was set aside for later since he needed to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

“As in a compatible working relationship, yes,” the priest replied easily. At the Vatican he had acquired many such 'friends' over the years in the form of his team mates. They worked well together and did what was necessary, anyone else was either an enemy or an acquaintance that he had little to do with.

Inuyasha could see that the man was at least considering the question and not answering automatically with some shit that had been preprogrammed so he nodded, “Okay then, would you consider, say... Miroku a friend?” The monk was as good of a starting place as any since, with the exception of Kagome and Abel, he was the one Tres spent the most time around.

“Positive, he has been of some assistance since we arrived and has not posed a threat to our mission,” Tres said after taking a moment to consider the question. The monk seemed to be closer to Kagome and Father Nightroad than he was, but then people had always tended to keep their distance from him anyway. However, that hadn't mattered previously and that wasn't about to change anytime soon.

“That wasn't quite what I meant, but screw it. Whatever works,” Inuyasha said and ignored the irritated look cast his way in favor of leaping over a fallen log, “Now think about your partner, do you think of him as the same type of friend that Miroku is or is he different?” He already knew the answer based on the way they acted around each other, but forcing the other man to think about it would allow him to realize it as well.

Immediately, Father Tres shook his head, “Father Nightroad is different, our working relationship has extended far beyond...”

Inuyasha cut him off before he could finish the sentence, “I'm not asking about time frames here. I'm asking do you think about him in a different light than you do Miroku.” Now he was beginning to feel like he was leading the man on a leash, because the redhead certainly wasn't traveling down that path of his own accord.

“Positive,” Tres replied hesitantly although he was beginning to get an idea of where the hanyou was going with his questioning. He'd never really considered analyzing the different working relationships he'd had with his team mates, they just existed to the extent that he needed to interact with them and he didn't seek to further understand them beyond those parameters.

“Alright so now you know the difference between a friend and a good friend. You'd trust the blood sucker with more than you would the monk I'm betting,” Inuyasha said, chuckling to himself. In a way, he was finding the situation too damned funny even if he was stuck with pointing out the obvious to the redhead. “If you think about it, you didn't ask Miroku or Sango to look after her, but you damned sure made Abel swear to take care of her. If he hadn't, I'd doubt you'd be here with me right now. Am I right?” Hell, at that point Inuyasha was willing to bet that he wouldn't have been able to drag the taller man out of the hut.

“Positive, Father Nightroad would have been able to acquire the supplies as well. However, he had no wish to be here,” Tres said rather sourly, remembering that particular conversation. He hadn't wanted to be the one stuck on this trip either and even though the Crusnik could have picked up new weapons, he'd played the idea off. He'd used the excuse that he wouldn't know which firearm would feel the closest to the ones that Tres already had as a reason not to go.

To this Inuyasha rolled his eyes, however he didn't comment. He didn't know if he was just seeing things when it came to the Crusnik, but it left him to wonder if Kagome had managed to attract both men's attention. It wouldn't have been surprising really, she got her fair share of looks wherever they went and it was usually left to him to knock some sense into the more persistent males. 'That's something to worry about later, assuming I can get clueless here to realize he likes her.' He didn't really want to contemplate what would happen if both men decided they wanted to fight for her attention. In that instance, he already knew who would win if it became a physical fight. However, that course of action certainly wouldn't win over Kagome's sense of what was right. More than likely she'd be furious and the winner would end up losing as well.

Instead of pondering it further, he continued with his line of thought, leading the redhead down the path of enlightenment, “Now, tell me this, is there any difference in how you feel about Kagome and Abel?” Not surprisingly, the other male didn't answer right away and Inuyasha was rather happy about that one. 'Man, Kagome is going to owe me big for this one.' Just what she would owe him however was yet to be decided, but he was damned sure going to make it something good.

At last Father Tres nodded after determining there was in fact a difference. Unfortunately, there was little that he could compare it to and he was left thinking about Lady Caterina again. It was in a way, very similar yet, at the same time, there were key differences and that left him uncertain in what to think. “So what conclusion does this bring us to?” he finally asked, unwilling to assume the wrong thing. If it had been something based on mathematical calculations or scientific data, the conclusion would have already been decided. Emotions; however, were out of his field completely.

“It could be a couple of different things,” Inuyasha said and heaved a sigh. This was where things could get tricky especially since, with a nose as sensitive as his, he tended to notice certain things around this particular male. Unless he missed his guess, Tres didn't even know what the hell it meant. At any rate, it was damned hard to miss the scent of arousal that had blanketed the man after the incident with the panther demons. 'My nose would have been broken to not have noticed it on Kagome, even if it was considerably fainter.' Sooner or later someone was going to have to pull the man aside and explain to him what his body was trying to tell him, but he'd be damned if he was going to be the one to do that.“I can tell you're protective of her. Is that because you've been ordered to, or because you want to?” he asked at last, trying to bring the last piece of the puzzle into play. If it was strictly lust the man felt for her, Inuyasha had no intentions of helping him just so he could get in her pants. If it looked like it was heading in that direction, he'd be sure to give Tres a good solid ass kicking for even thinking of something like that. 'Kagome deserves better, far better than that.'

Again, Tres was forced to stop and think before answering. At the beginning of the mission, it was mainly because the Duchess had asked it of him. In some way, her story might have touched him, but there were tragedies happening all the time and there was nothing to be done about it. Kagome's had happened several centuries before and had it not been for what was happening to people he'd known, he probably wouldn't have given it a second thought at all.

However, in the time that they'd been in this era, she'd gone out of her way to make the transition as easy as possible for him in spite of her own problems. It had given them something in common and he'd found himself drawn to her more so than he'd ever expected. The question was, was it that damned bond at play or was it something that actually came from how he felt? In this instance, he hated being manipulated and there was absolutely no way to determine which it was. All it came down to, was that he enjoyed being around her, even if he didn't understand the way he felt about it.

“You've figured it out, right?” Inuyasha asked quietly, keeping just enough of his attention on where he was going to keep him from straying off course. He saw the way the man's face changed when he finally realized the answer to the question. “It's because you want to.”

Tres merely nodded, seeing no need to voice the conclusion that he'd come to, especially seeing that the hanyou looked like he had something else to say. In the end, did it matter whether it was the bond or not if the outcome made him happy? It was something he'd never even considered possible before, and he was loathe to cast it aside on just a suspicion.

“And how would you feel if someone actually managed to hurt her, or worse?” Inuyasha asked carefully. It was a hypothetical question, at best, because there was no way in hell she was going to get injured so long as he was around. Even if this guy and his goofy friend didn't lift a finger, he'd be there to make sure nothing happened. He'd been protecting her for years and he wasn't about to shirk his duties now just because she had two more people to look after her. But he did want to know what the redhead's reaction would be to the question and he didn't have to wait long for it.

“That will not happen,” Tres stated firmly, leaving absolutely no room for doubt. He didn't care what sort of hell they all had to go through, but he wasn't about to allow her to come to harm. 'Even if the future was not riding on her survival, the option of death is not acceptable. I will not allow it.' The very idea angered him and brought forth the desire to kill.

“That's what I figured, “Inuyasha said with a nod, “Well, this is just a guess, but I'd say you're falling for her. Whether it's something that develops into something more or not, who knows.” Really, he was the last person to be making predictions or giving advice to since he couldn't even manage to keep his own relationship with Kikyo from falling apart. It was the reason that she'd died after all. Then he had to take into account, the fact, that it had taken Kagome kicking him in the ass to even notice that there was something more going on between Sango and Miroku than just sheer perversion. Even then he hadn't wanted to believe it, and he still wondered if the Slayer had lost her damned mind. Miroku's wandering hand really hadn't calmed down, even after she'd accepted his proposal. The redhead's next question; however, jolted him out of his inner thoughts.

“Explain, except for the time she attempted to escape I have not fallen yet,” Tres replied rather testily. Now more than ever he wished he'd given into the Professor's suggestion that he needed additional programming in order to deal with the intricacies that came with dealing with humans. Unfortunately, he'd declined the offer because Lady Caterina hadn't ordered it and, at the time, he had no desire to understand humans anymore than he already did. It had been bad enough he had the vestiges of human emotion to begin with.

The cryptic statement had Inuyasha raising an eyebrow, “I'm almost afraid to ask what the hell you mean by that, but in answer to your question, it means you're falling in love. Sheesh, didn't those whack jobs in your own time teach you anything?” His ears flicked in annoyance, almost anticipating the question of `what is love' coming from the guy. If that was the case, he'd have to restrain himself from dropping the man off a cliff and claiming it was an accident. Someone who didn't even know the principle behind that emotion couldn't possibly give Kagome what she needed to be happy. In that instance, he'd make sure that Abel was the one to begin spending more time with her, just to nip any potential romances from blooming.

“I was programmed with the information that was required for the position I filled,” Tres replied absently, his mind focusing on the concept of love. Of course he knew what it was by definition, but it wasn't something he considered possible for him to feel. Yet, if the hanyou was right, the seemingly impossible had come to pass. Did he hold affection for her? The concept was a rather vague one, but when he put it in terms like Inuyasha had earlier, comparing what he felt for her as opposed to any of the others, he could see a distinct difference. While it wasn't as strong as what he felt for the Cardinal, he could see it developing into something similar.

“Yeah well, you'd better learn fast. If I've learned anything about Kagome over these past several years, it's that traveling with her ain't exactly easy. She attracts too much attention and if you wait too long, you'll lose your chance to win her,” Inuyasha advised, content enough with the answer he'd been given. He then fell silent on the subject, choosing instead to resume his previous path through the trees which made talking impossible. 'Well my good deed is done for the day. Anything else is up to him and Abel, assuming either of them can figure out what the hell it is they're doing.'

It was nearly four hours later when they finally arrived at the well and Inuyasha was more than ready to stop traveling. In fact, he was almost expecting Tres to suggest heading back to the village and overnighting there, but he'd been surprised that after only a moment to stretch, the priest was peering down into the depths of the well.

“Are you sure this is gonna work for you?” Inuyasha asked doubtfully. Yeah, he knew all about the bond that had been formed, but he still wasn't altogether certain if it would work or not. He'd rather liked the idea of having something that the other two didn't, but most likely it was nothing more than a fleeting wish.

“Positive,” Tres replied, not the least bit concerned about the portal's acceptance of him. He'd already traversed time once and the ancient priestess had said that if it had existed at that point in time, the three of them could have made use of it. Now should be no exception provided that Kagome stayed safe. 'She has Father Nightroad there to ensure that, now I must focus on the mission at hand.'

Inuyasha shrugged and then peered down into the depths of the well himself, “Alright then, let's get this thing over with.” If it didn't work, the worst the other man was looking at was a rather rough landing down on the hard packed dirt at the bottom. Unfortunately, if that happened, it would make things considerably more difficult for him since he hadn't the first clue where to look for the type of weapons the priest needed.

Without waiting for an answer, he leapt over the edge and allowed the blue energy to surround him, transporting him to another time. A flurry of movement from above told him that the priest was making the plunge as well. Within moments the blue light faded, leaving them floating along a black, speckled sky that was not unlike the night and then it was gone. The transition through time took only a few seconds and soon enough they were within the well house, shrouded in darkness.

“Well, we made it. Let's go,” he said quietly and leapt out of the well, leaving Tres to climb up the ladder that had been permanently affixed to the side. As expected, there were no sounds coming from beyond the building. Until they actually succeeded in killing Naraku in the past, the future would not change. Carefully he scented the air to make sure that there was no trace of that particular demon lurking nearby, but as expected all traces of him was gone. 'He wouldn't have a reason to return here anyway. Most likely the bastard is off on that wild goose chase for the jewel by now.'

Tres said nothing as he hauled himself up and over the edge. The door to the well house slid open easily enough revealing the darkened courtyard outside and they slipped outside into the darkness. Quickly, he took in their surroundings, immediately noticing the large house that was only a few yards away. It struck him as odd the differences in the area spanning the three eras. In his own time, it appeared to be quite similar to the way it looked in the Feudal era. Now; however, it looked completely different and it took him off guard for a moment. Shaking his head, he briefly looked towards the Goshinboku, noting its position before striding quickly to the house. They had things to do and he wasn't going to get sidetracked by considering the fact that Kagome had died there less than a month ago.

“Hey, I thought we were gonna go grab your guns first. We can pick up the rest of the crap Kagome wanted later,” Inuyasha protested, yet followed the taller man anyway. To be honest, he had no desire to step inside that house again considering what he'd seen last time. It was a horrid reminder that he'd failed to protect the girl, leaving him to wonder if her spirit lingered somewhere around the house watching him. Somehow he doubted it since the future was slowly being altered with each day she remained in the past.

“Our first priority is obtaining a location,” Tres replied and eyed the front door, not realizing the inner turmoil that the hanyou was putting himself through. Apparently the authorities had been there sometime after the hanyou had last come through the well because there was police tape marking off the front door as a crime scene. Testing the knob proved that it was locked, just like he'd expected it to be. Without sparing a second thought to what he was about to do, he kicked the door open and proceeded inside, leaving Inuyasha to trail in behind him.

Bracing himself for a second trip through the house, Inuyasha followed the redhead and was relieved to find that a lot of the decomposing flesh had been removed from the house. If nothing else, it made the stench a little bit easier to bear. But it was still a reminder that he could have done without. “So what are you looking for?” Inuyasha asked at last when Tres began searching the living room for some unknown item.

“A directory,” he replied absently and pulled open another drawer on the end table. Of course there was nothing there so he moved the search to the kitchen. Had he been in his own era and in his original form, he could have jacked into a data line and found the information instantly, but since he wasn't he had to work with what he had.

Raising a brow, Inuyasha followed him into the kitchen, “If you're looking for the junk drawer it's the drawer along the far wall.” He'd been in this room often enough to know where most of the items were and, even though he wasn't quite sure what a directory was, he didn't think that a form of cooking utensil was going to give the man what he needed.

“Thank you,” Tres murmured and opened the drawer that the hanyou had directed him to. Fortunately, that was exactly what he needed and quickly he removed the phone book to begin his search. As the pages flipped past though, one thing became abundantly clear, fire arms weren't as easy to acquire here in Japan as opposed to within Rome. Only two gun shops were listed, at all, in the entire city of Tokyo, leaving him to wonder if there was some prohibition about carrying weapons.

Still, it was worth a shot to check it out and he memorized the addresses. Only then did he turn to the back of the book, searching out the map of the city. It took a bit of looking, but eventually he had the locations pinpointed; now all they had to do was wait. Shutting the phone book, he looked over to Inuyasha, “Show me to Kagome's room.”

“I thought I said we could do that shit later,” Inuyasha groused and leaned against the wall. The sooner they got the main reason they'd come over and done with, the sooner they could return to the past. Really, what he wanted was to get the hell out of the house.

“Standard hours of operation for most businesses would make it difficult to obtain what we need at this time. We must wait another two hours before attempting to infiltrate the location,” Tres replied matter of factly, leaving no room for argument. The truth was, neither of them had the money which would be required to pay for the weapons, nor did they have the time or identification they would need. With those limitations in place, it meant they'd be forced to break in and take what they needed, something that couldn't be accomplished at the present time. In doing so, there was a good chance the authorities would be alerted to the situation rather quickly. They wouldn't have time to pack things up later so it was best to move late at night when it would take longer for them to respond.

That had Inuyasha cursing beneath his breath, he hadn't even thought about whether or not the places would still be open. Of course, they could go now, but to do so would likely attract unwanted attention. “Alright, I guess we can get the rest of the stuff now,” he said and pushed away from the wall, “Follow me.”

Neither spoke as they made their way up to the second floor, but each of them spared a glance at the large blood stain that marred the carpet on their way through the living room. If it hadn't been for the blood and the lingering scent of death, one could imagine that the occupants of the house were merely out for the night and were due to return at any time. Nothing had been out of place and would likely remain undisturbed until the authorities decide what needs to be done with the family shrine. It was a decidedly eerie feeling when they both advanced up the stairs, but neither man paused in the ascent.

“Here it is,” Inuyasha said quietly and pushed the door open. The interior was pretty much the same as the last time he'd been in the room. Kagome had always been a neat person by nature so he wasn't surprised to see that even the bed was made. “Do you remember what all she wanted?”

“Positive. Where is this backpack she spoke of?” Tres asked, briefly scanning the room. The girl had asked for quite a few things and the hanyou had protested vehemently against bringing back so much stuff. However, the girl could never return home and thus, this was likely to be one of the last chances she had to retrieve anything she deemed important.

“That's probably in the closet,” Inuyasha said and moved towards the smaller room. The door opened easily enough and, as expected, the bag lay on the bottom of the floor. However, sometime after the miko had returned she'd emptied it, but he wasn't complaining since it saved them a bit of trouble. “Here,” he said and tossed the pack to the redhead, “We might as well start with the clothes since we're in the closet anyway.”

When the hanyou began pulling out what looked to be a myriad of dresses and uniforms, Tres shook his head, “Shouldn't we be packing something more suited to traveling?” One of the things he'd never quite understood was that the females on the AX team wore dresses as well when they were expected to go into combat situations, but what the hanyou was planning on bringing the girl was infinitely worse given the terrain they'd be traveling.

“It's what Kagome wore before,” Inuyasha said with a shrug of the shoulders. He'd never quite understood why she wanted to wear them either, but it was her choice. However, the look that he was receiving now told him what the priest thought of that idea and he shrugged again, “Fine, you be the one to pick her clothes, but if she bitches it's gonna be at you, not me.”

“The repercussions are minimal and do not outweigh the benefit of proper traveling attire,” Tres replied and began pulling out the clothing that he felt would be a better choice. Even if the miko complained, he doubted that there would be much heat behind it. She was already learning that when it came to decisions concerning her welfare, his decisions would not be swayed.

To this Inuyasha snorted in disbelief, “I think I'm gonna take Miroku up on that bet. You're gonna end up with a rosary long before we find Naraku. Kagome ain't gonna put up with you making the decisions for her for very long.” Of course he was almost hoping that she wouldn't do it anytime soon after hearing how she tried diving out the damned window. He'd taken great pleasure in waking her ass up just to bitch about knowing when the hell to stay out of a fight. 'Heh, the look on her face when she expected Abel to back her up and he chewed her ass out too was priceless.'

Tres immediately knew what brought that smug look of satisfaction on his face and shook his head, “To do so she would need assistance, and Miroku is not so foolish. The old miko would not assist her either seeing that we pose no danger to her. A rosary for either myself or Father Nightroad is unlikely at this time.” While he would consider himself a risk taker, there were some things even he would avoid at all costs, and that rosary was one of them. Not because he feared the gravity check, but because it would put him in a position of being unable to defend himself and the others should trouble occur.

“Hell, who are you kidding? She's got that old woman wrapped around her finger and the only reason Miroku wouldn't do it is because it would mean he'd lose the bet,” Inuyasha said with a chuckle, “You may want to leave some room in that bag you know. Kagome doesn't need you to bring her entire wardrobe.”

Ignoring the hanyou for the moment, he walked over to the dresser and yanked the top drawer open. Just as Kagome had said there would be, there were plenty of the undergarments which she'd asked for. However, he wasn't about to sort through them and Inuyasha looked as if he was about to have a coronary when he grabbed a handful of them to shove in the bag.

“I'll just grab the stuff out of the bathroom,” Inuyasha said uneasily and walked out of the room. The things Kagome wore were vastly different then what was worn in his own era, and the first time he'd seen them, he hadn't even known what they were, at least until Kagome had noticed him examining what she called a bra, and then flipped out on him for touching it. 'How the hell was I supposed to know what it was for?'

No, he'd much rather not be the one picking through her underwear and collecting the bathing stuff was a far safer task. The shampoo and conditioner were just where he expected, but before he collected them he turned to the cabinets beneath the sink. “Let's see now,” he murmured and pulled them open. Like he'd thought, there were a variety of towels and washcloths, all of which she'd need. Grabbing a handful, he placed them up on the counter top before looking through the cupboard one final time. A small cardboard box grabbed his attention and he pulled it free, his brow furrowing in concentration. 'Feminine protection, huh? Oh yeah, those are the things she plugs herself up with during her monthly cycle, can't forget them. Now, if only I could find those anti-bitch pills she uses when she gets so pissy.'

In the other room, Tres finished shoving clothes into the bag and took one final look around the room. On the dresser were several pictures of her family and, without a second thought, he added them to the collection of what they would take back to her. The last item that he picked up was a strange stuffed doll that had been sitting on her pillow. “Humans collect the strangest items,” he said, examining it closely to try and determine just what it was. It appeared to be human, but had rather large red eyes and an oddly spiked hair style, but at least it was better than the pink zebra that was tucked away on the far side of the bed. Shrugging his shoulders, he added it to the bag, leaving just enough room for the stuff that the hanyou was bringing in from the bathroom.

“That's everything,” Inuyasha said, dropping the last of the stuff in the pack before zipping it closed. Not surprisingly, there wasn't enough room in it for food, but he'd almost been expecting that. Maybe while they were out they could pick up another pack and devote that one solely to the things he'd wanted to get in the first place. “Can we go yet?” he asked, fixing the redhead with an exasperated look. 'Really, when the fuck did he start calling the shots around here?'

“Negative,” Tres replied and made himself comfortable for the wait they had, “We'll wait another two hours and then we'll begin our search.” While it clearly didn't make the hanyou happy, at least he wasn't arguing about it. For now it was best to take advantage of whatever time they had to rest as best they could and, even if the hanyou didn't choose to take advantage of it, he would.

“Fine, you wait here and I'm gonna run this stuff over to the other side. Kaede should still be awake and I'm not carting all this crap halfway across Japan. I'll be back,” he replied and shouldered the pack before walking out the door. If nothing else, the old woman wouldn't have a problem looking after most of Kagome's stuff while they were gone and he could find out if there had been any new developments.

Later That Evening

“Are you sure this is the place?” Inuyasha asked doubtfully while keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

He hadn't been expecting this shop to be in what would have been considered one of the more heavy populated districts of the city, yet, that's exactly where they'd found themselves. Now he was glad he'd bothered with the stupid hat Kagome normally forced him to wear, even if he hadn't taken the time to put the shoes on. People glanced at them as they walked by and he couldn't help but notice how badly they stood out with the clothing they were wearing.

In fact, one particular human had Inuyasha scowling once he'd noticed they had an audience. While he didn'tlook to be anything out of the ordinary, Inuyasha instinctively knew there was something different about him, even if he couldn't put a name to it. That feeling only strengthened when the guy paused, as if to size them up and make a decision whether or not he was going to get involved with whatever was going on.

A tense moment of silence followed and for a moment, Inuyasha was almost positive that it was going to come to a fight between the three of them. There was a glint in those hard, brown eyes that he didn't like in the least, and even the punk's slicked back hair spoke of being at the very least a thug who was quite used to fighting. Yet the hardened look vanished after a moment and with a shrug of the shoulders, the man vanished into the night. Inuyasha barely caught the muttered words that were carelessly tossed over a green clad shoulder and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'Damned right it's not his problem. We need to get done and get the fuck out of here, this place is pissing me off.'

After their company had moved on, Tres signaled that it was time to go, and gestured for the hanyou to follow him around to the back. They were far too exposed at the moment and the tense moment with the stranger only moments ago solidified in his mind that was a chance someone would call the police on the pretense that they looked suspicious. Once they were in the shadows however, it would be far easier to move around and gain entrance into the building.

Unsurprisingly, there was a metal door that would be nearly impossible to kick in. Greater force was going to be needed and to that end, he gestured Inuyasha to stand behind him as a look out. Once they were inside they wouldn't be nearly so conspicuous, although they'd still have to worry about any alarm systems.

“What the hell are you doing?” Inuyasha hissed when he saw the priest pull one of his guns out. There was no way in hell he could fire one of the damned things without alerting half the city to what he was doing. Quickly, his gaze darted around and his ears twitched, listening for anyone who might be coming to investigate with the noise they were making.

Technology had advanced enough that he could forgo something as bulky as a silencer whenever necessary and this was one time he was thankful for the improvements. The laser sighting landed on the keypad next to the door and then followed the electrical cable up along the wall until he found the power supply. Sighting carefully, he squeezed the trigger. Now that the first obstacle had been taken care of, he sighted on the door's deadbolt and destroyed it as well.

The muffled pops that had followed certainly hadn't been what Inuyasha had been expecting and he breathed a sigh of relief. Most likely the noise had been swallowed by the traffic for anyone who happened to be walking out front. “Let's hurry up, there's no telling how long it'll be before someone notices us,” he whispered and slipped into the darkened building. For a moment he thought about finding a light switch, but then decided against it. There was no way to be certain that even a weak light wouldn't be seen from the front window and they couldn't afford to get caught.

“So what are we looking for anyway?” he asked at last, his eyes scanning the walls. There was plenty of merchandise as far as it went and there was a vast array of bows hanging on the walls. But they were strange looking and barely recognizable as the weapons he was used to for the most part. However, there were a couple of long bows there that he decided to check out. His fingers slid over the smooth surface and his brow furrowed at the smooth texture. Something told him that it wasn't a normal wood, or at least not any kind that he'd encountered before.

“A weapon comparable to my own or ammunition that is compatible with what I have now,” Tres replied absently and continued his scan of the store. It struck him as odd that there wasn't a huge selection of weapons on hand, but then he remembered Kagome had mentioned that Japanese laws concerning them were rather strict. A handgun in a civilian's possession was nearly unheard of. But it was the best place they had to start and he knew that there was a black market for the weapons; otherwise, the Yakuza wouldn't have any in their possession.

Quickly, Inuyasha abandoned his perusal of the bows and made his way towards the priest when a glass case caught his attention. “Well, how about these,” he said, indicating the shot guns that were on display. They were strangely shaped compared to what he was used to seeing, but he wasn't the gun expert either. They looked to be strong enough for what was needed, larger too. 'Keh, he could use something with a bit more power. Maybe then they wouldn't have to have strengthened that damned bond in the first place.'

Tres spared a quick glance over and shook his head, “Insufficient fire power, suited for birds and small mammals at close range.” Not to mention they were rather bulky and he preferred the versatility of his own weapons. With that in mind, he continued his search, ignoring the incredulous look the hanyou was giving him.

“What do you mean insufficient fire power? It's bigger than those things you carry around now and when the hell are you gonna start talking like a normal person anyway?” Inuyasha complained loudly. Hell, in his world size did matter when you took weapons into account. 'Tetsusaiga ain't exactly small and there isn't much that's been able to stand up to it except maybe Bankotsu's sword, but even that damned thing broke.'

“I can use you for target practice with both weapons and we can see which one does the most damage,” Tres suggested with an arched brow. Questioning his judgment was bad enough, but then to point out something that had no bearing on the situation was an added irritation. “As for my speech pattern,” he pointed out, “Perhaps it's you who needs to learn to speak in an appropriate manner instead.” In many ways the hanyou reminded him of Father Leon with his crude ways; however, there was one difference, Leon didn't go out of his way to piss people off. It just happened.

“Keh, there's nothing wrong with the way I talk. Hurry up and get what you need, I wanna get out of here,” Inuyasha groused irritably and crossed his arms over his chest. He would have bitched more about that particular suggestion, but they were supposed to be doing something. 'I don't want to be in this God forsaken place any longer than I have to. I'd thought the area around the shrine smelled bad, but this place positively reeks.'

Satisfied that his point had been made, Tres moved behind the counter and continued the search. Unfortunately, there just wasn't anything at all resembling what he needed. 'Perhaps such weapons would not be available to public view if they are considered illegal for anyone except law enforcement.' Quickly he made his way back to the office they had passed on the way in and began a scan of the room.

Inuyasha followed him curiously and was again surprised when the man pulled out his gun, only to begin firing at what appeared to be a rather large gray box pushed up against the wall. When the door popped open though, he could see that the priest had indeed found what he was looking for. “So which one are you taking?” he asked, although he was wondering just why the hell they were in a box to begin with. 'How can you sell them if people can't even see them?' Once again, he was left to wonder about the humans of this time and their intelligence.

For now, Tres ignored the question and began checking each weapon. Those that were of the wrong caliber were set back immediately and it wasn't long before he found the one he was looking for. Immediately, he tucked it into his trench coat and began sorting through the ammunition; however, he paused upon seeing a caliber bullet that might work for the guns he'd brought with him. Quickly, he unchambered a round and examined it next to the bullets he'd found in the safe. To his surprise, it was a near perfect match. 'Definitely an unexpected development, but welcome nonetheless.'

Seeing that the priest had found what he was looking for, Inuyasha held the bag open and waited while Tres began to dump as much of the ammunition in it that he could find. Once he was finished, the bag was zipped up, and he was heading towards the door, “Let's get out of here.”

“Positive,” Tres replied, giving the room one final sweep and then followed the hanyou out into the night. The sooner they returned to the shrine, the sooner they'd be able to return to the past and he could resume his mission. Strangely enough, he was looking forward to seeing the miko again and maybe, just maybe, figuring out exactly what it was that the hanyou had been trying to tell him at the beginning of the journey.

“Dammit, enough with the positive shit! It's yes dammit, yes! Get it through your head!” Inuyasha yelled, for once not giving a damn if anyone heard him or not.