InuYasha Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Three Days In Tokyo ❯ My Grandfather the Grade-Schooler ( Chapter 7 )

Standard disclaimers apply:

 

Inu Yasha and all related characters are property of Takahashi Rumiko and Viz.

Rurouni Kenshin and all related characters are property of Watsuki Nobuhiro and Shounen Jump.

 

Three Days In Tokyo

 

By

 

koinekid

 

Summary: After exposure to the stomach acid of an ogre carrying a shikon shard, Kagome and Inu Yasha pass through the Bone Eater's Well. Finding themselves in late nineteenth century Tokyo, they must defend Kagome's ancestors and the Sunset Shrine against a vicious attack. Fortunately, they receive help in the form of the legendary Hitokiri Battousai and his companions.

 

Inu Yasha delivers Genzai to the Sunset shrine. The boy's prognosis looks grim, but Genzai won't let him go without a fight. Kagome comes to a troubling conclusion about her ancestry. Kenshin invites Inu Yasha and Kagome to breakfast at the Kamiya dojo. Kagome agrees, much to Inu Yasha's frustration.

 

* * *

 

Chapter 7

 

Inu Yasha, Kenshin and Genzai hurried through the streets at their collective top speed. While Kenshin urged on the sleepy older doctor, Inu Yasha grumbled under his breath. Sunrise couldn't be more than a few hours away. He and Kagome would have to go back through the Bone Eater's Well before then. Kagome would disagree. Even if she were sure she could do nothing else for the boy, she'd want to stay to make sure he would be okay. Keh. Inu Yasha would drag her back through the well if he had to. When the sun rose, youkai blood would again course through his veins, healing the injuries he'd suffered this night and transforming his physical appearance. He could probably conceal his ears. He might be able to pass off his silver hair, claws, and fangs as physical eccentricities, unusual but not unheard of in humans. But he would not be able to explain why he had transformed. Better to slip away and disappear in the darkness.

* * *

 

Kagome wanted to cry. The medical supplies she'd packed for the trip had been exhausted days ago and without them she could do nothing for the boy. Id didn't take much for her to imagine Souta hurt this badly. The physical dissimilarity between the two boys all but dissipated when she she saw burns covering his body.

 

The boy was not her only concern. His grandfather had barely spoken since Inu Yasha left nearly an hour before. He had shuffled about, gathering what little he could find to help the boy: strips of cloth for bandages, water to keep his body temperature low, spell scrolls and charms--no incense of course. Kagome offered to fetch the supplies for him, but he declined, saying it would take longer for him to explain where everything was located than to get it himself. Kagome doubted his reason, but didn't argue. Seeing his grandson in such pain and being able to do nothing about it had to be eating at him. He had to stay busy. She understood. Jii-chan would often act the same during a crisis.

 

She wanted to say something, anything, to comfort him. Ojii-san, everything will be okay, I promise. How lame did that sound? And (her chest pounded as she thought about it) it might not be true.

 

"Kagome, I've got the doctor!" The voice came from downstairs.

 

"Inu Yasha! We're up here." Even as she said it, she realized he probably already knew where they were. They'd been there in the boy's room when Inu Yasha had left, and hadn't wanted to chance moving him. The pounding of feet on the stairs along with the call of "Get a move on, you two!" also confirmed he hasn't forgotten their location.

 

Inu Yasha entered a moment later accompanied by a older gentleman with kind eyes and a shorter than normal redhead wearing a sword at his side. She had to look twice to be certain of the redhead's sex.

 

The doctor went to work immediately, kneeling at the boy's side and opening his bag. He extracted several small containers, opened them, and arranged them on the floor. "You, girl," he said to Kagome. "I'm used to having an assistant. Aid me."

 

Kagome moved to obey, but the grandfather held out a hand to stop her.

 

"No," he said. "I will help."

 

The doctor shook his head. " Higurashi-san, you can help by praying. I need young eyes and hands."

 

"Genzai, I've already prayed. If the gods are listening, they've heard me. Now, please, let me do something."

 

Just then, as if to punctuate the point, the boy groaned and spasmed in his sleep.

 

Genzai nodded. "All right. We need to mix these medications and apply them in specific order. Mix these two powders, the brown and the yellow..."

 

Hig--Higurashi? Kagome's breath caught in her throat. Oh no. Oh no! With all the excitement that had transpired since coming through the well she hadn't been able to seriously consider where it had taken them. She knew the well to be a tunnel through time. But it had seemed to have only two stops--her era and the Sengoku Jidai. And the Sengoku Jidai had always seemed so distant from her era, as if nothing she did in one could affect the other. And it had been her fault the Shikon jewel had been returned to Inu Yasha's time and scattered. Gathering the shards seemed more like making up for her mistake than interfering in the past. But if the well had brought her to another time, a more recent time when her ancestors had already become caretakers of the Sunset shrine, the boy and his grandfather could be her relatives. She may have torched her great-great grandfather. What if he didn't survive? Her legs became rubbery; she sank to her knees.

 

Inu Yasha was at her side in a second, asking what was wrong. She tried to answer, but couldn't manage more than a sniffle.

 

"The kid'll be all right. You don't have to worry," he said. He realized he could probably hustle her through the well right now with little struggle. He pictured her asleep in her room. Peaceful--until she saw him again. He wondered if he could survive the amount of sittings she would put him through. Well, too bad! This was for her own good.

 

"Inu Yasha-dono."

 

Inu Yasha felt a hand on his shoulder, and whirled around, his hand moving to his sword.

 

"Perhaps," Kenshin continued, "we should allow Genzai-sensei and Higurashi-dono privacy to do their work."

 

Kenshin's hand was at his own sword and the look in his eyes made Inu Yasha hesitate. He hadn't intended to attack; Kenshin had only surprised him. But if he wanted a fight... He stood and regarded the swordsman for a moment. There they were--two men, hands on their swords, each half a step from a fighting stance. At full strength, Inu Yasha had no doubt he could best Kenshin. But there was the problem. In his present state he'd already been beaten by a street fighter.

 

"Himura, If you and this young man are going to kill one another, please do so outside,"

 

Kenshin's eyes softened. "Sumimasen, Genzai-sensei. Sessha did not mean to disturb you, de gozaru yo. Inu-Yasha-dono, let us talk outside."

 

"Whatever. Let's go, Kagome." Inu Yasha sighed. So much for slipping away in the dark. Time for the interrogation.

* * *

 

The "interrogation" had gone surprisingly well. Kenshin's questions were probing but did not seem overly intrusive or accusatory. In fact, Inu Yasha thought he might have given away more than he intended. He'd been so concerned with preventing Kagome from mentioning the well, that he wasn't sure he kept a tight enough reign on his mouth. He wasn't sure quite how it happened but the conversation ended with Kagome agreeing that she and Inu Yasha would breakfast at the Kamiya dojo.

 

As soon as they were alone, Inu Yasha frowned. "Are you stupid, Kagome?"

 

"Maybe he can help us."

 

Inu Yasha snorted. "Fat chance. He's a swordsman, not a magician."

 

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Kagome asked. "We don't know anyone here. The best chance we had was probably the old man, and he's-- "

 

"So ask him."

 

"I can't."

 

"Why not?"

 

She was crying. "After what I did to his grandson..."

 

The way her lip trembled as she spoke made his heart ache. His arms were wrapped around her before he realized. "Aw, Kagome. It wasn't your fault."

 

"It's not just that. I think he may be my ancestor."

 

"The old man? I thought you said he wasn't your grandfather."

 

"No, not him," she said, "The boy."

 

"Huh. You're older than him, dummy. That's impossible."

 

Her tears abated. "I...don't have the energy to explain right now. But trust me. I can't ask him. Let's talk to Kenshin."

 

"We can't."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Kagome, my ears."

 

"We'll cover them." She illustrated by putting her hands over where they would be. "Like so."

 

"But Kenshin."

 

"We'll tell him."

 

"But..." He exhaled. "Keh."

 

Kagome smiled. She knew she had won.

 

* * *

 

Next:

 

It's off to the Kamiya dojo for Inu Yasha and Kagome. But what should be a short walk turns into a harrowing ordeal when the sword-bearing police give the strange silver-haired kid a hard time. Coming in two weeks (I hope.)