InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Real Folk Blues ❯ Tonight will be remembered ( Chapter 12 )

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

Title : The Real Folk Blues
Author: Adorkablebanana
Disclaimer: I don’t own the InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho series, Viz and Funimation own the rights.
A/N: It's been a while since I last updated. Life has gotten in the way. That's all I can really say for now. Sorry about the lack of updates. I'm going to try my best to update more frequently.

Chapter 12: Tonight will be remembered

So, I have to go home.

I stand in front of the house and stare up at it like it was a death chamber. I have no aspirations of heading inside and dealing with my family. That was how big a chicken I was. It’s very ironic I feel scared to go in my own home when I don’t think twice about talking down a psychopathic demon lord, walk into portals that lead to another dimension, and shoot arrows at youkai that are threatening my life. I just don’t want to go in and lie through my teeth.

 I guess I could lie and say, “Hi, Mom! Just came back from all those repairs! The bruises? Oh, those! Uh, a plank—no, a bucket of paint—landed on my face. Yes, it hurts a little, but it will pass. You know how it is, right?” then I would smile brightly and then Mom would answer with a, “Oh. Okay then. Just don’t tell the school we beat you at home, now.” Insert dazzling smile.

Right. Only in my head that would happen.

Well, maybe before it would have, but not in this day and age. Ever since Atsuko came into the picture, Mom has been more hands-on with me. If Mom hooked up with Atsuko when I use to time-hop I don’t think she would’ve been so lenient about me missing school days at a time. All my fighting monsters and acting all palsy with demons and demon exterminators, well that wouldn’t have slide. At least, I'm assuming so.

She has her fits when Yuusuke disappears to who-knows-where and Yuusuke still does whatever he wants. Mom doesn’t really say much to protest his leaves, but does worry he is doing something risky. Him and Botan and his little demon hunting adventures are far more dangerous than what I can ever do now.

The only thing I’ve ever seen Yuusuke do that would require being scowled is his tendency to smoke a cigarette once in the blue. Not that smoking makes you a bad person; it’s just not healthy for you. Of course, Atsuko isn’t one to talk about smoking.

I don’t feel too keen on waltzing right in, so I go and park my butt on the bench beneath the God tree. My face hurts a lot, but the bruises heal fast. Freakishly fast, but it still isn’t as fast as how InuYasha use to heal.

 I grimaced. InuYasha.

The nostaglia came rushing back and everything felt bleek and disconnected from many things.

There I go again. I doubt I’ll ever be able to get over it. Maybe I should become one of those good people that give up on love, sex and relationships and concentrate on doing good deeds. Kind of like a real, devoted priestess. At least that way I’m distracted and will earn a spot in the great beyond. You can’t go wrong with that plan. I severely doubt I will meet that special someone when I’m bent on waiting unconsciously for a person that I don’t even know is still alive and interested in being with me again.

I leaned forward, propping my elbows over my knees and buried my face in my hands. “God, Kagome! Get over it already!” I said frustratedly. When will it be “okay” for me again?  

I stay here for a moment and wonder and wonder and continue to wonder how I will be able to overcome this stupid, fork-in-the road of an obstacle? It seems like trying to walk through a wall. A big, hard, solid, brick wall.

So, I decide to go back inside and confront the inevitable. Maybe I won’t get bomboarded by a series of questions? Who knows?

I raise my fist to knock, but faltered. I have keys. Don’t need to have Oh-Geez-Wowie! confrontations right in my face right away. Baby steps first. I fish through my purse and found the keys and inserted the key in the hole, twisted and click; the door opens. I walk in and the house isn’t empty like I half-hoped it would be.

Mom and Atsuko are in the living room. They both look at me and say, “Welcome back home.”

I smiled. “It’s good to be home.”

Mom looks at me for a bit longer. She gets up and comes to hug me. Atsuko just smiles at me from where she was sitting. She wasn’t the type to be as smothering as my mother is, which is okay I guess. I relax in her embrace. It was nice. I suddenly feel guilty for wanting so badly to avoid them.

“How did the repairs in your friend’s house go?” Mom suddenly asked.

Repairs? Friends?—Oh, right. THE repairs AND friends. Right. I nearly blew my cover when I didn't reply right away. Atsuko and Mom exchanged looks, questioning my silence.

"Oh, OH! My friend’s house—right. Yes, we finished the repairs and all. I'm just a little tired. Besides, I missed everyone and there's no place like home." (Aren’t I such a Dorothy clone from the Wizard of Oz?) I giggled nervously, trying to plaster on an overzealous smile.

Mom and Atsuko didn't bother to pry any further. I quickly moved to the couch in the living room. I didn’t want them to notice the make-up job Shizuru did to try to cover the few bruises left on my face. No matter how much skills she has earned as a Beautician, foundation can’t conceal swelling.

Mom sat on the edge of the couch. Atsuko sat on the other side. I ended up in the middle. I felt tense knowing that they were both on either side of me and capable of noticing the little details on my face. I tried to act cool. It is not a specialty of mine; not around my parents anyway.

“Where’s Souta?” I asked. I really wondered where the little squirt was.

“I think he’s sleeping upstairs. He stayed up late last night studying for a test,” Atsuko said.

Well, isn’t he the scholar? I’ll go bother him later.

Taking the obvious hint, I leaned back against the couch and basked in the special attention they offered. Mom asked me questions on how it went, how does the house look like now, etcetera. I answered as much as possible without sounding false, conserving the lie as best as I can. It was difficult restraining any detail that could give me away. It’s hard enough pulling a wooly over Mom's eyes. Try two moms—even more difficult following through with it.

Then, there was a moment when Atsuko wasn’t participating in asking questions. Atsuko slanted her hazel eyes, scrutinizing me closer. I stiffened worse than a statue. I tensed under her searching eyes. The same pair of searching eyes identical to Yuusuke’s. It was so unnerving.

Did she know!  I instantly felt the color drain from my face. Panicking, ideas rampaged across my mind predicating unknown outcomes. What if she knew? Did she know? What will Atsuko say? What will Mom say or further more Yuusuke?

I’m not afraid of him, but I’m afraid of what he will do to protect Keiko and me. He unquestionably will throw a fit and hunting down those poor idiots will be a “nice way” to relieve his anger. Not cool. It’s like I’m cursed to have guys with violent tendencies overprotecting me. It’s kind of annoying now that I think about it.

Maybe if I pose a question, I can throw her off or something? I gave it a try. "Is there something wrong, Atsuko?" I asked, looking away a bit, refusing to give direct eye contact. I know it raises more suspicion, but if I do, there's no telling how fast I'll crack. I can’t keep a steady gaze when I’m lying. I forced myself to keep from swallowing my nerves.

"No, nothing. Just wondering where you got those bruises is all," she said, clearly indicating the evidence. She leaned closer. "Right, Yuumi-chan? She looks a bit pale." Atsuko was involving Mom into it. Now they're teaming up.

No fair, it's two against one! So much for the magic of make-up, I knew the stupid mess wouldn’t work for long,  I thought bitterly.

"Yes, you’re right, now that I look at her. Kagome, what happened to you?" Mom asked, worry etching her features. She put a hand underneath my chin, shifting my head side-to-side gently; searching for more wounds.

Paling deeper, my heart skipped a beat. Automatically I leaped to my feet, slipping away from Mom and Atsuko. If I run now, all my efforts will wash down the drain. Play it cool, Kagome, cool and collected. Nice and steady. “Oh these? Well, I fell down the stairs in the house. You know little old me. Clumsy and all. Nothing to worry about. Just a bump," I said, laughing it off.

Tch! I wish I fell down the stairs rather than earned them the way I did from the beating,  I thought to myself.

Mom’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh no, sweetie!” She looked like she was going to reach for the phone to call a doctor. I wouldn’t fault her for thinking I fractured something.

“No, no. It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt so much now. I just need to be more graceful, is all,” I said, trying to calm her down and reassure her I’m all right and not needing don’t a CAT scan.

"Go rest. You look tired. We'll bring you up some tea," Atsuko said, reaching for Mom and patting her on the shoulder to calm her down.

Thank you, Who-ever-it-is up there! Atsuko signed the certificate to my confirmed freedom. Well, it’s how I see it anyways. (I exaggerate a lot.)

Resigned, Mom nodded in agreement. Something tells me Atsuko didn’t buy how I got my bruises. I’m not going to pursue it since she didn’t blow my cover.

Dismissing myself, I hurried to escape upstairs. I stumble on a step in the staircase and bang my knee against one of the steps painfully. I wince. Great. Another bruise on the knee to add to the collection.

Hearing the groans chorusing, I quickly say, "I'm okay." Scrambling to my feet, I raced to the safety of my room, trying not to hug my knee from the pain. If there was an award for being a clumsy dimwit, the trophy certainly will be awarded to me. I’d be the Queen of the dimwits. I envision myself in a clown suit and a parade of idiot's lacking dexterity cheering me on.

Reaching my room, I leap onto my bed and take in the scent of the familiar detergent scent and a few cat hairs. Buuyo, my sleeping cat, shrieked and bristling head to toe in surprise by the sudden invader bouncing on the bed. I giggled, cuddling the chubby feline, scratching its head. "I missed you, Buuyo." I did miss cradling the lazy pound a massive flesh. I kind of miss Eikichi-chan now. I thought, At least I got Buuyo.

It’s amazing how much comfort I take in to my familiar surroundings. I snuggled into the comfort of my missed bed. Cozying against the fluffy pillows all the while still holding Buuyo like a teddy bear against me. Never one to complain against attention, the cat complied, allowing me to hold it. (After a few minutes, Buuyo wanted to escape, struggling his way out). I looked around the room and everything was neatly placed in its place.

Mom's compulsive conformity to organize, clean and decorate things is shown in every room and specifically mine, since I tend to leave it undone. Yes, I'm proud to be messy…Sometimes. (It's a little embarrassing with company and boys around).

Irksomely enough, I feel alienated to my room right now. This tends to happen naturally when I'm not home for a long period of time. Yet, this time around I feel alone more than usual. Maybe I miss the Kurabara siblings? Yes, that's probably it. I miss having people around me. The habit has yet to cease just yet.

Deciding to take a quick wink of a nap, I stare up at the ceiling for a brief moment. Buuyo is already curled up into a cute, lumpy fur ball in my arms. He's ready to snooze off. I closed my eyelids and a yawn escapes from my mouth. I submit to sleep.

And in my dreams once more the ancient priestess is waiting for me under the willow tree.

<...>

Yuusuke is waiting outside with Keiko in front of Kurama's house. Keiko actually looks rather nice today. She was wearing a pink skirt that was above the knee and white short-sleeved, ruffled shirt and white heels. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Keiko has the ability to look rather lovely and going out on a date--well, she was suppose to be on one with him--at the moment they took a detour to the Minamino residence.

Yuusuke rang the doorbell and waited.

Keiko tried to not show her disappointment, but in instances like this, it was very hard.

Too hard. She did have a fireball infused anger that can take out the block.

"Where the hell is he?" Yuusuke said to himself. "Damn, Kurama."

"Maybe he's not home today," said Keiko. She hoped that Kurama wasn't home. Yeah, she likes him and thinks he's a good friend and all that nice stuff. But she wanted some alone time with him and carry on with what's left of her date. If Kurama came along, she would revert to the third wheel. Yuusuke's always been a guy's guy. Keiko could not compete with that.

She could only hope that her role as the third-wheel will not happen again today.

Shiori opened the door and her bright smile engulfed Yuusuke and Keiko. "Why, hello there. It's nice to see you, Yuusuke and Keiko. Are you looking for Shuuichi-chan?"

"Yeah. Is he here?" Yuusuke asked.

"Shuuichi's upstairs. He is dressing. He will be downstairs in a minute. Come, come inside and sit in the living room till he's ready," she said, opening the door wide enough for Keiko and Yuusuke to enter.

Keiko smiled. Kurama's mother was always sweet and a good host. She entered first and Yuusuke followed afterward.

Nobody could ever really notice how big Kurama's house actually is from the outside, but when you go inside, you can see how spacious and glamorous it actually is.

The living room was decorated in a very clean, white elegant type of decor. All the furnishings in the living room was tastefully arranged. It almost looked like the room of a fancy hotel suite.

A sterling silver tea set was set on the coffee table. Shiori offered a cup of tea to Keiko and Yuusuke. Yuusuke declined but he did accept a small red bean cake. Keiko took up the offer and helped herself to oolong tea and cookies.

Kurama enters the room looking rather worn out. He greeted his mother and then, Keiko and Yuusuke. "Yuusuke, I want to show you something interesting upstairs," Kurama said, with a polite smile.

Kurama glanced at Keiko and she looked down at her feet and then back up with approval. She silently said "It's okay. I'm not going to get upset about it."

"It'll be quick, Kei," reassured Yuusuke, following behind the kitsune.

<...>

Upstairs, entering Kurama's room, the kitsune waves his hand in a circular motion and then snaps his fingers. The image of the bedroom quivered for a second like a ripple in the surface of still water and then popped like a bubble. The illusion of the bedroom looking like it normally did was gone.

In its place showed a completely different picture of what it ordinarily usually looked. It was quite the surprise and quite different.

Yuusuke knew Kurama pretty well, but even he was surprised at what he saw. "Whoa. What's this here?" he said, eyes widening.

"One of demonesses we were looking for," Kurama replied calmly.

"Oh." Yuusuke was still a bit perturbed about that. "Um... She's dead." Killing wasn't that new to him anymore. Yuusuke killed demons that were rampant and murderous for a while now. It's just seeing a dead body hidden in a room is still weird and disturbing to him.

"I know. This is Hiei's work. This one was the violent, psychopathic one. He did not have much of a choice than to dispose of her. He brought the body her here minutes before she died--"

"Not to interrupt, but where's Hiei? Is he okay?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the corpse. Hiei did a number on this one. She was practically covered in 2nd degree burns and severe gash worns from Hiei's sword. What makes it more sick is she's shoved half-way into a black garbage bag, her long battered legs dangling out of the bag.

"Hiei left just a minute ago. Walking around in broad daylight--as fast as he could be--is not all recommended with a dead body. The garbage bag was a last minute effort to conceal it.," Kurama explained. "He went to recover and I haven't had the chance to clean up this mess with mother being home at this time."

"Shit. What are you going to do?"

"Well, that is where you come in. I know that when I called you, you were on a date--which I apologize for--but can you ask Keiko to distract mother for a few minutes. I need your assistance for now. Go on. Go explain to Keiko briefly of the favor," the kitsune said, sighing at the work load left for him to do.

He was always the one having to clean up after everyone's mess. It became an exhausting occupation.

"Sure, sure. I'm on it." Yuusuke rubbed the back of his neck, soothing the tension. He opened the door and stepped out. Before he ran off, he added, "Hurry up and get rid of it, it's starting to smell."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Kurama replied.

The door closed. He got to work. He concocted another seed to engulf the body into a pod. The demoness was quite a tall individual. The pod was slightly bigger than the last one. The body was compressed into the fetal position. The nutrients inside the pod show heal up and clean the wounds inflicted. Koenma didn't want any of the demonesses to be killed. The least thing Kurama could do is clean up the body enough to make it identifiable.  

<...>

Keiko nodded and agreed to what Yuusuke asked her to do. She convinced Shiori to show her around the garden, her pride and joy that Shuuichi shares with her.

Yuusuke rushed back to Kurama's room and he helped Kurama carry the heavy pod to the basement where Yuusuke was, again surprised to see another giant pod harvesting in the corner. Yuusuke stopped. "What is that?" he said, almost demandingly.

"That is the demoness I found. Don't worry, she is still alive. I just put her inside a pod to keep her in a sleep until we find her other compatriots," he said.

Yuusuke hestiantly set the pod next to the other one.

Kurama sat down on the couch. Yuusuke proceeded after him. "Dude, that's fucking creepy."

"I seen worse things in my time," Kurama said.

Yuusuke shivered. He's not completely use to all these odd and out of the norm things other spirit detectives are forced to encounter. "You should stop making those...things." He pointed at the green pod. "It reminds me of that movie Alien."

"It's harmless. Somewhat."

"Somewhat is not good enough."

"As I was saying upstairs; before that demoness died she made it clear that there's more problems to come."

"Nothing we don't deal with constantly," said Yuusuke, waving it off. It wasn't something he wasn't use to already.

"I know. I just feel that you should be on your guard more than usual and be watchful of Keiko."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard."

<...>

Ai and her friends, Amiee and Saya, were leaving the Mall after a long day of shopping for shoes and clothes.

It was already 7:00 pm. The sky was dark. Their parents wouldn't want them being out late. Curfew was at 9:00pm.

Outside the mall were Aimee's parents waiting to pick her up. Saya and Ai walked to the bus stop. The bus stop to their town was far off from the mall and other traffic. It was a bit eerie and discomforting for the girls to wait in the darkness in the middle of nowhere for an hour.

"I want this stupid bus to come already!" Ai complained.

"Me too," agreed Saya. She was more openly showing her fear. Every hair on her body was raised.

"Nothing's going to happen. Stop being scared of everything," said Ai. Ai rolled her eyes at her friend's childishness. "Have some confidence for once."

"Not out here," Saya replied.

"Ugh," Ai scuffed.

They waited for what seemed like forever.

Their impatience growing--it was cut in half the minute Saya disappeared in the bushes. Large, massive monstrous claws snatched her into the bushes and the terrified screams of the girl sent Ai into a panic fit. Pure fear pushed Ai to run for her life.

Unfortunately, she did not make it far. "Nooo! Somebody help me!" she screamed to the top of her lungs. The same thing that took the life of her friend pounced on her and savagely mauled her.





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