InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All But One ❯ Foreigner ( Chapter 12 )

All But One

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Chapter 12: Foreigner

Kagome looked out her doorway just as the person who had come through the outer door should be passing. Instead, he stopped at Fuji's door and fiddled with it, eventually rattling the handle. Then he looked around - Kagome, who was wearing headphones, snapped her head forward and looked fascinated by the computer screen and was ignored - before pulling out a pen and starting to scrawl nasty words and phrases all over her door.

Kagome got up and picked up the phone, dialing Fuji's cell phone. It picked up on the first ring.

~ Hello? ~ The crackling underneath her words meant she was inside - probably still upstairs. Good.

"You probably want to check on your door," Kagome said quietly. "As soon as possible."

~Got it. I'll be right there.~ She hung up.

Kagome put the phone down and moved back to her computer, ready to grab Renkotsu - for that was who it was - if he tried to get away.

It proved unnecessary. From where she sat, she could just see the edge of Fuji's shadow as she came to a stop, arms probably folded. She watched in silence for a moment.

"I'm not paid."

Renkotsu jumped and stumbled back to face Fuji, who moved forward and into Kagome's view.

"A whore is someone who is paid to commit sexual acts upon their employer. I'm not paid, so I'm not a whore."

"Bitch!" he spat.

Fuji inclined her head. "That I will give you. You, however, are a coward."

"What? Because I try to-"

"Because you do nasty, sneaky things like this instead of saying it to my face. Afraid?"

"Of what, foreigner?"

"Me?"

"I'm not the one who should be afraid."

"Yes, yes, you intend to frighten me into… whatever. You know what? Fuck that. Fuck you. The color of my skin and the shape of my eyes should make absolutely no fucking difference. I'm a person, damn it, same as you."

"You're a foreigner."

"Oh, how terrible! My ancestors were nasty barbarians who invaded and pillaged - and were essentially farmers with nowhere to farm back home. What the fuck does that have to do with me?"

He opened his mouth.

"Nothing!" Fuji said, overriding him. "That was twelve hundred years ago! Besides, my karma is mine, not my family's. And even if I did kill things in a previous life - who gives a fuck? I've probably already atoned for that already! By dying in a brutal way! Hate is something you're supposed to shun, isn't it?"

He opened his mouth again, closed it, and shook his head. "Foreigners are no good."

"Ah, so it's just because I'm not Japanese huh?"

Renkotsu nodded.

"You racist." She grabbed his wrist and turned. "Come on. We're going to the Office of Student Life, so I can turn you in for defacing property and slander."

---~[]~---

"How did it go?" Kagome asked when Fuji returned.

The girl snorted. "Barely more than a slap on the wrist. The instant we got there, he started accusing me of slander and kidnapping, and they were almost ready to believe him, before I pointed out that if what he was saying were true, my actions were pretty illogical. I also had to pull your name into it; sorry." At Kagome's invitation, she entered the room, removing her shoes, and sat on Sango's bed.

"It's okay." She was pretty sure that Fuji was exaggerating a bit because she was upset, but she wasn't about to suggest that unless Fuji did so herself first.

"Thanks. Little bastard. I thought `expel the barbarians, restore the emperor' died just before the Tokugawa bakufu."

"It did. That doesn't mean there still can't be fanatics."

The door to the outside opened, then closed.

"True. Still pisses me off, though."

"Did he say why he did it?"

Fuji shrugged. "I'm not Japanese, and in his mind, that's all there is to it."

"Exactly," Sango said, from the doorway. "I'm back."

"Welcome back."

"Thanks." She kicked off her shoes and moved into the room. "Can I have my bed back?"

Fuji got up and sat down again on the corner-post, half leaning against it. Sango glared at her until she moved again, standing now in the center of the room. Then she huffed and stalked past her.

"Maybe we should move to the lounge," Kagome said, uncomfortable.

"Naraku and Kanna are in there." Fuji shuddered.

"And what's wrong with them?" Sango asked, her tone and word choice a challenge.

Fuji opened her mouth, paused, closed it, and tapped her chin. "Somehow I think she'll just take anything I say as an opportunity to hate me," she mused. "Maybe you should say something conciliatory before the entire hall turns against myself and Inuyasha." [1]

"I shouldn't have to," Kagome returned, looking steadily at Sango, pleased to see a slight guilty flush. "People are people, regardless of their origins or heritage."

^Indeed,^ Fuji said, somehow putting more meaning into that one English word than an entire paragraph of Japanese could hold. "Shall we brave the dangers of the lounge, or move to my room?"

"Your room, I think."

Fuji nodded and picked up her shoes before crossing the hall to her door and unlocking it. Kagome followed.

Once the door was closed, she said, "I'm really sorry about that."

"It's okay. I've said it before, I'll say it again: it was my choice to come here, if I can't deal with it then it's my problem." Her brow creased, though. "What I don't get is why she's suddenly like this. She seemed fine with me until just recently."

"The thing with Miroku still hasn't been straightened out."

"Oh. Well, that would explain it. I'll try and leave her alone until she's in a better overall mood, okay?"

"Probably a smart move," Kagome said, nodding. "What are you doing?"

Fuji was twisting the front of a silver metallic tube, showing it to actually be a small camera. "Dad's online, so I'm going to talk with him. You wanna stick around? It'll be in English."

"Sure."

Fuji smiled, and Kagome smiled back. The Fuji double-clicked on an icon, and a mirror image of her came up on the screen for a moment, before minimizing to a corner as an unfamiliar man, in good health and looks despite his advanced age, came on.

^Hey,^ he said.

^Hallo!" Fuji said. ^Dad, this is Kagome, Kagome, this is my father.^

^Pleased to meet you, sir,^ Kagome said, noticing that she could see herself in the smaller window that showed Fuji as well.

^The same to you,^ he said kindly, before turning his attention back to his daughter. ^What's up?^

Fuji pointed at the ceiling.

^Ha ha. Really, why did you call?^

Fuji launched into a long string of rapid English, too fast for Kagome to understand most of, but she could figure out that the Renkotsu's deeds were being recounted. Fuji's father interjected the occasional word or question, before sitting back and nodding. ^Yes, I can do that.^

^Thanks so much, Dad.^

^You're welcome, dear. I still don't quite understand this Renkotsu's motivation…^

^It's that whole foreigner thing.^ Fuji rolled her eyes. ^It's just… Here, let me put it this way. There's sort of three things going on, best I can see. First of all, I'm a foreigner, and it's obvious. I have red hair and pale eyes and I'm tall with folded eyelids and big breasts. Second of all, I'm a freaky outsider. I wear strange clothing and obvious makeup and I don't try to blend in. Thirdly, I seem to be `getting it easy'. My family's well off-^

Her father snorted.

^Well we are! I don't have to work, I get packages, and I've been declared a part of the SASMP - which as far as I can tell is some sort of honors program that only Japanese should be able to enter. Is it any wonder they're targeting me?^

^They? This has happened before?^

^Nothing anywhere near this big, and to others as well at me. I should be fine, though, and I think Inuyasha is going to do the same.^

^That's my girl,^ he said, proud. ^How is Inuyasha, by the way?^

^Well enough, I guess. Want me to go get him?^

^Sure, if - Kagome, was it? - will be so kind as to remain.^

Fuji got up and left the room.

^So,^ he said, ^how are--^ and then a bunch of words she didn't understand.

^I am sorry,^ she said. ^I am still learning English.^

He nodded, smiling again, and spoke more slowly. ^Good for you! Unfortunately,^ and here his face twisted into a parody of extreme sadness, ^I was never able to understand Japanese. I tried learning Spanish in college, but could never get past the beginning level. The professor had to fudge my grades so I wouldn't come back for a fourth semester!" He laughed.

Kagome laughed too, uncomfortable, but liking the man very much for a stranger she'd only just met. ^Inuyasha says you write books?^

^Science fiction, yes. Do you read it?^

^Science fiction?^ Kagome asked. ^I don't know that word.^

The door opened.

^Well, you can ask Inuyasha or Fuji, whenever they get back. Speaking of which, sounds like they're here.^

^We are,^ Fuji said, still (Kagome could see) off-screen.

^And Inuyasha is with you?^

^Yep,^ Inuyasha said, plopping onto the couch and adjusting the camera to center on him. ^Hi, Russ.^

^Hi. How are you doing?^

Inuyasha's face lit up. ^Great!^ And then he launched into a long string of very fast English that Kagome couldn't understand.

Fuji laughed and interrupted them. ^Dad, Inuyasha, Kagome and I are going to head off for a bit. We'll return in half an hour at most, if you feel like waiting for us.^

^Alright, dear.^

Inuyasha smiled and waved.

Even before they had their shoes on, the two were engrossed in their conversation again.

"So," Kagome said. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know. Hmm, it's warm again… what do you think about a shake?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Yay!"

---~[]~---

[1] I didn't say this before, but Renkotsu is actually a member of Kagome's hall. His room is next to Kagome and Sango's, and across from Shippo's.

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Later that night, Kagome stood in front of a door and took a deep breath to calm herself. This was what her family wanted, she reminded herself, and if she took care of this now, it would be over and done with, and she could do what she wanted and let her mother and grandfather take care of everything else. It made her angry. Instead of trying to calm it, this time, she took it and used it as fuel, bolstering her courage. He wouldn't know what hit him.

Kagome knocked on the door.

It opened, Naraku looked surprised. "Kagome?"

"Naraku. Can I come in?"

"Sure." He stepped back.

She stepped through. "Are you still interested in me?"

"What?"

"You said once that you liked me. Is that still true?"

"… yes."

"Any STDs?"

"Not according to yesterday's check-up."

She nodded and closed the door behind her, locking it, then crossed and pulled the blinds over his windows.

"Kagome? What are you doing?"

She turned to face him. "My family has made itself clear. I need to marry a full-blooded Japanese man to bear an heir. After that, they don't care." She started to unbutton her shirt. "You're an option. You get until my first class tomorrow to prove yourself."

"What?"

She sighed. "Look, you want to have sex with me. I need a father for the next Higurashi. If I get pregnant, I only ask that you marry me for long enough to make the child legitimate. Okay?"

The shirt hit the floor. Naraku stared at it. "Marry?"

"I'd have to keep my family name, of course. This is for the preservation of the shrine family, after all."

"I'm not sure I want-"

"You want me, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but… Oh, I see."

"This is your chance, Naraku." She smiled at him with almost genuine warmth. "I'm not going to try to tie you down - that's what ruined my mother. But maybe you can convince me of something, huh?"

"Maybe." He smiled as well (Strange, how the world works, he thought) and put his arms around her waist and leaned to kiss her.

"Mmm." He was a good kisser. "You'll have to meet my family as well. If that's okay."

"No problem."

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And I finally get to that scene I promised someone in chapter 7. Sorry for the time it took me to sit down and write this, by the way. I got pretty disheartened when people were silent after last chapter.

If you want to flame me, this is the chapter to do it. Now that this is finally out of my system, I'm going back to comedy. I will need some help in deciding, though: what are the results of Kagome's night with Naraku? Pregnancy or no? What do her parents think?

TALK to me, people, PLEASE!

LSIE - I know who Musou is, thanks. He's actually yet another member of Kagome's sponsor group, and rooms with Sui(kotsu) in the room next to Kirara's and across from Mayu's.

Umi2583 - wow, I'm proud to be able to change your opinion, even for just this one fic! That's a tremendous compliment you just paid me. I like the `gugugu' too, by the way. I'll use it more often, shall I?

diablos42069 / Arianna - (which name would you prefer?) No, that's not too many votes. ^_~ Sorry I took so long in updating.