InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Asclepius ❯ Boss ( Chapter 3 )

Asclepius
.Chapter Three.
Boss

It was another week before they were preparing again, all the dead spelled and burial prayers draped over their bodies like blankets. Sango had been very grateful both for the care she was receiving from the odd group, but also the respect they’d offered her family.

However when she tried to thank the girl caring for her, Kagome had adamantly refused the thanks, saying only, “We did what was right, and I don’t like receiving thanks for doing what should be expected.” It was all given with a bright smile, and when Sango tried to argue, soup was shoved at her and she was told to eat.

On the last day they were to be on Venus Sango and Kagome went out to where Kagome had found the nearly dead girl. Sango said that a very vital and important weapon was out there, and it was important to retrieve it.

It didn’t take long, and it was soon stowed safely in the Asclepius’ tiny cargo bay along with most of the group’s supplies. Inu-Yasha had spoken very little, but Miroku had almost immediately gotten punched in the head when he propositioned Sango for babies. Kagome and Inu-Yasha had been elated to see the dark-haired man be shot down so strongly.

The ship was being checked by Kagome, who carried a small welding tool and wore a thick pair of goggles and an oversized leather apron. She was standing on top of the ship, Miroku was inside the cockpit and a small hatch door was open between the two. “Try it now!”

From their last encounter and Kagome’s use of raw energy to get rid of the reapers, a few of Miroku’s gadgets had started to detach from their places on the metal roof of their ship.

Sango was sitting on the ground, staring up at Kagome, amazed almost. Inu-Yasha was off again, making sure for the very last time, that all the dead were buried properly.

Miroku turned his face to the left and right and then pushed a button down. A loud noise sounded and a few lights started blinking in the cabin. “Looks good, Kagome!” With a nod she turned off the welder in her hands and caught eyes with Sango as she pushed up her goggles.

“Watch out!” She shouted down before throwing the hot instrument to the dirt by her ship and jumping down the hatch door into the main ship. “We should get going soon,” she brushed by Miroku who was still playing with his few switches and muttering something.

He nodded in ascension “Right, we’ll be out of here in an hour. I’ll start warming this beast up.”

“I’ll get everyone together, then.”

~*~

An hour later Kagome found herself standing at the foot of a row of graves, placing the last of her flowers down. Inu-Yasha was sitting at the second row an indiscernible look plastered on his face. She felt bad and knew what he was brooding over. How many times had she watched the graves thinking of her family and friends? Even if she tried she wouldn’t be able to come up with a number.

Distantly she checked her watch and groaned. “We should get back; Miroku said reapers were bound to be coming soon.”

Inu-Yasha was silent, and didn’t seem to hear her. She frowned delicately and knelt down again, her hand brushing his shoulder and pushing back his snowy hair when the wind took it forward. “You aren’t going to believe me, but things get easier.” She paused to gauge his reaction. He was finally looking at her, fixing her with an emotionless stare. “I don’t expect you to cry to me and get all emotional, but I swear to you things will start getting better.”

There was a long silence between the two and she watched him nod, still with his blank face. She got up and turned when he started speaking. “My mother put me in there.” His voice sounded light, like he was reliving a memory. “Naraku was coming, and we all knew it. We didn’t have anywhere to go. Most people left, they ended up in some refugee colony and I begged my mother to go, but she wouldn’t have it. He came right to us. I couldn’t understand it until she stood in front of his, giving just as much as she was getting. K-Kikyou was there, helping my mother, but it was just too much. They sealed me there in that elevator with some necklace and told me someone would come back to get me.” He grunted and Kagome stayed absolutely still her eyes closed tight. “I knew they weren’t getting away, I wasn’t stupid. I think being holed up in that elevator was worth hearing Naraku get that pissed, though. He couldn’t break it, not matter what he did and believe me he tried everything.”

Kagome’s hands were clinched tight at her sides. “W-What did you do with it?” He voice was barely audible as she heard him stand up behind her, brushing off his pants.

“Do with what? Oh, you mean that necklace?” He fished around in his pockets before finally brushing it with his hand. “Stupid thing hurts when I touch it.”

She prayed that it wasn’t what she thought it was, prayed as hard as she could before she turned slowly. Her gasp ran threw him, and he could only look at her confused. When she spoke next, it was a frantic whisper. “Naraku’s going to go absolutely stark mad!” Unbidden, a smile slipped. She couldn’t help herself. “Do you have any idea how angry he’s going to be?”

He shrugged, turning over the small pink stone in between his hands. “What is it?”

“What is it? Only what Naraku has been tearing up cities for the last fifty years to find! I knew I had heard the name Kikyou before! Miroku is going to go wild!” She was right in front of him, studying the jewel. It was odd the way pink flushed the surface and the way the darker colours swirled just below the surface, mingling together.

Inu-Yasha shoved it at her. “It hurts to hold it,” he complained as she took it slowly. She didn’t know exactly what happened when she took it, but the thing was glowing and her body felt warmer than it had before. Another smile came to her face, and she pocketed the now whiter stone. “Can we use it?” Inu-Yasha asked slowly, taking in the scene.

She nodded quickly. “Of course, we’re going to destroy that bastard.”

Her senses picked up on something just as her radio started patching through static. “You know, you have a talent for waiting for these things .Get over here, reapers are a bit away and we can get out of here without you exploding yourself again.”

She was moving, immediately, looking back only to make sure Inu-Yasha had caught the message. He had, and was moving with her before he stopped in front of her and squatted a bit. When he demanded she climb onto his back she looked a little frightened before he growled another demand at her and she complied.

Kagome had never flown outside of an airship, never had been skydiving or parachuting, but she guessed that this is what it must feel like. Her eyes were closed so she didn’t look down, but she felt herself flying, wind pushing on her face. It was a feeling that ended far too soon, as far as she was concerned.

And it was only another matter of minutes before the now larger group was lifting off the ground in Asclepius, ready to head back to their base dock.

~*~

As soon as the group landed they split up. Miroku and Sango headed off to the station’s clinic to make sure everything was healing properly with Sango’s wounds and Kagome and Inu-Yasha were headed off to an office not far from the hospital. With an agreement to meet back up in the cafeteria for dinner, the two groups headed off.

Inu-Yasha, finally being able to see something other than just the hospital bay he’d been cooped up in last time, was quite amazed at all the places they’d managed to cram in the small space. It was a small station between the Earth and Earth’s only moon. It also rotated on axis to simulate night and day in the station. It was double tiered with five elevators leading up and down. They stepped onto a moving platform and Kagome started talking.

“Our boss isn’t a very nice guy, but it’s not very often that we actually have to see him.” She shrugged, but he watched her hand move in her pocket.

Inu-Yasha frowned a bit. “You have a boss?” He was amazed that anyone actually employed people to go out on death missions rescuing others.

“Well sort of.” Her face scrunched up and he memorized it. The way her nose crinkled and her eyebrows dipped down. Her lips pouted slightly, but her eyes still held a smile. “He pays us when we find stuff worth selling from other planets. I don’t have anything this time but I thought it may be smart to tell him we may get caught up and not be around for a while.”

“He doesn’t care?”

Kagome shook her head as they stepped off the moving floor and into a small cramped hallway. She walked slowly, finding the correct door with ease. S. Tai was printed boldly across the door. Inu-Yasha frowned immediately and crossed his arms across his chest. He followed Kagome in, despite the half of his brain screaming at his stupidity.

“I knew I scented garbage.”

Inu-Yasha snorted rudely. “Still a worthless piece of shit, I see.”

Sesshoumaru flipped his hair gracefully over his should and turned cool eyes on Kagome. “Do you have something for me?”

Kagome’s eyes were wide as she watched the two, but shook her head to clear her thoughts out before responding. “Do you two know each other?”

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, still a picture of perfect grace despite the messy office and messed desk he sat behind. It was weird to see this place in such disarray she noted distantly. “Unfortunately this whelp was born from my father’s second wife.” How had she missed that? Their eyes glowed the same gold and their hair glinted snowy with the light.

She guessed that Sesshoumaru’s demeanor had been what made her neglect the viaual similarities of the two half-brothers.

Inu-Yasha leaned against a wall, still eyeing his half-brother. He didn’t reply, even with Kagome looking him over confused.

“Oh…” She took a second to recover before turning back to Sesshoumaru. “While we were investigating that colony on Mars, I found Inu-Yasha. You’ll never believe what he had in his pocket.”

Suddenly there was a loud crash from the room just behind Sesshoumaru’s chair. She heard a girl cry out and the muttering of “My foot! My foot!” It was a moment of utter silence before Sesshoumaru clapped a hand to his forehead and got up to open the door leading to the backroom and Kagome had a wide smile over her countenance.

“Don’t tell me that you have a girlfriend!” Inu-Yasha’s face perked up at Kagome’s exclamation. She seemed positively gleeful. When the two came out of the backroom Kagome’s smile got even wider if it was at all possible.

The girl flushed a bit and Kagome watched as she offered the two people sitting at the opposite side of the room an unsteady smile. “Sesshoumaru-sama, I didn’t know you had guests.”

Inu-Yasha snorted and Kagome laughed behind her hand. Sesshoumaru’s face hadn’t changed in the slightest, however, still a façade of total complacency that completely belied what he was feeling at the moment. Surreptitiously Kagome made her way to the girl’s side and held out a hand, a broad smile lighting her countenance. The younger woman returned the smile, a bit more confident then she had been before.

“Higurashi Kagome. I’m not really a guest either, just a business associate.”

The girl nodded and took the proffered hand graciously. “Toya Rin! It’s very nice to meet you, Kagome. I should go get everyone tea, excuse me!”

Rin turned on her heel and fled to the back store room as fast as she could, leaving two expectant stares on Sesshoumaru. “You were telling me about something you found?” His voice drew out lazily.

Kagome’s smile started back up and she gestured for Sesshoumaru take his seat. She took the seat directly across his desk, Inu-Yasha still sitting by the door they’d come in through. Again, Kagome took note of the disarray the office was in but she brushed it off before leaning her elbows on papers strewn about her boss’ desk.

“Inu-Yasha somehow managed to get the Shikon no Tama,” She whispered conspiratorially over the desk. For the briefest of moments she saw shock register on Sesshoumaru’s face before he leaned all the way back in his chair lacing his fingers in front of his face.

He thought long and hard about how to respond. “Has he found out yet?” The question was directed at both of them and Inu-Yasha offered an answer first.

“He knew my mother gave it me before she sealed me in a barrier. He couldn’t get through, but I’m not sure is he knows who I am yet.”

He nodded curtly before answering. “Very well, you must stay away from this station, as I’m sure you know. Once he knows, Hell will incur wherever you are.”

Kagome nodded mutely, her thoughts turning over roughly through her head. She was starting to get a headache. It was another moment when Rin emerged from the storeroom again her hands laden with a tray that she set down, shuffling a few papers to the floor. Silently she went about pouring three cups, even going so far to deliver one to Inu-Yasha, still sitting clear across the room. It was only when everyone had a cup that she spoke again. “Sorry for the mess. I’ve started organizing files and transactions.” She snapped her fingers and Kagome could see the light bulb going on in her head rather suddenly. “Which reminds me, Sesshoumaru a man called inquiring about that amethyst set that you acquired last week. Although,” a thin finger tapped her chin lightly as she slipped into the chair right next to Kagome’s. “Whoever it was didn’t sound right. He was way too into the jewelry almost like… like the way a stalker talks to the person he’s stalking.” Her face scrunched up a bit. “That’s not right, hm.”

Kagome couldn’t help but give a smile to the girl next to her, but her face straightened out as she turned to Seshoumaru. “We’re getting outta’ here as fast as we can, just need a few things and to make sure we’re all in good health before we go. I’ll call you if I see signs that he’s heading here after that set.”

It was unspoken between the bunch that it was most likely Naraku trying to confirm that Sesshoumaru had, in fact, caught a rare or precious gemstone for selling. “RIn-chan,” she addressed kindly but seriously. The girl beamed at the familiar suffix that Kagome added for her. “See to it that if that man calls back you affirm his suspicions, but lead him towards a station rotating with Jupiter, that’s where we’ll be.”

Sesshoumaru scoffed. “You aren’t supposed to tell me that.”

“If something happens, you should know where to look for my body.” She replied, still smiling and rather chipper. “Besides, it’ll be at least a few days before he follows up, I’m sure. It takes a full day to even get onto Jupiter and I suspect landing is going to more difficult. I’ve heard the dock was totally destroyed, which means no runway.”

His head bobbed slightly in ascension. Kagome continued speaking. “We’ll stay on that station for a week, and then attempt to enter Jupiter directly over the ruins.”

Sesshoumaru leaned forward and said two words she never expected to hear out of the stoic man’s lips.

“Be careful.”

Dazedly she noted Rin and Inu-Yasha’s shock matching her own.

Soon, though, Inu-Yasha and Kagome were on their way up to the second floor looking for the cafeteria.

~*~

The cafeteria was unusually busy when they’d entered but Sango hadn’t been very hungry anyways. She pressed her forehead to the cool metal table when Miroku came back with a tray laden with food. “You should eat,” his voice was soft as he offered her a bright red apple.

She groaned and held her stomach with one hand before giving him a weak smile that felt more like a grimace. From the look he was giving her in return, it probably looked more like a grimace as well. She took the apple slowly, taking small bites. “That medicine is making me nauseous.”

He shrugged offhandedly. “Antibiotics do that often, I suppose. It’ll only get worse if you don’t eat anything.” He lectured knowingly.

Miroku frowned when she pressed her head onto the table again, hanging the rest of her head off the table to still take little bites from the apple.

The cafeteria quieted a bit when the screen a few feet away, mounted to the ceiling flickered to life. Sango’s head was up, and she turned in her seat to watch the evening news. “Good news from Station Ninety-two,” the anchor woman reported jovially, “Higurashi Kagome and Hiradeki Miroku have rescued two unnamed individuals from colonies stationed on Mars and Venus in the last two weeks. These two people have both been admitted into a local hospital and have been treated for minor ailments. They have since been discharged in full health. The colony on Mars,” The scene switched from smiling portraits of the two named “rescuers” to footage of the wreckage that Miroku recognized as the Mars colony, with the single standing apartment building lacing the red skyline, “has been thoroughly pillaged by reapers only a few days after the rescues. Reports suggest that they are again headed off to more colonies to make sure survivors are found. Let us all pray for more healthy survivors.”

The report changed and Miroku tuned out the next story. Sango turned back to the man she was sitting with the apple completely forgotten in her hand. He was picking at steak on his dish and didn’t catch the look of admiration through Sango’s eyes. “I hate that.”

Sango’s head cocked to the side a bit and she studying Miroku’s slouching form. “What?”

“They make such a big deal out of it.” He let out a derisive snort. “When Kagome and I started we were just two kids with a rundown starship. Naraku had been destroying space station and colonies for generations and no had thought to even… I mean people were suffering and not one person thought they could change it.”

It was another moment of silence before Sango’s forehead was pressed to the table and he hardly heard what she said next. “I think that just makes it more heroic.” She raised her voice, “I’d rather hear about good news than the destruction of colonies or accusations of cloning.”

Miroku’s eyes widened and a small laugh escaped him. “I do suppose you’re right.”

“Miroku!” His eyes traveled up to a beaming Kagome, a thick was of cash clutched in her hand. She plopped down next to Sango and Inu-Yasha wearily fell into the chair at Miroku’s side. “You’ll never believe what just happened.”

Miroku took the bait, “What’s that?”

“Sesshoumaru just handed me like five thousand dollars.” She flashed the money again before reaching down to stuff it all in her boot. “He said a journalist came by to get a story and had paid very well. I was upset at first, you know, the whole news idea, but I can have our face on a Vid if I get five thousand dollars for it.”

Miroku’s smile turned bright and he clapped his hands together. “You could plaster my face anywhere for that much money. Do you think being on the news is going to get me popularity with the ladies?”

A harsh stomp on his foot under the table was the only answer he got. He noted that he was sitting straight across from Sango. Despite his pain a small smirk flittered along his face.

~*~

A/N: So I’m feeling rather generous with a chapter every other day. These will probably start to slow soon, and I’m working on finishing this story within about twenty chapters. Sorry if there are grammar and spelling errors. Working without a beat is hard. XD

Also, I’m doing this pretty free form, so if there are any plot holes, I’ll try to fix them. I’ll just leave it up to you guys to point them out. : )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inu-Yasha or anything affiliated with it. I just like putting the characters into my sick little fantasies.

EDIT: Just touching up. New chapter will be up soon!