InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Miscommunications ❯ Morning News ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15:

Morning News

Inu Yasha changed into a pair of Miroku's old flannel pajama pants. Kagome had gone to get more pillows. What was it with women and pillows? It would always be one of the world's greatest mysteries to him, like what ever happened to Amelia Earhart?

He was surprised that her room had no windows. Somehow, he didn't think Kagome was the type of person that would do well in tight enclose spaces. She looked more like a free spirit. On the other hand, he was impressed by the mural. Dropping his clothes on her computer chair, daring not to spoil the immaculate cleanliness of the room, he approached the scene of the forest. He recognized the God's tree immediately, being drawn to its lasting power. This depiction must have been of times long past, since the last time there had been that many trees near the holly bark, since Tokyo had been called Edo. His eyes focused on the delicate details of wood, it looked textured and real. He wanted to reach out and touch its roughness, even though the tree should have been out of reach. He followed the wrinkled pattern until silver interrupted the bark. He wasn't surprised to find an Inu hanyou pinned to the tree. It was part of that legend his mother used to love to tell him before bed. The one where the Miko was tricked into killing her hanyou lover, though she couldn't bring herself to banished the young man to hell. Their souls would forever reincarnate until they were reunited in this world.

It was just a stupid fairytale, and he wasn't surprised Kagome had fallen for it.

“Do you like my work?” Kagome asked as she stepped into the room. He turned towards her and shrugged.

“At least it isn't some of that abstract nonsense.”

“I'll take that as a yes. It took me a month to complete this one…almost two for the one in Miroku's room. I sketched it out by hand first, and then Miroku got me these wonderful brushes. The paint just layered perfectly with them. They were antiques, too. They had once belonged to an artist believed to have been possessed by the Shikon no Tama.”

“You're really into that Tama stuff, aren't you?”

“It was the basis of my Shrine's history. I was taught to embrace it while I was still in the womb. My first word was Shikon.” She smiled as she tossed him the extra pillows. “I got to play the priestess during the recreation one year. I remember it so well. My best friend at the time… this boy named Hojo, had to play the part of the hanyou.” As she spoke, she moved to get the bed ready. “Talk about bad casting! He couldn't be gruff…always smiling. We spent three weeks rehearsing, and every time we had to kiss, he would break into a ball of nervous giggles. In the end, we had to cut that part out.”

She turned towards him, only to find his intense eyes looking through her skin, straight into her soul. There was a strange sense of loneliness in those golden eyes that was reaching out to her, like the blood of a wounded fish to a great white shark. She knew she was in trouble. “It's late.” She whispered. He nodded as he approached the bed.

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The red sun was high in the blue sky as her feather raced above a green sea. Kagura laughed wildly as her loose curls and baggy dress danced in the wind. The smell of salt and pine was in the air, but, most importantly, the taste of freedom lingered potently in her mouth. Faster and faster she went, afraid she would lose the moment.

There was a red flash on the ocean surface. She knew she shouldn't bother with it. It might spoil the trip, but she had always been a curious bird. She turned her feather around and sank lower towards the water level until she was in reach of the red object. She looked at it with surprise. What was a red fan doing floating on the middle of the ocean? She reached down and touched it.

The sun became black and the sky red, as a vile laugh filled the wind. She turned to leave, but it was too late. She felt him rip through her, knocking her back on her feather, a few inches from the ocean surface. She saw his face among the clouds as he reached down to her. Using the fan she had acquired, she sent the cold wind to cut through him. She wouldn't be Naraku's slave ever again.

He laughed as he held up her heart. She didn't have time to scream as her own wind blade sliced through her heart.

Kagura bolted. There was no other way to describe how quickly she jumped out of her dream. She needed something more than deep breaths to keep her going. Her room was dark. It felt open and spacious. That was new. The fresh smell of cut grass caught her by surprise. Where was she?

Her head turned when she heard someone move. “Who's there?” She demanded. A small head peeked from side of her bed. Two curious brown eyes looked at her elatedly. Kagura leaned over and turned on the lamp by her nightstand. She felt the bed shift and was surprised to see that the head had decided to sit itself on the side of her bed. The head was attached to a body, one of a young girl, and when it smiled at her, it revealed a missing tooth.

Kagura stared in disbelief at the lips on the head. She recognized her fifty-five dollar shade of summer rose on the lips, and the area around the lips. She must still be dreaming. “Hi, this is Rin.” The head spoke as it pointed to itself.

“So it speaks.” Kagura laughed. A small spark ignited in her confused brain. “You're that kid…Sesshomaru's ward.”

The child nodded enthusiastically. Things were making sense as her disorientation was explained by the lack of familiar surroundings. “Where am I?”

“In Sesshomaru-sama's home.”

“Why?”

“Cuz, Lady was sick. You're here to get better, and everyone is going to let you rest! Even Rin!” The child pointed to herself. Then, a dark thought occurred to her, and she asked worriedly, “Rin isn't bothering you, is she?”

Kagura was too distracted by the enormous amount of lipstick on the child to answer. “You look like a clown.”

The child smiled. Clowns were nice. They didn't bother anyone.

Looking around, she found a box of tissues and pulled out a few. She made quick work of cleaning the girl's mouth.

“But Rin wants to look pretty.”

“Rin will look better with less lipstick.” Kagura promised. The girl held up the half melted/half eaten bar of lipstick. Kagura sighed. She would just have to buy another one. Normally, this would have resulted in an argument, but she was exhausted. Mechanically, she picked up the lipstick and dabbed it on the girl's lips. She pressed her lips together, and watched the child mimic her. “That's how you apply lipstick.” She explained. “Inside the lines…like in your coloring books.”

Rin broke into a fit of giggles as she rushed to the vanity and examined her reflection. She definitely looked sophisticated. Rushing into the walk-in dressing area, she looked at the nice things. “Can Rin borrow Lady's clothes?” She asked, remembering her manners.

“I don't think they're mine.” She replied realizing she was in silk night gown. “Who changed me?”

“Must-a been the nurse-lady.” Rin stepped out of the closet wearing a satin blouse, fitting her more like a dress. She had tied it around herself with a golden coin belt, and she sported a pair of point-toe spiked heels. “How does Rin look?”

Kagura couldn't help but laugh as the child stroke a pose. “Like a movie star.” The wind demon laid back on the bed. Before asking, “What time is it?”

“Almost time for Jaken to wake Rin for school.”

She looked at her watch. She should be at the office by now. Why was she here to begin with? She tried to remember…There had been a man…He was chasing her-she felt him coming. What had happened?

Rin climbed on the bed again and stared at the older woman's chest for a bit before pointing above Kagura's heart and asking, “How did you get hurt there?”

Kagura's hand instantly rushed to the spot. Memories flooded her…her attacker…the alley…her car. She never made it to her car. Someone had moved it…Naraku. He had betrayed her for the last time. She was tired of being his puppet. If he wanted her dead, so be it. But, she wasn't going to go down alone.

“Is Lady ok?” Rin questioned.

“Lady is just tired.” Kagura answered.

“Rin and Lady can take a nap together.” The child smiled and rushed to an empty part of the bed. She curled up next to the wind demon without hesitation. Kagura was reminded of another child that liked to sleep with her, except that even in his sleep, Akago looked controlling and evil. But, as Rin smiled and closed her eyes in complete trust, she looked like and angel. Suddenly, Kagura understood what Akago had been demanding from her, something small children easily gained. Too bad it wasn't something she could give freely. It was something everyone needed to earn on their own. Unconditional love.

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“Miroku,” Sango spoke as she kept her eyes shut. The cab drive had been quiet and peaceful with the exception of a few potholes.

“Yes,” he replied, smiling in the review mirror. She was definitely the prettiest fare he had ever picked up.

“I've been thinking.”

“Really, I thought you were imitating Sleeping Beauty. I was just about to wake you with a kiss.”

She opened one eye to glare at the back of his head, but then decided it expended too much energy. “You said that Mrs. Chapman let you in?”

“No, I said the nice American lady from the third floor. I never got her name.” He replied semi-defensively.

“The only American lady in the building was Mrs. Chapman.”

“Was?”

“She was moved to a nursing home a week ago.”

“Then it must have been another American lady.” Miroku protested.

Sango sat up and moved closer to the dividing window, “There is no other American lady.”

“There must be…We're here.” He defended himself as he pulled up to the curb.

“How did you really get into the building?”

Miroku turned to and returned her serious stare, “A nice lady let me in.” He insisted, knowing better than to change his story.

“I will find out sooner or later, and for your sake, it better be sooner.” She warned before exiting the cab. Miroku sighed. That had been a major oversight. He pulled her file from the seat beside him and made a notation. He would have to update the soft copy later. Now was the time for some sleep.

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Old Miko sat on back on her chair worriedly. It had been hours since her children had left. Unfortunately, that was not a welcoming fact. She now worried for their safety. They had seen Onnanoko; granted - she had been wearing a mask at the time. Close calls like these usually ended in bloody messes.

This had never happened before with her twins. They were the best, even though it hadn't gone to their heads. They still viewed themselves as humans first, agents second. Humans were fallible and made mistakes. Agents were above that. They executed a plan to perfection. Any error was in part of the human designer. But, the twins were more sensible than that. If they had been caught, it was because they were dealing with a formidable foe. Naraku never worried about his partner's building, but Sango Kizu did. She was good…too good. A loose end like her could cost the Agency its cover. It was a good thing she would be tied up within a month. Too many innocent people would die otherwise.

The older woman sighed as she looked over the photographs her children had brought her. They had not been happy with the results…

The underground base was buzzing with anticipation. Countless computer terminals were processing data from different nations and uploading current status reports on pending Japanese cases. Faces of world leaders, both political and criminal, flashed through the screens as the agents and technicians decided what was relevant today.

Otokonoko and Onnanoko walked through the maze, without stopping at their station. That would not be necessary. Old Miko would want to see their results immediately, and Onnanoko was dying to get the smell of vanilla pudding off her.

They made their way to the back room with elegant ease. They stopped and formally greeted their leader before closing the door to the processing chaos behind them. “You got dirty?” Old Miko commented from her place in the shadows. “Getting dirty was part of Plan B.”

“The guards were quicker than in any simulation. They were expecting us.” Otokonoko explained as Onnanoko uploaded the pictures. They were dressed in identical black outfits. The clothes were of similar constitution, formfitting with elasticity for long range of motion. The fiber was commonplace, and neither had any specific markings on them. They were two black nameless ghosts: Puffs of smoke that distort a hazy picture into perfection. They were twins.

The images of the hand written notes came up to view. “It is what you feared,” the younger woman spoke. “Kanna's notes reveal that Naraku was able to extract the location of the Shikon no Tama from the Wolf prince. But, to our advantage, he has not deciphered the code as of yet.”

“Yes, but, to our disadvantage, neither have we. Only the Wolf King knows, and he is dead. Until Kouga ascends to the thrown…fifty years from now, there is no sure way to know.” Old Miko explained.

“I think he knows.” Otokonoko replied.

“Naraku?” Onnanoko questioned.

“No, Kouga. There was something he said when I was first promoted to First Class Assassin… `You'll never see the Shikon bullets coming.'”

“He might just have meant that you'll never see who will betray you.” His sister protested.

“No, he meant something else.” Otokonoko protested

“It does not matter. The wolf prince has not regained consciousness.”

“Is he expected to recover soon, Old Miko?” They younger woman asked.

“Anything is possible at this point. He is in a state of Limbo. He could pull through, or…” The older woman allowed her words to hang in the air with their own weight.

“Then, for his sake…” Onnanoko began,

“We need to figure out what 524663 means.” Otokonoko finished.

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Myoga sat in his office reviewing a personal case file. His television was off for a change. Kagome wasn't reporting this morning, and he knew why. He looked down at the report. She had been there with Inu Yasha.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. His usually pristine suit was wrinkled this morning: he wasn't feeling much like himself. After so many years of chasing after Taro, he realized, “I really screwed things up.” He sighed, again. He had been young and stupid. His master's death had been recent, and he needed to prove his worthiness. He should never have yelled at the child…Not when she was morning such a deep loss.

But, what had happened in New York was a disgrace. He knew that now. He had been there on vacation, and had been called in as a courtesy, since Taro was a Japanese citizen. He was supposed to help the transition for the family, since it looked like his daughter would need to be sent back to Japan. They had no family in the States. He had loudly voiced his opinion that the man under the sheet was not Taro, but one of his victims…He didn't know. How would he? She wasn't suppose to, but she did. Somehow she had been able to see that charred flesh and blood. Somehow, she had been able to remove the white sheet from his body. She should have been spared from that sight; instead, her screams filled the building for an hour. Even the sedatives didn't calm her down.

Myoga looked down in shame. He had been too much of a coward to face her then, and now, she and his ward were in danger. No, he would not cower away any longer. He would solve this, and perhaps discover who killed Taro Higurashi. He didn't want to believe the man was dead, but they all needed closure, especially that traumatized young woman. He needed to do it for himself and for Inu Yasha as well. It was time that boy got a break.

Myoga reread the case file. If there was anything there to find, he would follow it down until he had a culprit to crucify.

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They were seated again in the main board room, like they had been the last time, with the exception that one particular VP was missing. Sango looked at the vacant seat guiltily as she shuffled some papers in order. There was a cold tension in the room, and without looking, she knew that Naraku and Sesshomaru were having a stare down. She didn't care much for demon war games, so she decided to proceed.

“After careful analysis, I have determined the point of entry.”

“I hope you are not going to try and blame my son for your ineptitude again.” Naraku's venomous words slid off his tongue too easily. To his disadvantage, Sango had eaten breakfast, and was ready for a reply.

“My lack or not of ineptitude is not in question here, but the integrity of the new firewall system you had us install is.” If looks could kill, Sango would be ashes in hell. “I have complained to you on several occasions that it makes it difficult to recover files. Now, I would like to add that it also makes hacking into the internal maintenance system easier. As far as we can tell, there was one, possibly two intruders last night. I have suspicions they are the same group from the other week. They hacked into the chimney's control system, and shot it off.” Sango began to play a Power Point, showing images and diagrams of what had occurred. “Then, they used Naraku's preference of the lack of security around his office to infiltrate the ventilation system and hack into video surveillance.

“Once they had secured the area in front of the vault, they used a voice recording to activate the lock.”

“How could that be?” Jaken demanded. “Not only does the voice print need to match, but so do the words. You also need one of two combinations of voices.”

“How they determined the key, I have not been able to determine. The voice prints used were of Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Inu Yasha. They were cut from different press conferences and pasted together. Someone smoothed over the rough edges to eliminated the static and background noise. A person can detect that some of the words were choppy, but it was close enough to the computer's acceptable range of error to open the vault.

“Once in there, they shorted the bars protecting Naraku's property. We do not know if they have taken anything.”

“We noticed nothing missing.” Kanna spoke up.

“Like last time?” Sango asked with a raised eyebrow. Kanna nodded.

“This implies you have something they want. Something so valuable they do not bother with anything else. There were 2.5 million dollars worth of diamonds on an eye leveled shelf. They didn't hesitate.”

“Did we get anything off the escape vehicle?”

“It had no plates. It was a black SUV with no markings.”

“What about my daughter? Why did they attack her?” Naraku demanded. He never referred to her as his daughter.

“The assailant that attacked her was in no plausible way connected to the other group. He did not use a high tech method of entering the building, or even of being discrete. Sango pressed a few keys and the video of Kagura's office came into view. The screen split to also show a tall bulky man in a trench coat walking up to the receptionist guard and shoot him. Kagura sat up in her office and after a few seconds, dropped everything and grabbed her coat and bag.

“I believe she sensed the danger and tried to rush to her car.” The video showed her running toward her parking spot, which empty. “The unidentified assailant took the main elevator to the parking complex.” The video showed him grab her. She fought him off valiantly, even after he knocked her to her knees. Using the new perspective, she punched hard in the one place she was sure it would hurt. Getting up, she raced out of the parking garage. He was on the ground screaming, but quickly got up and limped after her.

“We lose video feed around here, but I believe he chased her into the alley and shot her there. Since most of the guards were dealing with the break-in, help did not arrive in time to catch the assailant. On another note, Captain Myoga has informed me that a man fitting his description was found dismembered near the Tokyo Water Reserve.”

Sango's tone left something in question, and after the quiet stares, she added, “I believe this was a hit, and the assassin was disciplined for failing.”

“We'll just have to add more security around Kagura. As soon as she regains consciousness, I'll send a driver for her.” Naraku ordered.

“No.” Sesshomaru's voice was calm but firm.

“Excuse me?” Naraku demanded.

“Moving her could put her at a greater risk. It would be better to keep her hidden until whoever ordered the hit has been captured.”

“She is my offspring. If anyone determines what is done with her is me. I will not have this appearance of impropriety staining her good name.”

“No one knows where she is. Besides, this is the twenty-first century. People aren't as judgmental.”

“My dear partner,” Naraku's voice was coated with a false sweetness, “you wouldn't be using this opportunity to try to get into my daughter's pants?”

“Now, Naraku,” Sesshomaru's voice was neutral as his emotions remained well hidden, “your daughter doesn't wear pants; you won't let her, which is something I've been meaning to thank you for.”

At first, everyone expected Naraku to explode, but instead, he just sat back and laughed. “After she rejects you, do send her home. Her brother will be waiting.” With that, the hanyou left the board room.

“Sango, what happened at my brother's bar?” Sesshomaru asked after the Naraku family had left.

“It was an amateur time bomb. A hole was drilled into the gas pipe and the knob was damaged so that gas will fill the room. A candle was left lit on a nearby table. As the gas rose, it filled the ceiling, and little by little it came closer to the candle. If it had remained undiscovered, it might have been overlooked as an accident, since the candles were ones that Inu Yasha had bought for fumigation purposes. Their scent is supposed to drive away certain insects.

“The bomber gave him or herself an hour of margin to get away. There would have been enough gas not only to completely destroy the building, but at least the one next to it as well. It is hard to calculate how that damage would affect the rest of the neighborhood, except that it would have been extensive.”

“Why Inu Yasha?” Sesshomaru asked.

“Perhaps they want us to believe he was the target, or it might be due to his recent relationship with Ms. Higurashi. They might not like him protecting her. Or, if it were the same people that broke in last night, to cover up the fact that they used Ms. Higurashi's recording of the day of the shooting to open up the vault.” Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

“Inu Yasha's voice print was hardly tampered with, but after I brought back the background noise, I recognized the sounds. I have been over that scene countless times.”

“What does the girl say about that?”

“I haven't been able to question her about it, but I did ask the non-existent brother casually. He claims that the hospital mailed him everything from that day, but then added, without being prompted, that Kagome had been mad that they had lost her new and expensive digital tape recorder.”

“It might explain why we never saw that quote on any paper.” Jaken added in afterthought.

“With all due respect towards your future sister-in-law,” Sango spoke guardedly, “I don't like the fact that her shooting has suddenly been connected to a group that has been breaking into this building like it was a pay-by-the-hour motel.”

Sesshomaru nodded in response.

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He was sweating, but he was shivering. It was hard to explain. The air was thin, and it was agitating him. He kept seeing the candle rolling towards her feet in slow motion. He could get there in time…he just had to push harder, but he was moving slower than the candle. He was bracing himself for the explosion, but he couldn't let her go. He couldn't let her die, not like that.

“Inu Yasha…” A mumbled voice broke through his dream. He opened his eyes, but all he saw was pitch blackness. That scent was there: jasmine, embers, holiness and a touch of vanilla. He immediately relaxed. She was there in his arms. He must still be dreaming, but it didn't matter. She was safe, he could tell. He felt her turn towards him, resting her head on his chest. He placed his arms around her. This was a nice dream.

Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair, and she mumbled his name again. This was a really nice dream. With his other hand, he traced her jaw line… not one scar. She was safe and smelling so deliciously. She soothed him. Placing his index finger underneath her chin, he pulled her up for a kiss. Her lips soft and surprised. This was an extremely nice dream. She gasped his name as he deepened the kiss. Some dreams brought you to heaven. This was one of them.

The kiss ended tenderly as he pulled her tightly towards him, completely unaware that the scenery behind him was changing. Quickly, as if someone was running through the forest, the mural began to change. Branches and bushes appeared and disappeared as the trail began to twist and turn. The mural exploded into a sudden stop, pulsing in tune with Inu Yasha youkai. The scene had change…zoomed into something hidden in the distance. The painted hanyou watched with closed eyes as the couple breathed each other's names.