InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Delving Into The Mysteries Of The Past ❯ The Present Episode ( Chapter 12 )

 

I was in a dangerous mood on the way back from the precinct. I glared at the windshield, willing myself not to lose control and shatter it, while Mitsu sent me looks of pity, pleading, and fear all wrapped together.

 

“Kagome…” he started.

 

“What?” I snapped, knowing that I was being intolerable, yet unable to bring myself to stop it. It wasn't every day I got to be the main suspect in a murder case.

 

“Mitani-san,” Toyama-san addressed me, from across the table. The glaring white light above me did nothing for the migraine I had, and with an effort, I took my head out of my hands and looked at him. “You do realize this is very serious, don't you?”

 

“I'm not an idiot,” I snapped. My head was pounding. I just wanted to go home.

 

“I wasn't saying that you were,” he said. “Would you like a glass of water?” I glared at him in response.

 

“Trying to get my fingerprints?”

 

“Only to rule you out as a suspect.”

 

“I'm telling you, I did NOT kill Dr. Iwata!” I yelled, slamming my hands down on the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw several guards tense up outside.

 

“Look at it from our point of view,” Toyama-san said. “A hysterical secretary calls up saying that on of her doctors has been killed and there is a high-strung patient in the room, that may or my may not have been involved. She heard raised voices and then silence, and then finally a gunshot. It's all very compromising.”

 

“Can you prove that I shot him?” I asked. “You don't have the gun.”

 

“We're looking for it right now,” he replied evenly.

 

“You still can't prove anything. How would I shoot Dr. Iwata, get rid of the gun, and then act like I was traumatized?” I asked mockingly. Toyama-san didn't appear fazed in the least.

 

“You'd be surprised how many murders are good actors,” he said, smiling slightly at me. I understood the insinuation perfectly, and it took a lot of effort not to bear my teeth at this man. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. With a last meaningful look at me, he straightened and beckoned for the person to come in.

 

“Toyama-san, they've found the gun,” the man said. He was still fairly young, not much older than me, and he seemed slightly perturbed by something.

 

“Any fingerprints?” Toyama-san asked. The man nodded, though a bit hesitantly. “Well?”

 

“They belonged to a demon, sir,” the man said quietly. My head snapped up, as did Toyama-san's.

 

“What?!” he barked. “Are those the only fingerprints you could find?”

 

“Yes, sir. There were only one set pf prints on the gun, and it wasn't wiped down before or after hand.” Toyama-san sighed.

 

“Did you find out who the gun belonged to?”

 

“The demon, sir.” Another sigh. “And something else!” Toyama-san looked up hopefully. “There was a large amount of yen on the demon as well.”

 

“Meaning?” I interjected.

 

“Meaning he was paid to shoot him,” the man said excitedly.

 

“Bring him in,” Toyama-san ordered. The man shook his head.

 

“I'm afraid I can't do that, sir.”

 

“Why the hell not!”

 

“The demon is dead sir.” This was becoming ridiculous.

 

“How'd he die?” Toyama-san asked, rubbing his forehead.

 

“Ummm.” The poor man suddenly seemed squeamish. He ran his hand through his hair until Toyama-san became impatient and huffed at him for an answer. “Sorry, sir. It's just that…it wasn't a pretty sight to see. It definitely wasn't a natural death. It was like the demon melted.” He bit his lip, and squirmed. “Bone and skin all hanging out of the place,” he mumbled. I too was feeling a bit sick. The mental picture I had would have belonged somewhere in a horror movie. Toyama-san sighed again.

 

“Are you certain he shot Dr. Iwata,” I asked. Toyama-san glared at me.

 

“He was found on a roof across from the building where the crime took place,” the man explained. “He had a perfect angle, and the…samples…we took tested positive for gunpowder.” I looked at Toyama-san.

 

“Does that prove me innocent?” I asked. Toyama-san grunted.

 

“We still have the issue of who paid him to shoot the doctor,” he growled.

 

“Fingerprints on the money came back negative, except for the demon's” the man interjected. Toyama-san turned his glare on him, and he quietly shrank out of the room. I fixed a pointed look on Toyama-san.

 

“Well?” I asked. His growl told me all I needed to know. “I'm guessing I can leave.”

 

“We might have to call you back,” Toyama-san said, trying to be polite, but failing miserably. “When we track the money.”

 

“I'll be waiting,” I said acidly, walking briskly through the door. “By the way, are you going to look for the person who killed that demon?” Toyama-san shrugged.

 

“Why would we? It was only a demon,” he said simply. I stared at his retreating back indignantly until Mitsu, who had been waiting outside retrieved me.

 

“Kagome-chan,” Mitsu tried again. “I know you're upset, but you're going to have put it behind you. Besides, we have the funeral to go to tomorrow.” I clicked my teeth. I had forgotten about that damned funeral. No doubt word was going to get out about what had happened to Dr. Iwata, and I didn't feel like putting up with my family's opinions about it. Sota would probably be the only who would find it interesting. He always had a penchant for becoming transfixed with things that others would find less than amusing.

 

“I know,” I said at last. “I'll try to control my temper.” Mitsu smiled at me, and I smiled back, somewhat. I knew my teeth must have been showing, but Mitsu didn't notice, or he pretended not to.

 

Naturally, as soon as we arrived home, I was attacked by two worried children.

 

“We thought you were dead!” Ana-chan's wailed, clutching on to my arms.

 

“'I'm fine,” I assured her, trying to detangle myself from her. “I just need to lie down for a little bit.” Horeshio dragged the two of them upstairs with the promise that if they left him alone for the rest of the day, they would be allowed to mess around in his room. I was grateful for that, and ended up sleeping the rest of the day.

 

Of course, that caused me to stay up the greater part of the night. It was stupid, since I had to go to a funeral the next day, which would undoubtedly deplete the greater store of both my emotional and physical strength, but I could not force myself to fall asleep. Toyama-sans words kept replaying in my head.

 

“Why would we? It was only a demon.”

 

Such a cruel and horrible thing to say. Granted, demons had done their share of killings, but still, that was years ago, buried in the past. It was unfair to treat them this way. Maybe, if we humans didn't, we might actually come to some kind of term of peace. I groaned inwardly. This much thinking was not helping me get to sleep. I sighed loudly, and turned heavily on my side, hoping that the new position would some how lead me to sleep. It only succeeded in waking Mitsu up, who seemed to have other thoughts on why I couldn't sleep.

 

“Can't sleep?” he asked seductively, breathing into my ear. I shivered. He continued. “You're too stressed. You need to relax a little bit,” he whispered, arms wrapping around my waist. In spite of the little voice in my mind screaming at me to demand him to let me go, I found myself melting into his chest. This was how Mitsu used to be. Loving, caring, always looking out for me. Still though, that nagging voice in my head refused to be quieted, so I tried to stop Mitsu with a counter attack.

 

“Not tonight Mitsu,” I mumbled, trying to pull away from him, despite another part of me screaming to stay in his arms. “We have to get up early in the morning to get ready for the funeral. We can't be la-” I was cut off by his sudden passionate kiss that left me gasping for breath. The screaming voice in my head was silenced as he trailed his hands up and down my body. My whole world consisted of only Mitsu, and I closed my eyes, savoring every moment of it.

 

“I love you, Kagome.”

 

I thought it was Mitsu who had said that, my brain being in such a haze as it was, but then I realized that the pitch was different. I gasped as the memory swept through me.

 

In his arms was the only place I truly felt safe, with all that was happening. His long silver mane draped across the upper parts of our bodies, like a curtain, cutting us off from out surroundings. I forgot the hard forest ground beneath me as I felt claws and fangs run across my body.

 

Eyes snapped open, and a wave of guilt consumed me as the memory left as quickly as it came. I yelped something between a `no' and a `get off,' and pushed Mitsu away, hoping to stop the guilt that was tearing at my heart, and sat up, hands clutching my heart. There was an exclamation somewhere in the dark, followed by a sharp bang. Fumbling for the light switch, I pulled on the chain, and the little lamp on the table near my bed illuminated a small portion of the room. I could see, that in my haste to rid myself of guilt, I had been too enthusiastic in my push, and had knocked Mitsu clear off the bed. He sat on the floor, rubbing his head where it had connected with the table.

 

“Mind explaining that one to me?” he asked, eyebrows up. I didn't know how to answer him. I didn't want to give him any more details on my returning memories, but I couldn't think up a lie that was convincing enough.

 

“I…er…um…” I stammered, looking everywhere in the room except at Mitsu's face.

 

“You what?” he asked.

 

“That is…um…”

 

“Kagome.” I cringed. I had always been a terrible liar. I knew my face must have been flushed from embarrassment, and my broken sentences were only making me seem all the more suspicious.

 

“I…I'm very tired. Let's just forget this whole thing happened, okay?” I quickly turned off the light and flopped over, burying myself under the covers. After a few minutes, I heard the bed groan, and Mitsu fell back to sleep, muttering. Sleep still evaded me, and I stayed awake the whole night, staring at some point in the darkness.

 

“Are we there yet?” Ana-chan asked me later, when we were in the car, driving to where the funeral was to be held.

 

“Almost,” I said, turning around in my seat to smile at her.

 

“You said that half an hour ago,” Sami-chan mumbled, crossing his arms. I sighed. The funeral was being held near the shrine, which was across town. We had gotten a late start as it was, and traffic only made matters worse and tempers fly.

 

“Stop complaining,” Horeshio said, voice a little too loud due to the headphones he was wearing. “Why do you want to go to a funeral so badly anyway?” Sami-chan and Ana-chan simultaneously stuck their tongues out at him.

 

“You'll have to leave those in the car when we get there,” I warned him. He said nothing in reply, only fixing me with an unblinking stare that made me look away.

 

“Great Kagome! You can't even win a staring contest with your own son! Wait until he becomes a teenager. You'll love it!” a mental voice taunted me. I groaned and leaned my head on the window. In truth, I had spent most of trip trying to sleep, hoping that even a little bit would help ease the fatigue I felt. I knew that I was going to be questioned by well-meaning relatives about Dr. Iwata's murder; we had just heard it on the radio not a few minutes ago. Mitsu turned it off when we heard it, seeing the way my face had looked. I sighed, a new habit I seemed to have picked up. Mitsu hadn't said much to me about last night, even though I knew he was waiting for an explanation. He hadn't been ignoring me directly; he was just a bit…cold…

 

“Are we there yet?” Ana-chan's voice came again.

 

“I'm going to eat you if you don't shut up,” Horeshio snapped, turning up the volume of his CD player.

 

“Mom! Horeshio's being mean to me!”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“You shut up!”

 

“Settle down,” I mumbled, not bothering to turn around. I told myself I would stop them if they started hitting each other.

 

“We're here,” Mitsu said, effectively silencing the three. “I want you all to be on your best behavior. No yelling, no running, no pushing, shoving, screaming, etc.” Horeshio shrugged, and stuffed his CD player underneath the seat. I helped Ana-chan and Sami-chan out of the car, straightening her dress and hair. Horeshio looked uncomfortable in his suit; he kept pulling at his tie. None of us really wanted to be here, but Great-Aunt Kaede was family, and she was the only one that ever showed me any compassion.

 

“Kagome-neechan!” I looked up to see my brother, Sota, waving to me from the top of the stairs. He ran down them at break-neck speed, and nearly fell on top of me as skidded to a halt. “Neechan, is it true? Were you really involved in a murder?” I should have known this was coming. Even know, at the age of eighteen, he was fascinated with all things weird and strange.

 

“Yeah, I was. Best time of my life,” I said sarcastically.

 

“That's too cool!” he said, excitedly. “I wish I could have been there. I would have been much better than you!”

 

“Yeah, right. You would have screamed like a girl and passed out. I know you hate blood and guts, and there was a lot of that,” I answered, enjoying the momentary green look that passed on his face at the mention of `blood and guts.'

 

“Hi, Uncle Sota,” Horeshio broke in. Sota grinned at him.

 

“So, it's the mystery kid,” he said, using the nickname he had given Horeshio. I rolled my eyes. My brother could be so immature at times. “So you still don't know who his father is?” Sota whispered to me. I nodded. Sota was the only one who didn't seem to mind what had happened when I was sixteen. He was the most loyal to me out of all of my family. I told him a little about my recent memory flashes, leaving out the one last night, and the one that caused me to fall down the stairs. He nodded when I asked him not to say anything to Mom or Kikyo. “Sure thing, Neechan.” He pantomimed locking his mouth and throwing away the key. I laughed and shook my head, walking up the steps into the funeral parlor.

 

It was dark, except for the dim lighting that cast a sort of reddish glow about the room. It took my eyes a few minutes to get used to the semi-darkness, and I quietly walked down the hallway, looking for the room that the funeral was to be held in. The whole place was still and silent, and none too creepy. I already had chills from just walking around in it. The only good thing was that relatives who wanted to know everything that was happening in my life were not attacking me…at the moment.

 

“Kagome? Kagome, is that you?” I turned around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. The speaker was a tall woman, about the same age as me, with long black hair, looking at me through the darkness.

 

“Yes?” I called. “Do I know you?” I hoped this wasn't some relative I had never heard of.

 

“Oh, you don't remember me?” she asked, coming closer. Her dark eyes seemed familiar, as she looked questioningly at me. I shook my head. “Well, that's okay. I remember you! Wow, it's been so many years, you're what now?” she asked, smiling.

 

“Twenty-five,” I said, very unsure of where this conversation was going.

 

“Me too! Are you married?” she asked eagerly.

 

“Yes, my husband is Mitani Mitsu. He's outside.” For a moment I saw confusion written clearly on her face.

 

“Mitsu?” she asked. “Okay…I guess I never caught up with the times,” she said, looking away.

 

“I hope I'm not being too rude when I ask you this, but why exactly are you here? Did you know my Great-Aunt Kaede?” I asked her.

 

“We were acquaintances,” she said, pulling her hair back. “Our paths crossed a few times.” I stared at her ears, which had been hidden by her hair. They weren't human ears. They were shaped like elves' ears. She caught me staring. “Whoops!” she said, dropping her hair. “Sorry about that. I forgot that demons have to keep a low profile,” she said, contempt showing through her words.

 

“I don't mind,” I said quickly. She was so familiar, but I couldn't place where I knew her. “Demons don't bother me at all.” She smiled at me.

 

“Somehow, I knew you were going to say that,” she said. “By the way.” She reached out her hand. “I'm Yami. Don't ask for a last name, I won't tell you. And for being a demon, I'm half succubus and half dog-demon.”

 

“Well, you already know me,” I said, slightly interested in her, slightly perplexed. This Yami was a bit strange.

 

“Mom!” Sami-chan was at my leg. I hadn't even heard him come in. He looked up at Yami, who smiled down at him.

 

“Your son?” she asked. I nodded.

 

“One of three,” I said proudly. “Do you have children?”

 

“Two,” she answered. “They came down sick with something, so I left my husband at home to take care of them. He didn't want to come anyway.”

 

“I'm hungry,” Horeshio said, also coming up behind me. Yami's eyes widened as she looked at him, and then looked at me with shock evident in her eyes. I knew demons had better senses than humans did, especially dog-demons, and I knew she could sense something about Horeshio.

 

“Yami. Why are you here?” came an icy, and all too familiar to me, voice from the doorway. Yami gasped and jumped, turning to face the speaker.

 

“I can't come to pay my respects to the dead, Kikyo?” she asked, her voice taking on the same icy quality as my sister's.

 

“I thought we made it clear you were not to come,” Kikyo answered back. Yami's eyes flashed, and her hands fisted at her sides before she calmed down and walked briskly out of the room. I was confused by the whole exchange.

 

“Kikyo, what was that about?” I asked her. It was not unusual for Kikyo to be icy to people she didn't like, but what she had just done was downright rude.

 

“Kagome. I see you are doing well,” she said, completely ignoring my question.

 

“Answer the question, Kikyo,” I said.

 

“She was told not to come,” Kikyo said simply. “And she came anyway.”

 

“Why was she told not to come?”

 

“I believe that it does not concern you,” she replied. Next to me, Horeshio was glaring at Kikyo. “It is between Mother and I. She wants to have a word with you, after the funeral. Something about Dr. Iwata's death I think.” She was feigning innocence; she and I both knew it. However, before I could ask her another question, she walked down the hallway, and left me with no choice but to find Mitsu and Ana-chan, and hurry into the room she disappeared into, just as the services were starting.

 

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