InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dogs in Tokyo ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

Jijii-Chan slowly lifted one of the plates free from the wood shavings in the box. The plate was a slightly hollowed-out rectangle done in variegated lacquered wood. "This, you see, is a historic plate belonging to the shrine." He stated

Higurashi-San sighed and shook her head. "No, Papa, you have the wrong box. These are the plates that were used at my wedding, hardly historic." She smiled apologetically at her visitors. They were two ladies who had been suggested to her by one of the shrine families as good, inexpensive, caterers.

Her guests nodded alertly and the older, thin, one seemed about to speak when a considerable disturbance occurred in the front hall. It sounded as though a moaning herd of elephants had barged in but Higurashi-San could hear Kagome's light voice urging someone to mind the step. An instant later an ill-assorted group appeared in the doorway; Kagome and some very tall, blue-haired, European supporting between them a sagging figure draped in an over-sized mackintosh.

The trio staggered unsteadily across the room to dump their noisy burden on the couch were the little man proceeded to double over and cry in earnest. Kagome looked quite harried and shoved her mane of raven hair impatiently out of the way as she tried ineffectually to comfort him.

Inuyasha strode into the room positively radiating annoyance and proceeded to tower over the shrunken bundle of wailing misery on the couch. "Don't waste your time, Kagome, I'll get him talking." He cracked his knuckles enthusiastically, muscles flexing under his red tee.

Using the lightning-fast reflexes of all good Japanese mothers, Higurashi-San intervened before her volatile son-in-law could indulge in any violence. "Inuyasha-Kun, these ladies are here with samples of their cooking to help us decide what we want to serve at the wedding. The little group fell silent and stared in surprise at the two ladies who hopped up, all smiles and bustled into the kitchen to reappear in a flash bearing covered trays.

The box of plates was swiftly scooted under the table and the older lady spoke briskly as the younger swept aside the covers and arranged the numerous little dishes. "Deep fried octopus balls, chicken yaktori, fried tofu, broiled eggplant with minced chicken--Those are tiger eye," she interrupted herself as Jijii-Chan reached for a particularly colorful item, "grilled cuttlefish stuffed with smoked salmon and avocado." She looked about at the now filled table with complacence. "We offer all types of tempura and sushi combo platters, along with wide variety of pickles." She thrust a bowl and chopsticks into the reluctant hands of Jaken. "Miso soup for you, I think."

A nonplussed Inuyasha found himself holding an enormous piece of shrimp tempura as the ladies passed out their wares to everyone in the room and the conversation was reduced to appreciative noises. He took a big bite and chewed thoughtfully as he watched Jaken toy with his miso soup. Higurashi-San had struck up a conversation with the strange-looking blue-haired man and they soon left the room for her kitchen where she kept a small hydroponic garden.

Kagome set to work attempting to sooth Jaken and encourage him to eat. The little man replied to her reluctantly, keeping his head down and stirring at the tiny tofu cubes in his soup with frowning concentration. Jijii-Chan was no help as he appeared to be intent on eating at least one of everything in front of him and Inuyasha had shifted his attention to the two caterers who had him backed into a corner and were plying him with tidbits. He was nodding enthusiastically to whatever it was they were saying and they were smiling broadly at each other. She sighed again in annoyance and looked at the little man beside her. Even though he was apparently human the resemblance to a sullen frog was amazing. She was just about to take the bull by the horns and ask him straight out what had happened when her mother re-entered the room.

"All set, Inuyasha dear?"

"Hai, they really know how to cook" Inuyasha replied, completely oblivious to the instant affront that his mate exhibited. "Oi, Kagome, You should sign up for cooking lessons. They give those too." He turned to her pointing at the now simpering caterers.

She glared at him, earning a startled look in response as she grabbed up an oyster puff and bit vengefully into it. It was delicious.

"Ooh, Nishigawa-San, you'll turn our heads. So happy everything satisfies. We'll be in touch to set the menu." They gathered their bags and bowed themselves out followed by Kagome's mother and the blue-haired guy.

"We're just out to look at my vegetable patch." Higurashi-San called back over her shoulder as she led the way to the door. She was mildly surprised to find a vaguely familiar old gentleman on the step just in the act of lifting his hand to ring the doorbell when she slid the door open. "Oh! Irashaimase, please come in. They're all in the living room."

There was a good deal of polite shuffling and bowing as group heading out the door made way for Jukuryo-San's entrance. He turned and bowed again as they went out the door, then followed the sound of Inuyasha's voice down the hall.

"Well, he's going to have to stop sniveling and talk sometime..." Was all he heard before his appearance in the doorway cut off all conversation.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and frowned but Jijii-Chan's face cracked into a smile and he waved invitingly. "Come in! Inuyasha has been finding interesting guests for us. You can help protect me from them."

Jukuryo smiled thinly as he entered and seated himself on the spot that Kagome had rapidly vacated for him. Inuyasha plunked himself down on the tatami mats beside Kagome with an impatient grunt that broadened the corners on Jukuryo's smile as he complimented the spread of food. His appreciative sniffs brought him the odors of the others in the room with him and most especially the peculiar odor of the couch's occupant to his right who was giving vent to soft moans.

Placing his teacup on the crowded table, Jukuryo spoke to Inuyasha. "You are not the only one to have interesting visitors. I had one my self this afternoon. It would be difficult to put a finger on it looking at you but he bore a marked resemblance to your self as well as bearing your family name."

Inuyasha didn't allow his expression to so much as flicker but Kagome turned her head quickly to look at him. "Follows to reason." He replied indifferently. "What did that frozen creep want?"

"He was inquiring after a missing item and the employee that last had it in his possession. Not necessarily in that order." With a bit of a flourish he removed the folded black scrap of material from his breast pocket and spent a moment unfolding it and teasing it into shape before placing it on a nearly empty plate of almond cookies. There it sat, a forlorn representation of a Hein-era nobleman's hat in one-quarter size.

Jaken finally sat stunned into near silence. "He kept it by him all this time?" His voice quavered a bit, sounding fragile. He put a trembling hand out towards the little hat without quite touching it. "But, he throws everything away."

"No, he doesn't." Inuyasha's voice grated abruptly. "He just pretends to throw everything away and then hides it instead, just like every manipulative bastard out there. Including me." He finished sharply, catching Kagome's minatory eye. "Jaken, pass me the fried octopus paste balls, I haven't tried them yet."

"Well, now this is interesting." Remarked Jukuryo. "If I didn't know better, young Nishigawa, I would think my visitor this afternoon and you really did know each other. But he denies any relations 'in this time.'"

"No reason he should know unless that one talks." Inuyasha responded tartly, pointing at Jaken.

"But what would he know if Jaken talked." Came the gentle prod.

Inuyasha flicked distrustful eyes at his inquisitor but could not find what he considered a real reason for staying concealed anyway. He hated lying, he was too impulsive and was thus very bad at it. He shrugged and in so doing transformed from his human aspect to that of a hanyou. Jaken snarled, staring at the boy who now sat white haired, dog-eared and clawed for all to see. Jukuryo himself was more than a little taken aback by the nearly instantaneous change in appearance and alteration in smell, from that of a human with a trace of demonic heritage to that of nearly full daemon, a powerful one at that.

"That's fascinating. The spell is undetectable" Jukuryo ventured before the irate accents of Jijii-Chan cut him off.

"That's disgraceful! Couldn't you have contained yourself boy? Here is my granddaughter marrying indecently young and the man she chose isn't even fully human. Now how do you expect I feel having some strange creature as a son-in-law when my family has protected this holy shrine from deamonkind for centuries?" The old man must be forgiven; he felt he was being exposed heedlessly before an old friend.

Inuyasha saw Kagome's hurt expression at her grandfather's words out of the corner of his eye and said the first thing that popped into his head. "Old fool- you can't even tell daemons from humans to save your life."

"Oh, yea?" Jijii-Chan bristled self-righteously.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said with a nasty expression. "You wouldn't know a daemon if it kicked you in the butt."

Jijii-Chan gave a stuttering cry of outrage and reached into his hakama to come forth a thick wad of handwritten offuda. There was a rapid flurry of slaps and prayers and every one of the people present in the room found themselves the recipient of at least one. Kagome's fell into her lap. Inuyasha's offuda stuck to his shoulder but he promptly peeled it back off again. Jijii-Chan was startled to see that the one he had plastered on his old friend Jukuryo fizzled for an instant and turned into gray ash but Jaken's response was even more dramatic as he tumbled head first off of the couch and shrank to a quarter of his original size, turning green in the process.

Jaken was on his feet in an instant, grabbing at the little black hat on the table and making a break for the door trailing his shirttails behind him. Inuyasha grabbed him neatly by the back of the shirt before he had taken three steps and hauled the frog youkai back to the table.

"Get your hands off me you unfilial son! You degrade your sire's blood yet more by this unworthy marriage to a human whore!

"Hey, who's unworthy?" yelled a now thoroughly incensed Kagome.

"Is this nasty little monster insulting my granddaughter?" Jijii-Chan spluttered.

Jukuryo leaned forward over the table at Jaken and let the full personality of an ancient youkai, long steeped in malice and otherworldly power come to bear on the immobilized captive. His crimson eyes blazed above his lenses and the sharp double crescent of his nose and chin jutted forward. "You will refrain from insulting this lady, Dishonest Servant. Have you not stolen from your master? Answer me!"

Jaken melted on the spot and sagged in Inuyasha's grip as best he could all the while emitting squeals of distress. "It's not like that. It's just that Sesshoumaru-Sama will not listen!" The toad youkai wailed desperately.

"You've said that before," snapped an impatient Inuyasha, "now explain it!" His knuckles landed on Jaken's cranium with a hollow sound that can only be rendered as *BONK. * Kagome leaned over interestedly; that sound was a new one. She caved into temptation and gave an experimental rap. *BOP! * Yes it sounded just like a coconut. She was just about to try another while Inuyasha stared in surprise at her when Jaken surrendered.

"O.K., o.k. Stop hitting me! My lord and I have not communicated directly in some time."

"Since when?" Kagome wanted to know, knuckles poised.

"Mind your own business, wench." Sniffed Jaken. The room filled with another echoing *BONK* from Jaken's scull. "Ow, call your bitch off Boy."

"Why you!" *BONK*

"O.K., Kagome, we want him conscious."

"I don't," the girl replied mutinously.

"Oi, Jaken," the hanyou spoke gently as if to a friend. "I can't control her and get a confession from you so talk already."

"It was the fault of you stupid humans." Jaken rolled his eyes accusingly. "You created a disaster in the subway that I was traveling in and my lord did not like the results."

The two oldsters in the room sat up at attention. "Subway! So it was you who set off those sarin gas attacks in '85?" Jijii-Chan exclaimed.

"No, I was not! You have the perpetrator, I was traveling on the subway when it occurred."

Inuyasha scowled and used both hands to angle Jaken's face up to his own. "That was years ago. What were you doing here then?"

"Oaf, I go where my lord goes." The toad youkai's tone eased somewhat as he stared into the hanyou's golden eyes. "But he is displeased with me and I tried to make it up but now I have lost the Staff of Heads." Tears rolled silently down his cheeks.

Inuyasha swiftly let him go, wiping his hands distastefully.

Jukuryo cut in. "You lost--he's looking for it, and you. He's not pleased to have to ask for help."

Jaken hung his head. "It was lost in Yomiuriland Park last night."

"So. It was you." Inuyasha grabbed for his throat with Kagome hanging on to his wrists. "You tried to kill us, you little scum!"

Jukuryo hastily intervened. "Can't let you do that, Nishigawa, Sesshoumaru wants to do that."

"I'll save him the trouble. And whose side are you on anyway?" Inuyasha's words were almost subsumed in his growl.

"Well, for one thing, I still have questions about my employee, Ryosei. Sesshoumaru indicated they were working together."

"They were." Inuyasha declared. "I've got her cell phone. Thought I smelled Jaken where I picked it up but I couldn't believe it,"

"That traitorous bitch!" Jaken wheezed. "She must have taken it. This is bad. This is worse than bad!"

"What's so bad about it?" Inuyasha asked in a reasonable tone of voice. "So she's got a stick that you were fond of."

Jaken snarled contemptuously. "She might feed it. It is very powerful and measly humans shouldn't touch it."

Kagome frowned. "The Staff of Heads? That thing? I've touched it, I clobbered you on the head with it if you don't remember."

Jaken wiped his nose on the dangling sleeve of his shirt. "That was different. You did not feed it and it was attuned to me at the time. Since I have been in this benighted time with my youki suppressed the link is reduced. I no longer control it easily."

Inuyasha growled. "Lying scum--You're just denying responsibility."

"I am not! We must find that human wench. Who knows what she may do if she feeds the staff and can't control it? And she owes me a weeks pay!"

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Ryosei: "Do the voices in my head bother you?"