InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The House of the Rising Sun does not belong to this author, and in no way is this work a songfic.

Inuyasha could smell smoke in the cold crisp autumn air as they made their way down the clay road. The road was much greater than the one that stopped in Edo, usually a sign of a trade route, heralding the possibility of a larger and more prosperous town, rather than a poor village or hamlet. Over the years since Kagome freed him from Kikyo’s arrow, Inuyasha had become more tolerant of human habitations, and humans in general. He was, after all, half human just as he was half demon. The concentrated smells of sewage, farm animals, wood and coal-fires, and fabric dyes assailed his nose as they drew closer to the town. His sensitive ears picked up the clopping of horses hooves on cobbled roads, the lowing of cows, cries of shopkeepers and children, and some kind of dull, clanging, industrial noise reminiscent of Kagome’s time.

“Surely a town of such great size also possesses great wealth, and the promise of a cheerful inn,” Miroku crowed with glee.

“Get off my back, monk, the ride’s over.”

Miroku slid off his friends back, and the two swaggered into town, eyeing the hustle and bustle and fine buildings around them appraisingly. Inuyasha criticized Miroku’s avarice, but he was just as guilty himself, nowadays. Since he acquired Rin, who was accustomed to the finer things his brother could afford to give her, he had given up on his former asceticism. The re-formed group stayed in inns just about every night, and dined richly on roasted meats and rice. Sake was had every day, rather than as a luxury, and most nights ended in drunkenness. He did not acknowledge that Kagome had given up just as much to come to him, as her time provided riches and comfort unparalleled in this pre-industrial era. He thought of Rin, who was sure to be angry with him when he returned to Edo. A fine present might help. Rin possessed kimonos galore, of absolute royal quality, so there was no sense picking up clothing as a gift. She went barefoot, just as did Inuyasha, a trait he found endearing. Her feet were hard and calloused, so unlike the slender, white, tender feet of Kagome. So shoes were out as well. Perhaps a jeweled or ivory comb for her hair, he mused. It was getting so long, so fast. Just as Kagome’s had as she matured. The hair of both girls had given up their layers and waves with maturity, becoming long and silky as Kikyo’s had been. His Kikyo.

“Look, Inuyasha. There’s a fine inn ahead! Let’s see what kind of amusements this town has in store for us this night, my friend!”

They sauntered up to the entrance of the inn, which possessed a substantial porch in front and pagoda-style roofs. The façade was white stucco, and the building as a whole seemed to Inuyasha to combine a prosperous, medieval style with the more graceful aspects of temple design. There was a well-carved sign representing a sun emerging from behind a mountain, which bore the shape of Mount Fuji. Surely such a building was bound to bear a malignant spirit or two, in need of exorcism.

The proprietor was a very short old man with a wispy goatee and thin, waxed moustache. He reminded Inuyasha strangely of Kagome’s grandpa. Grandpa was surely dead by now, reflected Inuyasha. The old goat. Inuyasha remembered all the times Grandpa had tried to slap charms on him, but also remembered the times spent with the old man going though the many dusty storage buildings, fingering leftovers of the past, which still seemed far in the future to Inuyasha. He was actually slightly fond of the priest.

“So, old man. Does this place have a name?”

“Most certainly, my son. This is The House of the Rising Sun.”

Miroku was almost surprised. The concept of synchronicity had not been developed yet, but his religious and philosophical education coupled with bizarre life experiences led him to assume that the sign outside had represented the sun setting in the west, not rising in the east. He had grown to expect references to the West. The concept of last names was newly emerging, and reserved only for the most noble, but Kagome had told him her family name was Higurashi. Her shrine was the Sunset Shrine. Inuyasha’s brother was the Lord of the Western Lands, as had been Inuyasha’s father, after he arrived from the mainland many many centuries before. Inuyasha’s forest was seceded from the Western Lands, and most would consider the area a protectorate of the West.

“I sense a foul presence, noble innkeeper. A dark cloud looms over this establishment. I detect demonic influences, and the taint of the undead in the air.”

“That’s no surprise to me my lad. Come inside and I’ll treat you two fine young men to a drink.”