InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Entrapment: A 21st Century Adventure ❯ Connection ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.20.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.6K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.20.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.6K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Connection
“Wah!”
*Thud*
“Klutz,” Inuyasha muttered under his breath, turning to face the prone miko. “You alright, wench?”
“Ow,” Kagome groaned, sitting up and rubbing her sore knee, the one she’d tried to break her fall with. “Stupid cave.”
How they’d come to be in this cave in the first place was quite a tale. The adventure had started ordinarily enough, with Miroku obtaining lodging for them in a village via a fake exorcism. But they had quickly realized that this was no normal village. There was a certain tenseness in the air, an aura of violence which put the Inu-gang on edge. Fortunately, this malice was not directed at them. A cautious investigation revealed the village was at war with a neighboring town. In fact, the men were readying themselves for a night march to be in position to launch an attack before dawn.
This was an unusual situation; small villages like this seldom went to war. They couldn’t afford to lose the agricultural manpower even temporarily while the men were fighting, let alone permanently should any of them be killed or disabled. Most also lacked the wealth to fund a war effort; the villagers had probably spent everything they had to purchase weapons and armour from the regional daimyo. And they apparently had ample justification for their war, a long list of grievances which almost made the more hot-headed members of the Inu-gang want to join in. But there was something fishy about the whole thing; rarely was one party to a dispute completely innocent while the other was guilty. With that in mind, they decided to travel to the other village and hear their side of the story.
Of course, now that the Inu-gang knew of the surprise attack, the villagers weren’t about to let them leave freely. It had taken a brief show of force by Inuyasha, namely grabbing a sword-wielding rice farmer and hurling him into a dozen of his comrades like a rag doll, before the shell-shocked inhabitants had allowed them to make a hasty exit on the backs of the inu-hanyou and fire-cat. Dealing with superhuman opponents was more than they bargained for.
Along the way to the other village, Inuyasha had abruptly stopped, announcing that he smelled a weasel youkai. Now that was interesting; weasel youkai were notorious for living near and exploiting humans. No one believed the villagers’ strange behavior and the presence of this youkai were unrelated.
They had been right, it turned out. The Inu-gang changed course to confront the youkai, eventually finding him via Inuyasha’s nose. When an explanation was demanded, the weasel happily provided it. He had shifted form multiple times, using trickery to rapidly build up the animosity between the two villages until it finally boiled over into open war. He planned to feast on the bodies, maybe take advantage of a few grieving widows, and generally make evil after the men had succeeded in killing each other. He laughed haughtily when Kagome ordered him to accompany them and confess his crimes to both villages, not believing that a hanyou and a few humans were any threat to one as powerful as he. He had been mistaken.
Slaying the weasel had been relatively easy; the true challenge was getting the villagers to listen to reason. Knowing there would be no reconciliation if one side was slaughtered in its sleep, the Inu-gang informed the second village of the impending attack. Both sides were eager and ready for battle when the attackers appeared in the wee hours of the morning, disappointed that the element of surprise had been lost, but ready to launch their assault regardless. That is, until an arrow shot between the lines, its glowing pink tail blazing in the pre-dawn light.
“That’s enough, you idiots!” Kagome spat angrily, instantly putting a stop to the insults and battle cries being thrown back and forth. No one dared speak up against her, she cast such an intimidating figure. Individuals with strong spiritual power were accorded much respect in this time period, and now that the villagers knew she was a miko, they would at least listen to what she had to say. So they did, each coming to sheepishly lower his weapon as she explained everything the weasel youkai had told her. Soon the leaders of the two villages came together, now remembering the friendship which had existed between their communities not so long ago. Eventually they reached an accord; hostilities would cease immediately, and all weapons and armour would be disposed of in a mutual gesture of peace. It was Kagome’s idea to dump all the items of war into a cave, and have Inuyasha seal it with a massive boulder neither side would be able to move. The villagers heartily agreed, and set out to find a suitable spot.
So that was how the hanyou and miko had come to be inside the cave where Kagome now sat, nursing a bruised knee and skinned palms.
“I told you to wait outside and let them carry their own shit in here,” Inuyasha scolded, “but you just had to—”
“Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture, Inuyasha. Help me up, will you?”
Rolling his eyes, the hanyou moved to do just that before pausing as some out-of-place objects on the cave floor caught his attention. He quickly put two and two together.
“Hey, wench, I think some stuff fell out of your bag.”
“What?! Could you pick it up for me? I can’t really see anything.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d just let me carry the damn thing like I wanted to,” Inuyasha snapped, knowing her things had only been dislodged because of her tumble. One of the smaller side pouches had probably opened up, because it seemed like he was just finding a bunch of knickknacks.
“You were lugging around a ton of the villagers’ extra armour. I wasn’t going to make you carry my bag too.”
“I could’ve handled it!”
“Inuyasha, this is pointless. Why are we arguing?”
“Keh.”
She studied him, as well as she could in the dim light. But she didn’t need her eyes to sense his fury. What gives? Is he mad at me for falling? Or…is he angry at himself for not saving me from getting hurt? That thought filled her with warmth, but she had to question the logic. Would he really take it out on me if he was mad at himself for ‘allowing’ me to injure myself? Kagome sweatdropped. Yep, that little scenario had ‘Inuyasha’ written all over it. Still, his concern brought a smile to her face, despite how he tried to hide it.
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha,” she soothed gently, “I’m fine.”
“Who asked ya?” he grumped without real bite, a definite element of relief in his tone. She felt him move to her side and work on her backpack, putting her stuff back and zipping the pouch this time. She grimaced, realizing her forgetfulness in that regard was likely to blame for the spill.
“Did you find everything?”
“I think so,” he answered, giving the area one more cursory glance. He did not, however, think to look under her backside. If he had, he would have found something she accidentally concealed when she sat up. It might have saved both of them a lot of trouble down the road.
Inuyasha knelt before her, glancing over his shoulder expectantly. Even in the near darkness, Kagome could tell what he wanted.
“I can walk, you know,” she stated in amusement, secretly flattered by the level of caring he was showing.
“Shut up and get on.”
Grinning, and knowing this was a battle she wasn’t going to win—nor did she want to—Kagome settled on his back and made herself comfortable. Only then did Inuyasha stand and set off toward the mouth of the cave. He seemed to relax after that, some of the tension flowing out of his shoulders.
“What happened, Kagome-chan?” Sango asked as they emerged from the cavern, obviously wondering about the traveling arrangements.
“Dumb wench fell and banged her knee,” Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly, with none of his earlier irritation.
“You’d probably fall too if you couldn’t see in the dark,” Kagome teased.
“Keh,” the hanyou replied in his typical fashion, for once deciding to forego the insult she had set him up for. He set Kagome down long enough to seal up the cave entrance with a boulder, then picked her up again. Miroku even added a few sutras for good measure; the villagers could be assured that no one would be using those weapons for a long time.
“So shall we continue on to Kaede-sama’s village?” the monk inquired, causing Kagome to frown with memory. They had originally been heading for the well so she could make it back in time to study for her test tomorrow. It was already going to be a late arrival at normal walking pace, probably sometime after dinner. With the delay, it would be even later. That didn’t leave her much time to study, not to mention the fact that she’d be going on more than thirty-six hours without sleep by that point. She’d fail her test for sure. No, this called for a change of plans.
“I can’t wait that long. Sango-chan, can I borrow Kirara?”
“I’ll take you,” Inuyasha answered quickly, surprising everyone except the miko. She’d been hoping for such a response, but hadn’t wanted to be presumptuous.
“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she said sweetly, causing a light flush to dust his cheeks. “Are you guys coming?” she asked their friends, changing the subject.
“No, I think I’d rather take the villagers up on their offer of another night’s hospitality,” Miroku replied. “Sango?”
“Agreed. An afternoon nap sounds divine right now,” the slayer responded tiredly.
“It would be even better if you shared your bedding with me.”
Sango sighed. “Hentai,” she declared softly, in too pleasant a mood to be truly offended.
“Then it’s settled,” Miroku said, turning back to Kagome. “We’ll meet you at the village when you return from your test, Kagome-sama.”
“Okay. See you in a few days.” She and Inuyasha watched them leave, Sango carrying Kirara and a bleary-eyed Shippou riding on Miroku’s shoulder. Then Inuyasha took off, wringing a surprised yelp from Kagome’s throat. She sensed his fanged smirk even though she couldn’t see it.
“You don’t have to run too fast, Inuyasha,” she told him, tightening her hold. “I’d just like to get there by late afternoon.”
He only accelerated further, causing her to pull her body closer and press her cheek into his shoulder against the wind rushing past. He grinned, speeding across the landscape. He was seldom afforded the opportunity to run with Kagome for pleasure’s sake; usually they were heading into one danger or another and his mind was elsewhere. But now he could focus on her, the feel of her thighs in his hands, the way her breasts pressed into his upper back, how the grip of her fingers on his shoulders tightened ever so slightly every time he jumped. Though he had only come to terms with his attraction to her a short while ago, it had been a long time since he called her ugly. He liked Kagome. She was a true friend, someone he could count on, trust without hesitation. He cherished that. He didn’t know what their futures held, but for now, her friendship was enough to see him through any hardship.
He was broken from his musings by Kagome jolting, and for a moment he thought she had sensed jewel shards in the vicinity. But she settled down again, until moments later the cycle repeated itself. Realizing she was nodding off, unable to truly find sleep, Inuyasha slowed down to give her a smoother ride. She mumbled something, possibly a ‘thank you,’ before relaxing once more. This time she did not awaken; in no time she was breathing deeply in slumber. Inuyasha gently adjusted his hold, leaning forward slightly to help keep her in place without the benefit of her grip. He shifted his attention to the ground ahead, seeking to avoid any obstacles which might cause him to jostle the precious cargo on his back.
The slumbering miko groggily returned to consciousness, momentarily unsure of where she was. The wooden planks of the well house surrounding them seemed out of place, until she realized she had fallen asleep on Inuyasha’s back. That’s right, he carried me all the way here. She already felt much more well rested than before. I must have been out for awhile. Now that she was awake, he allowed her to slip off his back.
“Thanks for letting me sleep, Inuyasha,” she said, taking his hand. “I might actually pass my test tomorrow thanks to you.”
“K-keh,” he retorted quietly, brushing off her gratitude. He didn’t give a damn about her test. But doing well made her happy, and that was what he cared about.
“Come on,” Kagome ordered cheerily, pulling him up the steps and out onto the shrine grounds. Glancing up at the sky, she saw that the sun was halfway between its peak and the western horizon. Perfect! Plenty of time to study and get a good night’s sleep. And now that she thought about it, making Inuyasha something special for helping her out sounded nice. A dessert perhaps? But what to make? She would have to ask her mother for ideas.
“I’m home!” she called as she removed her shoes in the foyer. Mrs. Higurashi greeted them, and the usual small talk ensued about how long she would be staying and whether anything interesting had occurred in the feudal era. Kagome gladly spun the recent tale of the two warring villages. They didn’t have that many adventures where she was genuinely in little danger throughout, and she certainly wouldn’t tell her mother about any of the others. She had a feeling the older woman knew anyway, but let her go back because of a combination of wanting to see her happy and trust in her hanyou protector. Speaking of Inuyasha, he sat with them while they conversed until Kagome’s grandfather showed up.
“Come here, boy,” the old man ordered, latching onto a haori sleeve and pulling the hanyou toward the front door. “I got a job for you.”
Inuyasha shot Kagome a helpless look, but the miko only shrugged. It’s better than getting covered in sutras, isn’t it? Actually, his sudden departure had given her the perfect opportunity to set her surprise in motion.
“I’ll be right back, Mama,” she said, scurrying up the stairs to her brother’s room. She could hear the music in the hallway, but he turned it off after she banged on the door and called his name.
“Nee-chan, you’re here,” he observed, face lighting up with excitement. Kagome rolled her eyes. Now I know he isn’t this happy to see me. He would probably be even more thrilled once she made her request.
“Souta, I need you to keep Inuyasha occupied for awhile.”
Souta was indeed pleased, but he was also a curious adolescent. “What for?”
“If you must know, I want to bake him a surprise dessert.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Souta drawled, grinning mischievously. “Any particular reason you’re being so nice to him?”
“H-he carried me all the way here so I could study for my test,” Kagome answered, shrinking back slightly from her brother’s teasing glare.
“Well,” he continued nonchalantly, “I guess it’s only natural that you’d want to make your boyf—”
“Knock if off, Souta,” Kagome interrupted, failing to completely mask her irritation. “Go rescue Inuyasha from Jii-chan already.”
Souta gazed at her in confusion for a second before pushing past and scampering down the stairs. Kagome sighed; she knew her brother didn’t understand why the “B” word aggravated her. That’s because he’s never had to deal with unrequited love. She simply didn’t appreciate being reminded of what she didn’t have. It was true that her relationship with Inuyasha had grown steadily closer since they met, but they were most certainly not boyfriend and girlfriend. That wouldn’t instantly change even if Kikyou suddenly disappeared from the picture—again. She knew he had some feelings for her, but whether they went beyond strong friendship she couldn’t say. The two of them becoming a couple was a future possibility, not a current reality. But she would remain patient, keeping the faith that someday Inuyasha’s heart would truly beat in time with her own.
Deciding she’d had enough of melancholic reflection for one day, Kagome walked purposefully down the stairs to the kitchen to enlist her mother’s aid in making a treat for her not-boyfriend. She and Mrs. Higurashi discussed several options, eventually settling on something simple. They had a brief chuckle over whether Inuyasha, being a dog, would have a reaction to the chocolate, but Kagome assured her mother that wouldn’t be a problem. He sometimes did canine things—like scratching his head with his foot when he thought no one was looking—but he really was far more human than animal.
Dinner came and went with Inuyasha being none the wiser to the treat, thanks to Souta’s interference. In fact, all three males were surprised and delighted when Mrs. Higurashi placed a small chocolate cake in the middle of the table after the meal. (1) Kagome’s grandfather licked his lips, recognizing the dessert as stemming from one of Mrs. Higurashi’s special homemade recipes, and one of his favorites at that. Inuyasha too was intrigued; the cake smelled sweet, kind of like that pocky stuff Shippou was so fond of. The ravenous stares of Kagome’s brother and grandfather suggested that it tasted as good as it smelled.
It did. The soft, moist substance melted in his mouth, the delightful sweetness providing just the right extra kick. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor for a moment before swallowing it down and going for another bite. He was glad that almost half the cake remained; he planned on having seconds if the hostess didn’t mind. Speaking of, he realized he should probably voice his approval, lest he seem rude. That didn’t used to matter to him, but it did now. He wanted Kagome’s family to like him, for a variety of reasons, the simplest of which was that he had grown rather fond of them.
“It’s good,” was all he said, but to those who know him, as Mrs. Higurashi did, that was high praise. But in this instance his commendation was misplaced.
“Oh, I didn’t make it. Kagome did.”
Inuyasha froze, eyes widening comically as his next bite of cake hovered halfway between the plate and his mouth. He glanced very briefly at Kagome to find her smiling at him from behind folded hands. Snapping out of his temporary stupor, he put the cake in his mouth and began to chew. And as the full significance of this seemingly innocent gesture set in, he felt his cheeks heat. That look in her eyes confirmed it. Kagome hadn’t made this cake for her family; she’d made it for him. That there was enough to go around was merely a bonus. A wave of humility washed over him. Sure, she made ramen for him quite often, but he could sense this was different even without much knowledge of modern human customs. This was special, and Kagome was the only person on either side of the well who would go out of her way to make something special for him. And because of how her magnanimous gesture made him feel, he resolved not to say something stupid; the cake tasted much better than his own foot.
“You’ll, uh…have to make this again sometime,” he said quietly without looking up from his dessert.
“I’m glad you like it,” Kagome replied, quite pleased with his reaction. What he said didn’t matter as much as what she could see in his body language and expression, which were manifesting a combination of admiration, gratitude, and embarrassment. What he didn’t say—namely, a hurtful comment—also meant a lot to her. She would have been able to tell that he didn’t really mean it, but she appreciated that he felt he could be more open with her now. It had been a gradual change, noticeable in moments like this spread out over the months and weeks of their companionship. She was also thrilled from a purely culinary standpoint; she took the fact that he confused her baking with her mother’s as a real compliment.
Seeing how Inuyasha eyed the remainder of the cake longingly after finishing his piece, Kagome decided not to make him ask for seconds. He mumbled a “thanks” as she set another piece in front of him, and Kagome watched in satisfaction as he ate that too. He’s right; I will have to make that more often. But it was getting late, and she had no more time to spend on Inuyasha tonight. Excusing herself, the schoolgirl hurried upstairs to study.
For his part, Inuyasha decided to leave Kagome alone so she could concentrate. It wasn’t all that interesting staring at the back of her head anyway. The weird picture box downstairs was far more entertaining, even though he didn’t understand most of what he saw. He spent the evening watching the television with Kagome’s family, at least until they went to bed. Kagome stumbled down the stairs in her pajamas around midnight, grinning victoriously despite her obvious fatigue.
“You learn all your shit, wench?” he asked, turning off the television.
She giggled. “Yep. Got my shit down pat.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened at her language, but he chalked it up to mental exhaustion.
“Come on up,” she directed, waving him to follow her upstairs. For the second time that evening, Inuyasha was humbled. Kagome had come downstairs solely to invite him up to her bedroom. As tired as she was, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had simply gone straight to bed. It meant a lot that she still thought of him.
Kagome was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Inuyasha stayed awake a little longer, allowing himself to savor the Kagome-saturated scent of her room from his place under the windowsill. It added to the tranquility of the night, with her, and he had no trouble attaining slumber. Both hanyou and miko slept well that evening.
“Thanks, Inuyasha,” she said when she found him. “I’m starved!”
“Keh. Did you do good on your test?”
“I think so.”
“You don’t have to take another one for awhile, right?”
“No, I should be all set for a few weeks.”
“Good,” he answered smugly. He had granted her three days in her time to catch up on her schoolwork, and wanted to stay in the feudal era for at least a month before the next time.
The pair settled into companionable silence as they ate; Mrs. Higurashi had made enough for both of them. Kagome had just finished when the bell rang and she had to hurry back inside. Inuyasha watched her go, then stood and vaulted down into the shadows before emerging out into the street to begin his journey back to the shrine. The trek was uneventful, at least for a little while. He didn’t really mind the stares; everyone thought he was something called a “cosplayer,” even with the hat on. No one suspected his exotic features were genuine, and he planned to keep it that way.
After awhile, he came upon a crowd of people, several hundred strong, all clustered around a building that was quite a bit taller than anything around it. Men in blue uniforms were standing next to wooden barriers in the road, probably designed to prevent those ‘auto-mowbeel’ things from passing. There was one rather large vehicle inside the cordoned area already, with people standing near it wielding strange devices. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. When he noticed that all the people in the crowd were looking up, he followed suit, nearly choking at the scene. Near the top of the incredibly tall building, a lone man was standing out on a ledge, his balance precarious at best. As Inuyasha watched, the man toppled over the side and plummeted toward the earth, the crowd below roaring in horror.
There was no time to think, only to react. Inuyasha jumped up to the roof of the short building to his immediate right, charging over the surface and gaining momentum for his leap. He had to time this perfectly or that human was going to die. With a mighty heave of his legs he launched himself into the air, his eyes on the falling man as they closed on what was hopefully an intercept course. The wind suddenly gusted, blowing the hat off his head and pushing him to the left, his baggy clothing acting as a sail. Swearing to himself, Inuyasha leaned to his right and stretched out his arm, barely managing to snag the back of the man’s shirt as he passed. Then he hit the skyscraper, lessening the impact with his feet and digging his claws into a stretch of concrete between windows for purchase. He could hear the people behind the glass shouting in astonishment. Glancing back over his shoulder, Inuyasha selected his landing site and kicked off, somersaulting in the air and grabbing a better hold of his cargo as he flew over the street and skidded to a halt on the roof of another building.
He set the human down and knelt to see if he was alright. The man groaned but sat up, rubbing his neck; he would be suffering the effects of fairly severe whiplash for a week or two, a consequence of shifting direction in the air so quickly. In actuality, he was lucky to have not broken his neck. But this particular human did not feel lucky.
“Why did you save me?!” he demanded, glaring at the strange, cat-eared individual who had stopped his descent. (2)
Inuyasha was understandably taken aback; he had been expecting gratitude, not anger. But as the truth of the situation finally sunk in, he found himself gritting his teeth, his ire rising to match, then exceed, that of the human sitting before him. For a hanyou who even in the dark days of his youth had never seriously considered suicide, seeing this man so desperate to end his life was downright insulting. How could this bastard possibly have it any worse than he had back then? With this thought fueling his rage, Inuyasha picked the coward up by his collar and slammed him against the wall of the shed containing the stairs which led to the building’s lower floors. He snarled, getting right in the man’s face, satisfied at the pale and frightened expression which stared back at him.
“Listen, you fucking spineless piece of shit! You think your life is so bad? It hurts too much? Fuck off! You don’t even know how painful like can get.”
“Wh-what do you know about my life?!” the man cried, finally showing some backbone in Inuyasha’s opinion.
“I know that it can’t possibly justify killing yourself! Have you ever had rocks thrown at you by the people you grew up with, or been forced to live alone in the wilderness for years? Has your own brother ever shoved his hand through your chest and poisoned you? Have you ever…been shot in the heart by someone you loved? I didn’t think so.” Inuyasha paused a moment, allowing his words to sink in. It was clear the man didn’t entirely believe that he had gone through all those things. That was fine; at least the bastard seemed to realize that whatever his problems were, they weren’t as horrible as the ‘hypotheticals.’
“Look,” Inuyasha continued in a softer tone, his mind shifting away from miserable memory toward a much more pleasant present. “Life doesn’t stay shitty forever. Sooner or later it will get better, no matter how bad it seems. And then you’ll be glad you decided to live, to fight through the tough times instead of taking the coward’s way out.”
Inuyasha listened as the sound of footsteps running up the stairs became louder. He suddenly released the man, turning and stalking toward the edge of the roof.
“But if you still want to kill yourself,” he called over his shoulder, “I won’t stop you. Just remember…you never know when you’ll meet someone who’ll make it all worthwhile.”
With that, Inuyasha took off, flashing over Tokyo’s rooftops so any observers would see nothing more than a crimson blur. The exertion helped clear his head, and calm his nerves. That guy had a point; he really didn’t know anything about him. But Inuyasha had come to believe that life was too precious to throw away, even when living was exponentially more difficult that dying. He was sure the fact that so many had wished him death in the past was part of why he viewed life as a privilege now.
By the time he made his way back to the shrine, by a combination of landmarks and an innate sense of direction, he was almost fully relaxed again. Still, he hopped up into Goshinboku, taking shelter in the tree which always seemed to bring him tranquility, on either side of the well. There he spent the next several hours, alternately brooding and dozing. He leapt down to greet Kagome when she climbed the steps later that afternoon.
“Hey, Inuyasha,” she greeted cheerily. “How was your day?”
“Eh, same old shit,” he replied as nonchalantly as he could.
Kagome smiled, apparently buying the act. “Well, I’m going to go get my homework over with now. Maybe later we can watch a movie or something.”
Inuyasha didn’t need her to say ‘just the two of us’; he read it loud and clear in her anxious expression and the way she nervously folded her hands together. He gulped, then nodded. He didn’t get many chances to do things with just Kagome anymore. While he had been too much of a baka to appreciate her company back when they first started their journey together, now was different. He felt so comfortable with her, and appreciated that he could be himself. And yet, there were those times when she looked at him a certain way, or some unintended skin contact occurred, and his whole body surged with energy, rendering his feelings an incomprehensible mess. Those times were deeply confusing, but thrilling in a way. They reminded him of the sensations he had occasionally experienced with Kikyou, but were much more intense. It all felt real with Kagome, like anything could happen, whereas with Kikyou, even their closest moments had seemed strangely artificial. Perhaps the reason was the same thing which led them to fall so easily for Naraku’s deception.
Inuyasha shook his head, deciding not to dwell on depressing memories. No, it was time for a much more enjoyable pastime—playing with Buyo. Grinning predatorily, he set out to locate the corpulent feline.
It was probably around nine o’clock now; according to her regular routine, her mother would watch the news for the next half hour, then go to bed before the sports recap came on. Suddenly, Mrs. Higurashi called out loud enough for the entire house to hear.
“Inuyasha! Kagome! Come quick!”
Her mother’s frightened tone, as well as the demanding nature of her appeal, immediately set Kagome on edge. She emerged from the bathroom and rushed down the stairs, her brother and grandfather hot on her heels. They too were curious and worried. Inuyasha was already in the living room, his hand on Tetsusaiga’s hilt as he scanned the room for danger. But Mrs. Higurashi’s attention was focused solely on the TV screen, where the News at Nine introduction was playing.
“What’s wrong, Mama?”
“You know how the news will preview their top stories before the opening?” the older woman asked, still staring at the screen.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I hope I didn’t just see what I thought I did.”
Inuyasha got a sinking feeling at her words. He had been told that the strange picture box could show images of things that had happened in the past, as long as something called a ‘cam-ra’ was on hand to record the events live. For Mrs. Higurashi to be this worried, and for her to call his name like she did…he suddenly knew exactly what they were going to see next. Sure enough, the screen shifted to a zoomed in shot of the top of a very familiar building, where a man was teetering on a ledge. The camera was positioned diagonally to the front of the building, catching both the man’s profile and his face.
“A terrifying scene at the Midtown Tower today,” the anchorwoman announced as the footage played and the man tumbled off the ledge. “A man captivated a crowd for almost an hour before leaping over fifty stories to his death.” The camera zoomed out as he fell, taking in most of the building. Then the footage paused, with the man only about a third of the way to the ground. The image shrunk and the anchorwoman appeared off to the side.
“Or so it seemed. Don’t worry, folks. We wouldn’t show this footage if it didn’t have a happy ending. Keep an eye on the left side of your screen.”
The footage once again expanded to cover the whole screen, then resumed playing. The man continued his plummet until it was stopped by a crimson and silver blur which shot in from the left, caught him, alit on the tower, and launched both of them into the air. The camera followed the pair’s trajectory beautifully as they passed overhead and landed on another building, which finally cut off the view.
“Let’s look at that again in slow motion,” the anchorwoman said, and the station made it so. By zooming in and enhancing the picture, they were actually able to provide a fairly clear image of Inuyasha, right down to triangular ears atop his head.
“It looks too amazing to be true,” the anchorwoman cut in again. “But tell that to the hundreds of people who saw it with their own eyes, not to mention our camera crew. The jumper, who asked not to be identified, survived the ordeal. He says he plans to seek psychiatric treatment, and does not intend to attempt suicide ever again.
“But who—or what—is the mysterious hero? He vanished before anyone could talk to him. Since we first aired the footage on the six o’clock news, we have received almost two million comments on our website. Some claim what occurred today was a test conducted by the military of top secret ‘super soldier’ technology. Others say the unknown individual is an alien from another world, living among us. Some even maintain that the ‘Crimson Cat,’ as he’s come to be known because of his ears, is a real life superhero, blessed with incredible powers through exposure to nuclear waste or some other radioactive substance. Whoever or whatever he is, the reaction from most of the citizens of Tokyo has been positive, despite the official police stance against vigilantism.
“We’ve already received hundreds of reports of previous sightings of this oddly-dressed individual, most of them clustered in a relatively small area of downtown Tokyo, including a substantial number in the immediate vicinity of Fukuzawa Middle School. This new information adds to the mystery of this hero, and his incredible intrigue.
“Alright, we have much more to discuss about this mysterious savior. Hear what the experts think, right after these messages.”
Mrs. Higurashi muted the TV as the first commercial came on, and the room was suddenly bathed in deafening silence. Not even Souta dared to speak out in adoration of his hero, for he could sense the seriousness of the situation, and the way his sister’s ire was building like a rumbling volcano.
“‘Same old shit,’ huh?” Kagome ground out through clenched teeth. “Inuyasha, what the hell were you thinking?!”
Inuyasha recoiled, slightly taken aback. He had expected her to be upset, but not this mad. And as he gazed at her, he realized for the first time that she was wearing nothing but a towel. He could still see the moisture clinging to her hair, and he made sure to keep his eyes from straying further south, lest he add embarrassed indignation to her already sour mood.
“What?” he tried. “You didn’t yell at me the last time I saved someone in your time. Remember that little girl in the fire?”
“That was different. All the news people had was a child’s drawing, not video evidence!”
“So I should have just let that guy die?!”
No! I mean…” Kagome sighed, closing her eyes and taking a few deep, calming breaths. She had gotten angry with Inuyasha for many things since she met him, but this was one instance where he really didn’t deserve her ire. He had stumbled upon a situation where only his superhuman abilities could save a life, and she couldn’t fault him for doing so. It was just unfortunate that there had been a camera filming the spectacle.
“No, Inuyasha,” she began softly. “I’m glad you saved him. But I hope you understand the consequences. You can never go out in my world again unless you completely alter your appearance. You’d have to change clothes and dye your hair.”
Inuyasha shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll stay here or on the other side of the well.”
“It’s not that simple!” Kagome retorted, still somewhat agitated. “My friends met you recently, remember? If they recognize you, I’m going to have some serious explaining to do the next time I see them. They probably will, too; you have a very…unique look.”
“Don’t worry, Kagome,” Mrs. Higurashi spoke up reassuringly. “I’m sure your friends will be understanding.”
“I don’t know…” Kagome hedged, remember how pushy they had been in the past about Hojo. She sighed again. “I just hope they’re the only people who can associate me with the ‘Crimson Cat’ over there.” (3)
“What did you call me, wench?” Inuyasha demanded incredulously, forcing Kagome to stifle a giggle.
“Didn’t you hear the news lady, Inu-no-oniichan?” Souta asked. “That’s your new superhero nickname!”
Inuyasha’s left eye twitched; it was clear he was trying not to launch into a swearing fit in front of Kagome’s family. Without a word, he stood and marched stiffly to the front door and out into the night, where he could cuss to his heart’s content. Kagome’s mirth spilled out into amused laughter, and soon her entire family joined in. Mrs. Higurashi restored the volume on the TV when the commercials ended, and they all tuned in to watch a bunch of so-called ‘experts’ argue about who the mysterious hero was. Some even called into question the validity of the footage. That’s pretty gutsy, Kagome thought, going on the News at Nine to tell them they’re full of crap. In reality, none of them have any idea what they’re talking about. Inuyasha rejoined the family a few minutes later, noticeably more composed for his outburst. Though he did briefly appear ruffled about something else, as a quick glance at Kagome had his cheeks flushing slightly. It was then that the miko remembered her state of undress, and scurried upstairs to put clothes on.
Nine thirty found her and Inuyasha settling down on the couch as planned, a bag of potato chips between them, though Kagome had a feeling that the hanyou would end up doing most of the snacking. (4) She started the movie, but soon her mind shifted to other pursuits, as she took to worriedly chewing on her lower lip. Inuyasha noticed, her troubled scent providing ample distraction from the moving picture.
“You alright, wench?” he finally asked. She started, then shook her head and waved off his concerns.
“It’s okay. I just can’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”
“Worrying about it now won’t do any good. Your friends were pretty laid back when I met them. Maybe they won’t go crazy.”
“You’re right; I shouldn’t fret about it. It’s just kind of nerve-wracking not knowing, you know?”
“Keh.” Inuyasha paused for a long moment, then spoke in a low tone. “Kagome…I should’ve stopped to destroy the ‘cam-ra.’ Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for that. I doubt you would have even known what to look for.”
Inuyasha grimaced; she was right about that. He still felt guilty though, mostly because his hasty decision had given Kagome a major headache to deal with. Seeing his remorse, Kagome scooted closer, moving the chips out of the way, and took his hand tenderly in her own. The hanyou’s eyes widened as he gazed into her chocolate pools, unsure what to make of her action.
“Inuyasha, please don’t feel bad about what happened. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. You’re a hero for saving that man. Because of you, he has a second chance at life. Think of the heartache you saved all the people who care about him. I’m…I’m proud of you, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. Hearing Kagome say those words, seeing the wonder in her eyes, swelled his pride more than any victory in battle ever had. He didn’t understand why her opinion meant so much to him, but it did.
“Thanks,” he muttered, managing a crooked grin. Kagome beamed, glad she had succeeded in cheering him up. Feeling bold, she slid closer still, leaning against his side and resting her head on his shoulder. Inuyasha tensed, but soon relaxed, his heartbeat returning to a more normal level. Through it all, their hands never parted.
They returned to watching the movie, though neither truly saw much of it, as focused as they were on each other. It came as both a surprise and a disappointment to Kagome when the film ended; she wished they could stay like this for longer. But she could feel her eyelids drooping, and she knew she needed to get to bed or she would probably fall asleep in class tomorrow. When she entered her bedroom after brushing her teeth, Inuyasha had already assumed his customary spot under the windowsill.
“Goodnight, Inuyasha,” she said as she crawled underneath the covers. A noncommittal grunt was all she received in reply, but it was enough. Again, hanyou and miko slept soundly, forgetting at least temporarily the troubles tomorrow might bring.
Kurou flipped on the News at Nine, which he liked because it provided national news in a condensed format. Though he would prefer to spend his days in the jungles of Central America, he recognized the value in keeping current on important news in Japan. As long as it didn’t take up too much of his time, that is.
He found himself quite immersed in the top story; it wasn’t every day that a human—or humanoid something—demonstrated the ability to leap hundreds of feet in the air as if it was child’s play.
“…Fukuzawa Middle School…”
Kurou gasped, sitting straight up in the chair, wondering if his ears had been playing tricks on him. Snatching the remote, he used the DVR to rewind the program about twenty seconds.
“We’ve already received hundreds of reports of previous sightings of this oddly-dressed individual, most of them clustered in a relatively small area of downtown Tokyo, including a substantial number in the immediate vicinity of Fukuzawa Middle School. This new information…”
Kurou turned off the TV. He stared straight ahead at the dark screen, his eyes unseeing. In all honestly, he had completely forgotten about the strange ID card he had discovered in the cave almost two months ago. He had concentrated on his work, and life had moved on. But hearing Fukuzawa Middle School mentioned so closely with this bizarre occurrence had peaked his curiosity once more. Sure, it could just be a coincidence. But it was also possible that there was a connection between ‘Hiyuroshi Karomi,’ if that was actually her name, and the ‘Crimson Cat,’ as the idiot masses referred to him. When two extraordinary, unexplainable things seemed to be connected, it had been Kurou’s experience that they usually were.
He hurried out to his car and drove to his university office, turning the computer on and retrieving the ID card from the bottom drawer. A quick google search revealed that Fukuzawa Middle School posted its honor roll online, going back about five years. If he could find the name of a current student which could conceivably mesh with the faded name on the card, then maybe he could figure out who the card belonged to. He hoped ‘Hiyuroshi Karomi’ was a good student.
Unfortunately, none of the names on the honor roll fit, and there was no Hiyuroshi Karomi. He went back a semester and got the same results. Then he went back a third semester, and froze. The name seemed to jump off the computer screen, and instantly he knew he had solved the riddle. Higurashi Kagome. The faded characters matched perfectly; it was her ID card. But he wanted to be absolutely certain, so he added her name to the google search line. The first link took him to an issue of the school newspaper from two years ago. Scrolling down, he quickly located a section called ‘Student Profiles.’ Apparently the newspaper would take a few students each month and write a quick blurb about them. There, smiling back at him, was Higurashi Kagome, the same face which was on the ID card. Though the latter image was not entirely clear, there was no doubt. He had found his mystery girl. (5)
Judging by her enrollment status at the time of the profile, she should still be a student at Fukuzawa. Switching over to the Yellow Pages website, he typed in ‘Higurashi’ and ‘Tokyo.’ Only one hit came up, a small shrine within walking distance of Fukuzawa. Kurou took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers together. He had determined the owner of the ID card and where she lived.
Now, to decide what to do with that knowledge.
(1) I found a recipe for Japanese chocolate cake here: http://testedandtasted.blogspot.com/2010/08/japanese-chocolate-cake.html. You can assume Mrs. Higurashi’s recipe is similar
(2) Disclaimer: Opinions expressed about suicide in this chapter are Inuyasha’s. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the author
(3) I hate to do this, for consistency’s sake, but I’m kicking the “Cultural Festival” anime episodes out of canon for the purposes of this story. Primarily because I don’t want the whole school to associate what they saw on TV with Kagome, but also because I hate them. Inuyasha is portrayed as an idiot; he blows a freaking hole in the auditorium roof and nobody seems to care! Anyway, these episodes never happened, but you can assume the rest of the anime episodes come in (like “Gap Between the Ages,” from which I took the first Inuyasha ‘rescue’ scene)
(4) I would have used microwave popcorn here, but my research indicated that it’s not very popular in Japan. Chips are way more commonly eaten, and we already know Inuyasha loves them
(5) I found all this just by googling my old high school. It’s amazing what even schools put online these days
A/N – In writing this chapter, I couldn’t help but think of the recent stories of teenage boys killing themselves because of their struggles with their own homosexuality, and the ridicule and ostracism of their peers. Stories like these remind us that suicide is a complicated phenomenon. It can be planned months in advance, or it can result from a sudden, emotional breakdown. I do not believe for a second that all suicides are “cowardly,” though they are all unfortunate. But Inuyasha does not have the benefit of any of this knowledge. He naturally approaches the issue of suicide from a simplistic perspective, a warrior’s (but not a samurai’s) mentality. He might recognize the glory of dying in battle, but I feel he would condemn the jumper’s act of taking his own life here as cowardly. I apologize if I offended anyone. Just know that it was not my intention, and I do not necessarily share Inuyasha’s views.
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“Wah!”
*Thud*
“Klutz,” Inuyasha muttered under his breath, turning to face the prone miko. “You alright, wench?”
“Ow,” Kagome groaned, sitting up and rubbing her sore knee, the one she’d tried to break her fall with. “Stupid cave.”
How they’d come to be in this cave in the first place was quite a tale. The adventure had started ordinarily enough, with Miroku obtaining lodging for them in a village via a fake exorcism. But they had quickly realized that this was no normal village. There was a certain tenseness in the air, an aura of violence which put the Inu-gang on edge. Fortunately, this malice was not directed at them. A cautious investigation revealed the village was at war with a neighboring town. In fact, the men were readying themselves for a night march to be in position to launch an attack before dawn.
This was an unusual situation; small villages like this seldom went to war. They couldn’t afford to lose the agricultural manpower even temporarily while the men were fighting, let alone permanently should any of them be killed or disabled. Most also lacked the wealth to fund a war effort; the villagers had probably spent everything they had to purchase weapons and armour from the regional daimyo. And they apparently had ample justification for their war, a long list of grievances which almost made the more hot-headed members of the Inu-gang want to join in. But there was something fishy about the whole thing; rarely was one party to a dispute completely innocent while the other was guilty. With that in mind, they decided to travel to the other village and hear their side of the story.
Of course, now that the Inu-gang knew of the surprise attack, the villagers weren’t about to let them leave freely. It had taken a brief show of force by Inuyasha, namely grabbing a sword-wielding rice farmer and hurling him into a dozen of his comrades like a rag doll, before the shell-shocked inhabitants had allowed them to make a hasty exit on the backs of the inu-hanyou and fire-cat. Dealing with superhuman opponents was more than they bargained for.
Along the way to the other village, Inuyasha had abruptly stopped, announcing that he smelled a weasel youkai. Now that was interesting; weasel youkai were notorious for living near and exploiting humans. No one believed the villagers’ strange behavior and the presence of this youkai were unrelated.
They had been right, it turned out. The Inu-gang changed course to confront the youkai, eventually finding him via Inuyasha’s nose. When an explanation was demanded, the weasel happily provided it. He had shifted form multiple times, using trickery to rapidly build up the animosity between the two villages until it finally boiled over into open war. He planned to feast on the bodies, maybe take advantage of a few grieving widows, and generally make evil after the men had succeeded in killing each other. He laughed haughtily when Kagome ordered him to accompany them and confess his crimes to both villages, not believing that a hanyou and a few humans were any threat to one as powerful as he. He had been mistaken.
Slaying the weasel had been relatively easy; the true challenge was getting the villagers to listen to reason. Knowing there would be no reconciliation if one side was slaughtered in its sleep, the Inu-gang informed the second village of the impending attack. Both sides were eager and ready for battle when the attackers appeared in the wee hours of the morning, disappointed that the element of surprise had been lost, but ready to launch their assault regardless. That is, until an arrow shot between the lines, its glowing pink tail blazing in the pre-dawn light.
“That’s enough, you idiots!” Kagome spat angrily, instantly putting a stop to the insults and battle cries being thrown back and forth. No one dared speak up against her, she cast such an intimidating figure. Individuals with strong spiritual power were accorded much respect in this time period, and now that the villagers knew she was a miko, they would at least listen to what she had to say. So they did, each coming to sheepishly lower his weapon as she explained everything the weasel youkai had told her. Soon the leaders of the two villages came together, now remembering the friendship which had existed between their communities not so long ago. Eventually they reached an accord; hostilities would cease immediately, and all weapons and armour would be disposed of in a mutual gesture of peace. It was Kagome’s idea to dump all the items of war into a cave, and have Inuyasha seal it with a massive boulder neither side would be able to move. The villagers heartily agreed, and set out to find a suitable spot.
So that was how the hanyou and miko had come to be inside the cave where Kagome now sat, nursing a bruised knee and skinned palms.
“I told you to wait outside and let them carry their own shit in here,” Inuyasha scolded, “but you just had to—”
“Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture, Inuyasha. Help me up, will you?”
Rolling his eyes, the hanyou moved to do just that before pausing as some out-of-place objects on the cave floor caught his attention. He quickly put two and two together.
“Hey, wench, I think some stuff fell out of your bag.”
“What?! Could you pick it up for me? I can’t really see anything.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d just let me carry the damn thing like I wanted to,” Inuyasha snapped, knowing her things had only been dislodged because of her tumble. One of the smaller side pouches had probably opened up, because it seemed like he was just finding a bunch of knickknacks.
“You were lugging around a ton of the villagers’ extra armour. I wasn’t going to make you carry my bag too.”
“I could’ve handled it!”
“Inuyasha, this is pointless. Why are we arguing?”
“Keh.”
She studied him, as well as she could in the dim light. But she didn’t need her eyes to sense his fury. What gives? Is he mad at me for falling? Or…is he angry at himself for not saving me from getting hurt? That thought filled her with warmth, but she had to question the logic. Would he really take it out on me if he was mad at himself for ‘allowing’ me to injure myself? Kagome sweatdropped. Yep, that little scenario had ‘Inuyasha’ written all over it. Still, his concern brought a smile to her face, despite how he tried to hide it.
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha,” she soothed gently, “I’m fine.”
“Who asked ya?” he grumped without real bite, a definite element of relief in his tone. She felt him move to her side and work on her backpack, putting her stuff back and zipping the pouch this time. She grimaced, realizing her forgetfulness in that regard was likely to blame for the spill.
“Did you find everything?”
“I think so,” he answered, giving the area one more cursory glance. He did not, however, think to look under her backside. If he had, he would have found something she accidentally concealed when she sat up. It might have saved both of them a lot of trouble down the road.
Inuyasha knelt before her, glancing over his shoulder expectantly. Even in the near darkness, Kagome could tell what he wanted.
“I can walk, you know,” she stated in amusement, secretly flattered by the level of caring he was showing.
“Shut up and get on.”
Grinning, and knowing this was a battle she wasn’t going to win—nor did she want to—Kagome settled on his back and made herself comfortable. Only then did Inuyasha stand and set off toward the mouth of the cave. He seemed to relax after that, some of the tension flowing out of his shoulders.
“What happened, Kagome-chan?” Sango asked as they emerged from the cavern, obviously wondering about the traveling arrangements.
“Dumb wench fell and banged her knee,” Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly, with none of his earlier irritation.
“You’d probably fall too if you couldn’t see in the dark,” Kagome teased.
“Keh,” the hanyou replied in his typical fashion, for once deciding to forego the insult she had set him up for. He set Kagome down long enough to seal up the cave entrance with a boulder, then picked her up again. Miroku even added a few sutras for good measure; the villagers could be assured that no one would be using those weapons for a long time.
“So shall we continue on to Kaede-sama’s village?” the monk inquired, causing Kagome to frown with memory. They had originally been heading for the well so she could make it back in time to study for her test tomorrow. It was already going to be a late arrival at normal walking pace, probably sometime after dinner. With the delay, it would be even later. That didn’t leave her much time to study, not to mention the fact that she’d be going on more than thirty-six hours without sleep by that point. She’d fail her test for sure. No, this called for a change of plans.
“I can’t wait that long. Sango-chan, can I borrow Kirara?”
“I’ll take you,” Inuyasha answered quickly, surprising everyone except the miko. She’d been hoping for such a response, but hadn’t wanted to be presumptuous.
“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she said sweetly, causing a light flush to dust his cheeks. “Are you guys coming?” she asked their friends, changing the subject.
“No, I think I’d rather take the villagers up on their offer of another night’s hospitality,” Miroku replied. “Sango?”
“Agreed. An afternoon nap sounds divine right now,” the slayer responded tiredly.
“It would be even better if you shared your bedding with me.”
Sango sighed. “Hentai,” she declared softly, in too pleasant a mood to be truly offended.
“Then it’s settled,” Miroku said, turning back to Kagome. “We’ll meet you at the village when you return from your test, Kagome-sama.”
“Okay. See you in a few days.” She and Inuyasha watched them leave, Sango carrying Kirara and a bleary-eyed Shippou riding on Miroku’s shoulder. Then Inuyasha took off, wringing a surprised yelp from Kagome’s throat. She sensed his fanged smirk even though she couldn’t see it.
“You don’t have to run too fast, Inuyasha,” she told him, tightening her hold. “I’d just like to get there by late afternoon.”
He only accelerated further, causing her to pull her body closer and press her cheek into his shoulder against the wind rushing past. He grinned, speeding across the landscape. He was seldom afforded the opportunity to run with Kagome for pleasure’s sake; usually they were heading into one danger or another and his mind was elsewhere. But now he could focus on her, the feel of her thighs in his hands, the way her breasts pressed into his upper back, how the grip of her fingers on his shoulders tightened ever so slightly every time he jumped. Though he had only come to terms with his attraction to her a short while ago, it had been a long time since he called her ugly. He liked Kagome. She was a true friend, someone he could count on, trust without hesitation. He cherished that. He didn’t know what their futures held, but for now, her friendship was enough to see him through any hardship.
He was broken from his musings by Kagome jolting, and for a moment he thought she had sensed jewel shards in the vicinity. But she settled down again, until moments later the cycle repeated itself. Realizing she was nodding off, unable to truly find sleep, Inuyasha slowed down to give her a smoother ride. She mumbled something, possibly a ‘thank you,’ before relaxing once more. This time she did not awaken; in no time she was breathing deeply in slumber. Inuyasha gently adjusted his hold, leaning forward slightly to help keep her in place without the benefit of her grip. He shifted his attention to the ground ahead, seeking to avoid any obstacles which might cause him to jostle the precious cargo on his back.
* * *
“We’re here, Kagome.” The slumbering miko groggily returned to consciousness, momentarily unsure of where she was. The wooden planks of the well house surrounding them seemed out of place, until she realized she had fallen asleep on Inuyasha’s back. That’s right, he carried me all the way here. She already felt much more well rested than before. I must have been out for awhile. Now that she was awake, he allowed her to slip off his back.
“Thanks for letting me sleep, Inuyasha,” she said, taking his hand. “I might actually pass my test tomorrow thanks to you.”
“K-keh,” he retorted quietly, brushing off her gratitude. He didn’t give a damn about her test. But doing well made her happy, and that was what he cared about.
“Come on,” Kagome ordered cheerily, pulling him up the steps and out onto the shrine grounds. Glancing up at the sky, she saw that the sun was halfway between its peak and the western horizon. Perfect! Plenty of time to study and get a good night’s sleep. And now that she thought about it, making Inuyasha something special for helping her out sounded nice. A dessert perhaps? But what to make? She would have to ask her mother for ideas.
“I’m home!” she called as she removed her shoes in the foyer. Mrs. Higurashi greeted them, and the usual small talk ensued about how long she would be staying and whether anything interesting had occurred in the feudal era. Kagome gladly spun the recent tale of the two warring villages. They didn’t have that many adventures where she was genuinely in little danger throughout, and she certainly wouldn’t tell her mother about any of the others. She had a feeling the older woman knew anyway, but let her go back because of a combination of wanting to see her happy and trust in her hanyou protector. Speaking of Inuyasha, he sat with them while they conversed until Kagome’s grandfather showed up.
“Come here, boy,” the old man ordered, latching onto a haori sleeve and pulling the hanyou toward the front door. “I got a job for you.”
Inuyasha shot Kagome a helpless look, but the miko only shrugged. It’s better than getting covered in sutras, isn’t it? Actually, his sudden departure had given her the perfect opportunity to set her surprise in motion.
“I’ll be right back, Mama,” she said, scurrying up the stairs to her brother’s room. She could hear the music in the hallway, but he turned it off after she banged on the door and called his name.
“Nee-chan, you’re here,” he observed, face lighting up with excitement. Kagome rolled her eyes. Now I know he isn’t this happy to see me. He would probably be even more thrilled once she made her request.
“Souta, I need you to keep Inuyasha occupied for awhile.”
Souta was indeed pleased, but he was also a curious adolescent. “What for?”
“If you must know, I want to bake him a surprise dessert.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Souta drawled, grinning mischievously. “Any particular reason you’re being so nice to him?”
“H-he carried me all the way here so I could study for my test,” Kagome answered, shrinking back slightly from her brother’s teasing glare.
“Well,” he continued nonchalantly, “I guess it’s only natural that you’d want to make your boyf—”
“Knock if off, Souta,” Kagome interrupted, failing to completely mask her irritation. “Go rescue Inuyasha from Jii-chan already.”
Souta gazed at her in confusion for a second before pushing past and scampering down the stairs. Kagome sighed; she knew her brother didn’t understand why the “B” word aggravated her. That’s because he’s never had to deal with unrequited love. She simply didn’t appreciate being reminded of what she didn’t have. It was true that her relationship with Inuyasha had grown steadily closer since they met, but they were most certainly not boyfriend and girlfriend. That wouldn’t instantly change even if Kikyou suddenly disappeared from the picture—again. She knew he had some feelings for her, but whether they went beyond strong friendship she couldn’t say. The two of them becoming a couple was a future possibility, not a current reality. But she would remain patient, keeping the faith that someday Inuyasha’s heart would truly beat in time with her own.
Deciding she’d had enough of melancholic reflection for one day, Kagome walked purposefully down the stairs to the kitchen to enlist her mother’s aid in making a treat for her not-boyfriend. She and Mrs. Higurashi discussed several options, eventually settling on something simple. They had a brief chuckle over whether Inuyasha, being a dog, would have a reaction to the chocolate, but Kagome assured her mother that wouldn’t be a problem. He sometimes did canine things—like scratching his head with his foot when he thought no one was looking—but he really was far more human than animal.
Dinner came and went with Inuyasha being none the wiser to the treat, thanks to Souta’s interference. In fact, all three males were surprised and delighted when Mrs. Higurashi placed a small chocolate cake in the middle of the table after the meal. (1) Kagome’s grandfather licked his lips, recognizing the dessert as stemming from one of Mrs. Higurashi’s special homemade recipes, and one of his favorites at that. Inuyasha too was intrigued; the cake smelled sweet, kind of like that pocky stuff Shippou was so fond of. The ravenous stares of Kagome’s brother and grandfather suggested that it tasted as good as it smelled.
It did. The soft, moist substance melted in his mouth, the delightful sweetness providing just the right extra kick. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor for a moment before swallowing it down and going for another bite. He was glad that almost half the cake remained; he planned on having seconds if the hostess didn’t mind. Speaking of, he realized he should probably voice his approval, lest he seem rude. That didn’t used to matter to him, but it did now. He wanted Kagome’s family to like him, for a variety of reasons, the simplest of which was that he had grown rather fond of them.
“It’s good,” was all he said, but to those who know him, as Mrs. Higurashi did, that was high praise. But in this instance his commendation was misplaced.
“Oh, I didn’t make it. Kagome did.”
Inuyasha froze, eyes widening comically as his next bite of cake hovered halfway between the plate and his mouth. He glanced very briefly at Kagome to find her smiling at him from behind folded hands. Snapping out of his temporary stupor, he put the cake in his mouth and began to chew. And as the full significance of this seemingly innocent gesture set in, he felt his cheeks heat. That look in her eyes confirmed it. Kagome hadn’t made this cake for her family; she’d made it for him. That there was enough to go around was merely a bonus. A wave of humility washed over him. Sure, she made ramen for him quite often, but he could sense this was different even without much knowledge of modern human customs. This was special, and Kagome was the only person on either side of the well who would go out of her way to make something special for him. And because of how her magnanimous gesture made him feel, he resolved not to say something stupid; the cake tasted much better than his own foot.
“You’ll, uh…have to make this again sometime,” he said quietly without looking up from his dessert.
“I’m glad you like it,” Kagome replied, quite pleased with his reaction. What he said didn’t matter as much as what she could see in his body language and expression, which were manifesting a combination of admiration, gratitude, and embarrassment. What he didn’t say—namely, a hurtful comment—also meant a lot to her. She would have been able to tell that he didn’t really mean it, but she appreciated that he felt he could be more open with her now. It had been a gradual change, noticeable in moments like this spread out over the months and weeks of their companionship. She was also thrilled from a purely culinary standpoint; she took the fact that he confused her baking with her mother’s as a real compliment.
Seeing how Inuyasha eyed the remainder of the cake longingly after finishing his piece, Kagome decided not to make him ask for seconds. He mumbled a “thanks” as she set another piece in front of him, and Kagome watched in satisfaction as he ate that too. He’s right; I will have to make that more often. But it was getting late, and she had no more time to spend on Inuyasha tonight. Excusing herself, the schoolgirl hurried upstairs to study.
For his part, Inuyasha decided to leave Kagome alone so she could concentrate. It wasn’t all that interesting staring at the back of her head anyway. The weird picture box downstairs was far more entertaining, even though he didn’t understand most of what he saw. He spent the evening watching the television with Kagome’s family, at least until they went to bed. Kagome stumbled down the stairs in her pajamas around midnight, grinning victoriously despite her obvious fatigue.
“You learn all your shit, wench?” he asked, turning off the television.
She giggled. “Yep. Got my shit down pat.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened at her language, but he chalked it up to mental exhaustion.
“Come on up,” she directed, waving him to follow her upstairs. For the second time that evening, Inuyasha was humbled. Kagome had come downstairs solely to invite him up to her bedroom. As tired as she was, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had simply gone straight to bed. It meant a lot that she still thought of him.
Kagome was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Inuyasha stayed awake a little longer, allowing himself to savor the Kagome-saturated scent of her room from his place under the windowsill. It added to the tranquility of the night, with her, and he had no trouble attaining slumber. Both hanyou and miko slept well that evening.
* * *
“Oh, crud,” Kagome lamented, discovering after a fruitless search of her bag that she had left her lunch at home. Her growling stomach was not happy about it. Oh, well. I guess I’ll just go hungry. Wait! The last time I forgot my lunch, Mama had Inuyasha bring it to me. Is he here now? She glanced through the windows and saw no sign of him; at least he wasn’t hanging around right outside the classroom like the previous instance. Perhaps he was on the roof? That was where they had met before. Closing her eyes, Kagome took a deep breath, separating herself from her surroundings. She stretched out her miko senses, easily picking up the vibrant aura which could only belong to her hanyou companion. He was indeed on the roof. Grinning, Kagome rose from her chair and darted out of the classroom before her friends could ask where she was going. “Thanks, Inuyasha,” she said when she found him. “I’m starved!”
“Keh. Did you do good on your test?”
“I think so.”
“You don’t have to take another one for awhile, right?”
“No, I should be all set for a few weeks.”
“Good,” he answered smugly. He had granted her three days in her time to catch up on her schoolwork, and wanted to stay in the feudal era for at least a month before the next time.
The pair settled into companionable silence as they ate; Mrs. Higurashi had made enough for both of them. Kagome had just finished when the bell rang and she had to hurry back inside. Inuyasha watched her go, then stood and vaulted down into the shadows before emerging out into the street to begin his journey back to the shrine. The trek was uneventful, at least for a little while. He didn’t really mind the stares; everyone thought he was something called a “cosplayer,” even with the hat on. No one suspected his exotic features were genuine, and he planned to keep it that way.
After awhile, he came upon a crowd of people, several hundred strong, all clustered around a building that was quite a bit taller than anything around it. Men in blue uniforms were standing next to wooden barriers in the road, probably designed to prevent those ‘auto-mowbeel’ things from passing. There was one rather large vehicle inside the cordoned area already, with people standing near it wielding strange devices. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. When he noticed that all the people in the crowd were looking up, he followed suit, nearly choking at the scene. Near the top of the incredibly tall building, a lone man was standing out on a ledge, his balance precarious at best. As Inuyasha watched, the man toppled over the side and plummeted toward the earth, the crowd below roaring in horror.
There was no time to think, only to react. Inuyasha jumped up to the roof of the short building to his immediate right, charging over the surface and gaining momentum for his leap. He had to time this perfectly or that human was going to die. With a mighty heave of his legs he launched himself into the air, his eyes on the falling man as they closed on what was hopefully an intercept course. The wind suddenly gusted, blowing the hat off his head and pushing him to the left, his baggy clothing acting as a sail. Swearing to himself, Inuyasha leaned to his right and stretched out his arm, barely managing to snag the back of the man’s shirt as he passed. Then he hit the skyscraper, lessening the impact with his feet and digging his claws into a stretch of concrete between windows for purchase. He could hear the people behind the glass shouting in astonishment. Glancing back over his shoulder, Inuyasha selected his landing site and kicked off, somersaulting in the air and grabbing a better hold of his cargo as he flew over the street and skidded to a halt on the roof of another building.
He set the human down and knelt to see if he was alright. The man groaned but sat up, rubbing his neck; he would be suffering the effects of fairly severe whiplash for a week or two, a consequence of shifting direction in the air so quickly. In actuality, he was lucky to have not broken his neck. But this particular human did not feel lucky.
“Why did you save me?!” he demanded, glaring at the strange, cat-eared individual who had stopped his descent. (2)
Inuyasha was understandably taken aback; he had been expecting gratitude, not anger. But as the truth of the situation finally sunk in, he found himself gritting his teeth, his ire rising to match, then exceed, that of the human sitting before him. For a hanyou who even in the dark days of his youth had never seriously considered suicide, seeing this man so desperate to end his life was downright insulting. How could this bastard possibly have it any worse than he had back then? With this thought fueling his rage, Inuyasha picked the coward up by his collar and slammed him against the wall of the shed containing the stairs which led to the building’s lower floors. He snarled, getting right in the man’s face, satisfied at the pale and frightened expression which stared back at him.
“Listen, you fucking spineless piece of shit! You think your life is so bad? It hurts too much? Fuck off! You don’t even know how painful like can get.”
“Wh-what do you know about my life?!” the man cried, finally showing some backbone in Inuyasha’s opinion.
“I know that it can’t possibly justify killing yourself! Have you ever had rocks thrown at you by the people you grew up with, or been forced to live alone in the wilderness for years? Has your own brother ever shoved his hand through your chest and poisoned you? Have you ever…been shot in the heart by someone you loved? I didn’t think so.” Inuyasha paused a moment, allowing his words to sink in. It was clear the man didn’t entirely believe that he had gone through all those things. That was fine; at least the bastard seemed to realize that whatever his problems were, they weren’t as horrible as the ‘hypotheticals.’
“Look,” Inuyasha continued in a softer tone, his mind shifting away from miserable memory toward a much more pleasant present. “Life doesn’t stay shitty forever. Sooner or later it will get better, no matter how bad it seems. And then you’ll be glad you decided to live, to fight through the tough times instead of taking the coward’s way out.”
Inuyasha listened as the sound of footsteps running up the stairs became louder. He suddenly released the man, turning and stalking toward the edge of the roof.
“But if you still want to kill yourself,” he called over his shoulder, “I won’t stop you. Just remember…you never know when you’ll meet someone who’ll make it all worthwhile.”
With that, Inuyasha took off, flashing over Tokyo’s rooftops so any observers would see nothing more than a crimson blur. The exertion helped clear his head, and calm his nerves. That guy had a point; he really didn’t know anything about him. But Inuyasha had come to believe that life was too precious to throw away, even when living was exponentially more difficult that dying. He was sure the fact that so many had wished him death in the past was part of why he viewed life as a privilege now.
By the time he made his way back to the shrine, by a combination of landmarks and an innate sense of direction, he was almost fully relaxed again. Still, he hopped up into Goshinboku, taking shelter in the tree which always seemed to bring him tranquility, on either side of the well. There he spent the next several hours, alternately brooding and dozing. He leapt down to greet Kagome when she climbed the steps later that afternoon.
“Hey, Inuyasha,” she greeted cheerily. “How was your day?”
“Eh, same old shit,” he replied as nonchalantly as he could.
Kagome smiled, apparently buying the act. “Well, I’m going to go get my homework over with now. Maybe later we can watch a movie or something.”
Inuyasha didn’t need her to say ‘just the two of us’; he read it loud and clear in her anxious expression and the way she nervously folded her hands together. He gulped, then nodded. He didn’t get many chances to do things with just Kagome anymore. While he had been too much of a baka to appreciate her company back when they first started their journey together, now was different. He felt so comfortable with her, and appreciated that he could be himself. And yet, there were those times when she looked at him a certain way, or some unintended skin contact occurred, and his whole body surged with energy, rendering his feelings an incomprehensible mess. Those times were deeply confusing, but thrilling in a way. They reminded him of the sensations he had occasionally experienced with Kikyou, but were much more intense. It all felt real with Kagome, like anything could happen, whereas with Kikyou, even their closest moments had seemed strangely artificial. Perhaps the reason was the same thing which led them to fall so easily for Naraku’s deception.
Inuyasha shook his head, deciding not to dwell on depressing memories. No, it was time for a much more enjoyable pastime—playing with Buyo. Grinning predatorily, he set out to locate the corpulent feline.
* * *
Kagome hummed softly to herself as she dried her hair. She had just gotten out of a nice, relaxing bath, and after gently semi-drying her raven locks, she would dress in her pajamas and pick out a movie for her and Inuyasha to watch. Preferably something he would be able to follow along with. It was such an innocent activity, but already the butterflies were fluttering around inside her stomach. It might simply have been because they’d never done this before, but she knew it was deeper than that. Watching a movie together was something couples did. Even though they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, she would indulge the fantasy for as long as Inuyasha was willing. It was probably around nine o’clock now; according to her regular routine, her mother would watch the news for the next half hour, then go to bed before the sports recap came on. Suddenly, Mrs. Higurashi called out loud enough for the entire house to hear.
“Inuyasha! Kagome! Come quick!”
Her mother’s frightened tone, as well as the demanding nature of her appeal, immediately set Kagome on edge. She emerged from the bathroom and rushed down the stairs, her brother and grandfather hot on her heels. They too were curious and worried. Inuyasha was already in the living room, his hand on Tetsusaiga’s hilt as he scanned the room for danger. But Mrs. Higurashi’s attention was focused solely on the TV screen, where the News at Nine introduction was playing.
“What’s wrong, Mama?”
“You know how the news will preview their top stories before the opening?” the older woman asked, still staring at the screen.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I hope I didn’t just see what I thought I did.”
Inuyasha got a sinking feeling at her words. He had been told that the strange picture box could show images of things that had happened in the past, as long as something called a ‘cam-ra’ was on hand to record the events live. For Mrs. Higurashi to be this worried, and for her to call his name like she did…he suddenly knew exactly what they were going to see next. Sure enough, the screen shifted to a zoomed in shot of the top of a very familiar building, where a man was teetering on a ledge. The camera was positioned diagonally to the front of the building, catching both the man’s profile and his face.
“A terrifying scene at the Midtown Tower today,” the anchorwoman announced as the footage played and the man tumbled off the ledge. “A man captivated a crowd for almost an hour before leaping over fifty stories to his death.” The camera zoomed out as he fell, taking in most of the building. Then the footage paused, with the man only about a third of the way to the ground. The image shrunk and the anchorwoman appeared off to the side.
“Or so it seemed. Don’t worry, folks. We wouldn’t show this footage if it didn’t have a happy ending. Keep an eye on the left side of your screen.”
The footage once again expanded to cover the whole screen, then resumed playing. The man continued his plummet until it was stopped by a crimson and silver blur which shot in from the left, caught him, alit on the tower, and launched both of them into the air. The camera followed the pair’s trajectory beautifully as they passed overhead and landed on another building, which finally cut off the view.
“Let’s look at that again in slow motion,” the anchorwoman said, and the station made it so. By zooming in and enhancing the picture, they were actually able to provide a fairly clear image of Inuyasha, right down to triangular ears atop his head.
“It looks too amazing to be true,” the anchorwoman cut in again. “But tell that to the hundreds of people who saw it with their own eyes, not to mention our camera crew. The jumper, who asked not to be identified, survived the ordeal. He says he plans to seek psychiatric treatment, and does not intend to attempt suicide ever again.
“But who—or what—is the mysterious hero? He vanished before anyone could talk to him. Since we first aired the footage on the six o’clock news, we have received almost two million comments on our website. Some claim what occurred today was a test conducted by the military of top secret ‘super soldier’ technology. Others say the unknown individual is an alien from another world, living among us. Some even maintain that the ‘Crimson Cat,’ as he’s come to be known because of his ears, is a real life superhero, blessed with incredible powers through exposure to nuclear waste or some other radioactive substance. Whoever or whatever he is, the reaction from most of the citizens of Tokyo has been positive, despite the official police stance against vigilantism.
“We’ve already received hundreds of reports of previous sightings of this oddly-dressed individual, most of them clustered in a relatively small area of downtown Tokyo, including a substantial number in the immediate vicinity of Fukuzawa Middle School. This new information adds to the mystery of this hero, and his incredible intrigue.
“Alright, we have much more to discuss about this mysterious savior. Hear what the experts think, right after these messages.”
Mrs. Higurashi muted the TV as the first commercial came on, and the room was suddenly bathed in deafening silence. Not even Souta dared to speak out in adoration of his hero, for he could sense the seriousness of the situation, and the way his sister’s ire was building like a rumbling volcano.
“‘Same old shit,’ huh?” Kagome ground out through clenched teeth. “Inuyasha, what the hell were you thinking?!”
Inuyasha recoiled, slightly taken aback. He had expected her to be upset, but not this mad. And as he gazed at her, he realized for the first time that she was wearing nothing but a towel. He could still see the moisture clinging to her hair, and he made sure to keep his eyes from straying further south, lest he add embarrassed indignation to her already sour mood.
“What?” he tried. “You didn’t yell at me the last time I saved someone in your time. Remember that little girl in the fire?”
“That was different. All the news people had was a child’s drawing, not video evidence!”
“So I should have just let that guy die?!”
No! I mean…” Kagome sighed, closing her eyes and taking a few deep, calming breaths. She had gotten angry with Inuyasha for many things since she met him, but this was one instance where he really didn’t deserve her ire. He had stumbled upon a situation where only his superhuman abilities could save a life, and she couldn’t fault him for doing so. It was just unfortunate that there had been a camera filming the spectacle.
“No, Inuyasha,” she began softly. “I’m glad you saved him. But I hope you understand the consequences. You can never go out in my world again unless you completely alter your appearance. You’d have to change clothes and dye your hair.”
Inuyasha shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll stay here or on the other side of the well.”
“It’s not that simple!” Kagome retorted, still somewhat agitated. “My friends met you recently, remember? If they recognize you, I’m going to have some serious explaining to do the next time I see them. They probably will, too; you have a very…unique look.”
“Don’t worry, Kagome,” Mrs. Higurashi spoke up reassuringly. “I’m sure your friends will be understanding.”
“I don’t know…” Kagome hedged, remember how pushy they had been in the past about Hojo. She sighed again. “I just hope they’re the only people who can associate me with the ‘Crimson Cat’ over there.” (3)
“What did you call me, wench?” Inuyasha demanded incredulously, forcing Kagome to stifle a giggle.
“Didn’t you hear the news lady, Inu-no-oniichan?” Souta asked. “That’s your new superhero nickname!”
Inuyasha’s left eye twitched; it was clear he was trying not to launch into a swearing fit in front of Kagome’s family. Without a word, he stood and marched stiffly to the front door and out into the night, where he could cuss to his heart’s content. Kagome’s mirth spilled out into amused laughter, and soon her entire family joined in. Mrs. Higurashi restored the volume on the TV when the commercials ended, and they all tuned in to watch a bunch of so-called ‘experts’ argue about who the mysterious hero was. Some even called into question the validity of the footage. That’s pretty gutsy, Kagome thought, going on the News at Nine to tell them they’re full of crap. In reality, none of them have any idea what they’re talking about. Inuyasha rejoined the family a few minutes later, noticeably more composed for his outburst. Though he did briefly appear ruffled about something else, as a quick glance at Kagome had his cheeks flushing slightly. It was then that the miko remembered her state of undress, and scurried upstairs to put clothes on.
Nine thirty found her and Inuyasha settling down on the couch as planned, a bag of potato chips between them, though Kagome had a feeling that the hanyou would end up doing most of the snacking. (4) She started the movie, but soon her mind shifted to other pursuits, as she took to worriedly chewing on her lower lip. Inuyasha noticed, her troubled scent providing ample distraction from the moving picture.
“You alright, wench?” he finally asked. She started, then shook her head and waved off his concerns.
“It’s okay. I just can’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”
“Worrying about it now won’t do any good. Your friends were pretty laid back when I met them. Maybe they won’t go crazy.”
“You’re right; I shouldn’t fret about it. It’s just kind of nerve-wracking not knowing, you know?”
“Keh.” Inuyasha paused for a long moment, then spoke in a low tone. “Kagome…I should’ve stopped to destroy the ‘cam-ra.’ Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for that. I doubt you would have even known what to look for.”
Inuyasha grimaced; she was right about that. He still felt guilty though, mostly because his hasty decision had given Kagome a major headache to deal with. Seeing his remorse, Kagome scooted closer, moving the chips out of the way, and took his hand tenderly in her own. The hanyou’s eyes widened as he gazed into her chocolate pools, unsure what to make of her action.
“Inuyasha, please don’t feel bad about what happened. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. You’re a hero for saving that man. Because of you, he has a second chance at life. Think of the heartache you saved all the people who care about him. I’m…I’m proud of you, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. Hearing Kagome say those words, seeing the wonder in her eyes, swelled his pride more than any victory in battle ever had. He didn’t understand why her opinion meant so much to him, but it did.
“Thanks,” he muttered, managing a crooked grin. Kagome beamed, glad she had succeeded in cheering him up. Feeling bold, she slid closer still, leaning against his side and resting her head on his shoulder. Inuyasha tensed, but soon relaxed, his heartbeat returning to a more normal level. Through it all, their hands never parted.
They returned to watching the movie, though neither truly saw much of it, as focused as they were on each other. It came as both a surprise and a disappointment to Kagome when the film ended; she wished they could stay like this for longer. But she could feel her eyelids drooping, and she knew she needed to get to bed or she would probably fall asleep in class tomorrow. When she entered her bedroom after brushing her teeth, Inuyasha had already assumed his customary spot under the windowsill.
“Goodnight, Inuyasha,” she said as she crawled underneath the covers. A noncommittal grunt was all she received in reply, but it was enough. Again, hanyou and miko slept soundly, forgetting at least temporarily the troubles tomorrow might bring.
* * *
Sasaki Kurou flopped into his recliner, exhaling as he sought to unwind from a long day of grading mediocre papers written by mediocre students. Honestly, I wish just once someone actually worthy of my teaching would walk into my class. He did not hope for an equal; there simply were none in his chosen field. Kurou flipped on the News at Nine, which he liked because it provided national news in a condensed format. Though he would prefer to spend his days in the jungles of Central America, he recognized the value in keeping current on important news in Japan. As long as it didn’t take up too much of his time, that is.
He found himself quite immersed in the top story; it wasn’t every day that a human—or humanoid something—demonstrated the ability to leap hundreds of feet in the air as if it was child’s play.
“…Fukuzawa Middle School…”
Kurou gasped, sitting straight up in the chair, wondering if his ears had been playing tricks on him. Snatching the remote, he used the DVR to rewind the program about twenty seconds.
“We’ve already received hundreds of reports of previous sightings of this oddly-dressed individual, most of them clustered in a relatively small area of downtown Tokyo, including a substantial number in the immediate vicinity of Fukuzawa Middle School. This new information…”
Kurou turned off the TV. He stared straight ahead at the dark screen, his eyes unseeing. In all honestly, he had completely forgotten about the strange ID card he had discovered in the cave almost two months ago. He had concentrated on his work, and life had moved on. But hearing Fukuzawa Middle School mentioned so closely with this bizarre occurrence had peaked his curiosity once more. Sure, it could just be a coincidence. But it was also possible that there was a connection between ‘Hiyuroshi Karomi,’ if that was actually her name, and the ‘Crimson Cat,’ as the idiot masses referred to him. When two extraordinary, unexplainable things seemed to be connected, it had been Kurou’s experience that they usually were.
He hurried out to his car and drove to his university office, turning the computer on and retrieving the ID card from the bottom drawer. A quick google search revealed that Fukuzawa Middle School posted its honor roll online, going back about five years. If he could find the name of a current student which could conceivably mesh with the faded name on the card, then maybe he could figure out who the card belonged to. He hoped ‘Hiyuroshi Karomi’ was a good student.
Unfortunately, none of the names on the honor roll fit, and there was no Hiyuroshi Karomi. He went back a semester and got the same results. Then he went back a third semester, and froze. The name seemed to jump off the computer screen, and instantly he knew he had solved the riddle. Higurashi Kagome. The faded characters matched perfectly; it was her ID card. But he wanted to be absolutely certain, so he added her name to the google search line. The first link took him to an issue of the school newspaper from two years ago. Scrolling down, he quickly located a section called ‘Student Profiles.’ Apparently the newspaper would take a few students each month and write a quick blurb about them. There, smiling back at him, was Higurashi Kagome, the same face which was on the ID card. Though the latter image was not entirely clear, there was no doubt. He had found his mystery girl. (5)
Judging by her enrollment status at the time of the profile, she should still be a student at Fukuzawa. Switching over to the Yellow Pages website, he typed in ‘Higurashi’ and ‘Tokyo.’ Only one hit came up, a small shrine within walking distance of Fukuzawa. Kurou took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers together. He had determined the owner of the ID card and where she lived.
Now, to decide what to do with that knowledge.
(1) I found a recipe for Japanese chocolate cake here: http://testedandtasted.blogspot.com/2010/08/japanese-chocolate-cake.html. You can assume Mrs. Higurashi’s recipe is similar
(2) Disclaimer: Opinions expressed about suicide in this chapter are Inuyasha’s. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the author
(3) I hate to do this, for consistency’s sake, but I’m kicking the “Cultural Festival” anime episodes out of canon for the purposes of this story. Primarily because I don’t want the whole school to associate what they saw on TV with Kagome, but also because I hate them. Inuyasha is portrayed as an idiot; he blows a freaking hole in the auditorium roof and nobody seems to care! Anyway, these episodes never happened, but you can assume the rest of the anime episodes come in (like “Gap Between the Ages,” from which I took the first Inuyasha ‘rescue’ scene)
(4) I would have used microwave popcorn here, but my research indicated that it’s not very popular in Japan. Chips are way more commonly eaten, and we already know Inuyasha loves them
(5) I found all this just by googling my old high school. It’s amazing what even schools put online these days
A/N – In writing this chapter, I couldn’t help but think of the recent stories of teenage boys killing themselves because of their struggles with their own homosexuality, and the ridicule and ostracism of their peers. Stories like these remind us that suicide is a complicated phenomenon. It can be planned months in advance, or it can result from a sudden, emotional breakdown. I do not believe for a second that all suicides are “cowardly,” though they are all unfortunate. But Inuyasha does not have the benefit of any of this knowledge. He naturally approaches the issue of suicide from a simplistic perspective, a warrior’s (but not a samurai’s) mentality. He might recognize the glory of dying in battle, but I feel he would condemn the jumper’s act of taking his own life here as cowardly. I apologize if I offended anyone. Just know that it was not my intention, and I do not necessarily share Inuyasha’s views.
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