InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou of the Future ❯ A Hero is Born ( Chapter 9 )

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

Thank you to my beta DQBunny.

Hanyou of the Future

Chapter Nine - A Hero is Born

Riho clucked her tongue and shot an annoyed look to her watch. “Oh, look at the time! I've totally been here longer than I needed to be.”

Inuyasha and Kagome continued to glare at her as she chirped on. She beamed at them and snickered. “I'll leave you kids alone now. You two have fun, okay? Tomorrow is a big day!”

Too enraged to say anything, Kagome and Inuyasha merely watched her leave, listening to the clatter of her pumps as she descended down the shrine's steps.

Kagome sighed when the woman was gone, and she wiped her forehead in dismay. Then she got an annoyed look on her face. “What does that woman mean I have `fat' thighs? Humph! Well at least I don't have a beak for a nose!”

Inuyasha grunted. “You know, you could have told her that while she was here. I wouldn't have stopped you.”

Kagome crossed her arms and put her nose in the air. “Well, maybe I will tell her next time what I really think of her. Who does she think she is threatening us like that? Of all the nerve!”

Inuyasha didn't seem to be taking the situation as lightly as Kagome was. He didn't know the severity of Riho's threats, but he was seriously pissed off that any stranger dared threaten his new family.

Kagome saw the distress on his face and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Look, Inuyasha. Don't sweat it. I bet she's bluffing. Who would really think a photographer is in lieu with the Yakuza? It sounds sort of silly to me.”

Inuyasha clenched his fists. “No, that doesn't matter to me. I'm not angry because of that. I'll get the bastard for threatening your family - and trying to use you to get to me!”

Kagome waved her hands in the air, trying to calm him down. “Now, Inuyasha, settle down and don't get upset. We can get through this…we'll just go there and talk him out of it. It's not good to draw attention to yourself. Tomorrow you'll be a hanyou again, and then what will you do? He can't find out about your true nature.” She paused and then when she caught his gaze, she looked at him sternly. “Now that you're in my time, no one can find out.”

“Don't you think I know that?” Inuyasha seethed at her, and when he saw her recoil back to his tone, he immediate felt guilty for yelling at her, and his voice became gentler. “Anyway, we came back here to find out about the jewel and then that viper shows up …” He stopped, and then his widened with a quick realization. “The jewel!”

Kagome gasped. “That's right! Ah! How could we get so distracted?” She grabbed the cuff of his shirt and pulled him toward Grandpa's shed. “C'mon, we have to go check it out.”

“Right,” he said nodding, and then he took a quick glance behind him at the night sky. “It's getting late. Let's figure out what's going on, and get inside before your family starts to worry.”

“Yeah, whatever's up with the jewel, we can take it inside for the night.” Kagome opened the creaking door to her grandpa's shed, and immediately they saw the pink jewel resting on the shelf and illuminating the entire shed.

“Wow, it was activated again!” Kagome exclaimed, opening the door wider and then running to the shining jewel. She bent closer to it as Inuyasha came up behind her.

“Oh!” she groaned. “Grandpa locked it in some special case. I'm afraid I don't have the key for it.”

“Damn it! That stupid old -“

“Wait!” Kagome stuck her finger behind her ear and pulled out a hairpin. “Ah, the things that a woman can't live without.” She proudly showed Inuyasha the pin in her hand, and he gaped in confusion. Kagome sighed, realizing that Inuyasha was far from being impressed.

She took the hairpin, fishing it around in the lock. Inuyasha watched with interest as her face changed expressions and her tongue moved around her lips in concentration. When they both heard a snap, Kagome squealed. “Got it!”

Thanks to Kagome's expert lock picking, the lid opened to reveal their prize; Inuyasha was definitely impressed now.

“Hrmm, you sure have some interesting skills you've been hiding,” he replied coyly. Kagome grinned at him, and then his body instinctively was drawn to hers. She shifted her weight on her feet and rubbed a hip against him.

“You have no idea the things I can do,” she purred, and with the tone of her voice and suggestive move of her hips, Inuyasha had forgotten about the jewel again.

He growled, and rubbed a hand over her waist. “Oh really? Am I going to see these tricks anytime soon?”

She laughed, reaching a hand to his face, but she felt a cold pulse surge throughout her body. “Ungh!” She almost retched, and then Inuyasha caught her as she fell forward.

“Kagome!” he yelled in worry, and her vision blurred as the room began to spin. She shook her head and closed her eyes, and soon the strange feeling faded away.

“Phew! That was odd!” she responded nonchalantly, and Inuyasha gave her an annoyed look.

“What the hell was that?” Inuyasha asked quickly grabbing onto her shoulders. He peered into her face with concern. She was sweating and looked clammy and pale.

“I don't know… It was strange. It felt as though someone was trying to home in on the jewel through some sort of amplified magic. I got the brunt of the signal, as if it tried to zap me of my spirit,” she replied, and then she made an exasperated noise in her throat. Feeling faint again, she leaned up against Inuyasha for support. She added, “I hate to say it, but I think someone is looking for the jewel, and since I'm still connected to it, it's almost as if someone is searching for me too.”

Inuyasha bared his teeth and growled noisily. “If anyone lays a finger on you I'll rip them to shreds! So help me I'll fuck up that Oogami guy, that Riho bitch, and any other fool who comes after us!”

“Inuyasha,” Kagome soothed, laying a hand on his arm to calm him. “I know you're going to protect me, just as you always have.” He looked into her deep eyes full of hope and regard for him and felt his anger melting. “But remember what I said. We can't have you bring attention to yourself. You're in my world now, and the humans here have no idea how to react to demons. I'm sorry but you'll have to keep your super powers on the down low.”

“I don't know if I can do that,” he admitted readily. “If you're in danger, I won't hesitate to use all my might to save you.”

She chuckled and then added, “Let's not break out the tights and cape yet.”

When Inuyasha gave her a confused look, she only laughed. She pulled him into an embrace and heard her name lightly graze his breath as he nuzzled his face into her hair. She wanted to wrap herself in his scent and warmth forever.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Suddenly, she felt weightless as he lifted her off the ground and carried her back to the house. She clutched the jewel in her hand protectively, feeling her breathing resonate with its pulse. She put the jewel back in the case and locked it back up, knowing it was safer here than with them.

“Let's go inside now,” he said affectionately. “It's getting late, and everyone will be worried. We can talk about the jewel tomorrow.”

Nodding against him, she sighed as he carried her. She inwardly reveled in the closeness of his protective touch. She only wished that that they could sleep like this through the night.

However, in accordance with proper behavior, they unfortunately had to separate into their own rooms for the night - reminiscing of the jewel and hoping for longer moments together.

----

As much as she tried, Kagome couldn't sleep. Thoughts of the daily events jumbled around her brain, and when she thought more about her problems, she was drawn further and further away from any chance of slumber.

The thing that bothered her the most was probably not the thing that should bother her. She should have been more mindful of Riho's threats and the jewel, but she couldn't escape the magnificent emotions she was experiencing with Inuyasha. He had taken her on a date and even kissed her, and they had flirted with each other.

She was utterly floored and shocked. They were actually a full-blown couple now!

Kagome's mind and body surged with the possibilities of their future. How far would they go? Where would he touch her and kiss her next?

More importantly, where did she want him to kiss and touch her next?

The possibilities were endless, and Kagome felt her core stir to the ideas, yearning for those physical endeavors.

She groaned and punched her pillow. There was no way she was going to sleep with those images in her mind!

So, she did what any healthy growing teenage girl would do. She got up from her bed and headed straight downstairs to Inuyasha's bedroom - to alleviate her nagging problem.

At some point, her rational mind kicked in and she stood outside Inuyasha's bedroom door just one knock away from alerting her presence.

However, she hesitated and thought that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Although she did have these feelings for him, she had always wanted to wait until that moment was special - without any outside forces throwing a killjoy into their untainted romance.

Still, if anything was true about her relationship with Inuyasha, it was that it surely wasn't perfect. It never had been, and she dared to wonder if it ever would be.

“Kagome?” She heard her name behind his door. She panicked, wanting to duck out of this impulsive plan and scurry back to her room. But before she could escape, Inuyasha had already opened the shoji door.

He looked down at her, surprised that she was there.

“Kagome, what are you doing here?” He yawned, and she fidgeted under his gaze.

“Uh…I…I couldn't sleep, Inuyasha,” she squeaked, and she felt stupid for being this nervous. Inwardly groaning, she was ready to kill herself. `If I didn't seem like a virgin before, I definitely do now.'

“Oh.” He turned his gaze away and flushed in sync with her. He scratched the back of his head. “Me either.”

“Hn.” Kagome made a noise in response, and the both of them could feel the air get thicker.

Then, Inuyasha opened his door wider. “Do you want to come in and talk? I've been thinking about the jewel.”

“Oh?” Kagome nodded as he motioned her inside. She was grateful that the conversation was at least shifting back to the jewel.

“Uh, yeah, and about someone in this time searching for it,” he responded, and he sighed heavily as he sat down on his futon. Kagome sat down next to him and laid a hand on his knee. “I just can't figure it out. Who else would know about the jewel, especially in your time?”

“Well, a lot of antique dealers and maybe even artifact collectors would know about it. Any Shinto priest or priestess would have common knowledge of it, and even historians are aware of it.”

“Great,” Inuyasha snorted. “That narrows our suspects down to thousands.”

“Not necessarily. Most modern-day people believe it's a myth, and I'm sure even those who believe in it may think it was missing or lost through the ages,” Kagome said optimistically.

“So where does that leave us?” Inuyasha asked.

“Well, tomorrow we can start searching for anyone that's been looking for it, and maybe try to find some news on local fanatics or people who study the jewel. I can even ask Grandpa to check his sources of any antique dealers that are persistently interested in the jewel; its whereabouts and even what its worth would be if a collector got a hold of it. We can even go to the library tomorrow and do some digging. I know that's not the greatest place to spend your Sunday, but…”

“No, it's fine,” Inuyasha interrupted with determination in his voice. “We have to get to the bottom of it. We should try and see if the jewel opens the well up again too.”

Kagome nodded.

“But first, we take care of that arrogant asshole who threatened us,” he growled. Kagome sighed, and it was clear that Inuyasha was still concerned about the photographer. She only hoped it wasn't as worse as it seemed.

“Okay, but remember what I said about not drawing attention to yourself?” Kagome pointed a finger at him.

“Fine, fine,” he slurred, lounging back onto his futon with his eyes closing in sleepiness. Kagome giggled and bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Inuyasha,” she said, before making her exit.

Suddenly, Inuyasha pulled her arm and brought her against his chest. Silence overtook the room, and they stayed frozen in each other's embrace. A sigh hitched in Kagome's throat as she heard his heartbeat quicken against her cheek.

“I wish you could stay here with me,” he finally whispered, and she felt his breath against her hair.

“I do too, Inuyasha,” she replied, and he squeezed her tighter in response to her words.

Shifting her body, he bent into her, taking her lips with his own. He made a seductive moan in her mouth as he captured her tongue. Kagome sucked on his bottom lip and met his kiss with intensity. And after lapping up her heated taste, he broke the kiss coarsely and looked into her eyes.

“I was hoping that you came here to see me because you didn't want to talk.”

Kagome shook her head. “At first, I didn't want to talk.” She moved closer to him, and he instinctively rocked into her. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath as she felt his friction. She nuzzled her face into his chest and wove her fingers through his hair. “But then I realized that I'm not ready yet. I'm still kind of scared.”

“Hn.” Inuyasha nodded against her and began caressing her jaw line. “It's okay, Kagome.” She felt him smiling next to her. “I can wait.”

Kagome's face flushed, and she giggled against him, still locked in his embrace. “Oh, it shouldn't have to be too long.”

Then he scoffed, “Don't tease me woman; definitely, now is not the time.”

Kagome giggled again, and she stayed just a few minutes more before she went back to her room.

-----

Inuyasha and Kagome looked up in wonderment at the large photography studio in Shibuya-ku.

“This must be the place,” Kagome said, rechecking the address for about the fiftieth time.

“It sure is gaudy,” Inuyasha stated, wrinkling his nose at the excessive amount of purple and red and then overblown with a flashing neon sign. “I bet this guy is a real fruit.”

Kagome coughed. “Sort of like someone's brother that I know.” Inuyasha cackled next to her, somewhat thrilled by the instant imagery of his brother in charge of a girly shop like the one before them.

Opening the door for Kagome, the two of them slipped inside and walked to the front desk. The woman behind it was no doubt the secretary, although she wasn't dressed like any ordinary business worker. Inuyasha thought she was gaudier than the sign.

She peered at him through small, black-rimmed spectacles and overdone black eye make-up. Inuyasha watched with interest as her red Mohawk managed to stay in place as she whipped her head around to greet them.

“Please sign in and state your business,” she interjected tersely.

“Um, yes, hi,” Kagome said while bowing politely. “We were asked to see Oogami Takeda-san. My friend here has done some modeling for him.”

Taking the glasses off, the girl's face brightened when she looked at Inuyasha, her eyes roaming over his body and settling on the black bandana. “Ooh! I remember your photos! Such a physique! Such an angry expression! And to top it off, the white dyed hair was not only evident on your head!”

Kagome's face reddened, and Inuyasha merely glared at the woman.

“Keh. Are you going to let us see this bozo or not?”

“Oh certainly!” she tittered, jumping up from her seat and motioning them to the back. When they got halfway through the dark black hallway, the secretary stopped.

“This is as far as he'll allow me to take you. I think you can find your way back. Oogami-dono was in a meeting, but I believe those clients are gone now. Good luck, and welcome to the company!”

“Ugh,” Kagome groaned as the secretary bobbled back to her post. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but something she had said intrigued Kagome.

“Inuyasha?”

“Hrmm?” he said distracted as he began sniffing the hallway and looking around with interest. The darkened hallway was cluttered with costumes and broken stage sets, piled up as they walked farther toward the main studio.

“What did she mean you had white hair somewhere other than your head?”

And suddenly, before she could finish, Inuyasha had her back up against the wall and in his protective arms. He shushed her with a finger to her lip and then looked away, his ears twitching under his bandana as his attention focused elsewhere.

Kagome stood frozen and let Inuyasha focus by staying quiet. She surmised that his behavior was prompted by possible trouble.

“Now, Takeda-pii.” Inuyasha heard an unfamiliar man talking, mangling Takeda's name with informalities. “I don't want to keep wasting my time coming here, waiting for this one simple request from weeks ago.”

Inuyasha also heard other people, as well as someone whimpering among them.

“I'm extremely sorry, Jinsou-sama,” another voice pleaded. Inuyasha assumed the voice belonged to Takeda Oogami. “I know you told me to keep tabs on your wife, but I haven't found anything incriminating against her.”

“You lie! She's charmed her way into your heart, and now she's paying you double what I'm asking. How much is she paying you to keep her boyfriends quiet? Huh?” Inuyasha heard a scuffle, and then someone was obviously thrown to the ground.

“Jinsou-sama, please! You know that no woman could charm Takeda Oogami,” he pleaded again, and Inuyasha found the statement strange.

“Ha!” the loud man scoffed, and Inuyasha heard the sound of metal and then another cry from Takeda. “Stupid queer, you may be right about my wife not getting to you, but maybe that just means you're not very good at your job as you proclaim to be.”

Inuyasha heard other men laughing in the background, and then one spoke up. “Hey boss, shall we trash his studio to teach him a lesson? That was real fun last time.” The other men chuckled and then made noises in agreement. Takeda began begging for them to not consider it.

“Please, I can't do my work for you if I have to keep replacing my equipment. It wastes my time and more importantly yours as well!” Takeda exclaimed, and seconds later Inuyasha heard a quick force of a fist against a face, and then a body made a thud onto the ground.

“I don't need you to tell me what wastes my time, you stupid sap! I should let you off easy …” The men began to groan in disappointment around him. “But frankly, I've been too generous already…”

----

“What's going on?” Kagome whispered with her lowest voice, and Inuyasha shot her shushed motion.

“That Takeda guy's getting roughed up back there by some people that don't particularly like him. We should go. I don't know how dangerous they are, but they're doing our job for us and beating the piss out of him.”

“Inuyasha!” she scolded, and her whisper was too loud for comfort, and he waved her silent. Kagome pleaded with him anyway. “We can't just leave him to those guys. What if they kill him?”

“So?” Inuyasha whispered back. The look on his face showed that he didn't care, the same look Kagome had seen time and again when she pleaded him to help unfortunate people in feudal Japan. “The guy threatened us and your family! He's a dirt bag, so he's not our problem!”

She grabbed his arm and gave him a pleading look. He hated that look. He could never say no to it.

“Please, Inuyasha?” She gave him that pouting face that he couldn't resist. “If you save him, he'll be in debt to you, and then he can leave you and my family alone. Besides, you'd be doing the right thing.”

“Damn it!” he rasped. “I'm tired of helping humans by doing the right thing. I'm no good at it!”

“But you saved Japan from Naraku.” She smiled with a toothy grin and continued to pet his ego. “You can handle something small like this, can't you?”

He was silent for a moment, and met her look with a glare as she poked at his reserves with her impossibly, sexy charm. `Fuck!' he cursed to himself.

“Alright!” he agreed. He jabbed a finger at her. “But I'm only doing this because I'm demanding my help as payment for leaving us alone, you got that?”

“Of course, Inuyasha.” She smiled sweetly, and then pecked his cheek. He groaned in defeat. Kagome was definitely the only adversary that ever could defeat him.

“Alright, I'm going,” he said pouting. “But it's not going to be fun without my sword.”

“I don't think you need it.” She lifted up her arms and made a couple of fists while winking at him. “Just introduce them to a couple of friends of yours.”

He groaned again. “Alright, let's get this over with,” he said reluctantly, and he started to lumber unhappily to the volatile scene.

But before she could let him go, Kagome stopped him. “Wait! You can't go in like that!”

“What? Don't tell me you're changing your mind, woman!”

“No,” she countered. “It's not that. Remember how I told you that you need to keep a low profile because you're a hanyou? Well, people in my time still won't understand that.”

“So what am I supposed to do about that? I'm not going to kill them just to keep my identity secret.”

“Oh no! You don't have to do that!” Kagome exclaimed, and then she paused as she tried to think of a solution. Her eyes roamed around the hall and then she got a super idea. “That's it!”

Shuffling through a pile of cabaret costumes on the floor, she picked up a scarlet colored mask. “Here! Put this on! You can bust into the scene, and those bad guys will think you're just another model. Then, after you defeat them, your identity will stay safe because your face was mostly covered.”

He froze and gave her a deadpanned expression. “Huh? Who would be stupid enough to believe that?”

“Um, the bad guys are always that stupid,” Kagome pointed out. Inuyasha sighed, feeling a sense of foreboding as he was pulled further into these modern games.

“Fine, fine, I'll wear the dumb thing if you think it'll protect my identity,” he replied giving in, and Kagome helpfully tied the mask onto his face from the back. She slapped him on the back roughly and pointed vigorously ahead. “Go forth, Inuyasha, in the name of justice!”

“..the hell…?”

“Oh, shut up and just do it!”

Inuyasha grumped and slumped even more as he lumbered closer to the fight. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

And as he disappeared down the hallway to the studio room, Kagome tip toed behind him trying to stay hidden in the shadows. When Inuyasha was out of her sight, Kagome couldn't help thinking about the situation. “Hrmm…if Inuyasha is like Superman, does that make me Lois Lane?”

Suddenly she heard a clamor, and Inuyasha had appeared onto the scene.

“Hey, who the hell are you?” called out one of them.

And then, Kagome remained unseen behind the costumes, watching on in suspense as danger began to unfold!

TBC…