InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted Souls ❯ The Case ( Chapter 2 )

The Case

Kagome awoke in a sweat with a gasp. She had had another nightmare; as she always did. She turned her head to look at her clock. It read 8:04 AM. She had never slept late, even before the nightmares began. Getting out of bed and taking a shower, she thought about the man who had called the night before. She was looking forward to meeting the great Sesshoumaru Tanaka, but she was nervous, too. She didn't mind that he was so famous or even so rich; she just didn't like the way he had sounded on the phone.

Kagome dressed in a tight, black, long sleeved shirt and black pants. She wasn't a big fan of colorful clothes, and only wore them when necessary. She looked professional and yet relaxed. It was perfect for her meeting with Sesshoumaru. Once dressed, she walked into her kitchen and made herself some coffee and toast. Without her morning cup of coffee, she was pretty useless, since she had barely slept. As she finished her toast, the phone rang once again. She stood and answered it with an upbeat voice, despite being tired. "Hello."

"Hey Kag, did I wake you?" a familiar voice asked her.

"You know you didn't, Miroku. What's up?" she asked with a smile. Miroku was her partner and could also set spirits free, but it was harder for him than it was for Kagome to purify them. She had known him since they were kids and they had trained together many times. He was a powerful monk. He was her best friend.

"Did you get a call last night from Mr. Tanaka?" he asked her, sounding more serious now.

"How did you know that?" she asked him, surprised.

"Well, I got a call about an hour ago from him saying that you agreed to work for him, and that I would be needed by the end of the week. He has called our entire team, and offered each a great deal of money in order to be ready by then. What's going on, Kag? Why does he need us so soon, and why didn't you tell me about it?" He sounded worried.

"Calm down, Miroku. I did get a call, but it was late last night, and I didn't want to wake you. Besides, I don't know anything yet. I am going to see him today at noon. You want to come with me?"

"Yeah. I will be at your apartment in a little bit and we can talk more about this. Bye Kag." Miroku said, then hung up the phone.

"This is getting a little too weird," she said out loud. Kagome walked into her rather large living room and sat on her black leather couch and turned on her big screen TV. She did get quite a lot of money from people she'd helped. Though she never asked for any, people always gave her much more than she needed. She split all donations with her group, but they always said that since she did the most work, she should get the most. Which is why she had so much money.

Though she did have nice furniture and a great TV, she didn't use too much of her money on things for herself. After all, she wasn't home all that much. Her apartment was on the top floor of a rather nice building and had two bedrooms. She used the spare bedroom as a computer and workroom mostly. All the files on every case she had ever had were in that room. It was a great apartment, with mostly dark colored furniture throughout it; only the walls were light colors.

After a half hour of watching TV, Miroku showed up. He never knocked; he just walked in, since he had his own key. Kagome could tell at once he was worried by the look on his face. He sat next to her on the couch and turned off her TV. "So what do you think is going on, Kag?" he asked her with a rare serious look on his face.

"I don't have any idea, but it could have to do with his father's death. Maybe he wants him set free. There is no use worrying about it until we know more. Just relax and watch some TV with me." She smiled at him. He nodded, and they sat back and watched a movie they both liked.

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As they walked into the building where Sesshoumaru worked, Kagome noticed Miroku's clothes. He always dressed nicely, but today he looked a bit more dressed up than usual. Miroku wore a black casual suit. With it he wore a silk white shirt. He did look nicer than normal. "You look good today, Miroku," she said with a smile.

He looked at her a strangely, and said, "Well, when you are going into the biggest and most important building in all of Japan, you tend to want to look nice." There was sarcasm in his voice. Kagome nodded in understanding. Sesshoumaru was a very important person and it would be best to make a good impression. The entire building they were entering was owned by Mr. Tanaka.

As they arrived on the top floor they noticed how well dressed all of the employees were. No one wore anything less than very expensive business suits. Kagome felt somewhat underdressed, but not too much. Once they were told they could enter to see Mr. Tanaka, they found themselves in a very well furnished and very large room, with a great view of the city. "He has great taste," Kagome said softly to Miroku, but of course being a demon, Mr. Tanaka heard her.

"I am glad it meets with your approval," he stated coldly. "Please take a seat," he pointed to some big leather chairs and they both sat down.

"Now, what is this case of yours, Mr. Tanaka, and why have you been calling my team?" Kagome asked, somewhat annoyed by him at the moment.

"You said it would take more time to gather them together. I fixed the problem. They will all be ready by the end of this week as I have asked them to be." Kagome gave him a look, but he paid no attention. "As for the case, I wish you to remove the spirit of my father and his murderer from my old home. There are other souls trapped within those walls as well, and I wish them gone also." Kagome and Miroku looked at each other for a moment and they did not look happy. "I am sure you have heard of my father's murder before," Mr. Tanaka made a statement rather than a question, but he seemed to want an answer.

Kagome thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly, your father was one among six that were killed that night. It was called a massacre because of how brutal it was. After the killer was done, he committed suicide, if I am not mistaken."

"You are correct. All of those spirits reside within my old home, and I wish them gone. I have not been able to go there since the deaths, as the spirits have been far too angry. The feeling you get when you near the building is full of hatred and anger. I wish to be able to live there once again in peace." Sesshoumaru looked into Kagome's eyes for the first time. "You are not the first team I have sent into this house. They have all failed me; I hope you will not also disappoint me."

Kagome shivered from the intensity his eyes held. "It will take a while to free so many spirits, but it can be done. I am not sure where the house is, though. As far as I know the location has always been kept a secret."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "You are correct. Not many know where the house is and I will not tell you either. All you need to know is that it is a few hours from here, far out of town. There are no other houses for miles of my old home. I will arrange for your entire team to be brought there along with everything you need. My brother and I will also be coming with you. The house is very big, and without a guide, you might never get out if you became lost. It is somewhat of a maze in some parts." He turned to look out the window, leaving his back to his guests.

"If there is no house within miles of your old home, then where will we be staying through this case?" Miroku asked before Kagome could.

"In the house, of course." Sesshoumaru smiled an evil smile. "I do not wish you to leave until the job is done. There are more than enough rooms for your entire team to stay in. Now if that is all settled, I have things that I need to finish before we leave. Have your team gathered at your apartment at 9am on Saturday morning; we will leave from there. Is there anything else you need to know?" he asked, still not looking at them.

Kagome and Miroku did not look happy as they thought about this case. "No. I think that is all we need to know for now. If we need anything more from you, we will call. I will tell the team to be at my apartment at 9am on Saturday. Goodbye Mr. Tanaka." She bowed slightly as he turned to look at her. Miroku did the same as they left. Neither noticed the smile upon his face as they walked out of the room.

Sesshoumaru turned once again to look out his window as he heard the door to his left open. "You really think that woman will be strong enough to free that house of spirits?" he heard his brother ask.

"I know she can, Inuyasha, but the real question is, can she survive it?" He looked toward his brother and smirked. Inuyasha didn't seem to like that answer, but said nothing as he turned to walk out of his bothers office.

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Miroku looked worried as they walked to get some lunch. "I don't know if we should trust him, Kagome. Something just doesn't feel right about this."

Kagome sighed. "I know what you mean, but he is asking for our help. I can't deny him help." Kagome stopped walking in front of the restaurant where they intended to eat lunch. "We will have to start looking into these murders." Miroku nodded. "I think we should get Sango and Kouga to help us learn more about Mr. Tanaka's murder. They are good at that stuff."

"Yeah, Sango can find out anything we need to know, and Kouga has always been good at learning more than what the public has been told about things." Miroku held the door open for Kagome as they walked inside.

Kagome took out her cell phone, as did Miroku, once they got to the table. Kagome called Kouga as Miroku called Sango. They both agreed to meet at Kagome's the next day with everything they could find out.

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Miroku had stayed at Kagome's for the night because they had been up so late trying to find out more about this case. Miroku stayed over often enough to have spare clothes in her apartment. He worried about her being alone after everything that had been going on lately. When the nightmares started, he would stay over and watch over her. It did help Kagome to have him near by, but it didn't stop the nightmares, so she sent him home after a while. Though the spare room was used for work mostly, it did have a comfortable fold out couch in it for guests.

They had fallen asleep in the guest room at some point during the night and didn't hear the door open early the next morning. "Well, isn't this cozy?" Came a playful voice. They both shot up immediately and noticed they had moved in their sleep. Kagome now had her head in his lap and his arm was around her. They had been sitting on the opened couch when they fell asleep, since it was more comfortable than the chairs, and they both had had their backs to the wall when they went to sleep. Miroku still lay in a sitting position, but Kagome must have fallen over while she slept. The thing that surprised Kagome, though, was that not only had she slept until 10 AM, but the fact that she hadn't had any nightmares that night.

As they both shot up so quickly, the two standing in the hallway started to laugh loudly. Sango spoke once again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but no one answered the door. You also forgot to lock it, it seems." She was still smiling.

Kagome, blushing slightly as she got up, gave both Sango and Kouga a hug to say hello. Miroku looked happy as he watched them hug. "Hey guys," he said from the bed. Sango said "hi" then gave him a hug as well. Kouga just said "Hey".

It took a moment before Kagome remembered why her teammates were there, but when she remembered, she spoke seriously. "So, what did you guys find out?"

Sango sighed. "Well Kouga seems to have gotten more than I did, but here is what I have so far." She pulled out her laptop and walked into the kitchen. She placed the laptop on the table and turned it on. They all gathered around her.

"Ok well, I was not able to find out any of the victims' last names other than Mr. Tanaka, of course. And I don't think even Kouga was able to do that." He shook his head in response to that. "Anyway there were five other victims killed that day besides Mr. Tanaka and the murderer, who took his own life. The five were, Myouga, Kagura, Kanna, Nakazo, and Kikyo. From what I can tell, Kagura had tried to stop the murderer from killing Mr. Tanaka and was slaughtered in the process. After she was killed, Kikyo also tried to protect Mr. Tanaka, but also failed. Once they were dead, the murderer was able to kill Mr. Tanaka finally, but did not stop there, since he killed the 3 others. It is unknown why he killed the others and also the killer's name was never released. I am sorry to say that's all I have, but Kouga seems to know more." Sango then stood up from the table where she had turned on the laptop. There were pictures of each victim on the screen. Everyone moved in closer, so they could see the pictures as Kouga began.

Kouga nodded. "Yes, I was able to learn much more than that. My source was very worried about telling me too much about this but I got the most important things out of him. The main thing that I got from him that no one else knew was the killer's name. His name was Naraku." That name did not appear to mean anything to the others, so he continued. "Let me tell you more about each person that was killed." They all nodded.

Kouga sat down at the laptop and pointed to the first picture on it. It was a picture of Myouga. "This is a demon flea. He was able to change into a larger form with the help of Mr. Tanaka, though it is not known how it was done. He was a faithful servant to Mr. Tanaka. It seems that he was killed because he knew too much. I don't know what it was that he knew that got him killed though." They all looked at the picture of the older looking man. He was about 4 feet tall and did look like a flea other than his size.

Kouga continued, changing pictures. "Kagura was a wind demon with great power. She was at one time working with Naraku very closely. It is not known what she did for him, but she obviously betrayed him by trying to save Mr. Tanaka. Which is why she was killed, I would bet." He changed pictures to Kanna.

"Why was she killed?" Kagome asked looking at the child on the screen. "She can't be more than 12 years old," she said, sounding upset.

"Well, I don't know for sure why she was killed, but I do know she was Kagura's younger sister." Kagome gasped slightly.

"You think she was killed because of her sister's betrayal?" she asked Kouga. He only shrugged.

"It seems that way," Kouga said, then changed the pictures once more. "Now this one is what confuses me." He pointed to the picture of a handsome man, who looked to be about 20. "This is Naraku's son." They all gasped at that one. "He didn't try to help Mr. Tanaka as far as I know, but was still killed. I can't figure that one out." He changed pictures one last time.

"Now this one you should know, Kagome. Her name is Kikyo and she was a very strong miko. In fact, she was the strongest one there was at the time. She stayed to herself and was not as well known as you are, but she did many good things while she was alive. Now the thing about her that gets me is that she is also Kaede's sister." Kouga turned to look at Kagome as he said this and she looked shocked. She didn't say a word as she looked at the picture; the image looked a lot like herself.

"Is that all?" Miroku asked while looking at Kagome with concern.

"No, there is one more thing. When the killings took place, there were others in the room. The only person I know for certain that was unkilled in the room was Sesshoumaru. He and whoever else was in the room saw it all happen, but it is unknown why they did not try to help nor why Naraku chose to kill himself rather than them," Kouga said.

"I think I should pay Kaede a visit later today," Kagome said, keeping her gaze on the screen. They nodded to her slowly. "Thank you everyone for everything, but I need some time alone to think. I will see you all tomorrow." She walked them to her door and said goodbye, hugging each of them as they left. She leaned on the door with a heavy sigh. Kaede had never mentioned that she had a sister.

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Kagome called up the woman who had pretty much raised her and asked to see her that night. Now Kagome was sitting within Kaede's house waiting looking upset. "Is there something wrong, child?" Kaede asked her worriedly.

Kagome looked at her and asked, "Who is Kikyo?" Kaede looked unhappy with the question, but didn't seem to mind it.

"She was my younger sister. She died almost twenty years ago," she said, as if it meant nothing to her, yet her face held a sad expression.

"Why didn't you tell me about her? Why have I never heard of her before, if she was as strong as they say she was?" Kagome asked quickly.

Kaede raised an eyebrow at this. "I didn't tell you about her because you never asked me about my family. Who is it that has told you of my sister? And how do you know of her great power?"

Kagome looked upset. "I just thought that you didn't have any family. I didn't want to upset you by asking about it. And it doesn't matter who told me about her. I want to know if it's true that she was the most powerful miko in her time. And was she really killed in the Tanaka murder?"

Kaede frowned. "Yes, she was far more powerful than even I am. She didn't want to be burdened as you are now and stayed away from the public as much as she could. She was a good woman and did help all those she cared about, but she was cold and kept to herself most of the time. And yes she was murdered while protecting Mr. Tanaka. But how do you know this?"

"Kouga researched the murders because of our next case. We are to rid that home of the souls inhabiting it," Kagome said slowly.

Kaede stood up and spoke sternly. "You would do well not to take that case." Kagome looked at her dumbfounded.

"Why? she asked.

"You don't have any idea what you are getting into, Kagome. You may be strong, but the evils within that house are stronger." Kagome had never heard Kaede speak like that before and it scared her a bit.

"I have no choice but to take this case. If the evil is as strong as you say it is, then I need to go there before it hurts anyone! And you have always told me I could do anything; why has that changed?" Kagome was now standing as well.

"If you go there, child, you may never come back! Yes you can do anything, and maybe you can destroy the evils in that house, but you may not be able to survive it! Do not go there, child, I beg you to reconsider." Kaede was now yelling. Kagome had never heard Kaede raise her voice before.

"I have to free those souls Kaede. And if you care about your sister, you should be happy I want to set her soul free," Kagome spat at her.

Kaede sighed, "I want her soul to be free, Kagome, but not at the cost of your life."

"I will be fine, Kaede. It is only seven souls. I know it is more than I normally set free at once but I will take my time. I will not do it all at once. I have to do this, Kaede. I will not let your sister's soul stay trapped within that house for all eternity! Please tell me what you know so that I can do my job better."

Kaede shook her head. "I cannot tell you more than you already know. I do not know why my sister was there or what happened to her. If you must go, Kagome then please, be careful. Do not do more than you can handle at one time. Do not be afraid to leave if it is too much for you. Be safe, Kagome." Kaede hugged her before turning and going into her kitchen. "Goodbye child and good luck," she said as she moved out of sight. Kagome turned and left with a sigh.

'This is going to be harder than I thought.' She got into her car and drove home and tried to go to sleep.

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I just want to make a few things clear. A lot of the characters will be a bit OOC. For example Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are not trying to kill each other in this story. They are still half brothers, but they get along. Also Kagome is not Kikyo's reincarnation in this, since her soul is still trapped in the house she cannot be reincarnated. However Kagome and Kikyo still look very much alike. Also in case you do not know. Nakazo is an OC from my other story "Inuyasha's Love and Kagome's Pain". He is the son of Naraku in that story but you don't need to read it to under stand who he is. Well that's it for now.