InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted ❯ A Confrontation ( Chapter 12 )

AN: Ugh… I feel like a tourist-idiot thing. I stole a bunch of maps of Japan off the Internet (And a picture of a fish just 'cause it was cool, and then I got sidetracked and found really cool pictures of nebulae on this NASA site called GRIN and they're the most beautiful things I have ever, ever seen. Truly, sincerely. Space things are pretty in general, like Neptune.) to make what I write more accurate and then I discovered they were all tourist maps, which makes sense since they were all in English because I can't read Japanese, and if a map of Japan is in English it seems likely that it is for tourists… I'm going in circles, aren't I? Well, I just feel kinda stupid now.

 

I realize that the ending to the last chapter was indeed some sort of cliffie. While not actually ending at the critical moment, it did pique curiosity and ended abruptly. (Sheepish grin) Well, I wasn't really sure how to end it, so I used a pseudo-cliffhanger. Sorry 'bout that, if anyone is miffed about it!

 

As usual, thanks for all the kind things that you've said about my story! (I feel entitled to say it because I'm really, truly grateful and they make me feel very happy! And flattered.)

 

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own Inuyasha, but… Hey wait! I do! Whoa! What about that, huh?

 

…Ahem…

 

Okay, no I don't so you can't sue me.

 

Haunted

 

Chapter Twelve: A Confrontation

 

Night.

 

Kagura's scarlet eyes stared into the dark sky above. "Looks like I've got to be going." She said nonchalantly. The leaves rustled quietly in reply. She plummeted from the tree that she'd been sitting in and dropped onto her feather, soaring away on a powerful gust of wind.

 

Up, up she soared, delighting in the cool fingers of wind that tugged at her clothes and her hair, of the speed. The wind witch chuckled darkly. "Akutagawa, here I come!" Her words whipped past her as she sped through the air. It was ironic that the girl was living in her old house. The very last place she would've looked. A stray strand of curly black hair whipped into her face and she put it back up irritably.

 

Kagura wheeled around in a circle on her feather as she peered through the darkness and the cloud for her last home. She flew lower and lower until she was only about a hundred feet above the roof. She could kill everyone in an instant with the wave of her fan and be done with it. She frowned bitterly. But Naraku didn't want that.

 

Naraku was all about subtlety, of using others and manipulating things to his own advantage. So subtle she would be. She would enter the house through the big hole in the roof- she was still wondering where that had come from- and she'd sneak into the room and cut her throat, putting the green sign on the wall. She huffed slightly.

 

How petty. The green symbol didn't change anything. Why not just destroy the whole house and let the humans worry about it on their own? Of course, Naraku probably had some reason or other that he hadn't told her about. So she'd do it his way.

 

The wind witch circled lower and lower until her feather scraped gently on the roof. She hopped of delicately, her feet making nary a noise on the shingles and the white feather shrank to the size of her finger. She placed it in her hair and jumped through the hole, landing with the soft clattering of broken wood on the floor below.

 

Kagura took a step forward and winced as she hit another piece of wood. Didn't these people know how to clean up after themselves? Suddenly, the lights turned on, illuminating the room in the dingy orange glow of an old lamp that Kagura vaguely remembered installing herself.

 

"Thought that I'd be seeing you here." Kagura stared at the white-haired hanyou with a bored expression. Idly, she flapped open her fan.

 

"What's this, a welcoming committee? I didn't expect so many." She asked coolly and surveyed the people in the room. "Well then, I guess I have to introduce myself." She bowed mockingly. "Kagura, the wind witch." She glanced at the Akutagawa girl, ready and raring to go in full battledress, a black-haired man and the hanyou. The fight looked like it'd be over quickly enough…Suddenly the doors burst open and a black haired girl stumbled in with a young kitsune on her shoulder.

 

"Kagome!" The hanyou barked and turned. "I thought you'd promise to stay outside the door!" Kagura watched idly with minimal interest.

 

"No way am I going to just sit out there and wait until you guys are through!" The girl retorted. "I'm staying!" The black-haired fellow and the Akutagawa girl didn't move an inch and kept their focus on the wind-witch.

 

"We don't have time for this, Kagome!" The demi-demon said in exasperation. "You won't wait in your room, or the basement with everybody else, you won't even wait outside!" He glared at the girl, ears twitching irately. "I can't protect you and fight at the same time!"

 

"But there's three of you against one of her!" The Kagome girl protested. "I'll be fine." Kagura looked at the girl icily and raised her fan in the air.

 

"Don't underestimate me." She hissed and swiped the fan in the air. The dog demon took a running leap and grabbed the girl out of harm's way just in time.

 

"Just go wait outside!" He barked and turned his attention back to Kagura, not noticing that the black-haired girl stayed firmly in place, the little kitsune quaking on her shoulder, but mulishly glaring.

 

Kagura laughed in cold amusement. "And you think that you'll beat me!" She said arrogantly. "You can't even control one human girl!" The dog demon snarled and leaped at her, claws extended. The wind-witch barely moved out of the way in time. "A speedy one, are you?" she taunted.

 

"Damn straight." He came at her again and Kagura slashed at the air again with her fan. "Whoa!" He leaped up high into the air and dodged.

 

"Perfect." Kagura grinned and looked at the human girl. "You should've listened to the hanyou, girl!" She laughed. "But it's too late for that." The fan came down and Kagome closed her eyes tightly, anticipating the attack.

 

Suddenly a strong arm was around her waist and she was airborne. "Stupid girl!" Inuyasha said. "I can't fight like this! You're in the way!" Hiraikotsu whizzed by, narrowly missing Inuyasha's ear. "Hey, watch it Sango!"

 

The giant boomerang twirled through the air and returned to the exterminator. "You watch it!" She retorted and threw the weapon again. Smoothly, the wind-witch moved to the side and made another swipe with her fan. "Kirara!" Sango called, and she was airborne, swooping across the high ceiling.

 

Miroku came at her from behind and struck at her with his staff, determination written over his face. Kagura moved to the side and her fan went hissing by his ear. It came at him again, barely missing his shoulder.

 

Inuyasha tucked Kagome and Shippo behind a shelf and told them both firmly, "Don't come out!" He stared deeply into Kagome's eyes. "I mean it!" he growled. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha leaped over the shelf and back to the fight.

 

She watched anxiously as Kagura sent powerful gusts of wind at one, then another of her friends. She chewed her lip as the wind-witch came in inches of Sango, then Miroku, and- she gasped as Inuyasha knocked Miroku out of the way and took the blow himself.

 

Kagura grinned. "Hit!" She said cheerfully. She strode purposefully towards the still form of the hanyou, her fan raised.

 

"NO!" Kagura froze in surprise, fan still raised above her head. The girl, Kagome, was standing in front of the prostrate hanyou, arms out as if to stop her and waving a large chunk of wood.

 

"…Girl," Kagura sighed and put the fan down with a snap. "What are you doing?" She asked tiredly. It was almost funny. Miroku sat up a few feet away, where Inuyasha had pushed him.

 

"Stay away!" Kagome stared fiercely at the wind-witch. "Don't come closer!" behind her, Shippo was shaking Inuyasha.

 

Kagura sighed and raised her fan again, moving calmly to the side without even turning around as the giant boomerang came crashing into the floor where she'd been standing moments ago. "Then you'll just die with him." She lowered the fan in an arc and the deadly blades of wind sped closer. Kagome stayed as she was, eyes squeezed shut.

 

"NO!" Kagome said stubbornly. But the wind never hit. She was airborne again, safe in Inuyasha's grasp. "You're bleeding!" She exclaimed and pressed her hand against a bloody gash on his chest.

 

Hiraikotsu swung by again. "Ooh, close. A near miss. Well, you're better than your father, I'll give you that." Kagura's voice echoed mockingly. "And your younger brother was just a pushover." She added smugly.

 

"YOU!" Sango screamed in anger. "ARE DEAD!" Kagura laughed mockingly and moved out of the giant boomerang's path.

 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in concern. "You're cut up everywhere!" She stared in horror at the long gash on his shoulder.

 

"I'm fine!" He snarled. "And don't you ever, ever do that again!" Kagome's eyes stung as she looked up at him, his eyes still on the enemy.

 

"I was just trying to help," She explained. She'd never felt so useless, hiding in the corner like that… She was a burden, out of place, just something that got in the way… kind of like his sword. The hilt of the old sword he always wore swung around and hit her in the face. She was absolutely useless.

 

"No! Don't cry!" Inuyasha said frantically as he landed behind the shelves and put Kagome back on her feet. Kagome wiped her eyes. "What I mean was, you're not supposed to protect me!" He said gruffly. He was the half-demon, after all, and she the weak human girl. "I'm supposed to protect you!" He placed a hand on her shoulder firmly. "Now stay here!" He said. He leaped back into the air and looked back at her once. "I mean it!"

 

Kagome nodded wordlessly. "Well, that was different." Shippo commented from his perch on her shoulder. "Normally he's all mean about it." Kagome nodded again, still surprised.

 

"Still alive, dog?" The wind-witch taunted and sent a barrage of wind at him. "Hah!" She grinned. He was stuck this time, in midair, her blades heading straight for him… "What?"

 

The hanyou was holding the scabbard of the old sword he was wearing out in front of him. At her surprise, Inuyasha smirked. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeves." He said and charged, completely unaffected.

 

Kagura swiped at him with her fan as he went by but he leaped back, out of reach. He whipped the old sword out and hit her in the back with it. The wind-witch winced and flexed her back. She grinned and looked at him. "Too bad that sword's about as sharp as a chunk of old wood!" She gloated. "You really are useless, aren't you?" She turned to the shelf. "You can't even keep one girl safe…" She cut at the air with her fan.

 

"KAGOME!" In a flash he was there, the sword still in hand. "No!" He said sharply, sword in hand as he face the onslaught. "You're not hurting Kagome!" There was a flash.

 

Kagura blinked the spots out of her eyes. "What?" She asked, startled. The hanyou was still there, intact. But the most surprising thing was that he was no longer holding the old rusty sword. In his hand, was… "A fang?" Kagura blinked, puzzled, And then something hit her in the back and there was a searing pain.

 

"That's for my family!" Sango's shout echoed in the room. "And this…" She caught the formidable weapon in one hand and threw it off again with deadly precision."-is for all the others that you've killed!" The boomerang whizzed by again and the wind-witch barely got out of the way in time. The others rushed forward to finish off the attack. Stumbling, Kagura pulled the feather out of her hair and scrambled onto it, up and away before any of them could blink.

 

"Come back here!" Kagura rose higher on the feather and through the hole in the roof and Inuyasha leaped after her. You're running away!" He taunted.

 

"We'll continue this another time," Kagura promised, scarlet eyes staring down at the group. She flew through the hole in the roof, Inuyasha following. He put his foot down on the roof and leaped up desperately.

 

"Gotcha!" But his hand went through the feather. "What?!" He exclaimed as Kagura rushed away. "But I-" He stared at his hand incredulously. He growled and tried to bang his fist against the roof. It didn't work. "Damn it!" Wearily, he drifted back through the hole in the roof.

 

"Inuyasha?!" Kagome's voice rang out, slightly panicky. Inuyasha floated down until he was a few inches off the ground, his expression unreadable. Kagome rushed out from behind the bookshelves and ran towards him. "What happened?"

 

He shrugged wordlessly. "I'm back to normal." He said and looked down at his feet that hovered a few inches above the floor. Kagome nodded slowly.

 

"I'm sorry." She sighed. He looked at her rather sharply. Sango was sitting in the corner and petting Kirara absently, a faraway look in her eyes. Miroku rubbed the back of his head and winced.

 

"Sorry for what?" he asked. "It's not your fault." He shrugged and looked at the sword in his hand. Again, it was a rusty chunk of metal. He put it back in its sheath with a sigh of disappointment. He hadn't even gotten to use it…

 

Miroku wandered up, still rubbing his head. "Inuyasha, about your sword…" He trailed off and looked at the scabbard. "Has it always been able to do that?" He asked curiously.

 

"It's never done that before." Inuyasha pulled the old blade out again. "It's just a rusty old chunk of metal again." He sighed and waved it in the air.

 

"It's curious that the sword became… all…" Miroku struggled for the appropriate description. "…immaterial like you." He decided. The poltergeist nodded absently. "And I believe I understand what's going on with you and that spell."

 

Inuyasha looked up with interest. "Really?" He asked. Maybe Miroku could take it off of him. The purple-eyed man nodded thoughtfully.

 

"Is it just me, or were you all grey yesterday?" Inuyasha inspected his sleeve with mild interest. It was now grey with a tint of red, like an old and faded photograph.

 

"There's more…" Kagome murmured. Miroku looked at her sharply with a frown. Sango got up on the other side of the room wearily and walked over to the others.

 

"More?" He asked sharply. "You mean that he was showing bits of color before now?" Kagome nodded and patted Sango on the shoulder sympathetically, unsure of what she could say to the poor girl.

 

"Earlier today, after Kouga left." At the mention of the wolf-demon's name, Inuyasha's frown deepened. "He was tinged in color." Miroku nodded.

 

"Wait a moment." The poltergeist interrupted. "Kagome," The black-haired girl looked up at him. "You said that Kagura knows Kouga, right?" Kagome nodded slowly, unsure of what he was aiming at. "Well, he knows where we live and he could've sent her to kill us!"

 

The others shook their heads at him. "Why?" Sango asked quietly. "That doesn't make sense. And why would she kill my family if she was working for Kouga?" She sighed heavily and Kagome patted her on the arm again.

 

"Feh." Inuyasha replied stubbornly, arms crossed over his chest. "Because he's a blood-thirsty beast!" Kagome shook her head as Inuyasha clung stubbornly to his theory.

 

"Now, about your spell," Miroku began and Inuyasha stopped thinking about Kouga immediately. "Why don't we clean up and talk in the living room?" Inuyasha sighed impatiently as Sango nodded quietly and Kagome agreed heartily, Shippo still sitting on her shoulder.

 

None of them speaking, they left the room and went their separate ways, Kagome to her room, Sango to hers and Miroku to his, leaving Inuyasha to wander around the house. He went through the floor and sank down to the basement. "You can all come out now!" He said loudly, and not waiting for a reply, he floated up again.

 

He went directly into the living room and sat moodily two feet in the air. "Ugh." He stared at his hands in self-disgust. He hated being a poltergeist. And he was sure that Kagura would be back sometime in the near future. He couldn't do anything the way he was at present. He clenched his fists tightly. Kagome hurried down the stairs and sat down on the couch. Silence stretched between them. "I'm sorry." Kagome said at last. Inuyasha glanced at her. "I made a mess of things, didn't I?" She asked bitterly.

 

"Huh?" He folded his hands in his lap. "You didn't change anything." He said grudgingly. It was the truth.

 

"I wish that I could help in some way…" She trailed off, then sat up straight and grinned. "I know a bit of archery!" She looked at him in delight. "And I'm not half bad!" She added smugly.

 

"Arrows won't do much damage to demons." Inuyasha said and Kagome slumped on the couch again. "Unless they hit right." He'd seen it happen before.

 

"Oh." Kagome sighed. Miroku came down the stairs next, hair damp from a quick shower. He joined Kagome on the couch. A few moments later, Sango came down with a calm expression on her face and Kirara on her shoulder.

 

"So," Miroku began. "Who wants food?" He stood up and headed for the kitchen. Inuyasha sighed heavily. Trust Miroku to draw things out.

 

"I'm fine." Kagome said quickly, a similar sentiment said by Sango. Obviously they felt the same way as Inuyasha.

 

Miroku sat down again and stretched. "That fight was very interesting." He said. "I'm surprised I came out alive." Inuyasha huffed and the others stared at him impatiently.

 

"Just say it already!" Inuyasha finally burst out as Miroku rambled on. The violet-eyed man sighed and nodded. They waited as Miroku paused, then sneezed.

 

"Excuse me. Now, about the spell," He sneezed again. "Excuse me." He repeated. "About the spell. I think that I know what's been effecting it." The others waited impatiently as Miroku paused. "Now, we've narrowed it down to being something new here, an object from the Higurashi's shrine perhaps." They listened intently. "But Inuyasha, when did you turn solid today? Can you tell me what happened?"

 

The half-demon nodded. "I was trying to move off the property but I couldn't, and then Kagome fell down the hill." He looked at her pointedly with a frown. Kagome glared back. "And she hit the bottom and broke the fence." He shifted uncomfortably. "And I thought she was hurt badly because she didn't respond when I said her name, so I grabbed her shoulder and shook her." Neither of them mentioned his hand cradling the side of her face.

 

"Ah." Miroku nodded. "And you reverted back when you went after Kagura." He thought for a moment. "Inuyasha, since you became alive, did you at any time leave Kagome's side?"

 

"What does that have to do with anything?" The poltergeist growled, cheeks flushing slightly. Miroku put his hands up in a placating gesture.

 

"Because I need to know." He said firmly. "It might be important." Inuyasha grumbled for a moment, ears twitching irately before he answered grudgingly.

 

"Not really, if she was standing right outside that door the whole time." He sent a sideways glance at the black-haired girl, who shook her head. "Then I didn't."

 

"But when you did and chased Kagura, you reverted." Miroku said triumphantly. Inuyasha frowned and looked at Kagome again. She had a confused expression on her face.

 

"You're saying that Kagome has been countering the spell somehow?" he asked in surprise. "But then what made me turn alive all of a sudden when she was unconscious?" They watched Miroku intently. He seemed to have the answers to everything.

 

"I would say your concern for Kagome made the spell temporarily inactive. First, you strain the spell by trying to pass the boundary, which weakened it, and then your emotions flooded it. When you left her side, the spell was strong enough again to reactivate." He nodded sagely.

 

Sango watched him carefully. "You certainly seem to know a lot about these sorts of things." She said with a seemingly careless shrug. Miroku looked at her with ease.

 

"I did my research." He replied. "And my foster father-" A crooked grin broke out on his face at the thought of the old man. "- was interested in that sort of stuff." He looked back at Inuyasha.

 

"Do you remember how the spell was laid?" he asked unconcernedly. They were all surprised by Inuyasha reaction. The color seemed to drain from him slightly and he stared at the floor, his entire body tense.

 

"Oh, I remember." He murmured softly. He remembered only too well. The urn, the demon, the priestess…

 

"Can you tell me?" Miroku asked cautiously. "If I know, I might be able to find some means of lifting it." Inuyasha looked at him with hard grey eyes. Miroku tensed slightly. Only a moment ago, they'd been tinted gold…

 

"A powerful priestess tricked me into helping her, and stuck me in a gods damned bottle afterwards." He snarled and stalked out of the room. The others sat around the living room in various states of shock.

 

"Tea, anyone?" Miroku finally asked and wandered into the kitchen. He filled up the kettle and rummaged through a cabinet.

 

"I'd love some." Sango replied dazedly. "What kind?" She asked and went into the kitchen. Kagome stayed on the couch and thought.

 

"Any kind." Miroku replied fervently.

 

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

 

"Kagura, Kagura." Naraku's voice echoed coldly in her mind. "I am not pleased." She gasped as something in her chest -something that should've been in her chest- contracted, making it hard to breathe. Her vision blacked slightly and then restored itself as the pressure eased off. "Thrice you have failed me in the past month alone."

 

"Don't expect me to grovel." Kagura spat, leaning heavily on the wall of the tunnel. She knew it was a bad thing to say when the ambience of Naraku's consciousness gained a cold ruthlessness. It was directed at her.

 

"No more mistakes." She gasped as he squeezed her heart again. "And you can drop the arrogant tone. You are but a separate piece of me, not an individual. You are not independent. You are mine. Mine to control, to use." The voice banged the words coldly in her head and the wind witch felt herself succumb to the mantra.

 

"…Yes…" She replied dully in spite of herself. "I… understand…" She was somewhere, locked deep inside as another spoke words through her mouth. "No!" She protested, pounding against the walls of her mental prison. "I won't listen to you!" But no words came out of her mouth and there was no play of expression on her face. "Master Naraku."

 

There was a malicious satisfaction to Naraku's reply. "I'm glad to see that we've reached an understanding." Inside, she raged and screamed at him, but said nothing. "Go once more. I have other jobs that need to be done."

 

Kagura nodded curtly and walked slowly out of the tunnel, her teeth grinding together in pent-up fury. As soon as she was out of his mental range, she spat one word, scarlet eyes glittering in the cold of the night as she soared away on her feather.

 

"Bastard."

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

"Look at this!"

 

Souta waved Shippo over excitedly. The two of them peered into the box avidly, identical grins breaking out on their faces. They looked at each other, then back at the box. It was better than the bubble wrap, better than all the cardboard boxes. It was their own kind of Holy Grail. The two boys stared in awe at the contents of the box. Shippo turned to Souta. "Let's see if there's any more!"

 

They rummaged through all the boxes they hadn't explored yet. Shippo gave a cheer. "I found some more!" He put the box carefully on the ground and opened the one beneath it. "And some more!" He grinned like a maniac.

 

"Me too!" Souta laughed. "These are so cool!" The searched through all the boxes and placed them in a large pile in the middle of the room. "That's a lot." Souta observed as they stood back to inspect their work.

 

"…Yeah." Shippo agreed. He turned to the older boy. "Wait! Get the fan!" Souta looked at him with wide eyes. "Imagine what we could do with all these and that wind…" His green eyes glittered.

 

"Yes!" Souta ran out of the room. "Mom! Where's the big fan?" He shouted. Mothers always knew where everything was. He ran back into the room and grabbed Shippo's hand. "Come on!"

 

They had found the packing peanuts.

 

(\ /)

(0.0)

(><)

 

"So everyone's okay?" Mrs. Higurashi asked again. They nodded. "And where is Inuyasha?" She asked. Kagome shrugged and Miroku looked uneasy. Sango had retreated into the solitude of her own room to think. The older woman sighed. "I don't like it." She admitted. "Having you three fight off demons when it's my house."

 

Miroku assured her hastily. "No, it's all right. Sango has trained for it, I know a bit about demons and spells, and Inuyasha had to fight them for survival." He smiled reassuringly and Mrs. Higurashi nodded slowly before looking sharply at her daughter.

 

"And why were you there?" She asked. "I thought you were staying in the basement, Kagome. You never mentioned fighting demons." She looked at her inscrutably and Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

 

Miroku broke in smoothly, an answer on the tip of his tongue. "Kagome was there for Inuyasha." He said quickly. "When Inuyasha gets out of range of Kagome's aura, he becomes spectral again." Mrs. Higurashi looked at him in surprise.

 

"Really?" She asked in surprise. Kagome sighed in relief. She was sure that her mother was going to tell her off for being stupid and reckless. "How does that work?"

 

"Kagome posses strong spiritual powers." Kagome looked at him in surprise. "She keeps the effects of Inuyasha's spell at bay, merely by being near him. It requires no effort on her part, actually." Sensing the point of the mother's distress, he added, "And Inuyasha protected Kagome with his life. She came to no harm." He didn't mention the time when she ran out of hiding to stand as a weak barrier between Inuyasha and death.

 

"Hm," Mrs. Higurashi stared off into the distance for a moment. She turned back to the two of them with a cheerful smile. "Well, I've got to go to bed." She stood up and walked out of the living room.

 

"I think she took that rather well." Miroku commented. Kagome looked at him with slight awe. "What?" The purple-eyed man noticed her gaze.

 

"I was sure that she'd get upset for being there. How did you do that?" The black-haired girl looked at him in fascination.

 

"Do what?" Miroku asked innocently. "All I did was tell her what happened." Kagome sighed and stood up with a yawn. "Goodnight." Miroku said.

 

"G'night." Kagome yawned again and wandered upstairs to bed. Miroku sat on the couch by himself for a moment, thinking. Inuyasha's explanation of how he'd become a poltergeist was bothering him. And weren't poltergeists supposed to be mischief-makers, supernatural spirits that reveal their presences by knocking things over and disturbing normal life?

 

It didn't match Inuyasha's description. Although he didn't know much about ghosts and the folklore surrounding the supernatural- he was a demon expert, of course- in his research he came across some references to such beings. As far as he'd heard, they didn't change color or become solid, ever. No, Inuyasha wasn't a poltergeist. Miroku smiled thinly.

 

"A powerful priestess tricked me into helping her, and stuck me in a gods damned bottle afterwards", he'd said. Not very descriptive, but it helped. Inuyasha had been spelled into a bottle, which he'd been primarily sleeping in until Kagome came around and he became interested in life again.

 

As far as his limited knowledge on the subject led him to believe, one couldn't curse someone into being a poltergeist. But then again, the stories he'd come across had been merely folklore, nothing more, and his knowledge was very limited.

 

Miroku yawned and rubbed his purple eyes. He raised his eyebrows at the time that the clock on the wall proudly presented. "Twelve already?" He murmured to himself. "But how time flies…" He yawned again and headed up the stairs, intent on a good nights sleep after all the exercise and adrenaline that he'd experienced.

 

"I wonder if Inuyasha ever has the inexplicable urge to knock things over… that would prove it…" He collapsed on his bed and fell deeply asleep.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

"Souta, I said not now." Mrs. Higurashi said firmly as the young boy tried to wheedle his mother into letting him stay up later with Shippo. "And I meant it. Now go to sleep. You too, Shippo." The small kitsune looked at her with large green eyes. "Scat!" She said good-naturedly.

 

"Mom!" Souta complained. "Please! Just five more minutes! That's all I'm asking!" He said sincerely as he clung to the wall.

 

"Souta, I said no. Do you know what time it is?" The black-haired boy's mother looked at him, on the verge of exasperation. "Almost twelve! You can continue whatever it is you're doing tomorrow." The older woman said again firmly. She rubbed her eyes. "Souta, Shippo, now."

 

The two boys sighed huffily and exchanged rebellious glances. "Fine." Souta grumbled, the younger fox-demon following his lead. Feeling slightly relieved, Mrs. Higurashi plodded down the hallway to her room without a second glance at the two boys.

 

Making sure that no one was the wiser, Shippo and Souta headed back into the room and shut the door quietly behind them. "Okay, all the bubble wrap over in that corner." Shippo indicated the left side of the room. "And then we'll put all the boxes there with it, and then we can put all these squishy things-" He picked up a packing peanut. "- all over the floor!" He finished exuberantly.

 

"This is gonna be so cool!" Souta grinned and started grabbing the bubble wrap by the armful, kicking a box to the left side of the room as he did so. He put the stuff down and yawned widely, blinking. Stubbornly, he shook his head and walked to a pile of boxes. He picked them up and moved them to the left corner. The black-haired boy yawned again.

 

Shippo looked at him with bleary eyes. "Maybe this can wait for tomorrow…" He said hesitantly. Souta nodded reluctantly in agreement and yawned again in spite of himself.

 

"…I think you're right…" He admitted and yawned yet again. They left the room, a stack of boxes on one side and a mess of packing paper and bubble wrap on the other. The door closed gently and the lights were turned off, leaving the room to be illuminated by moonlight that shone through the window.

 

There was a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves of the tree outside and a spectral figure floated into the room. Inuyasha drifted a few inches above the ground on the floor, looking at the room with a grudging sense of longing. He wavered for a moment, then moved slowly towards the stack of boxes.

 

There was sign of an internal struggle and a rather wicked gleam entered the poltergeist's eyes. They flashed yellow, gleaming in the darkness for a moment and he blew gently on the boxes. They toppled over and he grinned, then wandered over to the window. Full moon. Inuyasha sighed. That explained it. He wanted to cause mischief, bounce through the halls of the house and set off smoke detectors, turn on taps and flush toilets, rattle things. How embarrassing. And he really, really wanted to knock over another box. They were just sitting there, waiting for him…

 

Thump.

 

Cackle.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

The next morning…

 

Shippo and Souta ran into "their room", as they thought of it right after breakfast. The door creaked open slowly as the two boys gaped at the mess. "What happened?" Souta wondered.

 

There were boxes strewn about the floor and bubble wrap was thrown around the room. The boxes of packing peanuts were safe, but everything else was in complete disarray. The neat tower of boxes that the two boys had taken so much pride in was gone, thrown about the room as if someone had come in and pushed them over violently. "Who would…?" Souta stared at the mess in horror.

 

"Damn!" Shippo swore and his companion looked at him in surprise. "Now we have to do it all over again!" He trotted over to the mess of boxes and started placing them upright. "Come on!" Souta nodded and hurried over.

 

The two of them spent the most of the day industrially as they cleaned up the mess left by a certain poltergeist.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

"Hello, is Kagome there?" Mr. Higurashi looked at the brown-haired boy in perplexity. He scratched his head and opened the front door a little wider.

 

"Who are you?" He asked. He'd never seen the boy before, as far as he could remember. The boy smiled politely and offered his hand.

 

"I'm Hojo, from Kagome's old school in Tokyo." Mr. Higurashi shook the offered hand briskly. "I was wondering if I could talk to Kagome."

 

"Ah yes, she's home." The senior nodded. "Nice to meet you." He added. "I'm Kagome's grandfather." Hojo smiled and nodded. "Come in." He moved aside and opened the door wider. The old man closed the door after the brown-haired boy and called to his granddaughter. "Kagome! You have a visitor!"

 

Hojo looked around the house in interest. He'd only been in it once before, about two weeks ago. A black-haired man peered around the corner of the staircase. "Kagome?" The old man nodded. "She's outside with-" He stopped as he noticed Hojo. As a group, they'd decided that no one else should meet Inuyasha. Gossip gets around, after all. "-with the trees and the flowers." He finished smoothly.

 

Mr. Higurashi nodded. "In the garden," He said to Hojo. "I'll go get her." He went through the living room and opened up the door. "Kagome!" He called.

 

"-want to talk about it!" Inuyasha snapped. "My past is no concern of yours." His ears twitched and he whirled upon the senior in surprise. "HEY-" He noticed Hojo and disappeared with a large puff of black smoke and a loud bang, leaving a surprised Kagome with some foul-smelling smoke and a confused prospective boyfriend.

 

Hojo jogged out across the lawn so carefully tended by Mrs. Higurashi and towards Kagome, who was coughing a bit. "Higurashi! Are you alright?" He asked in concern. Kagome nodded and looked about in confusion.

 

"Fine." She coughed a bit and stood up. Unnoticed by the pair, golden eyes flashed as Hojo patted her on the back when she continued to cough. Kagome moved away out of the smoke, Hojo a respectful distance away. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

 

"Oh, no trouble at all." Hojo replied with a smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" He checked. Kagome nodded and they walked back up to the house. "Higurashi," Hojo began.

 

"What is it?" Kagome asked, staring at the ground in anticipation of his question. There was another bang and they whirled in surprise, just in time to watch a cloud of black smoke dissipate in the breeze.

 

"What was that?" Hojo asked in alarm. Kagome shrugged uneasily, unsure of how to answer. "That sort of thing is dangerous," Hojo noted disapprovingly. "Someone could get hurt." Kagome looked at him in surprise. He didn't even know what it was… "Oh, yes. I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie sometime. Tomorrow, maybe?" He asked, hope shining in his brown eyes.

 

"I don't know…" Kagome said uncertainly. "I think I'm busy." Hojo nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Maybe some other time, then?" Kagome said, feeling bad about turning him down after he'd come all the way down to visit her.

 

"Oh, okay." He smiled. They walked back to the house in silence, the grass swishing against their shoes. "Say, Higurashi," the brown-haired boy said hesitantly after a moment's silence. "I know this sounds a bit weird, but was there a strange grey guy floating next to you, or was that just me?" He laughed nervously. Kagome stopped abruptly, and Hojo kept walking until he realized that she wasn't there. "Higurashi? Are you all right?"

 

"Fine." Kagome replied quickly and caught up to him. "There was a rock in my shoe." She lied, and he believed her. He was so trusting and oblivious… "About that guy…" Hojo looked at her anxiously. "I guess it was just a trick of the light, because there was no one next to me." She lied blatantly, knowing that he'd eat up every word without doubt.

 

"Oh," He said doubtfully. "Well, there were some strange shadows under the tree." He looked at the ground uncertainly. "You're probably right." He shrugged it off and turned to her as they reached the back door. "Well, I've gotta be going." He smiled. Kagome looked at him in surprise.

 

"Did you drive all the way down here just to stay for twenty minutes?" She asked incredulously. Now she felt bad… "That's a six-hour drive, one way!" Talk about dedication…

 

"Oh, no." He shook his head at her and laughed lightly. "I'm staying with my aunt for a few days while my parents are in Hokkaido."

 

"Ooh." Kagome said appreciatively. She may not like Hojo as she used to, but she could still be friends with him. "Where in Hokkaido?"

 

"They're going to Otaru, then Chitose. I think they're visiting Lake Shikotsu, too." Hojo smiled and Kagome could understand why she and other girls fell over him. But now, she was impervious to his accidental charm and the face than kept popping into her mind was not his, but of… she concentrated on what Hojo was saying. "-so they dropped me off here to stay with my aunt and uncle."

 

Kagome nodded even though she hadn't a clue as to what he was talking about. "I see." She said solemnly, noticing a black smoke curling around the plants by the side of the house. The thick foul stuff was charged with little bolts of electricity. "So how long are you staying in town?" She asked, not really interested. She was more worried about the familiar presence that she could feel lurking nearby, and she knew that he was absolutely furious.

 

"About a week, but my parents as I said before are going to be gone for three. After a week here, I'll be back in Tokyo with some friends, then my other aunts house." He nodded. "Well, I've got to be going!" he smiled cheerfully and waved. "See you around, Higurashi!" Kagome waved and smiled a false smile, her eyes darting nervously to the side of the house as Hojo walked through the gate and out of the Higurashi property.

 

"Bye Hojo!" She called behind him and then hurried away from the house. From the feelings she was getting from Inuyasha, he might do more than blow a little black smoke around. She noticed with a slight grimace that some of the more delicate plants were starting to wither due to the smog.

 

"Wait, Higurashi!" Hojo's voice rang out from behind her and she whirled around in surprise. Inuyasha was floating in the path, the black smoke blowing around him in a wind that seemed to come from nowhere. "I just want to talk." Hojo's voice came from Inuyasha's mouth, a perfect replica but a little whiny.

 

"Inuyasha, cut it out." Kagome said sharply. She wasn't particularly fond of Hojo herself, anymore, but just because he didn't like the schoolboy didn't mean he had to insult him.

 

"Me?!" The poltergeist asked incredulously. "Me?!" He laughed briefly, bitterly. "I'm not the one who's egging on every guy who just happens to come by!" He snarled. "You just sit there and suck it all up, batting your eyes like the idiot you are and smiling that stupid dopey smile!" The strange wind had become somewhat of a miniature tempest, swirling around Inuyasha and tossing his white hair around.

 

"I do not!" Kagome wasn't intimidated in the least, not yet. "I can't believe you! I have one conversation with a guy from my old school, who just dropped by to say hi because I haven't seen him in a long time-" Inuyasha snorted and sparks flickered throughout the thick black smoke coiling around the ground. "-and you start calling me a slut!"

 

"I didn't call you a slut!" Color started to brighten the poltergeist's appearance. "But now that you mention it…" He let the sentence hang in the air as he glared at her with bright golden eyes that smoldered with anger.

 

"There we go!" Kagome pointed at him accusingly. "What did I tell you?! And what is your problem? It's not like I was doing anything! I was just being polite! Or am I not allowed to do that anymore? If it was up to you, I would sit at home, locked up in cage without any human contact!" She glared at him angrily. "You're so stupid!"

 

"I'm stupid?!" Inuyasha yelled back. "Don't pretend you didn't notice the way he was looking at you! And he even asked you out! And you say there was nothing going on but friendliness." His words dripped with venom. "You're the stupid one, not me!"

 

"There's nothing between us!" Kagome screamed. "I told him no! You're the stupid one!" The smoke curled around her waist and little sparks swirled around her legs, but didn't sting.

 

"YOU TOLD HIM LATER!" Inuyasha howled back. "NOT NO! AND I MAY BE AN IDIOT, BUT YOU'RE MORE OF ONE!"

 

"YOU'RE SO STUPID!" Kagome screamed loudly, tears of anger starting to well up in her eyes. "I told him I was busy! I'm not busy! I'm never busy!"

 

"So why didn't you just say no?!" Inuyasha snarled. The winds around him were dispersing the smoke as they whirled faster and faster around him, tugging fiercely at his bright red clothing and his snow-colored hair.

 

"Because that's mean, and he's nice! I'm not a rude, inconsiderate, dog-breathed, jerk!" She yelled, a tear spilling down her cheek. But she was too angry and caught up in her fury to notice.

 

"Stop crying!" Inuyasha shouted back, eyes taking on a slightly alarmed look. "And I'm not a jerk! You're an idiot!" Unnoticed by the pair, Miroku peered out the nearest window and sighed. Not the idiot argument again… Arguments between Inuyasha and Kagome always narrowed down to whom was the bigger idiot.

 

"I'm not crying!" Kagome protested hotly. "And you're stupid!" She spat vehemently. "What is your problem?"

 

"I'm not the one with a problem!" Inuyasha retorted furiously. "You're the one who keeps encouraging them! You've got Kouga chasing after you, and this guy! Tell them to go away!" Kagome stopped dead.

 

"Are you jealous?" She asked, all traces of anger gone from her voice, but not her eyes. Inuyasha spluttered indignantly before managing to say something intelligible.

 

"NO! You're an idiot!" Miroku sighed and moved away from the window. Inuyasha seemed to have a fascination with the word and concept of "idiot". Next to him, Sango rolled her eyes, the pulled Hiraikotsu away from the wall where it was resting next to her and whapped Miroku on the head.

 

"Hands off!" She hissed. "Clean thoughts, clean actions!" Purple eyes unfocused, Miroku waved a hand at her vaguely and wandered over to the couch to sit down.

 

"JUST GO AWAY!" Kagome screamed outside. "I HATE YOU!" Sango raised her eyebrows in interest and Miroku stumbled off the couch to peer out of the window again.

 

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha shouted, spewing black smoke and whirling winds at a faster rate. "Why, you-" He was cut short by Kagome's angry scream.

 

"GO AWAY!" She pointed at the forest. "JUST GO!" There were tears in her eyes, one or two rolling down her face to disappear into the smoke.

 

Unsure of what to do, Inuyasha just glared at her and disappeared with the booming of thunder and a bright light, presumably lightning. "Kagome!" Sango slammed open the window and stuck her head out. "Are you all right?"

 

"Mad." Kagome said, the anger very evident in her voice. "Really mad." She sniffed fiercely and scrubbed at her eyes. She stomped through the door on the other side of the house and stalked into the living room, trailing the metallic tang of Inuyasha's smoke with her. She sniffed and sneezed. "I hate him!" She burst out as she rushed across the room.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

A white ear twitched. "I hate him!" Inuyasha growled softly, amber flashing in his eyes. "Feh." It was all her fault, after all. She was the one who was encouraging the boy to come back, making him hopeful, playing hard to get. "That idiot." He grumbled, the black smoke around him starting to dissipate in the air, the little bolts of electricity becoming infrequent.

 

"Well, she better not expect me to feel bad about it." He decided. The leaves of the tree he was floating next to rustled quietly in reply. "I didn't do anything wrong." But there was uncertainty in his voice. She had been crying… so maybe it was his fault after all… He huffed to himself and shook his head. Kagome always confused him. "How is 'maybe later' the same thing as 'no'?" He growled again as a wisp of black smoke puffed up into his face. "Kagome, you idiot…"

 

He couldn't get her out of his head.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

"Again?" Shippo asked in exasperation. "Can't they ever talk things over like normal people?" Miroku looked at the kitsune pointedly. "Good point." Shippo sighed. "But they're always fighting!" And when Kagome was mad like she was every time after fighting with Inuyasha, you stayed out of her way.

 

"Toast, anyone?" Sango set the plate down on the dining room table. Miroku winced slightly. "What?" The demon exterminator asked.

 

"It's a bit… burnt." He commented dryly. Sango blushed in embarrassment as Shippo and Souta poked dubiously at the blackened bread.

 

"Well, I got a bit sidetracked with all that smoke that came in through the window that you left open." She looked at Miroku reproachfully. He grinned and put his hands up placatingly.

 

"True," He admitted. As a gesture of peace, he picked up a slice of the blackened bread and gingerly bit into it. "Not… bad." He managed. "Very, very crunchy and burnt-tasting." He added. Sango was starting to wonder if he'd been aiming at becoming a food critic.

 

Following the purple-eyed man's example, the two boys each picked up a piece of toast and tried it for themselves. They crunched in silence for a moment, crumbs dropping over the table as they chewed. Sango waited in silence for their opinion. "Weird." Shippo said after a moment's silence. "Who has toast for lunch?" He wondered aloud.

 

Souta took another humongous bite and scattered crumbs everywhere. "I like burnt toast." He explained over a mouthful of the stuff. "It's good." Sango nodded wordlessly. She personally wasn't fond of the stuff.

 

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Higurashi slid open the back door with a regretful sigh. "I think that Inuyasha killed about a fourth of my plants out there." Sango raised her eyebrows, impressed.

 

"With that smoke?" She asked. The older woman nodded with a small smile. "I hate that stuff…" She muttered to herself. Miroku grinned at her. "What's so funny?"

 

"Sometimes I get the distinct impression that he does that simply to annoy you." It was a very poltergeist-ish activity. Sango sighed and shook her head.

 

"Those two…" Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.

 

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

 

Kagome flopped back on her bed, a moody frown on her face. "Ugh…" Inuyasha was so dense sometimes. Couldn't he see that she was pushing Hojo away? And Kouga, too! He'd asked her out, grabbed her hands. She pulled away, said no. What more did he want her to do? Spit in their faces and tell them to go to hell? She laughed quietly in spite of her self. It sounded about right, and she could imagine doing it too… They'd be so surprised, Hojo hurt, Kouga bemused.

 

But if it was up to Inuyasha, she'd stay home all day and sit around with him. He grumbled every time she left the property. She had half a mind to go back to Tokyo for a few days and visit her old friends just to spite him. Eri had suggested it a few days ago when she called to talk. She could get a ride from her mom, maybe and then stay at her house for a few days. It'd be great to see her old friends again. She hadn't spoken to Yuka for two weeks and Ayumi for three and a half. "Maybe I will go…" She pondered aloud. "But I'd have to convince Mom to take me… Four-hour drive, after all…" She sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired. Maybe she'd sleep on it and decide later.

 

Kagome breathed in deeply, black hair tossed around her face, unaware of a certain half-demon poltergeist's presence outside her bedroom window. He peered in the room through the windowpanes curiously, then moved on.

 

(\ /)

(0.0)

(><)

 

AN: NOT A CLIFFIE! YES! Okay. I did it. NO cliffhanger. …. Took a lot of brainpower, dontcha know? As usual, I'd like to know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!

 

By the way… Shippo does curse! He did in the fifth manga installment, when Inuyasha turns human for the first time and he tosses sends off an acorn to call for help. (Someone's been reading a bit too much Inuyasha manga… ahem…)