InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Identities ❯ Shadowed Events ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters I am shamelessly borrowing. I will return them mostly unscathed, honest.

Acknowledgements: Thanks as always to the Mistress of the Hounds, the lovely Fenikkusuken, who generously gave her time to correct my mistakes and beat me over the head for bad grammar, timing and missing props :).

 

*

 

Oh no! Kagome gulped audibly in the sudden silence as three pairs of eyes honed in on her. That's torn it!

 

It was Monday lunchtime in the new semester's second week on the Shironake campus. On an outside wooden table near the ornamental lawn, three young women gaped at their blushing companion as she attempted to reposition the dainty scarf that had slipped off her neck.

 

Ayumi broke the quiet first. “I knew you were up to something last week!” she exclaimed, “Who are you, why do you have a love bite on your neck, and where did you put our sweet, innocent Kagome?”

 

“Would you believe me if I said I tripped and fell against a space heater?” the medical student asked hopefully.

 

“And managed to do it without hitting your head? You know that's highly improbable, right?” Yuka propped her chin on her hand, amused. “Even I know you're fibbing, Kagome, and I'm the most gullible one here. You're not getting out of this one.”

 

“And on that note, Miss Secretive… spill it!” Eri demanded good-naturedly, wagging a perfectly manicured finger at the embarrassed girl. “You know all about my date with Hideo, so turnabout is fair play.”

 

Kagome looked at the bright-eyed, inquisitive faces of her three closest friends and surrendered gracefully. “Okay, okay, I'll come clean! I'm… I'm seeing someone,” she admitted.

 

Eri grinned at her acquiescence. “Excellent! So, details! What's his name for a start?”

 

Oops. “Errr…” Kagome hedged. I can't call him `Dog Demon', so Inuyasha's out… or Inu… or Yasha for that matter! Yash? Asha? Her eyes fell on the university news rag with the photo of the celebrity guests from last week and opened her mouth without thinking. “His name's Sha.”

 

Eri choked on her iced tea, nearly knocking her language lecture notes onto the ground. “Sha? As in the billionaire Sha Taisho? You've been holding out on us!”

 

Kagome laughed, “No, no! Different Sha!”

 

“What's he like? Is he a student here? How'd you meet him?” Yuka asked breathlessly.

 

Kagome carefully filtered the questions. “He's a bit mysterious, and works in… law enforcement. I met him three months ago when he was working, but we've only recently begun seeing each other.”

 

Ayumi's face fell, her teasing forgotten. “Law enforcement? Here in Tokyo? That's dangerous, Kagome.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Kagome agreed softly, remembering that blood-spattered first meeting.

 

“Wait… was that why you suddenly became interested in the gangs a couple of months ago? Is he working in that area?” Ayumi sharply asked.

 

Kagome winced. She's too astute: at least she'll make a good lawyer! Instead, the medical student looked down at her bento box and didn't answer, hoping her friend didn't probe too deeply.

 

Missing the quiet byplay, Yuka cheerfully broke in,” So when do we get to meet him? He's must be something special to displace the eminently eligible Hojo.”

 

“Umm… not sure. He works pretty unsociable hours,” Kagome hedged.

 

Eri and Yuka exchanged looks, before Eri commented. “Well, enquiring minds want to know. Bring him out with you one night, because we have to make sure that he's not a closet psycho.”

 

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at Eri's comment, despite Ayumi's pensive look. There really isn't anything `closet' about his, um, psychological health!

 

*

 

The shadows were lengthening later that day as the four girls walked to Eri's flat for an evening of movies. Kagome chatted to Yuka, a little behind the other two as their cheerful voices echoed around the empty street. The geography student was asking for more details on the sanitised, heavily edited and generally unrecognisable adaptation of she and `Sha's first date and cooing over the details. Kagome couldn't help but grin ruefully at the version she'd told at lunch. If it was true, I'd be cooing too. After all, who could resist the romance of an 8pm trip to Uneo Park and the subsequent restrained kiss on the viewing platform before a gentlemanly escort home? Ayumi had given her a number of narrow looks at the pauses and infinitesimal hesitations in her story, but to the medical student's relief, the latter hadn't said anything.

 

They were half way to their destination when the discordant ringing of metal on metal made chills run down Kagome's back. That doesn't sound right. Involuntarily the young woman, cautiously glancing around for the source. “Do you hear that, Yuka?”

 

Yuka stopped next to her, her expression instantly changing. “What is that?” Eri and Ayumi also paused, and instantly ceased debating the merits of possible films for the night to listen in.

 

A glint of green light flashed from above, and Kagome's head shot up. What on earth? The girl frowned, finding it oddly familiar. A page from her months of website trawling clicked in her mind. I know what that is… it's the tail end of an energy whip… She shushed the others before hissing, “Youkai Pack,” as she pointed upwards. Instantly, all four girls pressed themselves into the nearest doorway, peering from under the lintel to scan the sky.

 

There was very little to see apart from random flashes and flares of light until they caught a glimpse of a tall, commanding presence, his white hair streaming in the wind of his movement as he swung a gleaming sword at a feminine figure wearing a kimono. Ahhh… that must be Sesshomaru. Don't know the woman. With a twist he disappeared back beyond the rooftop. A minute later, Kagome recognised Inuyasha as he leapt between buildings with his claws extended, yelling something at the top of his lungs. A moment after, tiles and debris rained down onto the street as a man leapt backwards across the gap, his massive sword extended defensively. Is that the guy they called Bankotsu on that one website? She shivered as she recalled the lurid details of the Spider's pet group of mercenaries who had been accused of massacring three entire families including their children. Is this the Band of Seven? That would make the `woman' Jakotsu then…

 

Kagome paid attention as a red-headed male in a kimono, with three tails flickering behind him, jumped across the width of the street far above their heads. He threw down smoke bombs and disappeared into the screen, leaving the women below wide-eyed. Shippo? He's the only one of the Pack with red hair… but he was a child in the stories about the Shikon no Tama. There was more movement as several figures followed `Shippo' across to the other side of the street; the Youkai Pack seemed outnumbered, but they more than matched their opponents.

 

The sounds of the rooftop battle began to fade, and the girls edged out of the protection of the doorway. “Wow! That was awesome!” Eri breathed. Kagome nodded, feeling an odd pride at seeing her Inuyasha fighting like the youkai he was named for.

 

None of them were prepared for the body that smashed into the pavement right in front of them. The concrete cracked upon impact, stress lines fracturing out from the bloodied victim. Yuka screamed before clamping her hand over her mouth, whilst Eri and Ayumi stood in mute horror. However, Kagome dropped to her knees near the man's head. Bare chest and arms with no spider tattoos… Reaching out, she pressed her fingers to his neck. Come on… you can't be dead. You don't have a tattoo, and you must have been part of the fight, so you have to be part of the… She'd barely made contact with his skin when his eyes snapped open. They were astonishingly bright blue, and practically crackling with annoyance.

 

Kagome yanked back her hand, scrambling onto her feet. The man picked himself up, swearing luridly. He was undeniably good looking, wearing little but a fur pelt, boots and an antique armoured breastplate. This must be Kouga, the `Wolf Prince'. Seemingly unaware of the fact that he'd just fallen seventy feet, the Pack member dusted himself off, his tail thrashing in irritation. Tail? His ears are pointy, too…. Flicking his attention to Kagome, he gave the young woman an appreciative once-over.

 

“Why, hello, beautiful! What's a nice girl like you doing….” Pausing, he sniffed and blinked before continuing, “…smelling like Dog-shit?”

 

“Excuse me?” Kagome asked, considerably shocked.

 

“Nothing, Beautiful.” Giving her a very feral smile whilst looking her up and down in a considering manner, he added, “If you're into youkai, I'm a much better bet. Feel free to look me up when you get bored… or maybe I'll come find you.” Blowing Kagome a kiss, he leapt upwards and disappeared.

 

“'Into youkai'? What did he mean?” Ayumi demanded suspiciously.

 

“Er… I have no idea” the embarrassed young woman muttered back, whilst fruitlessly checking the soles of her shoes for the mentioned canine faeces.

 

*

 

That night Inuyasha didn't come back to her bedsit.

 

Kagome stared miserably at the ceiling, missing the feeling of strong arms around her and the warm body at her back. After seven nights of his constant presence, the girl found herself unable to sleep without him, and worse, worrying desperately over his absence. As the digital display flicked over to 2:00am, Kagome kicked off the covers and stripped the bed of the sheets which smelled subtly of his skin and replaced them with freshly laundered ones, but it didn't help. She finally gave up and dressed, dejectedly putting the kettle on. A few minutes later, curled on the sofa with a camomile tea, Kagome miserably faced the harsh reality of the situation. He could be dead after the fight we saw and there's no way I'd know. I don't have a phone number, an address, a contact, anything.

 

The anxious young woman watched dawn break over the horizon through the open window, counting down the minutes until the local paper shop opened at six. She skittered over to buy a copy of the Tokyo Times the minute it arrived, almost snatching the bundle of newsprint out of the deliveryman's hands. Leaning against the brick wall outside, the girl frantically scanned the pages, finally locating what she was looking for on page three. It must have been going on for a while if this was reported as far as the Nakano Ward… no bodies… but then, would they have found him in my alley when he was injured?

 

Flicking through the rest of the pages, Kagome noticed an editorial with a blurred image of what might have been `Shippo' if she squinted, and a title “The Masked Menace”. Curious, she examined the text. Still reeling from the Shinagawa Massacre and incensed by the aerial fight exactly a week later, the editor bitterly rallied against any and all disguised individuals in Tokyo. Whilst calling for a death penalty on the Spider and his mob, he accused the Youkai Pack of being as dangerous and unpredictable as the underworld gangs they battled, squarely laying half the blame for the dead at their feet. The final column was a plea for information and an offer of a substantial reward if it led to an arrest. Kagome crumpled the paper in her hands and took several deep breaths, willing herself not to cry.

 

*

 

The rest of the day was pure torment as the young woman worried alternately over whether Inuyasha had been injured in the fight and the city's hostile attitude towards her vigilante. Skipping her planned morning library session, she brooded in her bedsit until it was time to head to campus. Kagome pulled herself through her afternoon lectures, deeply grateful for the company of Hojo. Her fellow medical student noticed her air of preoccupation and gave her copies of his notes without comment, before insisting on taking her to the canteen for tea after class. He was deliberately undemanding company, and his aura of tranquillity calmed the young woman for the first time all day.

 

Hojo was enthusiastically telling her about some of the traditional cures he had researched, and Kagome gave him a fond smile, before she frowned. I wonder if he knows about `Sha' yet… but then, telling him without a lead in seems a little… brutal? The young woman tried to work out a way to raise the topic throughout the rest of the conversation, but in the end didn't say anything for fear of ruining the calm she so desperately needed.

 

It was nearly 6pm when the pair put down their cups.

 

“Higuarashi? I'm sorry to have to cut and run, but I've got athletics practice starting at 6.30…” Hojo said apologetically.

 

“Of course. It's been really nice to catch up.” Kagome smiled fondly. “Thank you again for the tea.”

 

The man smiled back. “Any time. Be careful when you walk home, remember? In fact, maybe you should ask Eri for a lift.”

 

The girl shook her head. “I'm going home right now, and it's light for at least another hour, so please don't worry.” As Hojo hesitated, Kagome made a gentle shooing motion. “You're going to be late. I'll be fine, I promise.”

 

Finally he nodded, pushing back his chair with a small bow of his head before heading out with his sports bag over his shoulder. Kagome leisurely finished her tea, feeling a lot more serene and mentally sorting out a timetable for her evening study. Right, home time…

 

Stepping back out into the evening sunshine, the hair stood up on the back of the young woman's neck. The same pale, preternaturally still, small girl was sitting on a bench. Except this time, the child's jet black eyes were fixed directly on Kagome. She tilted the mirror slightly, and Kagome blinked as the light reflected into her eyes.

 

Mindful of Inuyasha's demand, she hurried towards the gate without talking to the tiny child, feeling distinctly troubled.

 

*

 

That night, Kagome stood at the open window staring into the moonless night sky, waiting for Inuyasha to return.

 

He didn't.

 

That's two nights now. Two nights without a word. Where is he?

 

For the first time, Kagome hated both the secrecy and what he did as dread curled around her heart.

 

*

 

Arriving on the Hongo campus for a class the next morning, Kagome was disturbed to find police tape blocking the main entrance to the Administration building. Glancing around, she took in the details. The building itself showed clear evidence of violence: long indented gashes over four feet long gashed the clean brickwork, the door had been forced off its hinges and the nearest window was broken. The glass had been swept to the side, although one or two slivers glinted in the sunshine. Two police officers were taking stock of the damage, one marking measurements whilst the other snapped pictures of the destruction. Three of the university security staff were giving statements to another member of the force. Just outside of the fluttering tape, a group of students idly watched the activity whilst muttering amongst themselves; uncomfortable and curious, the young woman headed over to them.

 

“Do you have any idea what happened?” she asked the group at large.

 

“Break in last night. Someone went into the University safe and stole all the antique display pieces,” a tall man with a mop of dyed hair said in a low voice, his face worried.

 

“That's not good,” Kagome murmured in shock. “I take it that means we can't get into the post room yet?”

 

One of the other students shook his head. “Not yet. They're collecting as much evidence as possible, but they've promised to let us back in afterwards… at least, into the areas not directly affected by the theft.”

 

“This is horrible.” The young woman swallowed a lump in her throat. “It always felt so safe here on campus.” With a sigh, Kagome nodded her thanks to the group. Glancing at the crime scene before heading to her class, something made her pause. Those long slash marks…. She shook her head at the crazy connection her brain had decided to provide.

 

Why do they remind me of Inuyasha's injuries the first night we met?

 

*

 

By the time her morning class was over, the Administration Building was mostly up and running, with nearly all areas again accessible. Trekking across the quadrangle to check her post, she was hailed by a familiar voice.

 

“Hey, Kagome!” Eri waved from her spot in front of the huge notice board plastered with announcements both official and personal, including scholarship finalists, rooms to let, clubs and activities, and pleas for tuition assistance. The language student was bouncing with barely restrained glee, her hair gleaming in the sunshine. Kagome eyed the linguist with friendly suspicion, wondering exactly what warranted this level of excitement.

 

“Good morning, Eri! You're looking happy.”

 

“Damn right, and on your behalf!” The fashionably dressed young woman grinned merrily at her mystified companion before pointing at the notice board. “Look, you're on the shortlist for one of the Taisho sponsorships!“

 

Kagome peered in disbelief at the copperplate announcement emblazoned with the Taisho mon front and centre on the board, tucked next to an offering of new kittens and a notice asking all Okinawan students to report to the post room; something about an unclaimed parcel. “I'm what? But I didn't put my name down for it! That's really weird.”

 

“True, but the Brothers Taisho were only here a week ago, so this list must have been put together by the staff,” Eri suggested. “Maybe your Professor Nakamura put you down for it?”

 

“Maybe....” Completely bewildered, Kagome's mind made the illogical connection that the sponsorship was Ryutaro Taisho's way of making up for the oddness of his initial comments to her. Come to think of it, why does everyone keep mentioning my scent?

 

“By the way, you look exhausted. Your mystery man keeping you awake at night?”

 

Kagome evaded Eri's teasing grin with a flippant wave. You have no idea… and definitely not in the `fun' way.

 

*

 

It was just after nightfall on Wednesday. Kagome sat curled up on the floor reading a letter, her fingers tangled in the thick pile of the soft rug. Glancing up at a muffled noise, the young woman's heart leapt as her absent vigilante slid through the window. Dropping her missive, she leapt up and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Inuyasha's arms wrapped firmly around her as he buried his face in the side of her neck.

 

After a few minutes, Kagome pulled back far enough to give him a watery smile. “Are you OK? What happened?”

 

He tilted his head, his expression curious. “Nothing happened… why?”

 

“Nothing happened…?” The girl's voice trailed off in shock whilst relief warred with fury. As Inuyasha continued to look blank, anger won. Kagome pulled out of his arms and slapped him across the face. Hard.

 

Inuyasha's jaw went slack. “Fuck, bitch! What was that for?” he demanded, rubbing his cheek.

 

“For making me sick with worry about you, idiot!”

 

“I can't always come here. I have a different life to lead as well as…” Inuyasha snapped his mouth shut.

 

“We had a deal. I told you that I wanted to know you were safe, and that was just when we agreed to be friends. And then I saw you fighting with the Band the other night and… well, considering the shape you were in when we first met, I think it's obvious why I'd worry!” Kagome angrily retorted.

 

Inuyasha was silent for a minute, before he nodded slowly. “I… I didn't have a way to contact you that didn't involve coming here,” he admitted. “I did think about it after Kouga said he'd seen you, but we were chasing The Band all night, and I… couldn't come last night.”

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes at what appeared to be an evasion. “Why not?” And how on earth did Kouga know who I was?

 

“I just couldn't, all right?” Inuyasha refused to meet her eyes, his ears flat against his head.

 

He looks really uncomfortable. If I push this I could cause a really bad fight, and I don't want that now. Kagome sighed, the anger draining away and instead leaving only an echo of the previous nights' misery. “I've been tearing myself up for the past two days, convinced you were dying somewhere and being desperately terrified because I had no way of reaching you.”

 

Inuyasha grimaced before reaching for her; when she stepped back into his embrace, he tucked her under his chin and cuddled her close. “I'm sorry,” he apologised softly. As her shoulders started to shake, he hastily added “Don't cry. I hate it when women cry.”

 

The girl sniffed. “I can't help it; you really, really scared me...”

 

The vigilante hugged her tighter. “Look, we probably should have done this a while back, but… swap numbers?”

 

Kagome made a noise somewhere between a sob and a giggle at the prosaic nature of the suggestion. “Weren't we supposed to do that on the first date rather than sleep together?”

 

Inuyasha tilted her face towards him and gave her a look that was pure sensual mischief. “That would have been much less fun,” he purred.

 

The girl gave a hiccupping laugh, pushing him away to locate a pen and paper among the copious piles of homework spread over the rickety table. Scribbling down her mobile number, the young woman handed the scrap over to the vigilante, who scanned it before tucking it into his sleeve. He then took the pen in his clawed fingers; leaning over her shoulder, he wrote down a series of numbers in the same flawless script from before. Admiring the confident characters, Kagome suddenly noticed something incongruous. “That's a landline number. Not a mobile?”

 

“Yeah. None of us carry mobiles at night.” At her curious look, he added, “They're too easy to track, so we go without.” Inuyasha tapped the paper on the desk. “That's a communal number we use; you'll get the answering machine, so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I pick it up. Just remember… anything you say the others'll hear, so nothing naughty, OK?”

 

Kagome gave him a droll look. “OK. Just make sure you tell me when you're vanishing for days, or at least leave a message on my mobile.”

 

The vigilante nodded, before he hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. “So, are we good now?”

 

Leaning back in his arms, the tension of the last few days finally left her body. “Yes, we're good,” she assured, “although I do have one question about something….”

 

“What now?” Inuyasha grumbled, but his tone was playful.

 

“How did Kouga recognise me? I've never met him before… do you have a photo of me, or something? All he said was that I smelt… well, smelled like I'd stepped in something bad.” Inuyasha's chest vibrated against her back, and Kagome realised he was laughing. “It's not funny! I was mortified! He said that I smelled like… like…”

 

“Dog-shit?” Inuyasha suggested dryly.

 

“Um… yes. How did you know?”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Don't worry about it. I'll make him come here and apologise.”

 

Kagome wrinkled her nose, remembering with acute embarrassment the appreciative once-over… and the vaguely-lewd offer… that Kouga had given her. “I'd rather you didn't, actually.”

 

Inuyasha frowned, but didn't push it apart from muttering, “Stupid wolf”, and squeezing her until she mildly protested. After a sweet kiss, Inuyasha released her and sat himself down on the rug, inspecting the neatly stacked notes and the letter lying on top as Kagome moved to the kitchen area and put on the kettle. “So, apart from missing me desperately….” He grinned at her derisive snort. “Anything else exciting happen?”

 

“Yes. I'm on a shortlist for a sponsorship, even though I didn't apply….” She paused as his eyebrow twitched in an interesting way before continuing, “and we had a break-in at the University this morning. Ramen or tea?”

 

“Tea. A break-in? Anything stolen?” Inuyasha asked, perhaps a bit too casually.

 

Kagome leant against one of the counters while waiting for the water to boil. “There are a whole load of antiques in the university that are displayed in rotation; you know, swords, statues, antique jewellery, that sort of thing. Someone forced the doors and raided the storage safe. Everything inside was taken.” The young woman filled the cups and put the kettle back in place.

 

“Do the police have any leads?” the vigilante asked tersely.

 

“None they would admit to a bunch of students today, although the current theory on campus is that the thieves saw pictures in the newspaper from the recent celebrity visit and thought it looked like a good heist.” Picking up the cups, the girl crossed the room and handed over a mug before sitting down next to Inuyasha. “However, there's a twist… the police were going to call in their antiquities specialists, until it came out this afternoon that most of the items were replicas. Apparently, the originals had been sold years ago to fund the new Theology library. Bit embarrassing for the Dean to admit it to the insurance people, though. We all thought they were genuine, and the University Board is mortified that their deep, dark secret's become public!”

 

Inuyasha relaxed and laughed, which turned into a yelp as he sipped his piping hot tea. “Are you trying to scald me?”

 

“I'm so sorry!”

 

At her guilty look, the vigilante sighed. “Don't worry about it, wench. I should have left it for a bit.” As he went to put his mug down on top of her notes, the young woman reached around him and whisked the letter out of harm's way. Inuyasha gestured towards it and asked, “What's that? Anything interesting?”

 

“Mama's giving me an update on the family and warning me that my Grandfather has sent me another parcel with a `survival kit'. It's probably something horrendous as usual. The last pack contained a llama foetus and a dried kappa hand. I've never smelt anything so vile in my life!” The young woman's mouth curled in an amused smile, and the vigilante paused at the soft expression.

 

“How come you're not attending university where they live? I know how close you are to them, and it's pretty obvious you miss them.”

 

Kagome blew on her tea. “I'd already been accepted by Tokyo University when my family moved to Okinawa.”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “You ready to tell me the truth now about why they decided to move?”

 

Kagome sent him a look of wide-eyed shock before muttering, “My grandfather's health wasn't great…”

 

“Uh huh. You've said that before, and I believe it as much now as I did then. You're telling me a Shrine family who's guarded the kami for generations just packed up and left because they felt like a change of air?”

 

Kagome flushed scarlet, dropping her gaze to the colourfully-patterned rug. “You make it sound like we did something wrong…”

 

“No, I'm making it sound as ridiculous as it is.”

 

The young woman chewed her lip before giving in. “It is true that the move was for his health, but that's not the whole story.” Kagome paused, trying to get her thoughts in order. “The Spider appeared three years ago, but Tokyo was already in a bad state. People seem to forget that; I mean, it was no picnic for a couple of years before he showed up.” Taking a sip of tea to wet her throat and calm her nerves, she continued, “When I was sixteen, over the course of six months, the Shrine was broken into four times. The police said the Shrine was some kind of a thief-magnet, because no-one else in the neighbourhood was hit, and advised us to move. While we were talking about it, the final break-in occurred and my little brother Souta walked in on the thieves when they were ransacking one of the storerooms. I'm not sure of the details, because Souta was pretty traumatised, but he said there were three of them. One of them pulled some sort of machete on him; he managed to escape, but one of the swipes caught him across the back and he needed twenty stitches. By the time we came back from the hospital, with a police escort, there was nothing of value left. The thieves were never caught.”

 

Inuyasha clasped her hand, silently encouraging her to finish her story. She gave him a faint, grateful smile. “The attack on Souta was the final straw; Grandfather nearly had a nervous breakdown. Said that some things were too important to risk and needed to be protected, and moved my mother and brother to Okinawa. He wasn't happy with my decision to stay, but I'd worked so hard to pass the entrance exams that I couldn't just walk away.” The corners of the girl's lips tilted in a bittersweet smile. “I'd always thought the Shrine and its assorted relics were more important to my Grandfather than his family. It took half a year of terror and a serious injury to prove that I was wrong, because Grandpa took only the clothes on his back and a few keepsakes that had survived the robberies.”

 

“You'd have been safer on Okinawa with them than living here on your own,” he pointed out.

 

“I know, but this is still one of the best medical schools in the country and I didn't want to have to wait another year to go through the application process again.” Kagome squeezed his fingers and smiled shyly. “If I'd gone with them, I wouldn't have met you.”

 

“That was a fluke, wench. A lucky one, but a total fluke.”

 

Chuckling, she was about to take another sip of tea when she remembered something. “I saw your little girl on campus again. And no, I didn't speak to her, but you're right… she's creepy.”

 

Inuyasha sat up very straight, his grip tightening on her hand. “Before or after the break-in?”

 

“Before… last evening.” Kagome stared at him in confusion.

 

“Shit. That means Naraku was involved in the theft. I thought he wasn't, because the bastard is too savvy to get caught with fakes, but if she was there acting as point... I don't like this. Something's off, and it's too damn close...”

 

“Too close to what?”

 

Inuyasha gave her a direct look before using her trapped hand to pull her close enough for a kiss. “To you.”

 

*

 

The vigilante didn't stay that night. After interrogating the now anxious young woman on anything she knew about the stolen items, Inuyasha headed out. It certainly didn't help Kagome's nerves when he warned her that he wouldn't be back for a while, but `not to worry'.

 

*

 

It was five long nights before he came back.

 

Despite severe temptation, Kagome refused to use the phone number since she was unable to compose a message that didn't sound desperate if the rest of the Pack should hear it. Instead, the girl compulsively read the daily newspapers and used the campus internet to check up on recent gang activity. There was a surprising lack of news; usually there were references to fights and break-ins, but over the course of the week there was nothing but brief updates on the police progress on existing cases. Calm before the storm? Kagome shuddered and squashed the unwelcome thought.

 

For five days, her mind wandered incessantly as she doodled circles crowned by small furry Shiba ears in the margins of her notes. Five days where she managed to annoy her lecturers, even the ever-tolerant Professor Nakamura, who had felt personally affronted by her abrupt exit right in the middle of her introduction to the visiting and highly superior Professor Kagewaki. I was sure that I saw Inuyasha, though! She was rescued from her tortuous weekend vigil by Yuka, who overrode her reluctance to attend the cinema on Saturday by the simple expedient of paying for her ticket. Finally, on the following Monday night, the exhausted-looking man at the centre of her thoughts finally hauled himself into her room well after dark.

 

“Hey Kagome.”

 

“Hey yourself.” Kagome wound herself around him whilst Inuyasha inhaled deeply of her hair. “You know, you shouldn't do that,” she commented. “Two people have recently informed me that I smell, and I'm not sure they were being complimentary.”

 

He chuckled low in his throat. “Nah, you smell amazing as always. Just ignore `em.” Guiding her to a seat on the rug, he sprawled beside her and propped his chin on his fist.

 

“Any luck on whatever-it-was that you were doing?” she asked, twirling the black cording decorating the edge of his trailing sleeve around her fingers.

 

“None. I can't find any reason why Naraku would hit your university. From what we know, none of the pieces should have registered on his radar, even if he thought they were genuine.” Inuyasha raked his claws through his hair in tired frustration. “Plus, he's gone to ground and no-one knows where he is; all gang activity has gone dead quiet and it's unnerving the hell out of me.”

 

“But surely that's good? Less fights, less death, less people complaining about you in the press?” Kagome ventured.

 

“I wondered how long it would be until you noticed our sterling reputation,” he said, giving her a wry look. “But yeah, it would be, if it didn't feel like he's planning something big. There's something more sinister than usual about this. Even Sesshomaru isn't sure what Naraku has up his sleeve… and that's freaking me out. Sess always knows.” Kagome pulled a face, trying to ignore the unsettled sensation in her stomach. Inuyasha reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he searched her expression. “I did find out something else, though. Are you feeling brave?”

 

The young woman considered her internal equilibrium for a moment before nodding. “Yes… I guess. What is it?”

 

“Your shrine was hit by some of Naraku's freaks.”

 

“It can't be! I told you… he wasn't even in Tokyo then!” she protested, panicking at the very idea that the Spider could be in any way interested in her family.

 

Inuyasha grimaced even as he soothingly rubbed his thumb over hers. “The shrine was attacked about four years ago, right? Five years ago there were a lot of rumours flying around the criminal underworld about the resurfacing of a legendary artefact that possessed incredible powers; those rumours started a fire under Naraku's ass, and the results weren't pretty. A year later, he sent some of his pets scouting around Tokyo, which is when your home was targeted.”

 

“But why?”

 

“That's the ten-billion-yen question, wench. We had no clue as to why he'd come to Tokyo at all, but he obviously wanted something specifically from your shrine because his goons came back over and over. When we went through the police reports the first time, we didn't realise that it was Naraku's gang who had committed the hits; it was the weapon imprints that gave them away this time around, because I knew what I was looking for.”

 

Kagome gave the dog-eared man a strange look. How on earth did he get hold of the official police reports? Did he wear a disguise?

 

Inuyasha sighed heavily and asked, “Did the shrine have any unusual artefacts that might be of interest to a power-hungry madman?”

 

She shrugged. “We had plenty of `unusual' stuff… like that kappa hand I mentioned earlier… but I can't think of anything off the top of my head. However, he must've found what he was looking for because everything of value was stolen.”

 

The vigilante pulled his hand free and drummed his fingers on the carpet before flopping onto his back and contemplating the ceiling. “Maybe. I just have a really bad feeling there's even more to this, especially because of your resemblance to… er, have you seen Kanna since last week?”

 

“Kanna?”

 

“Creepy-as-fuck Albino kid with the mirror.”

 

“No, I haven't.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Inuyasha… who do I resemble?” Kagome asked quietly. That's two odd references to the way I look; one from Kanna and now one from Inuyasha! There's something going on that no-one's telling me about, and it's really starting to worry me.

 

Inuyasha froze. “No-one you'd know.”

 

Kagome frowned at the odd tone in his voice, but before the young woman could question him, Inuyasha fluidly rolled up onto his haunches and stroked her cheek, his golden eyes gone dark and smoky. “It's midnight and you have classes tomorrow, so….” Lightly running his fingers down her throat to rest at the top button of her shirt, he murmured, “Can I persuade you to come to bed?”

 

Distracted, her pulse speeding up, she asked, “You'll stay tonight?”

 

“With the gang activity practically non-existent, not even Sess can complain where I sleep. That is, of course, if I'm invited,” he rumbled in that tone which weakened her knees.

 

As a little thrill went through her, Kagome leaned forward for a kiss. “Of course you're invited,” she whispered against his lips.

 

She let out a startled squeak as he in one motion picked her up and carefully tossed her onto the bed. Dropping his clothes on the rug, he pounced, and her unanswered questions ended up being the very last thing on her mind.

 

*