InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ichi no Tama ❯ On The Hunt ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and friends. I do have a very nice Nalgene waterbottle, but somehow it is not the same.

A/N: Christmas! I got some amaaaaazing presents, most of which were for my horse, but that's life. At least I won't have to buy them now; saves me money! I hope your holidays were SWEET. Anyway, I've finished the outline for all the chapters; I think this story will hover around 20 or so, and maybe an epilogue if I feel like it.

 

 

Chapter 3: On The Hunt

 

Kagome was very unhappy. She simply could not believe her luck. She had been given a great mission, her first time undercover, and she had to be partnered with that fuck.

 

She groaned as she brushed her teeth. Just thinking about stupid Inuyasha made her blood boil; how was she supposed to pretend to be married to him? Spitting out her toothpaste, Kagome frowned. She was entering a deadly situation with a man she wouldn't trust with her coin purse, let alone her life.

 

“This is ridiculous,” she told her reflection as her cell phone began to ring. She picked it up from her bathroom counter and flipped it open. “Moshi moshi?”

 

“Bitch.”

 

Kagome sighed. “What is it, Inuyasha?”

 

“I'm here. Come downstairs.” The line went dead.

 

Kagome made a face at the phone, as though Inuyasha could see her, and hung up as well. She brushed back her bangs, taking one last look at herself in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction. She looked like a newlywed, she decided, glancing over her demure and pretty low ponytail and simple outfit of jeans and a white blouse. Snatching her purse, Kagome - no, Hanako, she reminded herself - rushed out of her apartment to meet Inuyasha outside.

 

When Inuyasha saw his new partner, it was all he could do to keep from staring. She was incredibly beautiful, he decided, with her hair loosely tied back as it was. She had done her makeup, even, and Inuyasha liked the simple style that she chose. It highlighted her pretty blue eyes - Blue? Inuyasha thought to himself with a small upward quirk of the lips - without overpowering them. And her outfit…well, Inuyasha was no fashion expert by any means, but he knew that Kagome looked great.

 

But when Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, none of his previous complimentary thoughts came out. Instead, he formed the eternal words: “Keh. Took you long enough.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes, but said nothing in return. She had decided last night that fighting back would get her nowhere but in need of a tissue.

 

“Let's go,” Inuyasha growled, motioning with two fingers that Kagome was to follow him. She did so without a word.

 

Inuyasha was thrown off by her silence. He had been expecting at least some retaliation, but there was nothing. And was that…a smile playing on her lips? Inuyasha scowled. She was laughing at him!

 

“What's so funny, bitch?” he demanded sourly.

 

“It's a nice day,” Kagome replied, motioning to the sun that had fully risen and was bathing the city streets. “And you should be nicer to me…I'm your wife, remember?”

 

Inuyasha scoffed, but didn't argue. She was right, of course. They had to pretend to be married now. “My car's just around the corner,” he told her after a moment, unsure of what else to say. This whole situation was just so…so awkward.

 

The two of them were silent as the rounded the block. Inuyasha grunted and pointed to a dark silver car parked by a meter. “That's it,” he said shortly as he pressed the unlock button on his key. The car chirped twice and Inuyasha opened the drivers' side door. Kagome smiled and took shotgun.

 

“It's a nice car,” she complimented as she sat down in the luxurious leather seat.

 

“Yeah, I kinda like it,” Inuyasha replied with a small smirk, buckling his seat belt. He cleared his throat. “So,” he began, “here's a list of apartments for rent in the area we want.” Kagome picked up the papers from the dashboard and flicked through them. “They're all in Koto-ku, so we can get a nice apartment on the bay, I thought.”

 

Kagome nodded absently. The pictures of the complexes were very pleasing; most had a beautiful view of Tokyo Bay. She frowned as she looked at the costs.

 

“Inuyasha, who's picking up the bill?” Kagome asked worriedly.

 

“I'm pretty sure the MPD and YTF are splitting it,” he replied, “but I'll have a job, too, so it's not a big deal.”

 

“Oh,” Kagome replied, fingering the packet as Inuyasha entered the heavy traffic of the Kasumigaseki neighborhood. They had a ways to drive yet, and since most people were on their way to work so early in the morning, the streets were full of cars, buses, and bikes.

 

Half an hour later, still no words had been passed between the pair. Kagome sighed. She knew they should have taken the subway…

 

“Ah, fuck this shit,” Inuyasha muttered, but continued driving on the street.

 

“How far are we?” Kagome asked dully, glancing from the window to the irritated driver.

 

“Not too far now,” Inuyasha assured her. “Probably like ten minutes, but it'll take a lot longer if this traffic keeps up.” He glanced at the digital clock by his radio. “It should be letting up by now…” he murmured, frowning. It was ten o'clock, and the morning rush should have been over a while ago.

 

Kagome looked through the windshield for some sort of clue. Inuyasha spotted it at the same time: there were hundreds of people in the street a few blocks ahead.

 

“Is it some sort of march?” Kagome wondered aloud.

 

Inuyasha shrugged. “Doesn't matter, we won't get through for a while,” he told her. “I'm gonna try a different route.”

 

Kagome shrugged and returned to staring out the window while Inuyasha turned off on a side street. She wondered what her life with him would be like once they started all this undercover business. He seemed to be civil enough today, ignoring the rude greeting earlier. In fact, he was almost being…friendly. Kagome smiled. Maybe these next few months wouldn't be so bad after all. And if they were…well, it wasn't forever, and she had to admit, it could be fun, living with such a gorgeous man. She turned her attentions back to the hanyou beside her. He was so much more attractive when he wasn't raging against the world. Just then, he even looked relaxed, focusing his attention on driving.

 

Suddenly, he frowned and glanced at her. “What are you looking at?” he asked, though there was no bite in his question.

 

“Nothing,” Kagome replied quickly. “I was just…thinking.”

 

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What about?”

 

“Um…just…how things will be when we get everything together and move in together.”

 

Kagome looked flustered, Inuyasha noticed. He smirked. “They can be anyway you like them too, baby,” he purred. Kagome turned bright red and slapped his arm, and Inuyasha laughed. “I'm just fucking with you,” he told her. “This is work, Kagome. When we're home alone, we'll be working. When we're out in public, we'll be Inuyasha and Hanako Kimura. That's it.”

 

Kagome nodded, still blushing. Just the thought of…of doing things with Inuyasha, any kind of things, made her shiver. He was a jerk, to be sure, but he was a hot jerk.

 

She smiled nervously at this last thought. She knew it was a bad idea to go into such a careful operation with such feelings, but maybe it would make the whole marriage thing more believable…?

 

Well, it's not like I'm in love with the guy or anything, she reassured herself. I just think he's cute.

 

Satisfied with this excuse, Kagome settled in for the last leg of their drive. Surely it couldn't be much farther now…

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Apparently, it could.

 

Kagome threw open her door and jumped out, stretching. All told, it had taken her and Inuyasha one hour and eight minutes to travel from her apartment in Kasumigaseki to their current location in Koto-ku, a distance of maybe five miles.

 

“Well that sucked,” Inuyasha summarized as he locked the car. He smiled at Kagome and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We're in enemy territory now,” he said cheerfully, so that an innocent (or, more accurately, not-so-innocent) bystander would think he was talking about how much he loved ice cream instead of espionage. “We have to be in character.”

 

Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha lovingly, but a glint in her eyes warned of what would happen if he playacted a little too much. “Sounds perfect, honey,” she replied casually. “Is this our first prospect?”

 

Inuyasha nodded, guiding Kagome through the front door of the complex and into the lobby. Kagome found herself amazed by the surroundings. The building had looked nice from the outside, but certainly not this nice. She broke away from Inuyasha gently to look around. The whole lobby was tastefully decorated with rich, deep brown woods and white furniture. The walls, too, were white, but the color was fresh and inviting instead of sterile like she might have expected. Modern art decorated the walls, and the elevators had mirrored doors. She loved the look of the lobby, and something told her the apartments would be just as luxurious.

 

Kagome glanced around for Inuyasha and, upon seeing him with the receptionist, returned to his side. “This place is incredible,” she murmured to him, and he nodded his agreement. Leaning down to kiss her cheek quickly (it's all part of the act, Kagome reminded herself fiercely as she fought to keep from blushing), Inuyasha took her hand.

 

“This guy says the manager will be down to show us the apartment in a second,” he told her. “The old tenant hasn't moved out all the way yet, so we'll have to wait for maybe a week or so until we can move in…”

 

“That's ok, Inuyasha, we're still not packed ourselves,” Kagome replied pointedly. In fact, she hadn't even started boxing up her essentials…most things (like her furniture and appliances) could be left at her old apartment while she was gone, but it would take some time to sort through all the documents, clothes, and personal items and then pack them. But as daunting as the task seemed, she somehow was not dreading it as much as the night before, at least as long as Inuyasha acted as civil as he was at that moment.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Kimura?” an elderly man inquired. He was dressed in the same uniform as the receptionist. Kagome assumed he was the man that would show them the apartment.

 

“Yes,” Inuyasha replied with a respectful bow. “You must be the manager.”

 

The man bowed in return, smiling. “I am Maruyama,” he introduced. “It is a pleasure to meet both of you.”

 

Kagome smiled at the manager. “The pleasure is ours,” she replied with a short bow of her own. She liked the man already; he was polite and congenial, and his wrinkled face was full of laugh lines and crows' feet. He reminded her a little of her own grandfather, all the way across Tokyo at the shrine.

 

Maruyama smiled. “If you would follow me, I will show you the apartment,” he offered politely. Kagome looked to Inuyasha, and he nodded.

 

“Yes,” Inuyasha answered shortly.

 

Kagome hid a smile behind her hand. Inuyasha was clearly getting a little tired of all this ceremony; he wanted to see if the apartment was suitable or not.

 

Luckily, Maruyama took them up the stairs to what might become the pair's new home. Kagome felt the slightest signs of butterflies in her stomach as the manager unlocked the door; she had never had the opportunity to live in so fine of an area, let alone such a complex.

 

As the door swung open, Kagome knew her excitement had not been misplaced. “Kami…” she breathed as she took her first look at the apartment. The door had revealed a rather unremarkable (but still well-furnished) genkan, but once she raised her gaze past the traditional entryway, she saw the true splendor of the living space. Two stairs led from the lower genkan to the more modern hallway, at the end of which lay a glorious, well-lit living room. The far wall of said room was all glass, looking eastward over the bay. It was a beautiful view, and a beautiful room.

 

Wanting to take a closer look, Kagome slipped off her shoes and placed them on the side of the genkan, out of the way. She stepped onto the traditional tatami mat floor of the hallway and inhaled deeply. The scent of lavender hit her nose. She turned to Maruyama with a questioning look.

 

“What's that smell?” Inuyasha asked for her.

 

“We have a complimentary cleaning service,” the elderly manager answered, a twinkle in his eye. “They always leave fresh flowers, and I suppose today lavender was the choice.”

 

Sure enough, as Kagome walked closer to the living room, she spotted a vase of the purple buds on a glass table. She gave Maruyama an awe-struck look: living in this complex was like living in a hotel!

 

Now that she had taken in the living room, Kagome looked around. To her right was a very modern and well-equipped kitchen as well as a small breakfast nook. Lights hung from tracks in the high ceiling, and an island counter held the stove as well as a place for bar stools. There was a walk-in pantry as well, and if she craned her neck, she could see an open door leading to a half-bathroom.

 

“Allow me to show you the master suite,” the manager suggested, smiling. “I think you will find it most satisfactory.”

 

Kagome turned to Maruyama, beaming. “I'd love to see it,” she said.

 

Inuyasha grunted in agreement, or so Kagome assumed. She couldn't really tell the difference, but she supposed that she would learn eventually. Mama always said living with someone was the best way to get to know them…she thought mischievously.

 

Maruyama beckoned, leading them towards a door on the left side of the living room. “If you would just follow me…”

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

It was six long hours before Kagome and Inuyasha had seen all the apartments on their list, minus a break for lunch after viewing the third prospect. Kagome was exhausted when she finally climbed back into the passenger seat of Inuyasha's vehicle.

 

“What'd ya think?” the aforementioned hanyou asked as he put the car in gear.

 

“Oh, the first one was definitely my favorite,” Kagome gushed without needing to consider. “The others were nice, but that one was the perfect blend of traditional and modern.”

 

“Keh,” Inuyasha scoffed, but it was somehow softer than the other times Kagome had heard it. “Listen to you get all worked up over a stupid apartment.”

 

Kagome shrugged, once again not feeling the bite of his criticism. “I want to live somewhere I'm comfortable,” she explained.

 

Inuyasha was silent for some time. Finally, he sighed. “I guess we should get that one, then,” he grumbled.

 

The woman beside him smiled gratefully. “I knew you weren't really so bad after all.”

 

“Bah! I just know you'd never shut up about it if we didn't get it, woman,” he countered defensively.

 

Kagome wasn't shaken. “Still…thanks.”

 

Inuyasha shrugged. To tell the truth, he agreed with Kagome wholeheartedly about the apartment; he could feel at ease there. The manager had been linked to the YTF as a young man, which meant it would be easy to explain the situation to him and up the security on the complex for Inuyasha and Kagome. But Inuyasha's fondness for the apartment went beyond the logical safety factors; he had seen Kagome's face as Maruyama led them through the luxurious rooms, had taken note of the way her face had lit up. He would never admit it, but it had filled him with a kind of warmth. Before that morning, Inuyasha had only seen Kagome in varying states of distress and anger. Her demeanor in the complex had changed the way Inuyasha saw her, most certainly for the better.

 

He sent a curious glance her way. She was smiling contentedly, radiating peace. His lips quirked upward. She's really not all that bad, he realized, a little surprised. He had been so against their partnership on principle that he hadn't really taken a moment to listen to her, to learn what she was really like.

 

I guess I was kinda hard on her that first day, he conceded, looking back to the road. Maybe I should be a little nicer once all this shit gets under way.

 

Resolved, Inuyasha turned his full attention back to his driving. He would be kinder from now on…unless the bitch started something. He smiled a little. Then all bets were off.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Kagome yawned widely as she locked her apartment door behind her. Concentrating hard, she conjured the protective ward Kaede had taught her as well to keep those harboring hatred for the caster away. Matsuyama had insisted the old miko teach it to Kagome the moment kidnapping had become an issue. Kagome had grumbled a little, but she felt much safer for it in the end.

 

The young miko sighed and plodded into her living room. It had been a very long day: after leaving Inuyasha that afternoon, Kagome had returned to the office to meet with Sango and Miroku about some new developments regarding the odd hand-shaped pattern of flecks on Matsuo's car. Apparently, they had been caused by a specific sort of acid produced in the sweat glands on the hands of male salamander youkai. The list of demons fitting that description in the area was relatively short, and the team was that much closer to finding the hostages.

 

Flopping down onto her old, musty couch, Kagome picked up her remote and turned on the television. Nothing caught her eye as she flipped through the channels, so she stopped on an infomercial broadcast for a new (and most likely useless) fondue pot. As she watched the ruby red strawberries dip into the melted chocolate on the TV screen, Kagome heard her stomach growl.

 

Frowning, Kagome tried to remember the last time she'd eaten anything. All she could come up with was the light lunch of salad and a sandwich she had consumed for lunch with Inuyasha. She hadn't even eaten breakfast, come to think of it. Stupid girl, she berated herself halfheartedly as she hauled herself out of her seat. She wandered over to her tiny kitchen (definitely looking forward to that new apartment, Kagome thought with relish) and opened her refrigerator. Towards the bottom were some pizza slices from the day before. Shrugging, she took two out of the bag and placed them on a plate for microwaving. A minute later, she was rewarded with some fairly edible-looking sustenance. Her stomach growled more forcefully at the tantalizing smell.

 

Trying hard not to think of all the calories she was consuming, Kagome took a bite as she headed back to the couch. I'll go running tomorrow, she told herself. She settled back into the Kagome-shaped dip in the couch and returned her attentions to the show. Apparently, the infomercial was over. The scene that lay itself out before her was enough to make her sick.

 

Standing behind a podium, lecturing a group of hundreds, was the man Kagome had come to hate more than anybody else in the world: Naraku Kurakute, the leader of Ichi no Tama. Most of Japan believed him to be a youkai of intense religious conviction, albeit a fanatic, but Kagome knew better. Naraku was no youkai. He had started life as Onigumo Ishikawa, a human and a thief. On the run from the authorities for most of his life, Onigumo was captured and jailed at the age of 23. Years later, around the time Kagome was finishing high school, Onigumo emerged from prison under a different name: Naraku. He claimed a god had visited him in prison to tell him that he was no longer Onigumo, and gave him his True Name, as well as a series of Indubitable Truths that were to govern the world from that day forth. But Naraku was not different from Onigumo only in his spiritual beliefs - Naraku was a hanyou.

 

Kagome and her team had still not unearthed what had happened to the man to give him youki and change his makeup, but she had a few different theories. All linked back to one shred of evidence: Onigumo had been cellmates with a low-life demon that had attacked the man, causing him to be hospitalized. The youkai had “escaped” soon after Onigumo returned to his cell. Not long after the incident, Onigumo had requested the officers call him Naraku.

 

Kagome puzzled over the mystery as she watched the despicable hanyou address the masses from his pulpit. He was charismatic, Kagome knew, and the feeling was only reinforced by his words. The various grievances the Japanese government had caused the youkai and human population alike were all true, and the way Naraku laced his stories with youkai supremacy propaganda was impressive. She watched the adoring faces of the Believers, as those that followed such crap were called, with disgust. Naraku was essentially saying that humans weren't fit to lick a youkai's shoe, and they should be put in their place, and yet the crowd listening was a stunning array of demons, half-breeds, and mortals.

 

Sickened, Kagome turned the channel to a crappy soap opera. At least One Life to Live didn't make her want to kill something.

 

 

 

A/N: Woohoo two reviews! I'm actually really excited. Thanks to cwillia and badgirl093, you two made my day.

 

Congrats to the person who can figure out who I modeled Naraku after…and the real-life religion Ichi no Tama is LOOSELY based on (more the origin than anything). You will get a cookie. ^.^

 

Oh yeah, and I might revise the first two chapters now that I've come up with something for the plot. I haven't decided if it's necessary yet, but I'll tell you if I change anything.

 

Review? <3