InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reliving the Past ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Reliving the Past

by kmf

An Inuyasha fanfic

Rating: R

Warnings: Language

Disclaimer: I only wish I did own Inuyasha *fondles his ears*

Chapter Fifteen

Kagome closed the door of the faculty office behind her, her face a little pale. It had been a good plan. Unfortunately, what she had just discovered had caused her feeble attempt to have Kaminari reinstated quickly to come crashing down around her head.

He hadn't been suspended because of misconduct towards his students, she had been told patiently. He had been suspended on suspicion of removing certain items of iniquity from the last archaeology dig he had worked on together with allegedly misleading the university about previous posts filled and qualifications obtained. The tribunal to discuss his case had been held, but Professor Kaminari had failed to attend.

In short, Kaminari's situation was a complete mess.

Kagome, however, was determined to help him out. It wasn't possible that he was a thief; after all why would he risk his career over a few pieces of broken pottery, or whatever the hell he was supposed to have stolen. As to his qualifications, well everyone exaggerated on their CV, didn't they? Wasn't exaggeration even encouraged these days in an effort to make sure that you at least got to interview stage?

Convincing herself as to Kaminari's innocence, Kagome strode to the library to make use of the telephone directories held there. A quick search through the 'K' section revealed that Kaminari was not listed. Not discouraged in the least, Kagome then paid the small fee to utilise one of the many computers held within the library and went on line to search the electoral role. What she lacked in technical knowledge with computers, she made up for in determination. Unfortunately, determination this time did not seem to help her. Kaminari's name was not on the role.

Kagome felt as if the wind had left her sails. She had been convinced that she would be able to find him that way. Instead, all she had managed to do was give herself a headache and aggravate her still swollen ankle. Sighing at the temporary defeat, she limped off the campus, hailed herself a taxi and returned to the Shrine.

Hobbling up the steps, she considered her next move. She could keep returning to the University in the hope that Kaminari would turn up there, but that would be difficult. Inuyasha was sure to be coming through the well soon demanding that she return with him, and she doubted that he would understand her reasons for wanting to remain. Especially when it came to Kaminari.

"Should you be up?"

Her musing was interrupted by a familiar voice. Turning quickly around she saw him leaning against the well house door, his arms crossed in his familiar cocky pose.

"Kaminari!" Kagome gasped, moving quickly (or as quickly as her foot would allow) to him. She grabbed the material of his jacket and gave him a little shake, "Where the hell have you been?"

Kaminari raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that my line?" he asked.

Kagome blushed and let him go. Now wasn't the time to get angry with him. Now was the time to explain her situation (or the abbreviated version) and let him know exactly where they both stood.

"I have been with Inuyasha," she said quickly, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was leaving; it was all rather sudden."

"...Sudden..." Kaminari repeated, rubbing the back of his head, "Yes, I would call it sudden. Especially when you were fast asleep, and I was almost suffered a concussion."

"Eh?" Kagome blinked, watching him wince as he touched the back of his head.

"I thought you said that Inuyasha wasn't violent?" Kaminari continued accusingly.

"I thought you said that the medicine you gave me wouldn't make me sleep," Kagome countered, frowning. "Besides, I said Inuyasha isn't violent to me. He is, however, protective. And he seemed to think that there was a reason to protect me."

Kaminari had pushed himself upright, and uncrossed his arms. For the first time, Kagome was aware of his height as he stood over her. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"It seems that both of us haven't been completely honest with each other," he said moving closer to her, reaching a hand out towards her.

Kagome took an involuntary step backwards, her feeling of discomfort increasing. Kaminari's smile widened as he darted forward and grasped hold of the top of her arm. His grip was firm, but not painful, but Kagome still felt a little thrill of alarm surge through her.

He dipped his head down towards her, his freehand coming up to gently stroke her still bruised cheek.

"I think its time to come clean, don't you?" he grinned.

* * * * *

Inuyasha sped towards the well, his hair streaming behind him, his arms held back, his body tilted forward a little to optimise his speed. His talk with the old hag hadn't reassured him, not one bit. If anything, it made him feel even more dread.

If Kaminari was Hiten, it was a bad enough situation. Souls that had lived before attracted each other, Inuyasha knew that well enough. He really didn't want Hiten sniffing after Kagome in a feeble attempt to redeem himself for nearly killing her 500 odd years earlier. Kagome was such a soft hearted bitch that she would forgive him immediately and maybe try and be his friend.

What would be worse, though, would be if Kaminari remembered his past. What if the reason he had got close to Kagome was not for redemption, but rather for revenge. What if he wanted to pay her back for being the cause of his brothers and his own death? The good thing about that would be that he wasn't sniffing around Kagome with the intention of making her his, but the bad thing was that Kagome could very well end up dead.

Inuyasha snarled and put on another spurt of speed as the well came into view. He would not allow Kaminari to harm Kagome. He would get to the future shrine, save Kagome and thoroughly enjoy himself whilst he beat Kaminari until all was left was a greasy stain on the cobblestones of the shrine courtyard. With that thought in mind, he made one final leap, flying through the air before his downward decent took him through the centre of the top of the well.

Time slowed as it always did when he travelled between the two different realities. He growled and flexed his claws in irritation, mentally urging his journey to go faster. Little flecks of light spun around him slowly, before suddenly speeding up as he reached his journeys end. He tucked his body as he entered her time, doing a forward roll across the clay bottom of the well. Then, without a pause, he leapt upwards clearing the rim of the well in a single bound.

Sniffing deeply, he moved to the well house door and threw it open. An old couple stood in the courtyard staring at him, their eyes wide and surprised. Apart from them, the shrine was deserted. But Kaminari had been there. His stench filled Inuyasha's nostrils, thick and heavy. Entwined with it was Kagome's scent, light and heady. They had been there together recently. But they were no longer there.

Inuyasha began to follow their scent across the courtyard, snarling at the old couple as he got close to them, warning them to stay out of his way. The old man frowned back at him, whacking him over the head with an umbrella he held in his hand.

"Have some respect for your elders!" he exclaimed, before taking the woman's arm and leading her away muttering, "Kids these days!" under his breath.

Inuyasha frowned, rubbing the spot where the umbrella had impacted, before muttering "Humans these days, no respect for demons..." Then, inhaling the air deeply, he picked up Kagome's scent again.

He followed it swiftly down the steps of the shrine, down to the road at the bottom. And then he lost it. The acrid fumes of vehicles, smoke, chemicals, and people clogged his nose, overwhelming him for a moment. Shaking his head, he crouched down sniffing the pavement trying to regain the trail. He picked it up again, almost hidden beneath the smell of tar, and territorial markings of various animals. Moving forward on his hands and knees he followed it down the footpath for a few metres before he lost it again.

"Inuyasha?"

Lifting his nose from the pavement, Inuyasha looked up to see Souta standing in front of him, dressed in what Inuyasha remembered to be a school uniform, with a satchel slung over his shoulder. Souta was looking at him in both surprise and shock.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking around to make sure that no-one else had observed the hanyou. "Kagome is going to kill you if she finds out that you are out exposing yourself in broad daylight!" He bent down and grabbed Inuyasha's arm. "Come on-", he was cut off by Inuyasha surging to his feet.

"Do you know where Kagome is?" he demanded, shaking off Souta's arm, "Her trail stops here." He pointed at the pavement.

"Eh?" Souta gaze followed Inuyasha's hand, then he shrugged. "She probably got a taxi somewhere." Inuyasha looked blank, and Souta pointed at a car that was going up the road, "She probably went somewhere in a car."

Inuyasha glared at the car Souta had pointed to and crouched as if he was about to launch himself at it. Souta grabbed onto Inuyasha, his arms clutching around his waist.

"Whoa! Not that car, she isn't in that car!" he said, panic colouring his voice as he imagined having to explain to Kagome just why he had allowed Inuyasha to claw his way into a vehicle in his search for her. He breathed a sigh of relief as Inuyasha relaxed a little, then let go of the Hanyou's waist. "Just why are you in such a panic to find her?" he asked, pulling on Inuyasha's arm hoping to get him away from the busy road where sooner or later the sight of Inuyasha's ears was bound to cause a road traffic accident.

"Kaminari," Inuyasha breathed deeply trying to pull Kagome's scent out of the air and becoming more and more frustrated when he could not.

"Oh," Souta grinned a little, "You're jealous."

Inuyasha spun around and grabbed Souta by neck if his shirt, pulling him close. He snarled a little, before focusing on Souta's wide startled eyes; eyes that were the very image of Kagome's. He released the boy, before crossing his arms.

"I am not fucking..." he began, then growled with irritation, "I don't have time for this. Kaminari is the reincarnation of Hiten."

Souta stared at him blankly.

"Evil demon. Lightening attacks. Kidnapped Kagome with intention of killing her," Inuyasha tried to summarise as quickly as he could.

Souta paled a little, "So you think he might be trying to relive his past, he might want to kill her again? Why?"

Inuyasha scowled, "How the hell should I know? Last time he needed her as a hair tonic for his brother-" he broke off sniffing the air again trying to decide which direction to go. "Fuck! She has gone with him, but I can't tell which way."

Souta scratched his head, before grabbing Inuyasha's arm and pulling him towards the shrine.

"A starting point would be Kaminari's home address. I can help with that by doing an internet search on his name. If that doesn't turn up anything, I can try and hack into the University records - they should have details on him," he said firmly, the glint in his eyes reminding Inuyasha painfully of Kagome.

The words meant nothing to Inuyasha, but Souta seemed to be sure that this was the correct way to start to find his sister and Inuyasha followed him back up the steps to the shrine. He could, of course, ignore the boy and head off on his own. But the city was large and he could spend days sniffing in noxious fumes attempting to find Kagome's scent.

Once in the house, Souta wasted no time. He dropped his back, jogged up the stairs to his room which was equipped with what he said was a computer. Kagome had mentioned these machines before, stating that they were like books, full of information. Unlike books, however, computers were constantly updating their pages of information. Inuyasha looked at the machine suspiciously. He always felt ill at ease with the machines of the future, unless, of course, they produced food or moving pictures to entertain him.

Souta sat and pushed buttons with his fingers, watching the screen intently while Inuyasha sat cross legged on the floor and tried to remain calm. Finally, Souta shook his head.

"Cant find him on the electoral role," he commented, "I'm going to have to see what I can find out via the University."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?"

Souta glanced at him, his face a little embarrassed. "Please don't tell Kagome, but yes I can."

Inuyasha's eyebrow raised a little higher.

"Its not exactly legal," Souta continued, turning his attention back to the screen. "But it's fun. Kagome would have a complete fit if she knew that I was doing this."

Inuyasha frowned. So long as she was alive to have a complete fit, he would put up with it. He watched Souta pick up the telephone that was next to his computer, and press the numbers on the front of it. Next to the television, Inuyasha considered this tool from the future most useful. The ability to talk to someone who was not within shouting distance with ease was something that he would like to have in his own time. He had asked Kagome once to bring him one of the telephones to the past so that he could use it to call her up and tell her to come back to him rather than having to travel through the well to the future. But she had grinned and made mention of signals and receivers and how mobile telephones would not work.

Scowling, Inuyasha scratched his nose again. Knowing Kagome, that was just an excuse to try and keep him away from her. Not that that was going to work anymore. As soon as he found the bitch, he wasn't going to let her out of his site again.

Ever.

"Hello, is that Personnel?", Souta suddenly spoke, and Inuyasha sat down on the floor watching him closely. "Hi, its Systems Support here. We are currently working on upgrading your system, and I need to check out and see whether your are seeing new drives on your pc. Can I get you to have a look at your mapped drives and tell me if you can see a directory called Upgrade. Yeah, sure, I can talk you through how to see it."

Inuyasha blinked as Souta glanced down at him and winked. The boy then started talking complete and utter gibberish, and Inuyasha closed his eyes trying to stay calm. Just how this was supposed to locate his Kagome, he didn't know. Wouldn't he be better off scouring the city rather than sitting on his arse listening to Souta talk complete bollocks?

Souta raised a hand, pointing a finger at Inuyasha before holding his hand out, palm towards him. A definite signal to stop. He then grinned a triumphant grin and turned his attention back to a sheet of paper and a pen he had on the table.

"Hmm, strange that you cant see it," he commented, "Maybe its how you are logged in. Whats your username?" he started writing down on the paper, "Aha....and your password?" Souta's grin widened, "OK. Now let me try it. Hmmm, yeah, its not showing up this end either. OK, thanks for your help. I'll be back in touch just as soon as I have applied a patch to allow it to accept you as a user."

Souta placed the phone down, and turned to Inuyasha stretching out a fist with his thumb pointing upright. Luckily, Inuyasha had seen that signal before from Kagome as an indication that everything was fine, otherwise he might just have thought Souta was signalling to him that he wanted to fight. The boy then turned back to his computer and began to type on the buttons that, all the while his smile getting broader.

"Got him!" he exclaimed, as Inuyasha stood and peered over his shoulder, "Ah, it seems that Kaminari hasn't exactly been the best behaved professor." He frowned looking at the screen, pressing buttons so that the images changed.

The flickering of the screen hurt Inuyasha's eyes as he tried to keep up with the images that were passing before his eyes. He snarled, and Souta looked sideways at him before apologising, and allowing the image to stay put.

"He is currently suspended from the University on suspicion of removing artefacts from an excavation site," Souta summarised when he saw that Inuyasha was still having difficulty reading the words on the screen. "Seems that he hasn't attended the hearing that was set up and that a warning letter has been sent to him advising that if he doesn't make an appearance in the next five days, then the police will be alerted." Souta frowned, "I'm really surprised, he seemed to be such a nice-"

"What did he take?" Inuyasha couldn't help the bad feeling that began to well up in his stomach.

"Some human remains noted for their unusual size and a well preserved weapon," Souta read out.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha scowled. If he had stolen bones and grave dirt, did Hiten intend to reanimate his brother in the same way Kikyou had been resurrected? Did he even have the knowledge on how to perform such a spell? And just what the hell did he need Kagome for?

"This is where he is supposed to live,"

Souta was pointing at the screen again where he had produced what appeared to be a map. Inuyasha squinted at the picture, trying to make out details through the brightness of the screen. Souta, taking pity on him, printed out a copy and handed it to the hanyou.

Inuyasha grinned, and shoved in inside his haori.

"Bring her back safely," Souta said, his eyes showing for the first time his concern.

Inuyasha nodded once, then leapt out of Souta's window. It was time to kill Hiten.

Again.

TBC