InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shrine Prostitute ❯ Perception ( Chapter 20 )

Shrine Prostitute by FlameTwirler

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Chapter 19: Perception

----- The quality, state, or capability, of being affected by something external; sensation; sensibility.

----- The representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

----- Insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving; the capacity for such insight

 

~ ~ ~

Kagome's life had turned into one surprise after another. Her first big shock came when she stepped foot into Yami's house the day after New Year's.

After seeing Inuyasha the last time and making her decision about dedicating her time to hanyou in general, even going so far as to transfer to law school, Kagome had taken up her new tasks with fervor. She had already been teaching Josef a little bit most times she stopped by, having been appalled at his non-existent learning options. Granted, she wasn't one who loved her school work, but it was something entirely different when someone wasn't given the opportunity to gain even basic rudimentary knowledge. After all, if she was able to realize her dream and create a society where hanyou could be equals, then they - and Josef - would need the same skill sets as everyone else and would face the same education requirements.

Not only that but the boy seemed to really take to the lessons. He almost glowed when he finally grasped a new concept, as if new worlds were opening up to him, and with his greatly increased reading ability he was able to escape into more fantastic realities than he'd ever imagined before. Of course, Kagome had almost groaned at realizing that his favorite subject was math and that he also seemed to be extremely gifted in the area. She knew that before long she'd be hard pressed to give him adequate answers as to why certain formulas worked the ways they did but she could only help him as far as she herself understood. After that he'd either be on his own, with only textbooks for answers, or she might be able to find someone else who was better at the subject who was also okay with hanyou...Well, a girl could dream after all.

As she started taking her time with Josef more seriously she went to bookstores and bought primers and workbooks, mind puzzles, and anything else she thought might challenge her young student when she had to stay away for longer than she liked due to other obligations.

But then things changed, though she didn't yet know how dramatically, when she stepped through Yami's door to learn that someone else was inside. She heart lurched in her chest, afraid that someone had discovered Josef's plight and wanted to do who knew what to the poor hanyou boy. Thankfully Yami saw and understood Kagome's arrested expression and immediately placed a large, hairy hand on her shoulder as he quietly shut the door.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said in that deep, gravelly voice of his. "He," he nodded his head toward the shadowy figure in the next room, the same one she had first found Josef in, "would like to learn as well. I thought that as long as you were already teaching one hanyou you might not mind a second."

She ripped her gaze away from the stranger and her eyes pierced Yami. "He's...hanyou?" At his confirmation she had to ask, "But, but how? How did he come to be here?"

"How did I meet him you mean?" He sighed. "After Josef came to me here and we really started getting along I began to wonder how many other hanyou might be around, even in our own area. I'd like to have someone for Josef to be able to identify with. After you started teaching him he opened up so much I couldn't help but want it for him more. Plus seeing the wonders that some outside interaction did for Josef I hoped to be able to provide the same to any other hanyou who desired it.

"I'd been discreetly sniffing around for information in the area for a while. After all, it can hardly be a complete secret that Josef is here; everyone who lives around here has too keen of senses to be ignorant of it, they just believe it to be beneath their notice. However, it has become much more interesting now that there is a human visiting here often."

Her eyes opened wide at the thought that her presence had created such a stir.

"Oh, yes, Kagome, and it is all the more intriguing, or disturbing depending on how you look at it, because it's an association between a human, a youkai, and a hanyou. I love having you here but I must warn you to be cautious. I don't think you have anything to worry about at the moment but you never know how things can change. If I think things start to get even the slightest bit dangerous I don't care how you feel, I will forbid you to come around or place yourself in harm's way - do I make myself clear?"

Kagome shot him a wry smile. "I thought we decided when I first met you that I was already being risky. If I wanted to forego any danger I couldn't come here at all now, could I? So how about I just promise to be careful and listen to any warnings you may have?"

Yami didn't like the idea, or the reminder that he was willingly putting her in danger, no matter how unlikely the possibility was at the moment. One look over at Josef, however, and he pushed his regrets aside. This was for him and as long as Kagome was aware of what she was doing and getting into he couldn't deny his nephew this one pleasure - at least, not for now.

"Fine," he agreed gruffly. "But you make sure you listen well to anything I warn you about." It wasn't a request so he didn't bother waiting for a reply.

"Back to the subject at hand, word started getting around that you were coming over here and it was only a matter of time before I was approached by someone. Now I'd been hearing speculation of all kinds so I wasn't particularly feeling inclined to listen to this stranger, at least not until she said she had heard you were teaching my hanyou and wanted to know if you'd teach hers too."

 

"Wait just a minute...how did she know I was teaching Josef here?" She couldn't keep the note of worry out of her voice.

 

"I can't be exactly sure but it wouldn't be very difficult. Granted most of the homes around here have fortified walls and some even have basic barriers so we don't air all of our business out for anybody passing by in the streets, but still it wouldn't be impossible for someone, especially anyone who cared enough to know, to overhear what goes on in here sometimes. Of course there are safeguards and I also pay attention to who hangs around the house but still, it's not impossible. Plus there are some who are just plain nosy.

 

"It can't be surprising to you that your presence here has created a decent amount of interest. Your repeated visits would incite curiosity in some and they may take it upon themselves to find out the reason for your coming." He shrugged. "There are endless possibilities for how it was found out you were teaching Josef. The important thing at the moment though is that it's known and that there are some interested in it, especially in taking advantage of that giving streak of yours."

 

She shot a glare his direction, though whether it was at his insinuation she was too kind, that she was being taken advantage of, or that he was taking the whole thing too lightly, Yami wasn't able to tell. Slowly she took a breath and stood up tall. "Well, enough of that. Like you said, what's done is done. While we're yapping away over here that boy over there is probably getting scared out of his mind, wondering what horrible things we're saying about him or planning to do to him, so let's get the introductions going."

 

She slid back the shouji door further and had to bite back a gasp at the sheer size of the man...boy...teenager? He was huge, even larger than Yami, which was saying something, but there was an air of youth about him, almost an innocence or gentleness. She couldn't help but feel oddly comfortable around him. She guessed maybe he looked like he might be in his late teens or early twenties but she had no idea how accurate her aging would be, considering she didn't know how quickly hanyou, or even youkai, aged. Would it depend on what species youkai blood ran in them? Did different youkai age at different rates? She pondered a moment before pushing the questions aside. Those were things she could talk over later with Dr. Hirohito. In the present her new acquaintance was going to require all of her attention.

 

Noting the older woman she saw standing confidently next to him, who she assumed was the hanyou's mother, she gave her a small nod of acknowledgement but kept her focus on him. Holding out her hand she walked forward, smile firmly on her face. "Hi, I'm Kagome. It's very nice to meet you." He glanced warily at her hand but it didn't faze her that he didn't reciprocate. She'd actually expected more misgivings but his curious eyes gave her faith that it might go easier than she'd anticipated. "And you are?" she urged.

 

"Jinenji," he said, extending one large finger to touch her palm. "My name is Jinenji."

 

~ ~ ~

 

Kagome heaved her backpack down on the stainless steel table with a heavy sigh. She swore she was going to end up with back problems from carrying around both her law texts and her medical books. Rubbing her aching neck she strolled casually around Dr. Hirohito's laboratory while she waited for him. Glancing at her watch she assured herself it was the time he'd appointed when he'd called her earlier, his breathing almost frantic in his excitement, arranging to share some of his results with her.

 

She paused to look at one of the microscopes he had set up, seeing there was still a specimen under the lens. Glancing around just in case, though she didn't know why she'd need to feel guilty when he'd left it out where anyone could get to it and she had been invited after all, she surreptitiously leaned closer. The door thundered open at that moment and she whirled to face it, giggling nervously at having been caught. She needn't have wasted the worry though as the doctor obviously wasn't paying it any mind. Closing the door with his foot he rushed over and enveloped her in a great hug, spinning her around a moment before setting her down.

 

As soon as she was free Kagome edged away awkwardly. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable with Professor Hirohito it was just she was unsure about where they could cross the teacher-student line. Sure, super-secret hanyou research was one thing, but hugging? That was an entirely different animal. Shaking her head she laughed wryly at herself for being so silly. 

"So I take it you've found something interesting?" she queried, bemused at how a professional man fifteen years her senior could suddenly seem so like a little boy in his excitement.

 

"So much and yet so little. Of course, that's the way things always are in the beginning. Every piece I learned just showed me how much more there still is to understand." He pulled her over to a desk and began pushing reams of paper in front of her, covered in charts and diagrams, mathematics and mechanics, some with things she could understand and many others that were far beyond her comprehension.  

 

"It's a miracle of life, Kagome. A plain out miracle. Youkai and ningen blood don't appear to be made to allow any kind of mixing together. I mean, of course, nothing would happen if you bled on a youkai and a little blood mixed in, but if I gave a youkai a transfusion of human blood his insides would twist and scream at the invasion. So how two such seemingly opposed entities can come together and create such a perfect specimen boggles me, scientifically speaking. Without knowing of the existence of living adult hanyou I would have hazarded a guess that any offspring from the two races would not survive to birth or would die very quickly afterward from his own body attacking itself. Amazing, it's just amazing!"

 

"Why would the two blood types fight against each other so fiercely?" she wondered aloud.

 

"It would be like putting dog blood into a cat, or perhaps more like giving a transfusion of AB+ type blood to a person with O-. It's impossible to tell which analogy is more accurate as of yet, since a dog and cat can't truly mate and have offspring but two humans with different blood can very well do so. The question is, then, whether human genetics meshes better with different types of youkai. There's no way for me to know unless I get my hands on other hanyou data.

 

"Say," he turned to her, suddenly sly, "didn't you say you're working with a couple more hanyou now?"

 

"No," she said emphatically, "absolutely not. Don't even think about it. I barely know Jinenji yet and Josef is still scared enough of most anything that there is no way I would ever suggest drawing his blood. It would just make him feel like some kind of specimen."

 

"Alright, alright," Dr. Hirohito put his hands up in surrender, "can't blame a man for trying though, in the name of research of course." He winked at her and Kagome found it impossible to hold on to her ire. "Besides, it's not like that is the only way to gather data. You said this tetsudai, Inuyasha, was rather humanoid except for the ears, correct?"

 

She nodded. "And other minor details."

 

"Then what about the other two you've met?"

 

"It's hard to say." She scrunched her brow, thinking. "I would have to say a lot probably depends on what type of youkai parentage each has. Josef is boar-hanyou and bears much more of a resemblance to his uncle, but his uncle almost looks like an upright version of a boar. You know, he's covered in hair, has tusks, the whole works. At least he has opposable thumbs though." She sniggered slightly as it had always been a friendly barb between Yami and herself. "Josef is basically a toned down version of Yami, though his tusks are small enough - or maybe he files them down - to not be noticeable so he could possibly pass for a really hairy human.

 

"Jinenji on the other hand...I really have no idea. I've never met his father and don't even have any idea what kind of youkai he was. He doesn't look like anything or anyone else I've ever seen so I really couldn't help you there, but he doesn't look humanoid in almost any sense. He's incredibly intelligent though; he'd probably be top of any school, that is, if he could get into any school." She grumbled almost mutinously. The lack of hanyou education options grated on her more now that she was faced with someone who was so obviously brilliant.

 

"Hn." He thought on it momentarily. "Either way we can get back to that later. It's your hanyou's results that I'm concerned with at the moment."

 

Kagome blushed. "Just call him Inuyasha, alright?"

 

"Yes, yes," he waved her concern aside. "Regardless, his DNA analysis itself was quite revealing. There are some striking similarities to human forms and sequences in some sections, then others are so completely different it's astounding they work together. Of course, seeing as I don't have any inu-youkai blood to analyze in comparison I can't be entirely certain whether the other sections are youkai based or are a completely new entity unique only to him, or perhaps to all hanyou, though it's far too early to say such a thing with only one example thus far. However, I did have some books to draw from that have some rudimentary basic forms about inu-youkai blood, nothing too detailed mind you, but it does give me enough to conclude that at least some of the anomalies I witnessed were unique to Inuyasha as a hanyou.

 

"It was interesting to me that some things could be so easily identified as human though, which is what leads me to believe that at least some of the other undefined characteristics must be basically youkai. It's almost as if he's part patchwork, that instead of being a completely new creature that he's part youkai, part human, and part hanyou binding it all together. It could even be that, when conceived, the new being forms its own compound to enable the two otherwise opposed blood forces to cohabitate peacefully within himself. It's like getting the best of all worlds. I can only imagine the physiological and psychological effects such a basis could enact on someone."

 

"Wait, wait, wait," Kagome held up a hand, "let me get this straight. You're saying that a hanyou, based on the rudimentary information we have so far, is not just a completely new being but is actually part human and part youkai?"

 

"That is part of it, yes."

 

Her mind was already back on her law books even as she spoke. "Interesting, very interesting." She stood, intending to go do some research right then while the ideas were still fresh in her mind.

 

"Wait, you can't be going yet. I haven't finished telling you everything!" he called after her, even as she shouldered her bag. She could see the disappointment on his face from not getting to share the entirety of his findings; after all, with it being a secret between the two of them there was no one else he could brag to and share his enthusiasm with.

 

"I promise I'll be back soon. What you've already told me may have helped a great deal, I have to go look into the possibilities before anything can possibly slip me by."

 

"But-" He could see she had a point but that didn't mean she could just shake off his research like that. He'd put a lot of work into it and while the joy of discovery was its own reward he needed to share it lest it drive him insane having to bottle it up.

 

"Don't worry. Besides, by the time I come back I bet you'll have figured out even more. Plus then I'll have time to tell you more about Jinenji - he's a fantastic herbalist and I know some of his mixtures will be of interest to you." With a wave of her hand she was out the door.

 

Dr. Hirohito pushed back his chair, ran a hand through his hair and sighed, a small smile touching his lips. It was a good feeling, finding out so much about something previously overlooked. He hoped one day he'd be able to publish his findings, as they sure were good and it was only the beginning. There was still so much more he wanted to know but was unable to pursue without having access to other hanyou blood or tissue samples, comparative youkai blood, or even just the genetic mapping of Inuyasha's parents so he could define how much of what came from each parent, at least in his case. 

 

Oh well, he mused. In science there was always a load of things that would be great to explore `if only.' At the moment though all that succeeded in doing was distracting him so he just needed to focus on what he could research, leaving that he couldn't yet touch to another time, one he hoped would come to pass in the near future. 

 

But for now it was back to work. After all, he was sparing so he still had the gift of a generous amount of Inuyasha's blood to play with and he was determined to crack every single secret he could out of it before he was through.

 

~ ~ ~ 

Sango whistled as she eyed the stairway Kagome had just started up. “No wonder you can eat all you want and don't have to go to the gym.”

 

Kagome turned back to her with a rueful shake of her head. “Yeah, it's so much fun having to climb these things multiple times a day - especially if I've got all my law and med books with me.”

 

Sango made a low sound of commiseration which turned into a low chuckle when Kagome threw her a glare when she wasn't even the slightest bit winded when they reached the top. “Years of self-defense training every day would make this seem a piece of cake to you too.”

 

Turning around she commented, “It must be worth it for the view if nothing else.”

 

“I suppose it is,” Kagome confirmed. Living with it day in and day out took the wonder out of it but when she stopped to take a fresh look the height really did have its advantages. “Now, you going to stand there and stare at the city all day or we going to grab some lunch and study? Some of us don't like having our spines bent by heavy backpacks if we can help it.”

 

Silently Sango followed her into the house and sat quietly at the kitchen table as Kagome made them a quick meal. Feeling it would be rude to pull out her books and start studying while Kagome worked in the kitchen Sango gazed around the house, trying to get a feel for the girl and her family.

 

It was…cozy, she had to admit. She knew Kagome had lost her father, she'd told her that much, but she couldn't see the evidence of it she might look for. There was no sense of brokenness to this home. It was just all warm and familiar and inviting - all things she'd never expect for a unit that had such a gaping hole.

 

She wondered if it was just that her own father's loss had been so devastatingly tragic that she'd changed herself so much afterward. Was it Kagome's persona that kept her steady, that she was just that strong a person? Was it the support of her family, that they were strong as well?

 

She shook her head, slightly admonishing herself. She and Kagome were different people and, despite the fact that they both had absent fathers, she didn't see much similarity between them. Still, it didn't seem to matter as they continued to get along just fine, much to her surprise.

 

After everything in her life had changed she hadn't been one to put up with others and they hadn't much wanted to put up with her either so it had worked out well for all involved. Kagome just drew her somehow, and she wondered whether it was because they were so different that it just clicked somehow or if she was merely curious about how the girl could turn out so cheerful despite everything that happened in her life.

 

She wasn't an idiot. She knew there was much more to her story, to her interest in hanyou, than she had mentioned so far. There was an odd pain she carried in her, which Sango only knew because a life of hardship taught her to recognize it. No surprise really, she supposed. She couldn't imagine how anything involving hanyou could be easy.

 

From an intellectual standpoint the subject intrigued her. She'd never given much thought to hanyou before, having only the passing thoughts that she couldn't understand how such a being could come to be, how a human and youkai could stand each other enough to coexist, let alone be intimate with each other. Still, despite how much she disliked youkai at the moment she knew that there were villains and heroes in every race.

 

Maybe spending time with Kagome would be good for her in more ways than one. If she was really going to be able to follow through with her chosen profession she would need to be able to distinguish between bad and good, black and white, and all the grey matter in between. She'd have to push aside her own prejudices to see those things in those she didn't want to, but she was out for justice, not pure revenge.

 

Yes, Kagome and her situation had already opened her eyes and she only knew the basic tenants of what was going on. She wondered what else would change when she found out more.

 

“Sango,” Kagome's voice broke her reverie, “I was wondering just how it is you plan on making it possible to cross the ningen-youkai divide in these civil cases of yours? As far as I know there's no foundation for such a thing, so how would you be able to make it work?”

 

She sighed appreciatively as Kagome placed the food on the table. It had been a while since she'd had a family to cook for and she didn't often bother with only herself, not that her skills had ever been great to begin with. What Kagome had whipped up in only a matter of minutes made her stomach growl in anticipation.

 

Kagome giggled at the noise but didn't comment, only picking up her chopsticks and digging in with a hearty “Itadakimasu!”

 

“Itadakimasu.” As Sango took her first bite of food she started to formulate her answer. “That's where I'll have to be very creative, honestly. If I don't have a complete, cohesive design laid out when I go to the Middle Court there'll be nowhere for me to move forward, so that's really the crux of the matter.”

 

“The Middle Court?” Kagome asked, looking up inquisitively. “What's that?”

 

“You don't know about that?” Sango was surprised. It seemed like this would be one of the core things she would need to know about if she continued in her study of hanyou rights. Perhaps that was one of the reasons the Professor had gotten the two of them working together. “This should be very interesting to you then, and very pertinent for your situation besides.

 

“The Middle Court is called that because that's exactly what it is - it's the court system set up between the youkai and human courts.”

 

Kagome's eyed widened at the information.

 

“If the youkai wish to pass a law that has any implications for humans or their relations with humans then it must be approved by the Middle Court. They also hear pleas, typically of one party being wronged by another and feeling overlooked by the court system in place. As you can imagine, there are all sorts of loopholes and problems in the ningen-youkai relations and how one metes out punishments for inter-species infractions.

 

“Of course there is quite the complicated system set up for just those situations, otherwise there's no way there would be any sort of peace right now and we wouldn't be able to live in neighboring communities. Still, with as many problems as there can be in one court you can imagine what it's like spread between three of them, hence why I'm trying to fill up one hole myself right now. That's what I'd have to do once I have a plan formulated - go before them when they're hearing public pleas, because since my plan affects both species no one would touch it until it had the stamp of approval from the Middle Court.”

 

“Wow. That sounds…complicated.” Kagome gave a wry chuckle. “I think I just found out another set of books I'll have to check out from the library - as if I didn't have enough to read right now. Still, that sounds amazing. With them I might possibly have a chance to, well, who knows. How big is the court? Who's it made up of?”

 

“There are eight members, four human and four youkai. As you can imagine, this is grounds for many split decisions and many issues and laws are tabled for years at a time before a compromise can be reached. More than half the time the votes are split right down the species line, but they do the best they can I suppose. The human members have a say in which youkai can be appointed to the court and vice versa.

 

“They even toyed around with having additional members, playing with the numbers to try to get an odd head count, but that always left one race with more members. Inevitably it led to uprisings against most decisions that were passed claiming unfair prejudice, even if the majority were of their own species. So in the end it's been left as it is now and I suppose that's how it'll stay unless some magical solution appears.”

 

Kagome was getting ideas but she was far ahead of herself, probably decades too far ahead. At that thought she grew a little dizzy, thinking about how much work she had ahead of her, if any of it ever even came to fruition in the first place.

 

However the knowledge of this court completely changed her outlook. There were so many possibilities now she was near to bursting with energy. Too many plans were formulating in her head at once and she pulled out a notebook to furiously scribble out as much as she could before she lost any of it.

 

Sango looked on and shook her head, bemused, but kept quiet. She didn't want to break Kagome's concentration. It seemed that this was just exactly what her friend had needed to get the ball rolling and she was finding she was really glad to have been able to help, even in that small way. Her excitement was contagious and she found herself mulling over any other information she might have that would be of use to Kagome.

 

Suddenly Kagome looked up from her writing. “Okay, screw it. I don't know if you trust me yet but I trust you. I would've told you sooner if it were just about me but with others on the line…well you'll get it when you know.

 

“When we first met you asked me if I was pregnant with a hanyou. I'm not looking for solutions for a child hanyou, though that's certainly important too - but at the moment I'm more concerned with adults. You see, I'm kind of seeing one.” She supposed that was as apt a description as any she could put on her relationship with Inuyasha.

 

Sango, who was unsurprised and unruffled at nearly everything, goggled. “You're seeing one? As in romantically?”

 

Kagome nodded.

 

“How is that even possible? I wasn't sure any were even around, and if there are I'm sure they're well hidden enough to make it hard to meet one. How on earth did the two of you ever cross paths in the first place?”

 

“He's a tetsudai.”

 

“Wait,” Sango sat back. “You mean one of the helpers at the Bacana Shrine?” With slowly dawning realization her eyes narrowed as she looked across the table at Kagome. “Isn't that the one where sex is the currency for worship?”

 

Kagome had the grace to blush. Suddenly her food, what little was left on the plate, seemed amazingly interesting. “Yeah.”

 

“You went to a sex shrine?” Sango had trouble picturing Kagome in such a place, being that she almost radiated kindness and innocence.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And you met him there?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“He works there?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And you're `seeing' your prostitute?”

 

As tired as she was of the repetition of her answers Kagome couldn't think of anything else to say. Besides, Sango had just said it all, hadn't she? “Yeah.”

 

“But he has a job, doesn't he? That's more than most hanyou can claim, so what's the problem?”

 

She was shocked when Kagome's expression suddenly turned furiously fierce. She'd never seen such a reaction from the normally cheery girl.

 

“What's the problem?” she nearly spat. “What's the problem? I'll tell you what. It's the fact that Inuyasha has less rights than an animal. He's tortured and mutilated by each and every one of those sick, twisted psychos he sees. The nights he's given off are to allow him to recover from any customer who was too careless and ripped off more of his flesh than he could regenerate in only a few hours. The reason, the only reason the shrine keeps him around is because the customers are well paying because they couldn't inflict such injury on a human without killing him. They pay for his ability to heal so they can do it to him again and again and again. Now you tell me, Sango, don't you see just a bit of a problem with that?”

 

“I'm sorry, Kagome,” she replied quietly, “I had no idea.”

 

“Exactly.” Kagome's voice was winding higher and higher with each word she spoke. “That's the crux of the matter - no one cares because no one knows. How can people speak out against an injustice they're not even aware of? Then again, from the prejudice I've seen so far, some people might not care just because they think hanyou aren't conscious, sentient beings on the same parallel as humans and youkai. They're lower than animals which is why the shrine gets away with allowing such horrors.

 

“And worst of all,” she was reaching near hysterics now, “Inuyasha's grateful to them for it. Grateful, can you believe it? Because he is the only hanyou anyone has ever heard of who has made his own way in the world. Because despite the fact he has no family that's willing to acknowledge him, to step up and take responsibility for him, he has a roof over his head. Because he feels it's the only way he can make his way through life without being a burden on someone.”

 

“It sounds like you've tried to convince him to leave,” Sango said, trying to sound nonchalant in case she didn't wish to talk about it.

 

“Of course I have. I've asked him in a multitude of ways to come here and live with me instead but nope, not for him he says. I won't hedge around it, Sango. I love him.” She gave a bitter laugh. “I have no idea if the feeling's mutual or if he's merely appreciative of the fact that I'm the sole client he's ever had who didn't beat him senseless for my own perverted pleasure. Regardless, I can't just sit back and watch him live that kind of life - I couldn't stand that for anyone but this just makes it all the more personal since he continues to choose it over me.”

 

“Why on earth would anyone do that?”

 

“All the things I mentioned before. Pride, that's a big thing. I don't think he wants to rely on me, or anyone really. Plus he's convinced he's unlovable. Not surprising, I suppose, given his life, but he's sure I'll want to drop him sooner or later.”

 

“You're sure you do actually love him?”

 

Kagome's fierce expression was back. “Unequivocally.”

 

She held up her hands defensively. “Just making sure.” At least Sango now knew the source of the pain - some of it at least. “So what are you hoping to do about it? Legally, I mean. I assume that's the main reason you transferred to law school when you obviously liked being in med school.”

 

Kagome shrugged. “I'm not sure yet. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I know what I want: equal status for all hanyou. The question is how to get there and how to work in a system that doesn't even acknowledge hanyou.”

 

“Now don't get upset,” Sango hedged, “but I have to ask: is this all about him? This whole movement? What happens if things don't work out between you two or what if he dies or something like that? Do you quit if your motivation is no longer there?”

 

“Oh it's bigger than that - much, much bigger. Of course at first he was what inspired me and I have to admit is still a large part of my drive, but that's not all. After I found out that hanyou actually exist I started poking around. I've discovered other hanyou around, nearby in fact, and have become friends with two others.” She paused. “I'm giving them school lessons,” she said wonderingly.

 

“No kidding?” Sango laughed softly at that. “That certainly explains why you have those primers with you sometimes.” She was going to say it also went a long way toward explaining why she always looked so tired and haggard, even with the two schools, but chose to tactfully refrain.

 

“So where does this leave you?”

 

Kagome sighed. “The problem is so big I don't really know where to start, what angle would be wisest to attack first or where I'd have the most success. My biggest priority at the moment is just learning everything I'm able to so I can do whatever necessary when the opportunities arise. It's just the patience I lack at the moment.

 

“That Middle Court though…that definitely sounds promising. You think?”

 

She nodded in agreement. “I'd say that would be a good place to start, certainly. But just because they represent a middle ground of sorts doesn't mean there's no politics involved or that they'll be sympathetic to your cause. They wouldn't want to pass any laws, or even open the doors for them, that might upset the majority of their constituents. You'd need some mighty strong leverage to get them to even consider the idea.”

 

“Yeah, that is a problem.”

 

“You'd have to have support, clout, and plenty of information as well. You can't walk in there empty handed. When I finally get to meet with them I'll have to present an entire case, basically. So this isn't an idea to tread into lightly.”

 

Kagome laughed ruefully. “This is sounding more and more impossible as we go on.”

 

“Aw, come on. You never said anything about this needing to be feasible,” Sango ribbed lightly. “Besides, you're talking about starting an entire movement here, changing the very foundation of society - of course it'll sound impossible.”

 

Wow. Kagome realized that's really what she was talking about doing.

 

“But, that doesn't mean it is. We have history books recording event after event that changed and formed the society we live in today so we know that it is possible, even if unlikely.”

 

Suddenly Sango clapped her hands, rubbing the palms together. “In the meantime though we need to find more out about this Bacana Shrine of yours.”

 

Kagome's train of thought came to a crashing halt. “What? Why?”

 

The look Sango leveled on her made her feel as though it should have been obvious. “Because even if you do succeed at giving hanyou equal rights it will likely take your entire lifetime, if not longer. I expect you wish to help out your tetsudai before then?”

 

“O-of course. The question is more how to get him to accept any such help.” She refrained from mentioning the paperwork she'd already taken out on Inuyasha that gave him all legal human rights, instead wondering where Sango was headed with this.

 

“If the Shrine has strict guidelines and rules about treatment of their workers there may be a way to work around that to guarantee him at least a modicum more respect than he's getting at the moment. It all really depends on how things work there though…” she trailed off thoughtfully.

 

Kagome pondered her friend's silence a moment before opting to break into her thoughts. “Does this mean you're going to help me, Sango?”

 

She took her time to respond. “In part, at least. I really do like you Kagome and I'd like for you to be happy so I'd be glad to help you with Inuyasha. At the very least no one deserves to be treated as badly as the situation you've described he's in.

 

“On the other hand…there are several things for me to think about. I didn't even know hanyou existed for sure until I met you and never contemplated them in this light before. To be perfectly honest, and I know you won't like this answer, but I can't be sure I want them to have rights equal to ours and youkai.”

 

She held up a hand to still Kagome's indignant response. “I've never met any hanyou. How do I know they're not just dumb, mindless brutes? Or that some are while others are intelligent? You know me well enough by now to know I need information, especially before committing myself to something so steeped in upheaval.

 

“Plus, in case you've forgotten, I've got my own agenda to deal with. That will take up the majority of my time and energy.”

 

Kagome sat in silence, trying to take in Sango's words. At first she felt a punch of anger, almost betrayal, that she wouldn't immediately support her cause, at least in thought if not in action. She knew Sango had other priorities though, plus she couldn't afford to alienate her only major ally in the legal field, so she had to try to be practical about this.

 

Of course she would want proof, it was perfectly logical. Plus she'd already given her so much information to aid in her search to gain hanyou rights, had encouraged her when she felt like it would be impossible, so it wasn't like she was against it. Still, she had to make sure where she stood.

 

“What happens if you meet a hanyou and decide he doesn't deserve the same rights as you and I? Would you do anything to get in my way?” She tried hard to keep the snide tone from her voice but judging by Sango's face she'd failed miserably.

 

“Kagome, please try to understand what I mean here. I think they deserve some rights, unquestionably. My worry is about their level of understanding and responsibility.

 

“Think of it this way: lower level youkai and higher level youkai don't have the same degree of rights, correct? That is because lower youkai don't have the same functioning mind and if they're in a rage or they're hungry then they kill or destroy everything in their paths. That is why the higher levels have some measure of control over them. They aren't denied rights though, there are just more checks and balances to make sure their freedoms don't hinder anyone else's, or even harm themselves.

 

“I don't want to `put hanyou in their place' or anything ridiculous like that, it's not a matter of superiority, it's a matter of safety. If they're not competent to handle the rights they're given then they endanger themselves and everyone around them. If they are capable then of course they deserve equality and I will do what I can to help you out, but until I know that for sure…” She trailed off with a shrug.

 

“And as for the other,” she slid her eyes away so Kagome wouldn't see the pain caused by having a friend so thoroughly question her scruples, “no, I could never get in your way. The difference in my opinion will just determine I'm a useful bystander or your first major supporter.”

 

Kagome sat back as she took all of that in. She knew Sango had many valid points, much as she'd like to deny them. Plus it was a good thing she brought them up because she knew she'd have to face them at some point, that the same questions would be brought up again and again if she truly pursued this course.

 

“Would you even want to meet one?” she asked.

 

“I, uh, yes,” Sango replied, slightly surprised. “Of course.”

 

Kagome mulled that over. Knowing Sango was willing, even curious apparently, was only half the equation. The other was figuring out which hanyou she could introduce her to, when, and where in order to ensure their secrecy. She couldn't even guarantee any would be willing - except Inuyasha of course but that had more to do with the fact he saw anyone who could pay enough. She'd have to figure out the best course.

 

Suddenly she exhaled as the enormity of that particular problem hit her. Everyone else would likely have the same questions, the same problems, the same requests. They'd want proof that hanyou were responsible enough to validate equal rights. How could she show that without introducing some of them to the world that was so ready to chew them apart? Without communication there could be no compromise on the part of the justice system but such an event would make those hanyou all the more vulnerable because they'd be exposed in their lack of rights, their lack of ability to adequately defend themselves.

 

So how could she do what would be demanded without placing her friends in jeopardy at the same time?

 

“I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have,” Sango's words broke into her thoughts, “but the best way I know to help is to be realistic.”

 

“No, of course, please don't apologize.” Kagome exhaled slowly, releasing her tension. “I have to be prepared and you've given me a lot to think about - a lot of things I wouldn't, couldn't have considered before.”

 

Still Sango didn't look pacified. “I said I'll help you with Inuyasha and I meant it. The rest we'll just have to see about.”

 

Laughing low she finally understood. Sango felt guilty, that because she was being hesitant and not immediately throwing her weight fully behind Kagome's cause that she was somehow betraying her and their friendship.

 

“You're being silly, you know that? Who else would have sat here and listened to me seriously without calling my sanity into question? Who would immediately declare herself willing to help me get a man of a different species? C'mon, cut yourself some slack. Besides, this is probably a good thing for me. If I can't convince you when you're a willing party then how could I possibly stand to convince the rest of the world when they're already set against hanyou? If I fail with you then there's no way I'll ever prevail so it'll be a good test for me.”

 

She smiled as she saw the tightness slowly leaking out of Sango's face. “Relax. After all, we're friends right?”

 

Sango shook her head ruefully. “Kagome, you are one strange, trusting girl.”

 

At that she outright grinned. “Oh, believe me, I know that, but I never claimed to be normal or sane now did I? Besides, you know that's why you like me.”

 

Sango laughed, a low sound Kagome had never heard before. “You know, I do believe you're right.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Kagome made her way to Houjo's family clinic, excited despite the obvious drag to her step - an unfortunate result of exhaustion. She did a quick calculation in her head and figured she'd had a grand total of thirteen hours of sleep in the last five nights. It was just her luck that she had a huge paper due in one law class the same week she had a test in another. There had also been the very intricate lab she'd had to prepare for in the one class she'd kept up at med school.

 

It was rounded out by spending all of her spare time doing a self-imposed clinical, which taxed her more than anything else. Even if she'd stayed on track going full time to medical school she wouldn't have started clinicals, following doctors around and learning in-field, until a couple years further into the program.

 

Still, at the moment her favorite thing was to spend time there. She pushed herself because she felt useful, something she desperately needed to balance out feeling so impotent to help Inuyasha's situation in any significant manner. Plus it took her mind off things in an odd sort of way. It was peaceful, the ordered chaos of the clinic, the easy role she fell into, even the exhaustion that kept her from laying awake at night wondering about things she couldn't control.

 

Houjo's family was just like him, giving, caring, and obligingly sweet to the point it was almost obnoxious. It always made her smile though, and she knew they were made to create a clinic like this; they were so good at easing the nerves and fears of their patients. It had surprised her, though, how easily they had taken her in.

 

His mother focused more on holistic medicines, giving patients recipes to make at home, or doing massages and acupressure to ease muscles to allow things to flow more evenly. Kagome watched her with interest, always having heard from Houjo about his mother's odd remedies, but never having seen them enacting - and with such good results too.

 

His father was the main doctor, taking care of cuts, bumps, and more serious cases. He was representative of everything she expected from a modern hospital - from depending on and being surrounded by the high-tech imaging machines to the sterile environment and everything in between. What surprised her most was that after only a week of having her shadow him he had her start on stitching her first patient. She'd practiced on pig-skin in class but hadn't touched a live human yet, and he was asking one of his patients to just trust her out of the blue? What if she hurt them?

“Mr. Nokuba is in here quite often and is quite used to getting stitched up in all manner,” he leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, though she knew he spoke loud enough he intended for the older man to overhear. Kagome looked between the two of them, concern flashing in her eyes. Was he a masochist? He was still rather robust and healthy looking, even though his chart did age him at 67, but could he be a cutter? It just didn't seem to fit.

 

He laughed as he patted her on the shoulder. “Oh, not to worry. Mr. Nokuba is the neighborhood butcher but his grip and aim just aren't quite what they used to be.” The man in question just rolled his eyes, in a grandly theatrical way of course, giving Kagome to believe this was an old subject between them. “Besides, he doesn't have much sensation left in that arm so if you prick him a bit too hard he won't mind.”

 

Mr. Nokuba puffed out his chest and slapped his right palm flat against his left forearm, just above the cut. “I promise you couldn't do any worse to me than I do to myself.” He smiled winningly. “I am your willing pincushion, Miss…”

 

“Higurashi,” she said belatedly. “Kagome Higurashi.”

 

“Miss Higurashi, then.”

 

And that had started her practicing, with exaggerated patience and care, on the clinic's patients. They seemed to have adopted her just as Houjo's family had and they started to ask for her by name, to inquire about her day to day life, keeping up on the goings on with her family and such. It was a little community that she had grown to love and knew she couldn't be without.

 

“Good work today,” Houjo said, walking into the break-room with a smile a mile wide.

 

Kagome had just walked in herself and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Her last patient had been a small boy, only about four years old, who had gotten a nasty cut across his chest. It had taken excruciating effort to keep him calm all while giving him nineteen tiny stitches and getting him to accept a tetanus shot. That was without the extra pressure of having to perform for a room. Both Houjo's parents had been there, along with both of the boy's and one of his grandfathers.

 

“Thanks. I really feel like I'm starting to catch on to everything, and I really have you and your family to thank for the opportunity. Otherwise I'd have had nowhere to practice.”

 

Houjo shuffled his feet, preparing himself for his next words. “You know, my parents were reluctant to take you on at first. I really had to convince them, but now they couldn't be prouder.”

 

“You had to work hard to convince them?” Kagome scrunched her brow. “Why would you go to so much trouble, especially for someone so green in the field? If you really needed help here I'm sure there were plenty of other, better candidates for it.”

 

“I did it because it's you.” He looked surprised that she didn't know this. “I wouldn't have pushed so hard for just anyone. You're passionate about this, you really care about the patients and you're good with them. Besides, I just liked the excuse to spend the extra time with you.”

 

Houjo flushed but plunged on. “What I mean to say is, well I mean, would you like to go out with me?”

 

Kagome gaped. “As in, on a date?” When he nodded she felt her heart plummet down around her stomach. “Houjo, oh Houjo. What I mean is…well, that is to say…I'm sorry. I can't.”

 

He just smiled on blithely, taken aback but not surprised, so Kagome thought he couldn't understand. “I mean, if that's what all this was about, showing me how well I'd fit in with your family…Of course I appreciated the opportunity and I like your family…I like you, just not like that. Um, oh my, if you went to all that work just for this then I'm sorry to let you down but I just can't.”

 

To her utter astonishment he just shook his head, still smiling, although now she could see the definite rueful tone in the set of his lips.

 

“You're in love with him, aren't you?” he asked.

 

She hedged. “Wh-who?”

 

“Your tetsudai.”

 

“What would make you think that?” She was nearly incredulous. How in the world had he caught on? She'd been so careful, hadn't thought she'd mentioned much about Inuyasha or the Bacana Shrine in particular, and if he thought she had hanyou on the brain she'd hoped he'd just figure it was due to the incident of one dying literally in her lap.

 

He cocked his head to the side, contemplating. “Why would you deny it?”

 

Kagome spluttered at that. Houjo wasn't supposed to be that observant. Okay, she supposed that maybe he did have to be, what with the profession he was following, but he just seemed so sweetly oblivious most of the time. Apparently he'd seen right through her though. Just how transparent was she?

 

“I-I,” she stuttered, “it's complicated.” Yeah, like not being fully acknowledged by the other party, or having your relationship frowned on by all parts of society, or the fact that Inuyasha was nearly owned by a shrine of all places. It wasn't like she could parade him around on her arm, declaring that he was with her. In his absence any public declaration on her part would only open her up to even more invasive probing, questions about her true motivations for hanyou rights, whether it was just a selfish initiative other than an altruistic movement. She couldn't stand if she herself were a hindrance to any possibility of having hanyou freedom realized in the near future.

 

She shook her head. There were just too many reasons, but she supposed maybe it was just easier to not think about it. The fewer questions she had about her love life the less she had to ponder over it herself, the less time she had to give herself over to worry. Sure, it was avoidance and denial, but she could live with that for the moment.

 

“What could be so complicated about it?”

 

Kagome nearly laughed aloud at trying to cram all her thoughts into an explanation for Houjo. Maybe it just really seemed simple to him, maybe he expected it would be easy, just like a relationship between the two of them would be. Two students, she already got along with his family, and most of all both human - no objectionable content there. The fleeting desire for life to really be that easy came but went just as quickly as she shook it away. Inuyasha was worth the fight, and so was everything else she'd learned along the way just because things were so complicated. She couldn't begrudge the fact that her eyes had been opened so wide, even if it meant she wasted a few years pining for someone who'd never come around.

 

Outwardly she just shrugged. “There are plenty of things, most I can't really go into.” She eyed him speculatively. “I can trust you, right?”

 

His eyes turned serious. “Of course.”

 

She had to smile that he hadn't gotten offended at her words. She liked that he took everything at face value, that things didn't always have to have a second meaning or underlying insult sewn into the fabric. “Inuyasha's a hanyou.”

 

He looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to continue. “So?”

 

“That's it. That's the big deal - most everything stems from that. He works as a tetsudai only because that's the only way he can survive and he has almost no rights. As you might be able to imagine, that causes plenty of complication right there.”

 

“But you'll work it out eventually, right?”

 

“I-” she started, confused by his optimism, “I certainly hope so.”

 

Turning he started to pull off his smock and put it in the laundry bin. “Then don't worry. Just have patience and I'm sure everything will turn out as it's supposed to.”

 

Kagome nearly goggled at him. Where had this come from? She'd just rejected the guy yet he was encouraging her in her relationship with someone else. How could she seriously be having this conversation with him of all people? “Houjo, you have to be the most kind, good-natured, honorable guy I've ever met.”

 

His head swiveled around, his face glowing. “Why thank you. Whatever did I do to deserve such praise?”

 

She chuckled. “Just being you. You have no idea some of the creeps I've met in my day,” an image of Kazuma flashed through her mind and she shuddered, “and it just makes the good guys stand out all the more. I'm glad to be able to count you as my friend.”

 

“Likewise.”

 

She sighed. “That being said, I'll go ahead and clear out all of my stuff.”

 

“Why? You planning on going somewhere for a while?”

 

“Well, I, uh, you said you pushed to get me here because you were interested in me. I don't want to cause any kind of awkwardness by overstaying my welcome.” Not to mention she could imagine he'd get both his feelings and pride stepped on a bit with her hanging around, working with his family, when her heart was far away.

 

He blinked at her. “I didn't say that being with you was the only thing I wanted you here for.” Cocking his head to the side he continued, “Besides, I thought you just called me a `good guy'?”

 

Her splutterings only made his grin spread. “I've known you quite a few years, if you'll remember.” That she did - they'd met about nine years earlier. “I've been watching you nearly as long.”

 

She wasn't sure how to respond to that - or even whether she found it sweet or vaguely stalker-ish - so she kept her mouth shut.

 

Laughing ruefully he said, “I don't think you ever even noticed that this is far from the first time I've hit on you.”

 

At that she balked. “No way, are you serious? There's no way I could be as oblivious as that.”

 

“I never said I made it obvious - it's not like I ever came direct out and asked you on a date before today.”

 

She ducked her head, vaguely abashed.

 

“The point is I knew you weren't getting the hint because you weren't looking for such behavior from me - you really had no interest in me in that arena.”

 

“I- I'm so sorry. How long…?”

 

He chuckled. “Perhaps it's best if that's left unsaid.”

 

She just kept from grimacing at the realization that this must have been going on for some time - and that she, the idiot that she was, hadn't had any idea.

 

“Anyhow, as you might guess, after all that I know you pretty well.” At her tentative nod he continued. “For instance, no one was really all that surprised that you wanted to go into medicine considering how much you like to help people. Many, though, were surprised that you opted to become a doctor instead of a nurse or researcher just because of how much school was involved. You haven't exactly made any secret of the fact that homework - maths and sciences especially - wasn't your favorite thing to do. But I know you just want to do as much as you can and have as little as possible get in the way.”

 

Kagome had, in fact, had many questions directed her way about just that. Even her family had wondered aloud about her motives. She hadn't been able to explain her reasoning to her mother but they supported her decision in any way they could - she just lucked out with having such wonderful people surrounding her.

 

“I always figured you wanted the power and freedom to do as much as you could. You'd hate being under the rule of a doctor who may or may not care about the patients, telling you what you could or couldn't do for them even if you didn't agree.”

 

She stared at him astonished for a moment. How had he just put word to what she'd had so much trouble explaining? And in two sentences no less. She chuckled softly, shaking her head.

 

“Anyhow, what I mean to say is that I'm interested in you as a person, as a friend, and as a fellow medical student as well. You really care about people and that's what makes a good doctor and the kind of person we want here at the clinic. The other motive,” he shuffled his feet and averted his eyes as a blush crept up his face, “well that was just a bonus on top of everything else.

 

“So please don't say anything about leaving. You're good with the patients and everybody here loves you.”

 

Whether or not he meant that as a reprisal of his earlier confession Kagome wasn't sure but she suddenly had to look away. Yes, it would be slightly awkward but he'd already proven he would be a supportive friend and she really liked the clinic and the people. She shouldn't leave such a great opportunity just because she might worry about her interactions with Houjo from time to time. Besides, she'd really only considered leaving for his sake, right?

 

“You sure you're okay with this?” She had to make sure so she wouldn't doubt herself later.

 

The grin he beamed at her was all the answer she needed. “Of course. Like I said, you're almost part of the family now, so I don't see what problems there could be. Unless you want to leave?”

 

She laughed at how they were dancing around each other, both trying to be polite and not step on the other's toes. “I like it here. If you're not worried about things getting weird then neither will I.”

 

“I'd like that. I value your friendship and both my parents and I definitely appreciate all the extra work you give here.”

 

“If you're sure…”

 

“Besides, I promised you tutoring lessons, right? It's much more convenient to be able to meet here sometimes.”

 

She shook her head, smiling ruefully. “Thank you, Houjo.”

 

“Speaking of which, did you finish all the work I had outlined for you?”

 

Groaning meaningfully she made her way to her locker and pulled out her books.

 

~ ~ ~

 

A/N: *falls over dead* Yay, this chapter is finally done. Man was it a killer. As always thanks to the lovely Akihana for her beta services and to all the wonderful reviewers and supporters out there who encourage me to keep going, even with deadly, killer chapters ^_-

 

And I wasn't going to mention this but since so many people keep asking…yes I'm still having all sorts of crazy medical problems, so it's hard for me to get around to writing much. I do have good portions of the next three or so chapters done but as slow as I'm going my updates will probably stay few and far between. Sorries.

 

P.S. Many thanks to kokoronagomu for pointing out a couple errors. Yay fixables!