InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Special delivery ❯ Unexpected help ( Chapter 79 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: saphira404 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.12.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 257 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.12.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 257 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 79: Unexpected help
A/N: A much faster update. After this chapter I expect things to start unraveling even faster :)
Still no reviews, but just as many hits on the chapter. I would love to get some feedback from my dear readers as the story is fast coming to an end.
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Sesshy and Kagura would be happily mated and working on silver haired baby number three by now…
“Talking”
‘Thinking’
“Kanna was what?!” Jakotsu yelled sitting up in bed. He tightened his hold on the cell phone cradled in his hand in pure shock. Until the unusual early morning call he had just answered, the flamboyant young human had been peacefully sleeping while nestled in his boyfriend’s arms as per his habit.
“Keep it down.” Bankotsu groaned before rolling over and covering his head with his pillow in an effort to block out Jakotsu’s suddenly shrill voice. It was way too early for him to be up. His boyfriend sent him a glare but did as told. Jakotsu slipped out of bed, and headed towards the large window adorning the wall of their bedroom. He pushed the burgundy curtain aside to peer at the rising sun.
“Where did you hear that?” Jakotsu whispered inside his phone.
“Sesshoumaru told me.” Suikotsu sighed in his phone before reaching for an opened folder on his desk and scribbling something down in it. He had pulled an all-nighter at his clinic taking care of a young very ill patient, and was exhausted. However after Sesshoumaru had called earlier asking him to look into hospitals and other clinics for a possible location for Naraku, Suikotsu had asked him the reason behind the request. The dog demon had quickly filled him on the situation, and Suikotsu had wasted no time relying it to his friend as he knew how close Jakotsu was to Kanna; on more than one occasion he had heard his friend say he considered the child to be his niece.
Moreover the young doctor was aware that other than his medical degree, another reason why Sesshoumaru had called upon him was Suikotsu’s former ties to the underworld. Suikotsu was also aware that of all the members of the illustrious Band of Seven, Bankotsu and Jakotsu were the ones who still had the most connections with the underworld; if anyone was to be helpful in finding Kanna, it would be them.
“Banks and I will look into it. That bastard of Naraku is going to be sorry he messed up with our dear little Kanna.” Jakotsu swore as he hung up the phone. He was so angry that he did not express his usual loving parting greeting to his long time friend.
“What’s got you so riled up? I heard you mention Kanna.” Bankotsu asked as he sat up in bed, now that he had been awoken by Jakotsu’s worried tone, he wanted to find out what was happening. His movement caused the blanket he had been covering himself with pool down around his waist, revealing his naked chest. In any other occasion seeing his lover with his long hair unbound and running messily around his shoulders, and his naked torso exposed would have been enough for Jakotsu to jump him, but the situation was too dire for him to think about sex.
“She was kidnapped, and we’re going to help Kagura get her back.” The words were barely out of Jakotsu’s mouth that his older lover stood up from the bed and stretched.
“Who took her?”
“Naraku Onigumo.” Jakotsu answered with a disgusted frown.
“Hum even though we retired from this kind of business ages ago, something always told me that someday we’d have a run in with that bastard… Guess it’s time to call in some favors… although it may a little early in the morning to do that.” Bankotsu said as he looked over to the bleak light coming from the window. He then headed for the nearby closet to get something to wear.
“Who are you kidding? You know as well as I do that our old friends don’t go to bed until much later.” Jakotsu retorted as he too started getting dressed and cleaned up.
‘Don’t worry Kanna-chan. Uncle Jakotsu will make sure you get back to your mother’s arms as soon as possible.’ The young human thought to himself as he headed for the door of the bedroom. For the first time in a long time he left his apartment, not even taking the time to carefully apply his usual bright make up.
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“Am I doing this right mommy?” Kagura averted her crimson gaze from her knitting needles to Rin. Her newly official daughter was seated next to her in the plush bed placed in the luxurious bedroom, which had been giving to her by Sakura. Rin’s duty was to undo the lump of white yarn as Kagura stitched it. In reality the child was slowing her young mother more than helping, but it had been the only way the wind sorceress had found to keep her daughter occupied while they waited for Sesshoumaru to come home with some news.
‘Maybe it was a mistake to give him the names of some of my former clients… Every time he is reminded of my past, I fear he will realize I am not good enough for him.’ She thought sadly. Then as she noticed the way Rin was looking at her, expectantly, she was reminded of where she was.
“Yes. You’re doing very well.” The wind sorceress struggled to smile at Rin who beamed back at her. “Have you picked which second color you want, and with what pattern?”
“Can Rin have orange flowers? I want a bunch of them in the middle of the blanket.”
“Of course. I’m sure there’s some orange in there. Good thing there are so many different colored wools. Who would have thought that my mom shared my liking for knitting?” The wind sorceress stated as she fished for some orange colored yarn inside the basket fill to the brim with all knitting necessities, which Sakura had fetched for her a couple hours ago.
“I like it too. It’s fun. Maybe you can teach Kanna too when she comes back.” Rin’s comment caused a sad smile to appear on her mother’s lips. The way the child was blindly assured that her younger sister would be coming back amazed her.
‘If only I had that much hope… Hopefully Sesshoumaru stops by soon. I haven’t talked to him ever since last night; I can’t wait to know what he found out. I feel completely left out. It’s not like that bastard of Naraku has dared call me again either.’ She thought to herself as her eyes shifted briefly to her cell phone, which she had left on the nearby side table for easy and quick access.
“Yes. I am sure Kanna would love it too.” The wind sorceress forced a smile for her daughter’s benefit. “Now I’ll show you how to make the prettiest orange flowers.” Kagura said as she picked up the colored yarn.
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“I am sorry but there are still no signs of him.” A female voice sighed inside her phone. She had been awakened at an extremely early hour by her employer, and after spending the best of the past seven hours interrogating low-lives she was truly exhausted. As much as she did not care for Kagura, she still found what happened to the young woman’s daughter utterly disgusting. The fact that she felt slightly responsible for what had happened contributed to her feelings as well. She was sure that had she not suggested Kagura go public with her story, Naraku would have not felt cornered, and would not have resorted to such drastic measures as abduction.
“Have you gone through the whole list?” Sesshoumaru asked the young blue haired woman.
“Yes. Most of them were useless, but I’ve got some new leads to follow though. That disgusting bastard of Sun-ho was so busy looking down my cleavage that he did not even notice all the information I was extracting from him. I have no idea where you found out about that man, but I can assure you I have never met a more disgusting lecher.”
“What did he tell you?” Sesshoumaru did his best not to growl angrily when he opened his mouth. He would rather poke his eyes out before telling her that Sun-ho was one of his fiancée’s previous clients.
“He mentioned the location of one of Naraku’s cronies. I’ll pay him a visit as well, and see if he knows where that nasty spider may be hiding.” Touran then paused before asking something else. She was not sure her employer and former lover would answer, but she still felt it was worth a shot. “Talking about him, has he called you again about a possible ransom?” She had researched the dark hanyou enough to know that money was always a driving factor for him, and was therefore surprised that he had not asked Sesshoumaru for ransom money again.
“No. Keep looking Touran.” Not bothering to say some sort of goodbye, he shut down the connection then slid his cell phone inside his pants pocket.
Even though he was usually not of a friendly nature, he knew that right now he was downright unfairly rude. The reason for his upset was simple enough.
‘I cannot stand the fact that I have to rely on that accursed list Kagura gave me to help find Kanna.’ He thought clenching his fist. He was aware of Kagura’s past, had met her former client Sousuke Yamashita, and had even for a time had Naraku’s black book in his possession but the fact of having a list of male names scribbled down in Kagura’s handwriting had made everything so much more real. He was tired and disgusted, and was nowhere nearer to find his abducted daughter, which angered him even more.
Sesshoumaru reached for his temple with two clawed fingers, and gently massaged his skin. For the past hour while he had been getting reports from his many ‘agents’ spread around the city, he had done his best to push past the pain of his throbbing migraine, but now it was almost too much for him to bear. He had already drunk three cups of the tea Suikotsu had made for him, and knew it was just a matter of time before the pain eased off. In the meantime he decided to rely on something else to help him relax.
In order not to disturb the many occupants of the mansion, and to have enough privacy to make all the calls he needed, the dog demon had decided to stand outside on one of the many balconies adorning the façade of the house. The one he had chosen to take refuge on overlooked the gardens of the estate, and allowed him to see the bright spring sun shining on the colorful rose beds.
Despite the peaceful view in front of him, he was far from being relaxed. However he knew of something that would help take the edge off until the benefits of his foul tasting herbal tea kicked in. The dog demon leaned his back against the wall and retrieved from his shirt breast pocket the small box he had sent Jaken to pick up for him. He then took one small object from the box before placing it back in his pocket, and rolled the object between two long clawed fingers. Just as he was about to bring the object to his mouth, someone joined him on the balcony.
“Keh! You must really be feeling bad if you resorted to that.” A mocking voice came from behind the dog demon. “You did swear to stop whoring around, and never smoke again after our old man died.”
“What do you want little brother?” Sesshoumaru snapped even if he did crush the small cigarette between his fingers. He was highly embarrassed to have been caught, by Inuyasha of all people, in such a moment of weakness. After he had sworn to stop smoking after his father had been killed in a freak car accident. Since he had had to look after not only his teenage younger half sibling, but also his mother and step mother while taking over the agency, the dog demon had vowed to make sure he would not endanger his life or let anything distract him. His need to look after so many things and people in his father’s stead had not only forced him to grow up faster, but was also the main reason why he had kept every woman at bay, preferring one night stands or purely sexual relationships as the one he had had with Touran over romantic relationships. That was until he had met Kagura.
“Kagura thought you left the house, but I could smell you were somewhere inside this huge place. It’d be so easy to get lost inside this damn place.” Inuyasha spat as he walked to stand next to his brother. “Damn I bet you didn’t get any sleep; you really look fucked up. Smells like you didn’t even take a shower.” The younger half sibling remarked as his golden eyes took in his brother’s unusual disheveled appearance. In fact Sesshoumaru had not gotten any sleep nor had he changed his clothes, which were looking uncommonly rumpled. To the surprise of the half dog demon Sesshoumaru was also displaying bags under his eyes, which was something his younger brother had never seen on him.
“I have had much to do.”
“Yeah I heard from Miroku. He decided to go with Sango on her tour of places you asked her to check out. He’s very protective of her…Feh! Never thought I’d ever see that lecher fall in love. Although I could say the same about you.” Inuyasha let out a snort then paused for a long time, thinking about what to say, and how to best say it before speaking again. “You know just because you take a breather doesn’t mean the bastard is going to hurt her.”
“I have no time for your nonsense Inuyasha, I am awaiting a call from my banker.” Hoping to cause his brother to shut up, the dog demon turned around. It was not a complete lie. Earlier in the morning he had called his bank with a request for a loan in case Naraku would ask again for a ransom. The amount of money was staggering, but with Morio’s backing, and putting up his father’s beach house as collateral, Sesshoumaru was pretty sure he would be able to gather up half of the money Naraku had requested. The dog demon who had no wish to give in to the dark hanyou’s demands was more than willing to go back on his earlier promise to not deal with Naraku, and compromise his morals if it was to ensure his daughter’s safety.
Inuyasha smiled sadly at seeing how his brother was trying to shut him out. However the hanyou was not about to be deterred this easily. “If someone was to hurt Shippou, Kagome or the baby, I would go crazy. I don’t know how you manage to keep everything in this much.”
At his brother’s comment, Sesshoumaru thawed a little bit. “It is expected for this Sesshoumaru to be strong.” He paused then added in almost a whisper “It is the least I can do.”
Inuyasha was suddenly able to see through his brother. He could now see why Sesshoumaru had taken refuge on the balcony, far from the others; especially his fiancée and newly adopted daughter. And why he had done his best to stay out of the wind sorceress’s reach, and had not even stopped by to see Rin ever since she had become his official daughter.
“Don’t blame yourself!” Inuyasha snapped before adding. “You make it sound as if you are the only reason Kanna went missing. It’s not your fault that the fucking bastard kidnapped her.”
“I was supposed to protect her. What kind of man, of father fails to protect his own children?” Sesshoumaru roared, finally letting out the thought that had been plaguing his mind ever since the previous afternoon.
“Feh! You’re doing all you can to get her back.” The half demon pointed out.
“It is not enough. Do you have any idea how it feels to see the woman you love die from the inside out? Because that is exactly what is happening to Kagura.” He snarled angrily. “She has spent the entire morning knitting a fucking blanket because she would rather not think about our daughter who I could not find.” After dropping by his bank, Sesshoumaru had come back to the house to look in on Kagura and Rin unbeknownst to the two of them. He had been shocked to see the two females settled on the wind sorceress’s bed, knitting what he believed to be a blanket. The image had torn at his heart. He had convinced himself that the wind sorceress had resorted to her old past time in order to find refuge from her thoughts just as she had once confided in him she used to do when she loved with Naraku. As she had admitted to him herself it was during a bout of melancholy that she had made Kanna’s baby blanket, hoping that one day she and her unborn child would be free. The only occasion when she had not knitted a blanket in order to distract herself from her pain had been when she had made a thank you gift for Sesshoumaru months ago.
“Has it not occurred to you that maybe Kagura’s just looking for a way to distract her mind because her pompous ass of a fiancé has not bothered calling her in hours?! Even someone as emotionally challenged as you should’ve realized that she’s just looking for a way to make Rin and herself feel better ‘cose you’re not here for them!”
“How do you expect me to do both? I am too busy worrying about getting out daughter back, and have no time to concern myself with the wind witch’s feelings.” Sesshoumaru snapped.
“But…” Inuyasha started, but his brother pretended he had never tried to protest. The hanyou was aware that this was one of the most emotional discussion he had ever had with his brother, and was not surprised to see Sesshoumaru revert to his usual cold demeanor now that his younger half sibling was getting closer to unveiling his innermost feelings and thoughts. He was actually surprised Sesshoumaru had allowed himself to disclose so much, and expected him to have put an end to the conversation way earlier. Inuyasha therefore decided to let the matter drop; lest the situation became uncomfortable for the two of them. After all he himself was not too keen on letting his big brother know about his own feelings.
“That will be all.” Sesshoumaru ignored his brother’s muttered curses, even if he did make out the word “asshole”, and preferred to walk back inside the house. Instead of following his half brother’s advice, he headed towards the garage where he had left his car. He had business to attend.
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“Are you sure this is the right address?” Bankotsu asked his companion as he scanned his surroundings wearily. Ever since the early morning phone call of Suikotsu, they had been trampling around town trying to find information about Kanna’s whereabouts. Their quest had brought them over to the run down building they were now standing in front of.
“Why do you always doubt me?” Jakotsu pouted, then smiled when something occurred to him. Before they had been sent to juvenile prison, all these years ago, Jakotsu and Bankotsu had broken up for a very short time period. During this time Jakotsu had briefly seen another man. However this had not lasted long as he quickly realized his Bankotsu was the one and only for him. The two therefore wasted no time reuniting.
When they had first set out to find some information about Kanna, asking his ex-boyfriend Hidenka had been a no brainer for Jakotsu, after all he was a major lord in the underworld, and knew just about anybody. The only issue was that he had a clear hatred for Bankotsu, who he blamed for having stolen Jakotsu away.
“Say, your sudden upset wouldn’t have to do with the identity of the person who gave us the tip?” Jakotsu asked coyly. “I know how much you dislike Hidenka, but when he realized how much I do care about Kanna, he quickly helped… you wouldn’t happen to be jealous, would you?”
“Just shut up and get moving.” The blushing other man snapped, causing his partner to snicker. Without waiting for his lover he then headed up the stairs in search for apartment #201. When he found the wooden door bearing the number they were looking for, something told him they had found the place.
“What are you waiting for? Knock.” Jakotsu instructed his boyfriend. Doing as told, Bankotsu raised his knuckled and gave three short knocks on the paint chipped door.
To both of their surprise the door was quickly opened. It revealed a woman with an old faded print dress, with a bunch of graying messy hair on her head.
“Mayumi!” The older demoness who had opened the door exclaimed. The eager expression on her face melted away to be replaced by anxiety and weariness when she saw to unknown young men standing outside of her door. Ever since she had lost her job, no one ever came to visit her anymore.
“No, but we would love to talk to her.” Bankotsu said, trying to convey as much warmth and reassurance as possible with his smile. He decided to play the ‘good cop’ as he knew how unfeeling his boyfriend could be when dealing with females; especially one who they believed was involved with the abduction of his precious Kanna.
“Who are you?” The frightened woman asked.
Not having the patience of his boyfriend, Jakotsu decided to rely on what he deemed to be a more efficient method. He fished out an object from his back pocket, an object which for the past few years had spent its time locked safely on the top shelf of his closet.
‘Good thing I haven’t lost the hang of it.’ Jakotsu thought to himself as he pointed the small shiny gun right at the woman’s head. “Your worst nightmare if you don’t get us in contact with your daughter.”
“I won’t mock you for the cheesy line, but did you really have to get violent?” Bankotsu sighed, his dark eyes resting on his lover’s unwavering hand.
“I don’t have any money… I will do whatever you want, but please don’t hurt me.” The older demoness burst into tears.
“No need for waterworks.” Jakotsu spat angry and disgusted. Tears were a prime reason why he hated females; in his mind they were too often prone to them. The fact that he had never seen Kagura or Kanna cry was a reason why he appreciated the two of them.
“Well just call your damn daughter, and we’ll make sure that nothing bad happens.” Bankotsu said with a grin. It had been a long time since he had been involved in such operations, and found that he had missed some parts of his former life. He pushed the older demoness backward, forcing her back in the small studio. He and Jakotsu followed behind her, the shiny gun still pointing towards the scared woman.
It was only after his lover had locked the door of the tiny apartment behind them that Jakotsu allowed his arm to relax.
“So how about giving your kid a phone call?”
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Mayumi pushed away the plate, which not too long ago had contained a turkey sandwich, away from her. She was sitting at the small wooden table, waiting for Naraku to come back. He had left several hours ago, and had not bothered coming in contact with her during that span of time.
‘That bastard must know that I would not do anything against him.’ She thought angrily even if she didn’t do anything to prove her employer wrong. She sat up, and moved towards the bed where Kanna still sat. As much as she wanted to help the child, her fear of the consequences were too great.
“You didn’t eat?” Mayumi stated as she looked at Kanna’s untouched plate. “You know you’re the only person who will get hurt if you don’t eat.”
“Kanna is not hungry.” She simply stated. One thing she really regretted at the moment was not having the comfort of her blanket or Kuma-chan. She had not been lying when she had told the other pale haired demoness that she did not want to eat the sandwich she had made for her. Ever since Naraku had taken her away, her appetite had completely disappeared. One cause was that she could not chase from her mind the message the spider hanyou had relayed from Sesshoumaru when they had been talking on the phone.
‘Maybe Naraku is right… maybe Sesshoumaru do not want me…’ Her previous fears came back; the same ones that had caused her to behave in a mean fashion towards Rin when they had first been introduced many months ago.
“Fine. If you don’t want to eat I won’t force you… But I’m sure your mother would appreciate it if you agreed to eat something…I mean it would be a waste if you died of anger before she was to get you back.” Despite the nonchalant way the young woman had spoken, her words managed to reach Kanna. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her mother in any way.
Reluctantly the little girl picked up the neglected sandwich and brought it to her lips before nibbling on it. As she started chewing, Kanna realized that she was actually starving. Before she even realized it, the food Mayumi had quickly put together for her was all gone. The young child then picked up the glass of water that had been placed next to her plate, and gulped it down.
Mayumi allowed a small smile to grace her lips. She may have contributed to Naraku’s evil plan, and therefore Kagura’s pain, but she was rejoicing in the fact that she had made the child eat.
‘At least I managed to make Kanna eat… I would never forgive myself if she got hurt more than necessary.’ Still happy over her small victory, Mayumi jolted when she heard her phone ring. The idea of talking to Naraku suddenly made all the positive feelings that had been coursing through her evaporate.
Reluctantly she picked up her cell phone, and decided to check if Naraku was the one calling. She was surprised to see that she did not know the number displayed on the screen of her phone. She decided to answer and was shocked to hear her mother’s voice.
“Mayumi.” The older demoness said in a shaky voice.
“Mom? Why are you calling?... I told you I was working.” The younger demoness said, nervously twirling a long strand of her pale colored hair around her finger. The last thing she wanted was to have her mother find out about her involvement with Naraku; she would be too ashamed.
“Mayumi honey… I don’t know what they’re talking about… they told me that you did something so awful… I just can’t believe it! I told them you weren’t like that… but they won’t believe me.”
“Who’s they mom?” Mayumi asked, a sinking feeling in her chest.
“I don’t know… listen. They have a gun… and they say that you have a child with you. Oh honey what have you done?” The older demoness broke into uncontrollable sobs again.
“Mom I can explain…” Mayumi started as she felt a prickling sensation spread through her face, and tears pool into her eyes.
“Hush honey. I am sure that anything you did, you did it because of me.” As much as it broke her heart, the older woman was sure that it was so.
“Oh mom. I did something so horrible; you will never be able to forgive me.” Mayumi choked out in a sob.
However her mother never had the chance to response. Mayumi heard a shuffling sound, and the shaky voice of the older demoness was replaced by the one of a young man.
“Dear Mayumi, you have taken something, or rather someone really important to me, and I want to get her back.”
“I will do whatever you want, but please do not hurt my mom.” She sobbed. All she had ever done for Naraku had been to ensure her mother would be provided for and unharmed.
“Sounds like we’ll get along just fine then.” The man grinned cruelly.
To be continued…
A/N: Sesshoumaru is distancing himself from Kagura, and Jakotsu and Bankotsu have a serious lead. We’ll see what will happen next time in the exciting chapter 80 (Yes already!!!). The chappie will be named Betrayal. The title is pretty self explanatory, no?
Converting /tmp/phpLmhs1z to /dev/stdout
A/N: A much faster update. After this chapter I expect things to start unraveling even faster :)
Still no reviews, but just as many hits on the chapter. I would love to get some feedback from my dear readers as the story is fast coming to an end.
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Sesshy and Kagura would be happily mated and working on silver haired baby number three by now…
“Talking”
‘Thinking’
“Kanna was what?!” Jakotsu yelled sitting up in bed. He tightened his hold on the cell phone cradled in his hand in pure shock. Until the unusual early morning call he had just answered, the flamboyant young human had been peacefully sleeping while nestled in his boyfriend’s arms as per his habit.
“Keep it down.” Bankotsu groaned before rolling over and covering his head with his pillow in an effort to block out Jakotsu’s suddenly shrill voice. It was way too early for him to be up. His boyfriend sent him a glare but did as told. Jakotsu slipped out of bed, and headed towards the large window adorning the wall of their bedroom. He pushed the burgundy curtain aside to peer at the rising sun.
“Where did you hear that?” Jakotsu whispered inside his phone.
“Sesshoumaru told me.” Suikotsu sighed in his phone before reaching for an opened folder on his desk and scribbling something down in it. He had pulled an all-nighter at his clinic taking care of a young very ill patient, and was exhausted. However after Sesshoumaru had called earlier asking him to look into hospitals and other clinics for a possible location for Naraku, Suikotsu had asked him the reason behind the request. The dog demon had quickly filled him on the situation, and Suikotsu had wasted no time relying it to his friend as he knew how close Jakotsu was to Kanna; on more than one occasion he had heard his friend say he considered the child to be his niece.
Moreover the young doctor was aware that other than his medical degree, another reason why Sesshoumaru had called upon him was Suikotsu’s former ties to the underworld. Suikotsu was also aware that of all the members of the illustrious Band of Seven, Bankotsu and Jakotsu were the ones who still had the most connections with the underworld; if anyone was to be helpful in finding Kanna, it would be them.
“Banks and I will look into it. That bastard of Naraku is going to be sorry he messed up with our dear little Kanna.” Jakotsu swore as he hung up the phone. He was so angry that he did not express his usual loving parting greeting to his long time friend.
“What’s got you so riled up? I heard you mention Kanna.” Bankotsu asked as he sat up in bed, now that he had been awoken by Jakotsu’s worried tone, he wanted to find out what was happening. His movement caused the blanket he had been covering himself with pool down around his waist, revealing his naked chest. In any other occasion seeing his lover with his long hair unbound and running messily around his shoulders, and his naked torso exposed would have been enough for Jakotsu to jump him, but the situation was too dire for him to think about sex.
“She was kidnapped, and we’re going to help Kagura get her back.” The words were barely out of Jakotsu’s mouth that his older lover stood up from the bed and stretched.
“Who took her?”
“Naraku Onigumo.” Jakotsu answered with a disgusted frown.
“Hum even though we retired from this kind of business ages ago, something always told me that someday we’d have a run in with that bastard… Guess it’s time to call in some favors… although it may a little early in the morning to do that.” Bankotsu said as he looked over to the bleak light coming from the window. He then headed for the nearby closet to get something to wear.
“Who are you kidding? You know as well as I do that our old friends don’t go to bed until much later.” Jakotsu retorted as he too started getting dressed and cleaned up.
‘Don’t worry Kanna-chan. Uncle Jakotsu will make sure you get back to your mother’s arms as soon as possible.’ The young human thought to himself as he headed for the door of the bedroom. For the first time in a long time he left his apartment, not even taking the time to carefully apply his usual bright make up.
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“Am I doing this right mommy?” Kagura averted her crimson gaze from her knitting needles to Rin. Her newly official daughter was seated next to her in the plush bed placed in the luxurious bedroom, which had been giving to her by Sakura. Rin’s duty was to undo the lump of white yarn as Kagura stitched it. In reality the child was slowing her young mother more than helping, but it had been the only way the wind sorceress had found to keep her daughter occupied while they waited for Sesshoumaru to come home with some news.
‘Maybe it was a mistake to give him the names of some of my former clients… Every time he is reminded of my past, I fear he will realize I am not good enough for him.’ She thought sadly. Then as she noticed the way Rin was looking at her, expectantly, she was reminded of where she was.
“Yes. You’re doing very well.” The wind sorceress struggled to smile at Rin who beamed back at her. “Have you picked which second color you want, and with what pattern?”
“Can Rin have orange flowers? I want a bunch of them in the middle of the blanket.”
“Of course. I’m sure there’s some orange in there. Good thing there are so many different colored wools. Who would have thought that my mom shared my liking for knitting?” The wind sorceress stated as she fished for some orange colored yarn inside the basket fill to the brim with all knitting necessities, which Sakura had fetched for her a couple hours ago.
“I like it too. It’s fun. Maybe you can teach Kanna too when she comes back.” Rin’s comment caused a sad smile to appear on her mother’s lips. The way the child was blindly assured that her younger sister would be coming back amazed her.
‘If only I had that much hope… Hopefully Sesshoumaru stops by soon. I haven’t talked to him ever since last night; I can’t wait to know what he found out. I feel completely left out. It’s not like that bastard of Naraku has dared call me again either.’ She thought to herself as her eyes shifted briefly to her cell phone, which she had left on the nearby side table for easy and quick access.
“Yes. I am sure Kanna would love it too.” The wind sorceress forced a smile for her daughter’s benefit. “Now I’ll show you how to make the prettiest orange flowers.” Kagura said as she picked up the colored yarn.
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“I am sorry but there are still no signs of him.” A female voice sighed inside her phone. She had been awakened at an extremely early hour by her employer, and after spending the best of the past seven hours interrogating low-lives she was truly exhausted. As much as she did not care for Kagura, she still found what happened to the young woman’s daughter utterly disgusting. The fact that she felt slightly responsible for what had happened contributed to her feelings as well. She was sure that had she not suggested Kagura go public with her story, Naraku would have not felt cornered, and would not have resorted to such drastic measures as abduction.
“Have you gone through the whole list?” Sesshoumaru asked the young blue haired woman.
“Yes. Most of them were useless, but I’ve got some new leads to follow though. That disgusting bastard of Sun-ho was so busy looking down my cleavage that he did not even notice all the information I was extracting from him. I have no idea where you found out about that man, but I can assure you I have never met a more disgusting lecher.”
“What did he tell you?” Sesshoumaru did his best not to growl angrily when he opened his mouth. He would rather poke his eyes out before telling her that Sun-ho was one of his fiancée’s previous clients.
“He mentioned the location of one of Naraku’s cronies. I’ll pay him a visit as well, and see if he knows where that nasty spider may be hiding.” Touran then paused before asking something else. She was not sure her employer and former lover would answer, but she still felt it was worth a shot. “Talking about him, has he called you again about a possible ransom?” She had researched the dark hanyou enough to know that money was always a driving factor for him, and was therefore surprised that he had not asked Sesshoumaru for ransom money again.
“No. Keep looking Touran.” Not bothering to say some sort of goodbye, he shut down the connection then slid his cell phone inside his pants pocket.
Even though he was usually not of a friendly nature, he knew that right now he was downright unfairly rude. The reason for his upset was simple enough.
‘I cannot stand the fact that I have to rely on that accursed list Kagura gave me to help find Kanna.’ He thought clenching his fist. He was aware of Kagura’s past, had met her former client Sousuke Yamashita, and had even for a time had Naraku’s black book in his possession but the fact of having a list of male names scribbled down in Kagura’s handwriting had made everything so much more real. He was tired and disgusted, and was nowhere nearer to find his abducted daughter, which angered him even more.
Sesshoumaru reached for his temple with two clawed fingers, and gently massaged his skin. For the past hour while he had been getting reports from his many ‘agents’ spread around the city, he had done his best to push past the pain of his throbbing migraine, but now it was almost too much for him to bear. He had already drunk three cups of the tea Suikotsu had made for him, and knew it was just a matter of time before the pain eased off. In the meantime he decided to rely on something else to help him relax.
In order not to disturb the many occupants of the mansion, and to have enough privacy to make all the calls he needed, the dog demon had decided to stand outside on one of the many balconies adorning the façade of the house. The one he had chosen to take refuge on overlooked the gardens of the estate, and allowed him to see the bright spring sun shining on the colorful rose beds.
Despite the peaceful view in front of him, he was far from being relaxed. However he knew of something that would help take the edge off until the benefits of his foul tasting herbal tea kicked in. The dog demon leaned his back against the wall and retrieved from his shirt breast pocket the small box he had sent Jaken to pick up for him. He then took one small object from the box before placing it back in his pocket, and rolled the object between two long clawed fingers. Just as he was about to bring the object to his mouth, someone joined him on the balcony.
“Keh! You must really be feeling bad if you resorted to that.” A mocking voice came from behind the dog demon. “You did swear to stop whoring around, and never smoke again after our old man died.”
“What do you want little brother?” Sesshoumaru snapped even if he did crush the small cigarette between his fingers. He was highly embarrassed to have been caught, by Inuyasha of all people, in such a moment of weakness. After he had sworn to stop smoking after his father had been killed in a freak car accident. Since he had had to look after not only his teenage younger half sibling, but also his mother and step mother while taking over the agency, the dog demon had vowed to make sure he would not endanger his life or let anything distract him. His need to look after so many things and people in his father’s stead had not only forced him to grow up faster, but was also the main reason why he had kept every woman at bay, preferring one night stands or purely sexual relationships as the one he had had with Touran over romantic relationships. That was until he had met Kagura.
“Kagura thought you left the house, but I could smell you were somewhere inside this huge place. It’d be so easy to get lost inside this damn place.” Inuyasha spat as he walked to stand next to his brother. “Damn I bet you didn’t get any sleep; you really look fucked up. Smells like you didn’t even take a shower.” The younger half sibling remarked as his golden eyes took in his brother’s unusual disheveled appearance. In fact Sesshoumaru had not gotten any sleep nor had he changed his clothes, which were looking uncommonly rumpled. To the surprise of the half dog demon Sesshoumaru was also displaying bags under his eyes, which was something his younger brother had never seen on him.
“I have had much to do.”
“Yeah I heard from Miroku. He decided to go with Sango on her tour of places you asked her to check out. He’s very protective of her…Feh! Never thought I’d ever see that lecher fall in love. Although I could say the same about you.” Inuyasha let out a snort then paused for a long time, thinking about what to say, and how to best say it before speaking again. “You know just because you take a breather doesn’t mean the bastard is going to hurt her.”
“I have no time for your nonsense Inuyasha, I am awaiting a call from my banker.” Hoping to cause his brother to shut up, the dog demon turned around. It was not a complete lie. Earlier in the morning he had called his bank with a request for a loan in case Naraku would ask again for a ransom. The amount of money was staggering, but with Morio’s backing, and putting up his father’s beach house as collateral, Sesshoumaru was pretty sure he would be able to gather up half of the money Naraku had requested. The dog demon who had no wish to give in to the dark hanyou’s demands was more than willing to go back on his earlier promise to not deal with Naraku, and compromise his morals if it was to ensure his daughter’s safety.
Inuyasha smiled sadly at seeing how his brother was trying to shut him out. However the hanyou was not about to be deterred this easily. “If someone was to hurt Shippou, Kagome or the baby, I would go crazy. I don’t know how you manage to keep everything in this much.”
At his brother’s comment, Sesshoumaru thawed a little bit. “It is expected for this Sesshoumaru to be strong.” He paused then added in almost a whisper “It is the least I can do.”
Inuyasha was suddenly able to see through his brother. He could now see why Sesshoumaru had taken refuge on the balcony, far from the others; especially his fiancée and newly adopted daughter. And why he had done his best to stay out of the wind sorceress’s reach, and had not even stopped by to see Rin ever since she had become his official daughter.
“Don’t blame yourself!” Inuyasha snapped before adding. “You make it sound as if you are the only reason Kanna went missing. It’s not your fault that the fucking bastard kidnapped her.”
“I was supposed to protect her. What kind of man, of father fails to protect his own children?” Sesshoumaru roared, finally letting out the thought that had been plaguing his mind ever since the previous afternoon.
“Feh! You’re doing all you can to get her back.” The half demon pointed out.
“It is not enough. Do you have any idea how it feels to see the woman you love die from the inside out? Because that is exactly what is happening to Kagura.” He snarled angrily. “She has spent the entire morning knitting a fucking blanket because she would rather not think about our daughter who I could not find.” After dropping by his bank, Sesshoumaru had come back to the house to look in on Kagura and Rin unbeknownst to the two of them. He had been shocked to see the two females settled on the wind sorceress’s bed, knitting what he believed to be a blanket. The image had torn at his heart. He had convinced himself that the wind sorceress had resorted to her old past time in order to find refuge from her thoughts just as she had once confided in him she used to do when she loved with Naraku. As she had admitted to him herself it was during a bout of melancholy that she had made Kanna’s baby blanket, hoping that one day she and her unborn child would be free. The only occasion when she had not knitted a blanket in order to distract herself from her pain had been when she had made a thank you gift for Sesshoumaru months ago.
“Has it not occurred to you that maybe Kagura’s just looking for a way to distract her mind because her pompous ass of a fiancé has not bothered calling her in hours?! Even someone as emotionally challenged as you should’ve realized that she’s just looking for a way to make Rin and herself feel better ‘cose you’re not here for them!”
“How do you expect me to do both? I am too busy worrying about getting out daughter back, and have no time to concern myself with the wind witch’s feelings.” Sesshoumaru snapped.
“But…” Inuyasha started, but his brother pretended he had never tried to protest. The hanyou was aware that this was one of the most emotional discussion he had ever had with his brother, and was not surprised to see Sesshoumaru revert to his usual cold demeanor now that his younger half sibling was getting closer to unveiling his innermost feelings and thoughts. He was actually surprised Sesshoumaru had allowed himself to disclose so much, and expected him to have put an end to the conversation way earlier. Inuyasha therefore decided to let the matter drop; lest the situation became uncomfortable for the two of them. After all he himself was not too keen on letting his big brother know about his own feelings.
“That will be all.” Sesshoumaru ignored his brother’s muttered curses, even if he did make out the word “asshole”, and preferred to walk back inside the house. Instead of following his half brother’s advice, he headed towards the garage where he had left his car. He had business to attend.
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“Are you sure this is the right address?” Bankotsu asked his companion as he scanned his surroundings wearily. Ever since the early morning phone call of Suikotsu, they had been trampling around town trying to find information about Kanna’s whereabouts. Their quest had brought them over to the run down building they were now standing in front of.
“Why do you always doubt me?” Jakotsu pouted, then smiled when something occurred to him. Before they had been sent to juvenile prison, all these years ago, Jakotsu and Bankotsu had broken up for a very short time period. During this time Jakotsu had briefly seen another man. However this had not lasted long as he quickly realized his Bankotsu was the one and only for him. The two therefore wasted no time reuniting.
When they had first set out to find some information about Kanna, asking his ex-boyfriend Hidenka had been a no brainer for Jakotsu, after all he was a major lord in the underworld, and knew just about anybody. The only issue was that he had a clear hatred for Bankotsu, who he blamed for having stolen Jakotsu away.
“Say, your sudden upset wouldn’t have to do with the identity of the person who gave us the tip?” Jakotsu asked coyly. “I know how much you dislike Hidenka, but when he realized how much I do care about Kanna, he quickly helped… you wouldn’t happen to be jealous, would you?”
“Just shut up and get moving.” The blushing other man snapped, causing his partner to snicker. Without waiting for his lover he then headed up the stairs in search for apartment #201. When he found the wooden door bearing the number they were looking for, something told him they had found the place.
“What are you waiting for? Knock.” Jakotsu instructed his boyfriend. Doing as told, Bankotsu raised his knuckled and gave three short knocks on the paint chipped door.
To both of their surprise the door was quickly opened. It revealed a woman with an old faded print dress, with a bunch of graying messy hair on her head.
“Mayumi!” The older demoness who had opened the door exclaimed. The eager expression on her face melted away to be replaced by anxiety and weariness when she saw to unknown young men standing outside of her door. Ever since she had lost her job, no one ever came to visit her anymore.
“No, but we would love to talk to her.” Bankotsu said, trying to convey as much warmth and reassurance as possible with his smile. He decided to play the ‘good cop’ as he knew how unfeeling his boyfriend could be when dealing with females; especially one who they believed was involved with the abduction of his precious Kanna.
“Who are you?” The frightened woman asked.
Not having the patience of his boyfriend, Jakotsu decided to rely on what he deemed to be a more efficient method. He fished out an object from his back pocket, an object which for the past few years had spent its time locked safely on the top shelf of his closet.
‘Good thing I haven’t lost the hang of it.’ Jakotsu thought to himself as he pointed the small shiny gun right at the woman’s head. “Your worst nightmare if you don’t get us in contact with your daughter.”
“I won’t mock you for the cheesy line, but did you really have to get violent?” Bankotsu sighed, his dark eyes resting on his lover’s unwavering hand.
“I don’t have any money… I will do whatever you want, but please don’t hurt me.” The older demoness burst into tears.
“No need for waterworks.” Jakotsu spat angry and disgusted. Tears were a prime reason why he hated females; in his mind they were too often prone to them. The fact that he had never seen Kagura or Kanna cry was a reason why he appreciated the two of them.
“Well just call your damn daughter, and we’ll make sure that nothing bad happens.” Bankotsu said with a grin. It had been a long time since he had been involved in such operations, and found that he had missed some parts of his former life. He pushed the older demoness backward, forcing her back in the small studio. He and Jakotsu followed behind her, the shiny gun still pointing towards the scared woman.
It was only after his lover had locked the door of the tiny apartment behind them that Jakotsu allowed his arm to relax.
“So how about giving your kid a phone call?”
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Mayumi pushed away the plate, which not too long ago had contained a turkey sandwich, away from her. She was sitting at the small wooden table, waiting for Naraku to come back. He had left several hours ago, and had not bothered coming in contact with her during that span of time.
‘That bastard must know that I would not do anything against him.’ She thought angrily even if she didn’t do anything to prove her employer wrong. She sat up, and moved towards the bed where Kanna still sat. As much as she wanted to help the child, her fear of the consequences were too great.
“You didn’t eat?” Mayumi stated as she looked at Kanna’s untouched plate. “You know you’re the only person who will get hurt if you don’t eat.”
“Kanna is not hungry.” She simply stated. One thing she really regretted at the moment was not having the comfort of her blanket or Kuma-chan. She had not been lying when she had told the other pale haired demoness that she did not want to eat the sandwich she had made for her. Ever since Naraku had taken her away, her appetite had completely disappeared. One cause was that she could not chase from her mind the message the spider hanyou had relayed from Sesshoumaru when they had been talking on the phone.
‘Maybe Naraku is right… maybe Sesshoumaru do not want me…’ Her previous fears came back; the same ones that had caused her to behave in a mean fashion towards Rin when they had first been introduced many months ago.
“Fine. If you don’t want to eat I won’t force you… But I’m sure your mother would appreciate it if you agreed to eat something…I mean it would be a waste if you died of anger before she was to get you back.” Despite the nonchalant way the young woman had spoken, her words managed to reach Kanna. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her mother in any way.
Reluctantly the little girl picked up the neglected sandwich and brought it to her lips before nibbling on it. As she started chewing, Kanna realized that she was actually starving. Before she even realized it, the food Mayumi had quickly put together for her was all gone. The young child then picked up the glass of water that had been placed next to her plate, and gulped it down.
Mayumi allowed a small smile to grace her lips. She may have contributed to Naraku’s evil plan, and therefore Kagura’s pain, but she was rejoicing in the fact that she had made the child eat.
‘At least I managed to make Kanna eat… I would never forgive myself if she got hurt more than necessary.’ Still happy over her small victory, Mayumi jolted when she heard her phone ring. The idea of talking to Naraku suddenly made all the positive feelings that had been coursing through her evaporate.
Reluctantly she picked up her cell phone, and decided to check if Naraku was the one calling. She was surprised to see that she did not know the number displayed on the screen of her phone. She decided to answer and was shocked to hear her mother’s voice.
“Mayumi.” The older demoness said in a shaky voice.
“Mom? Why are you calling?... I told you I was working.” The younger demoness said, nervously twirling a long strand of her pale colored hair around her finger. The last thing she wanted was to have her mother find out about her involvement with Naraku; she would be too ashamed.
“Mayumi honey… I don’t know what they’re talking about… they told me that you did something so awful… I just can’t believe it! I told them you weren’t like that… but they won’t believe me.”
“Who’s they mom?” Mayumi asked, a sinking feeling in her chest.
“I don’t know… listen. They have a gun… and they say that you have a child with you. Oh honey what have you done?” The older demoness broke into uncontrollable sobs again.
“Mom I can explain…” Mayumi started as she felt a prickling sensation spread through her face, and tears pool into her eyes.
“Hush honey. I am sure that anything you did, you did it because of me.” As much as it broke her heart, the older woman was sure that it was so.
“Oh mom. I did something so horrible; you will never be able to forgive me.” Mayumi choked out in a sob.
However her mother never had the chance to response. Mayumi heard a shuffling sound, and the shaky voice of the older demoness was replaced by the one of a young man.
“Dear Mayumi, you have taken something, or rather someone really important to me, and I want to get her back.”
“I will do whatever you want, but please do not hurt my mom.” She sobbed. All she had ever done for Naraku had been to ensure her mother would be provided for and unharmed.
“Sounds like we’ll get along just fine then.” The man grinned cruelly.
To be continued…
A/N: Sesshoumaru is distancing himself from Kagura, and Jakotsu and Bankotsu have a serious lead. We’ll see what will happen next time in the exciting chapter 80 (Yes already!!!). The chappie will be named Betrayal. The title is pretty self explanatory, no?
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