InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price ❯ Reluctant Allies ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; Rumiko Takahashi and a large publishing conglomerate hold his leash.

 

A/N: Inuyasha is five hundred years older than his canon self in this fic, so presumably he's matured somewhat. Possibly just a teensy-weensy bit. Maybe.

 

Bouquets: to my lovely CMAs, Forthright, Ranuel and SilverOnTheRose, as well as SusanneTJ, who straightened out the order of the Tetsusaiga's full name for me.

 

Warnings: Violence, coarse language.

 

The Price

Chapter Three: Reluctant Allies

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Sha arched an eyebrow at her panic. “Thought it was strange that no one tried to sell me a Shikon-no-Tama keychain the entire time I've been here…” At her sheepish expression, he relented. “My motorcycle is parked out there, so kinda tough to pretend that you don't have a visitor.”

 

Kagome buried her face in her hands. “I'm doomed… I'm home alone, in my bedroom with a guy… while my family's away. How's that going to look?”

 

“Like the guy's a lucky bastard?” he smirked, but was unable to duck the pillow she hurled. Laughing at her fierce expression, he held up the hand not bracing his damaged ribs. “Don't waste time, girl… you need to memorize our cover story.”

 

“Our?” she repeated frostily.

 

“We're in this together, Miss Higurashi.”

 

“Right up to our necks,” Kagome grumbled morosely.

 

“Here's my best effort; you were kindly giving me a tour of the shrine when you collapsed, so I brought you into the house…”

 

“Doesn't explain the change of clothes.”

 

“Fine. You collapsed and puked all over yourself.”

 

“Ugh. Guess it'll have to do… but why did you have to change?”

 

“You barfed after I picked you up.”

 

“Are you sure you wouldn't rather just go out the window?”

 

He shook his head as they clearly heard the foyer door clatter open. “Not in my delicate condition… unless you can come up with a really good reason why a motorcycle jacket is draped over a chair in your kitchen.”

 

“Oh, man….” Kagome slumped with a resigned sigh; Sha rolled closer and tucked the pillow back into place behind her.

 

“Do your best to appear pale and pathetic, Miss Higurashi, because you look pretty good for someone who barfed, never mind was nearly eviscerated about an hour ago.” She made a face, and he gave her a charming grin. “Make sure that you dispose of those bandages without your family finding out.”

 

They heard her mother calling; Kagome gave him a slightly panicky look before raising her voice in reply. “Up here, Mom!”

 

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and then Mrs. Higurashi arrived in the doorway. She halted at the sight of the violet-eyed, dark-haired young man lounging at her daughter's bedside, wearing one of Kagome's most obnoxiously-hued sweatshirts. For his part, Sha nearly fell out of the chair as a jolt of recognition rocked his equilibrium. No fucking way… does reincarnation run in this fucking family? Recalling himself just in time to avoid gaping or profanity, he quickly stood up and executed a very polite bow. “Good afternoon, ma'am. I am Sha Nishiki.”

 

After a quick glance at Kagome, who smiled wanly from among her pillows, Mrs. Higurashi returned his greeting. “Good afternoon, Mr. Nishiki; Yayoi Higurashi,” she replied, somewhat disconcerted by finding the handsome visitor in her home, but she focussed on the matter at hand. “What happened?”

 

Kagome made a face. “I was giving Mr. Nishiki a tour of the shrine grounds when I felt really dizzy and then I passed out.”

 

“Miss Higurashi vomited as she lost consciousness,” Sha cheerfully supplied as he indicated the yellow sweatshirt. “She was kind enough to let me borrow this.”

 

“Ah… vomited… my goodness… I'm so sorry for the trouble, Mr. Nishiki.”

 

“No trouble at all, ma'am,” he assured with a dismissive wave.

 

Mrs. Higurashi's motherly intuition was chiming madly, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why, so she turned to fussing over her daughter. “How are you feeling now, dear?”

 

“My stomach's still really sore,” Kagome mumbled, trying to look brave.

 

“Let me make you some tea. Mr. Nishiki? Won't you join us?”

 

“That's very kind, but now that you've returned I really should be on my way,” Sha answered smoothly. `Yayoi'… dammit, the gods love to screw with me. Inclining his head to Kagome, he said, “I look forward to completing our tour the next time, Miss Higurashi,” before following Mrs. Higurashi out of the room and down the stairs.

 

In the kitchen, Sha was amused to find the elderly priest inspecting his leather jacket with the purse-lipped disdain usually reserved for three-day-old dead fish. Mrs. Higurashi stepped aside and announced, “This is Mr. Sha Nishiki; Kagome had a little mishap while we were gone and he looked after her. May I introduce my father-in-law, Genma Higurashi, and… where's Sota?”

 

“Here, Mom,” the teenager piped up as he arrived in the room. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Nishiki… nice motorcycle.”

 

The old man pinned Sha with a disconcertingly sharp eye; he hastily bowed while making polite noises that it was no trouble, really, and that he was glad to have been of assistance. Retrieving his jacket, he extracted another calling card from his case and presented it to Mr. Higurashi with both hands. “`Adamant Antiquities'? Never heard of you,” the old man sniffed after a perfunctory glance.

 

“My specialty is antique weapons, and a colleague told me that the Sunset Shrine owns an unusual example of a sacred sword. I dropped by today hoping to see it,” Sha said politely as he carefully shouldered into his coat. How did the cat disguise the hole?

 

“Ah, the Murakumo-no-Tsurugi! The legendary sword discovered by the god Susano'o in the tail of the eight-headed dragon…”

 

“Which definitely isn't at this shrine,” Sota interrupted with an apologetic glance at Sha. “However, we do have the Inuyasha-no-Tetsusaiga, a sword that supposedly belonged to the youkai once sealed to our Goshinboku.”

 

The tall man nodded. “Miss Higurashi said as much just before she collapsed. I would be very interested in seeing the artefact.”

 

“It's far too valuable,” the old man said smugly. “I have been offered a small fortune for it by a private collector, but it will remain at this shrine for posterity.”

 

“It would truly be an honour to view such a treasure,” Sha commented guilelessly. He bowed politely and took his leave, accompanied by Sota.

 

Just inside the foyer, the teen whispered hurriedly, “Gramps is kinda funny about the sword, Mr. Nishiki, but Sis and I could probably figure out a way to let you have a look without him finding out.”

 

“I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble…”

 

“No trouble, Mr. Nishiki… I like antique swords, too. Just don't be disappointed because it looks like a piece of junk, even though Gramps insists that it's `worth millions'.”

 

“I'll swing by in a couple of days to see how Miss Higurashi is doing, and to return this,” Sha said, indicating the bright yellow sweatshirt.

 

Sota grinned. “It coulda been worse… there's an eye-scorching hot pink one, too.” He stuck out his hand. “Thanks for helping my sister, Mr. Nishiki; she was lucky that you're an honourable man.”

 

If you only knew, whelp… `honourable' doesn't exactly cover my intentions towards that sword. Sha shook hands with the teen and took his leave; as he crossed the courtyard, he wasn't terribly surprised to see a rotund calico feline waiting next to his motorcycle, her tail-tip rapidly twitching against the pavement. Buyo meowed and strolled up the shrine steps until she was against the building's wall and out of sight of the house; she then transformed into her tall, slender humanoid form. As Sha retrieved his helmet, he commented, “You'd better be careful now that the Jewel's awake, kitty. Your human might be able to see your youki.”

 

“That is a risk you will also face, Lord Inuyasha,” she replied. “A word of warning; don't be surprised if Lady Kagome's grandfather begins making inquiries as to your character and background if you become a frequent visitor to the shrine in your attempts to regain your weapon.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He's very traditional, and you were alone with his granddaughter in her bedroom.”

 

“Puh-leeze. What century is this?”

 

Buyo examined her claws. “A clever man… or hanyou… could negotiate a dowry that included the object of his desires.”

 

“Keh. The old geezer might cough up the sword in order to marry off his granddaughter? Intriguing proposition, but I doubt she'd be interested,” he scoffed as he pulled on his helmet. “Hey, how'd you fix my jacket?”

 

“I have my talents.” Buyo resumed her feline form as Sha straddled the bike; he gave her a sardonic look before roaring away.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Sha was several blocks away from the shrine when he glimpsed a familiar limousine bearing the same floral crest as his motorcycle moving sedately down a tree-lined side street. Ignoring the horns of startled motorists, he cut through three lanes of traffic and shot through the intersection on a stale yellow. He needn't have risked his injured body, because the limo was idling next to the curb about half-way down the block. Frowning inside the helmet, Sha glanced around to see if he could figure out what had drawn his brother's attention. Nothing but a…huh? What the hell's he up to now? Rolling his motorcycle alongside the sleek vehicle, he knocked on the rear passenger window as he flipped up his visor; as an afterthought, he made sure his jacket was zipped up to the throat to hide the bright sweatshirt. Mr. Gentleman's-fucking-Quarterly would have a field day with this! When the tinted glass descended, he leaned down and smirked, “Adding lustre to the House of the West's glorious reputation, Lord Sesshiro Nishiki? Loitering outside a private women's college could get you arrested for being a pervert; wouldn't that look good as a banner headline!”

 

The taiyoukai once known as Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands favoured Sha with a withering glare, but otherwise refused to rise to the bait. Instead, he frowned minutely when he detected the combined scents of blood and humanity on the younger man. “I might have known that you had something to do with that release of spiritual energy earlier this afternoon,” he commented dryly.

 

“The Shikon-no-Tama is back.”

 

“Congratulations on breaking your previous record of being purified by its protector; last time, several months… this time, only a matter of hours.”

 

“Fuck off, asshole. I was protecting her when it happened; she had no hope of controlling the fucking power surge.”

 

“`Her'… the Higurashi girl? She was attacked?”

 

“A centipede-youkai broke its fucking seal and came through a dimensional rift; nearly killed both of us until the Jewel leant a hand.”

 

“Is the Jewel currently in a secure location?”

 

“It's inside her,” Sha admitted unhappily.

 

“Miss Higurashi is unprotected?” Sesshiro demanded in a dangerous tone.

 

“An undercover cat-youkai lives at the shrine.”

 

“Is the creature to be trusted?”

 

“Buyo has been part of the family since the Warring States era; she is both honourable and devoted to Miss Higurashi.” When his brother remained silent and disapproving, Sha added, “Buyo was present when I was sealed; she says that a youkai named Naraku was behind the whole mess because he wanted both Kikyo and the Shikon-no-Tama. Ya heard anything about the fucker in the last few centuries?”

 

“Not since a wretch by that name foolishly attacked my wife.”

 

“Wait a fucking minute! That was Naraku?” Sha fairly shouted. As his brother shot him a quelling look, a musical tone chimed from the school building and Sesshiro straightened, his nostrils flaring. Sha noted the change in the taiyoukai's demeanour and also sat upright. As the building's doors opened, releasing a flood of giggling navy-and-white clad young women into the courtyard, he tried to guess which one had attracted Sesshiro's attention… and instantly spotted her. “Holy gods… is that who I think it is?” he breathed, his displeasure temporarily forgotten.

 

Sesshiro murmured, “Her name is Karin Mifune; nineteen years old, heiress to a steel fortune.”

 

“Heiress?” Sha asked, keenly watching the long-legged young woman and noting the distinctive way she wore her hair; swept to the side and secured by a fancy barrette. Is it something in the fucking water around here? If that really is Rin's reincarnation, then this is going beyond `coincidental' to fucking freaky.

 

“Losing her birth family at a young age continues to be her karma,” his brother replied, his eyes never leaving the willowy young woman as she bid goodbye to her friends and entered an expensive sedan, the door held by a uniformed driver. “She is exactly as I remember.…”

 

“Do your brats know?”

 

“Tsugane found her, on one of his nightclubbing forays.”

 

Sha barely stifled a snicker. “Bet he chatted her up… did he try to kiss her?”

 

Sesshiro's lip curled. “He recognized her scent instantly; what child does not know his own mother?”

 

The hanyou first flushed, then went pale and took a moment to compose himself. “On that note, I'm now dealing with two reincarnations of women from my past.”

 

The taiyoukai's gaze became uncomfortably sharp. “Two?”

 

Sha gave him a rueful look. “Miss Higurashi's mother is the spitting image of my lady mother; her name is `Yayoi'.”

 

“Hn. What is your plan for securing Miss Higurashi's safety?”

 

“Working on it,” he replied, snapping his visor closed and accelerating away with an obscene salute. Sesshiro watched him depart, his expression remote, then reached for his cell phone.

 

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

Twodays later…

 

Genma Higurashi ceased his sweeping and leaned on his broom as the powerful motorcycle rumbled towards him across the parking area. The corners of his mouth turned down under his drooping moustache when he realized it was the young antiques dealer, but he grudgingly admitted that Sota was possibly correct; the owner of `Adamant Antiquities' must be fairly prosperous if he could afford such an expensive machine… either that, or he was in debt up to his violet-coloured eyeballs.

 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Higurashi,” Sha greeted him politely as soon as he doffed his helmet. The old man eyed the luxuriant fall of black hair spilling over the younger man's shoulders and `harrumphed' before briefly inclining his head. “I've brought back Miss Higurashi's sweatshirt; shall I leave it with you, or…?”

 

“Mr. Nishiki! Hello!” hailed a cheerful voice, and they both turned to see Mrs. Higurashi waving madly from the foyer door. “I've just finished a batch of botamochi, and I need a taste-tester!”

 

“Absolutely, Mrs. Higurashi!” he eagerly responded, then shyly asked, “By any chance did you make kurogoma-botamochi?”

 

She laughed gaily, and his heart flipped over as the cheerful sound brought long-buried memories flooding back. “Kurogoma happens to be Sota's favourite, so there might be a few on the plate.”

 

“I'll be right there, ma'am!” he grinned back, then waited for the elder Higurashi to precede him towards the house, but was waved on with an irritable grunt.

 

“Go ahead, boy. Some of us have work to do…”

 

“Thank you, sir.” Sha bobbed his head and loped off across the courtyard to where Mrs. Higurashi waited to escort him inside.

 

Genma Higurashi chewed his lip for a long moment, then looked down when Buyo rubbed against his shins. Addressing the mewing cat, he confided, “That one is going to be trouble, my girl. You just watch.”

 

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

While he waited at the low table in the tatami room, Sha reacquainted himself with the pictures on the chest as well as the intriguing contents of the shrine… while trying to remind himself that while his hostess had the face, form and scent of the woman most dear to him, she was no more an exact duplicate of his mother than her daughter was of Kikyo. Thank the gods there's no genetic connection between my lady mother and Mrs. Higurashi, because I don't fancy Kagome as my sister! Politely accepting the proffered cup of tea… not served in a pottery tanuki, he gratefully noted… he commented, “Allow me to express my condolences on your husband's passing, ma'am.”

 

“He's been gone for a very long time, Mr. Nishiki, but I thank you all the same,” she said as she set down a lacquered tray containing a colourful arrangement of red, black and golden-hued botamochi. Glancing towards the niche, her expression softened and her lovely smile became wistful; he easily detected the sadness twining through her scent now that his temporary purification had cleared up.

 

Selecting a dainty morsel thoroughly coated in sugared black sesame seeds and just before taking a bite, Sha asked, “May I inquire about that shakujou finial?”

 

Mrs. Higurashi sipped before answering, “I'm not surprised that caught your eye. It is a family heirloom that once belonged to a young monk who was allegedly cursed with a deadly void in his palm. He was the brother-in-law of my husband's esteemed ancestor.”

 

Sha was so busy communing with the botamochi that he nearly missed his cue. “These are delicious, Mrs. Higurashi… um, a void?”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Nishiki; I'm glad that you're enjoying them.” She smiled fondly, and he had to resist the urge to curl up in her lap. “The void was apparently the legacy of a battle between the young monk's grandfather and a youkai, and it sucked in everything around him unless it was sealed with a strand of prayer beads.”

 

“I'm home!” Kagome called, shedding a bright yellow backpack on her way through the door. “Oooh, botamochi! Yum… thanks, Mom!” She swooped on the tray and scooped one coated in sticky red bean paste.

 

As she munched, making appropriate noises of appreciation while her mother went into the kitchen to acquire another tea cup, Sha surreptitiously inhaled the young woman's warm scent and was relieved to find it free of all taint relating to her injury. Dammit… it oughta be illegal for someone to smell so fucking good. Watching with amusement while she dithered over her next choice before selecting a golden-hued ball, he snagged the last sesame-coated treat and grinned at her scowl as he popped it into his mouth.

 

“Something else you may find interesting, Mr. Nishiki… remember the `unofficial' version of the shrine's history I told you the other day?” she asked brightly after hastily licking her fingers. Keeping one eye on the doorway into the kitchen, she dropped the false chirpiness and whispered, “I need to talk to you… alone.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“The `third person' who came between the priestess and the youkai was the same one responsible for the monk's curse,” she declared more loudly and in the same overly-cheerful tone for her mother's benefit while she watched for his reaction.

 

Sha blinked rapidly. “Do you have proof that it was the same person?” he demanded.

 

She shrugged and wiped up some scattered seeds with a dampened fingertip. “I poked around in my great-grandfather's papers yesterday, and found a document he wrote back in the 1940s about the family legends. According to tradition, Onigumo/Naraku used his shape-shifting abilities to cause both tragedies.” Kagome gave him an appraising glance. “You're interested in old weapons, right? The monk's wife was supposedly a taijiya, and we have her enormous bone boomerang in one of the storage sheds.”

 

“A youkai-slayer? A bone boomerang? You're pulling my leg!”

 

“Nope. The thing weighs a ton, but there are plenty of wear marks that show it was used; I'd like to have it tested to see if it really is made out of bone, but Gramps won't hear of it in case the `valuable family heirloom' is damaged in the process.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi returned with a fresh pot of tea. “Lord Miroku and Lady Sango,” she supplied. “He was eventually consumed by the void in his palm, he and his wife together. We are descendents of Lady Sango's younger brother, Lord Kohaku.”

 

“Any more kurogoma?” Kagome asked hopefully, then pounced when her mother winked and handed over another of the sesame-seed coated treats. Sha drank the rest of his tea while he waited for the young woman to finish eating, enjoying the friendly atmosphere even as he prepared to be barraged by questions that he wasn't really sure he could… or should… answer. “Would you mind helping me set up for my archery practice?” she finally asked once she'd drained her cup.

 

“Certainly, Miss Higurashi; when is your competition?”

 

“On Saturday. I'm borrowing Mr. Nishiki for a little while, Mom,” Kagome said briskly as she bounced upright.

 

“Thank you; that archery butt is heavy and Sota won't be home for a while.”

 

“Thanks for the tea, and especially for the ohagi, Mrs. Higurashi,” Sha said as he stood up. She beamed, and he hastily swallowed the lump in his throat as he bowed. Kagome noted his stricken expression and gave him an odd look as they exited the room. While they donned their coats on in the foyer, Sha handed Kagome the bag containing her yellow sweatshirt. “I washed it already, so you don't have to worry about cooties.”

 

“Never mind cooties… do you have fleas?” she asked anxiously, tucking the bag next to the shoe rack.

 

“Wh-what?” he stuttered.

 

“Buyo sometimes gets infested in the spring and the fall; I was worried that some of her little hitchhikers might have transferred to you in the sweatshirt.”

 

Mentally exhaling, Sha shook his head. “None that I've noticed.”

 

“Good.” Shouldering her bow and quiver, she led the way outside and around the back of the house towards a storage shed. “How are your ribs?”

 

“Fine; I only bruised them.”

 

“I was wondering how you could've bandaged yourself so neatly, but I guess that if you've had, er, encounters like that before, you must have some practice. Couldn't very well go to the hospital, huh?”

 

“Uh… no.”

 

“What'd you do with the rest of my clothes?”

 

Sha thought fast and crossed his fingers that he'd correctly guessed what Buyo had done. “Put your jeans and a decoy t-shirt in the washing machine so your mom hopefully wouldn't notice anything missing, then took the rest with me. Wasn't much left of the clothing you were wearing.”

 

“I told Mom that I loaned the jacket to Yuri; it was my favourite,” Kagome pouted lightly before she looked around carefully. “Gotta make sure that Gramps doesn't see us,” she muttered.

 

“Why not?”

 

She rolled her eyes. “You've been here five times in less than two weeks; Gramps is gonna demand to know your intentions towards me… or my mother… by the weekend if you're not careful.”

 

“Your mother?” he asked, mildly aghast, until he remembered that Kagome didn't know about her former life, never mind her mother's previous incarnation. “She's a terrific person, and if her botamochi are a clue to her cooking skills, she'd make someone a wonderful wife… but definitely not mine.”

 

“Do you have an older brother that might be interested?” Chortling at the expression on his face, she towed a disconcerted Sha behind the shed.

 

He did his best to school his features when Kagome turned to face him after yet another check of the vicinity for nosey grandparental units. Fuck… will the extra layer of spells be enough? My only hope is that she won't know what she's looking at if it turns out that she can see my youki.

 

“I thought about what you said,” she began, “about the Shikon-no-Tama being inside me and about the danger to my family…” He patiently waited while she bit her lip and shifted from foot to foot. “Since you're apparently my `resident expert' on youkai, is there anything or anyone available to train me?”

 

“Train you?” he repeated.

 

“On how to best use this power inside me to protect the people who matter to me.”

 

“We'd better set up your target, so your grandfather doesn't think we're out here smooching,” Sha stalled, brushing past on his way to the shed doors while he considered his answer. “Warrior-miko are a little thin on the ground these days, so finding someone to train your spiritual powers isn't gonna be easy… if not impossible.” The straw-packed archery butt on its stand wasn't particularly big, but it was heavy enough to be awkward. “Where do you want this?”

 

“Over by the fence.” Kagome grabbed the wooden tripod, knocking over a paint can in the process and hop-skipped in order to keep up with his longer stride. “If youkai live among us, wouldn't there be people with spiritual powers to protect humans from them? Like a police force?”

 

Sha almost laughed out loud at that; instead, he positioned the target with great care on the stand. “From my experience, youkai tend to police themselves, because you can probably imagine the outcry if humans realized that supernatural creatures like kitsune or hyakki-komori are actually real.”

 

“Good point,” she agreed, practically bristling with curiosity. “You're making it sound like there's a parallel youkai society operating alongside our own.”

 

“That unexpected `visitor' the other day wasn't enough proof that things aren't always what they seem?” he asked wryly as he followed her back to where faded lines of paint indicated the ranges.

 

Kagome nodded thoughtfully. “The presence of youkai explains some of the unsolved crimes that show up on the news.”

 

Sha gave her a sharp look. “Don't assume that all youkai are evil,” he growled.

 

She jumped slightly, then became adorably contrite. “Oh! Of course not… there must be good youkai, too, just like humans can swing either way.” When he curtly nodded, she took up a stance. Twirling a jade thumb ring between her fingertips, she pleaded, “Do you have any suggestions? Anything that I might be able to work with?”

 

On a hunch, he suggested, “When you fired at Mistress Centipede, what emotions were you feeling?”

 

“Scared out of my mind!” she immediately replied and then blushed. “Um… I, er, wanted to protect you,” Kagome mumbled, finding the pavement extremely interesting.

 

“Keh. That's a starting point, I guess. Aim at the target while imagining that it's an ogre… attacking your mother.”

 

“My mom again, huh?” she smirked. “Sure you aren't interested in older women?”

 

It was Sha's turn to roll his eyes. “I figured that if I said `your brother', you'd offer the ogre a couple of hundred yen to eat him.”

 

Giggling, Kagome slid the thumb ring into place, fished an arrow out of her quiver and notched it to the bowstring; bringing the weapon up into firing position, she steadied herself. Sha watched her demeanour change and her body tense until she was fairly glaring down the arrow's shaft when the tip burst into brilliant pink flames. Letting out a startled yelp, she nearly dropped the missile. “Look! I did it!” she cheered; Sha just managed to not jump back when she excitedly waved it under his nose.

 

Quickly catching hold of her wrist, he gently made sure that the hissing arrow was pointed in the other direction before letting go. “Very good, Miss Higurashi. A desire to protect someone appears to be the key to accessing your spiritual power.” She did a little dance of triumph before re-notching the arrow. Holding her stance for several heartbeats, she suddenly glowed with energy before releasing the blazing missile at the target. Sha winced. Shit. She might as well have put up a flashing neon sign on the roof that says `All You Can Eat Shikon-no-Tama'.

 

He had another problem on his hands when Kagome turned towards him, grinning like a lunatic… just before her expression changed to puzzlement. Sha tried to look unconcerned as she studied him, but he had a very bad feeling that the extra layers of spells on his concealment anchor were no longer enough. Kagome took a step towards him, her hand outstretched and a question on her lips, but she stopped and squinted at something just above his head. Fuck. She can see my ears! As he braced himself for her next question, he caught the faintest susurration that raised the hair on the back of his neck as his youki prickled warningly. He swung around, all his senses straining to locate the danger, just as what felt like a hot wire sliced into his cheek. “Ow! Shit!”

 

Kagome yanked him backwards. “Be careful! It's everywhere!”

 

Sha was surprised when she gently touched his bleeding cheek, but he quickly demanded, “What's everywhere?”

 

“You can't see it?”

 

“See what?”

 

“It's like a huge web,” she whispered, her glance flitting nervously between the forest and the house. “Where did it all come from so fast?”

 

Sha pulled her against his side, ignoring her startled squeak as he tuned his hearing… then immediately pushed her beneath him as an airy rush ended with a piece of metal smashing down on his upraised arm with enough force to shatter bone if he'd been human.

 

“Grandpa?”

 

Sha kept Kagome tucked under his arm as he bundled her out of range while quickly assessing the old man. Mr. Higurashi's chin rested on his chest and his eyes were closed; a spade dangled from one hand… and he was floating several feet in mid-air. “What the hell?” he yelled when the old man lunged forward with impossible speed and agility, chopping downward with the spade's sharpened edge.

 

Kagome let out a shriek when she found herself twenty feet away from her grandfather-turned-assassin, shoved protectively behind Sha as the spade crashed loudly onto the pavement. The old man's head snapped back and forth as his body absorbed the impact of the near-miss, and then drifted downward until the spade returned to his hand. “Don't hurt him!” Kagome implored as Sha crouched in an attack stance.

 

“I don't fucking intend to,” he snapped, trying to figure out the best way to disarm the old man without breaking any of his undoubtedly arthritic joints.

 

Kagome's fingers dug into his shoulders. “Around his wrists… there's strands attached to him… like he's a puppet.”

 

Sha had no reason to doubt her. “Where else?”

 

“Around his chest… his waist… knees…”

 

“Stay here,” Sha commanded in a tight voice. “I'm gonna try to cut him free.” As her grandfather swooped towards them, the spade raised, he launched straight at the old man. Tackling him around the waist, Sha used his claws to slash the air around Mr. Higurashi's wrist. As the spade clattered to the ground, however, both of his hands wrapped themselves around Sha's throat and squeezed with surprising strength. “When I get my hands on whoever did this, they're gonna regret pissing me off,” the young man grunted, as he sought for the invisible bonds while maintaining his hold on the old man's body.

 

The back of his hand was criss-crossed with thin red streaks and black spots danced across his vision by the time he clumsily cut all the strands and Mr. Higurashi's grip finally went slack. Muttering a string of expletives, Sha swept his invisible claws up the old man's body, cutting through three more points of resistance until the old man folded over his shoulder and they dropped to the ground. Snarling a curse, he backed up until Kagome latched onto his jacket and guided him to relative safety up against the house wall. “Where should we put him?”

 

“Not out here!” she hissed.

 

“I wasn't suggesting that!” he growled back. “We have to figure out what to tell your mother, though; something that will keep her in the house.”

 

“Why not just the truth?”

 

“Oh sure… `By the way, I was nearly eaten by a giant centipede a couple of days ago',” he sing-songed, then snorted, “Keh. Didn't think you were all that keen to be locked up in the loony bin.”

 

She mumbled something under her breath before saying more loudly, “I just don't like sneaking around.”

 

“Get used to it, Shikon Snack, because you're the only one that can see… aw, shit. When does your brother come home?”

 

“Um… in half an hour… maybe…?” she stammered, taken by surprise by the turn in the conversation. Indicating his chest pocket, Sha almost banged Mr. Higurashi's head on the house wall as he turned towards her; Kagome quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Careful!”

 

“Dig out my cell phone… better check to see how much time we have to defeat this thing without an audience.”

 

Unzipping his jacket, Kagome fished inside for the phone. Checking its display she said, “Hour and a half, because he has kenjutsu practice today. We're good.”

 

“All right. We'll ditch your gramps in the house and warn your mother.”

 

“What? We're gonna tell her after all?”

 

“Well, not in so many words…” Sha grabbed Kagome's hand and towed her around the corner of the house to the door. The blushing young woman had just extracted herself from his grip when Buyo raced across the courtyard, yowling like her tail was on fire. Sha scowled lightly, but Kagome let out a cry of dismay.

 

“There's a strand wrapped around her! Come here, girl; I'll take care of it!”

 

Sha watched as Kagome plucked at the air behind the cat, then jumped a little himself when she snatched back her hands… but not before a sliding droplet of her blood revealed a hair-thin filament that squirmed as if alive. “Try directing your spiritual energy into your fingers,” he directed. “I'll bet you can fry it.” Kagome sucked on her bleeding fingertips, looking thoughtful, and then leaned forward just as Buyo gave Sha a panicked look. “Do your best to keep the energy under control, because you don't want to scorch the cat.” Crap. Hope she doesn't ask why kitty might care… The young woman nodded as she took a deep breath and concentrated. Her fingertips sparked, then glowed; he could see the effort Kagome was making to control her power in the sweat beading on her face. The cat's about to shit herself… don't be a wimp, Buyo!

 

“It's wrapped around your hind leg… don't be afraid, sweetie. I'll make it stop hurting you,” Kagome crooned softly. Buyo mewed plaintively, but held still as Kagome used her other hand to straighten the cat's leg while her energy-coated fingers twirled in the air around the feline's paw. The power came dangerously close to Buyo's youki-created fur; Sha wondered how long the cat could hold her breath. “There you go… it's all gone,” Kagome finally announced in a relieved tone. Releasing the cat, she allowed the energy to fizzle out as she stood up and opened the door. Quickly shooing Buyo inside, she stopped Sha when he made to follow and produced a tissue out of her pocket. “You have blood on your cheek,” she whispered and quickly wiped away the already-flaking scab, leaving only a faint red line. “Your rate of healing is incredible.”

 

“Superior genes.”

 

Kagome stuffed the tissue back into her pocket as she crossed the narrow foyer in two strides and whipped open the inner door while shucking her shoes. “Where should I put him?” Sha asked as he stepped out of his boots. She pointed down the hallway leading off to the right. On cue, Mrs. Higurashi popped out of the nearest doorway, her arms full of bedding.

 

“My goodness! What happened? Bring him right this way, Mr. Nishiki!” As she bustled into the room ahead of them to lay out the futon, Sha tried to not obviously wrinkle his nose. Keh. Old-man stink, tatami mats, hanging screens and… is that a block pillow? Traditional old bastard; bet he wouldn't hesitate to exorcise me if he knew the truth.

 

Kagome glanced at Sha and cleared her throat. “We found Gramps lying by the main shrine… we, er, heard him call out, but he was unconscious by the time we reached him...”

 

“Oh, dear…” Mrs. Higurashi sighed, shaking her head. Sha laid the old man out on the thick mattress and she straightened his limbs before covering him with several blankets. “He must have come down with the same illness that you had a couple of days ago, Kagome, but I'm sure he'll be all right with a little rest. You recovered quickly enough.” Buyo stepped onto the futon and tucked herself against the old man's side, purring loudly. Affectionately tweaking the cat's ears, Mrs. Higurashi added, “I'm very glad that you were here, Mr. Nishiki. It would have been very difficult for us to carry him into the house by ourselves.”

 

“No problem, Mrs. Higurashi; glad to be of help.” Buyo can take care of anything that gets past us, so Yayoi and the old man are safe.

 

“Continue with your archery practice, Kagome; you don't want to disappoint your coach on Saturday,” Mrs. Higurashi continued. “Buyo and I will watch over Grandpa.”

 

Sha flashed a dazzling smile as he and Kagome retreated from the room. As they moved down the hall and into the foyer, the young woman playfully smacked him in the arm. “What?” he demanded.

 

“Quit making puppy eyes at my mom,” she grinned. “You're lucky Gramps didn't see that!”

 

Sha snorted as he held open the outer door. “It'd be like flirting with my own mother,” he said, shivering lightly. Once outside and the door safely shut behind them, he asked in a low voice, “Can you see any pattern to the strands?”

 

Kagome looked carefully, and finally said, “There are plenty of criss-crossing tangles, but woven in with them there's thicker, shinier filaments running horizontally.”

 

“Which direction?”

 

“Into the forest.”

 

“Of course they do, dammit,” he grumbled, glaring at the densely-packed vegetation looming just beyond the fence. “It's always a really bad idea to let your enemy choose the battlefield.”

 

“You sound like you have some experience with that,” Kagome commented curiously.

 

“More than you can guess,” he said cryptically as he took off his jacket and dropped it over her shoulders. “Wear this… you need the extra protection.”

 

Fingering the collar, she regarded his t-shirt with dismay. “Um… are you sure?”

 

“I'm tougher than I look,” he said carelessly. “Can you get us to the fence without losing any limbs to this stuff?”

 

Inspecting the strands that only she could see, Kagome assessed the ground they had to cover between the house and the fence. Finally, she nodded and pulled the collar of his jacket up around her ears. “Follow me, but stay really low.”

 

“Don't have to tell me twice.” Bent double, they scuttled across the pavement, Sha cursing quietly when he zigged instead of zagged and ended up with a seeping red line streaking across his chest. When Kagome paused to look back, he gave her a brisk shove. “Keep moving… don't let `em get a lock on us.”

 

When they reached the tall fence, Kagome crouched lower and squeezed through the lowest pair of crossbars… or tried to. The hump on her back created by the quiver and bow under the fur-lined leather jacket was too much for the space and she briefly stuck. With an exasperated sigh, Sha yanked her free and stood her upright. “Up and over,” he directed. The young woman nodded, shoved her arms into the sleeves, then gamely began scaling the fence while he slipped through and watched as she swung her leg over the topmost beam. She pushed off a little too enthusiastically, flipped right over and ended up clinging upside down to the crossbar. Sha coughed lightly, then observed, “It tends to work better if you keep your balance…”

 

“It isn't funny!” she hissed furiously.

 

“Course it isn't,” he agreed, his lips twitching, but he moved fast enough when she lost her grip while feeling around for a foothold. Lunging upward as she fell, he intercepted her a few feet off the ground, then curled around her to cushion their landing. Shit! Hope she didn't notice how far we dropped! “Good job on not screaming,” he said as casually as possible as he set her on her feet.

 

Kagome gave herself a little shake and then adopted a superior air as she adjusted her quiver and his jacket. “Didn't want to alert the enemy,” she answered, her voice cracking slightly.

 

Sha nodded, then waited for her to lead the way. His sense of unease increased the deeper they moved into the undergrowth as he noted the large amount of freshly snipped leaves and branches hanging off the bushes and littering the ground underfoot. He also realized what else was bothering him. “It's too fucking quiet,” he murmured. “We should be hearing birdsong at the very least… and there's nothing.” They held still, listening intently, and he became aware of very faint, extremely high-pitched squeaks and squeals. “I can hear the strands rubbing against each other in the breeze… either that, or you have a colony of bats around here.”

 

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but instead her eyes widened as she spotted something over his shoulder. Sha whipped around and promptly grunted from the impact of a very sharp sword driving straight through his chest. From behind, Kagome let out a sharp cry that made him fear for her safety, but there was no corresponding stink of her blood. Didn't manage a two-for-one… but ya thoroughly blew my cover, ya fucker. The sword twisted slightly, grating on his sternum before yanking itself free and returning speedily to the hand of a scantily-clad, startlingly beautiful woman poised overhead in the branches of a sturdy tree.

 

As Kagome clutched at his arm, whimpering over the red blossoming across his chest and back, the fair unknown smirked, “Well, well, well… the rumours are true after all! Inuyasha of the Western Lands is playing fetch with another priestess! Tsk, tsk, darling… didn't dallying with the first one teach you anything?”

 

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

 

A/N: Botamochi are homey Japanese treats, traditionally eaten to celebrate the fall and spring equinoxes (if munched in the fall, they're called ohagi). Made with two kinds of cooked rice mashed and filled with sweetened, ground adzuki bean paste (called koshi an), then rolled in different coatings which may include more koshi an or ground black sesame seeds mixed with sugar (kurogoma) or toasted golden soy bean flour (kinako) seasoned with sugar and salt, they're like a dessert version of the ubiquitous onigiri.

 

Murakumo-no-Tsurugi - Original name of a mythical weapon currently enshrined at Atsuta Shrine on behalf of the Japanese Emperor, mentioned in the IY movie Swords of an Honourable Ruler. Now known as the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi - the Grasscutter - due to a famous battle won by the hero Yamato when he discovered that the sword's mystical power included control over the winds. Lessee… a supernatural sword with the power to cut the wind… wonder where I've heard that before… hmmm…

 

For the purposes of this fic, Kagome is using steel-tipped competition arrows at all times; in reality, she'd be firing blunted practice arrows for safety's sake and to save wear and tear on her straw-stuffed target.