InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Spider's Web ❯ Chapter 6

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Tani no Niji Iori, Takayama, Japan

A black limo had met them at the train station and carried them to the mountain secluded retreat. In the back seats, Kagome sat next to her Sango with her head laid over on her friend’s shoulder and Sango’s arm around her. On the seat across from them was Miroku and Inuyasha looked out their respective windows.

Kagome sighed and opened her eyes as the car came to a slow stop, but didn’t move from her spot. Instead, she let her eyes travel to where the hanyou sat, body tense, hands clenched in his lap. His ears turned in her direction, but he never looked at her though he must have known she was watching him. He’d been even more distant and withdrawn ever since it was decided they would all travel to the retreat. He hadn’t known Kikyo, so that couldn’t have been what upset him…was he just angry that he’d gotten drawn into her problems? Was he regretting having saved her?

She could hear the electronic gate grinding open and sat up as the car once more began to move, this time winding its way up the drive towards the stately house. Everyone piled out and Kagome smiled towards the sun setting behind a garden of trees. It was like coming home. If I can’t be at home, I’m glad I can be here.

The retreat was a large, three story home built to look like the grand Victorians in Europe and America with turrets, white lattice trim, and butter yellow siding. The house sat in the middle of a large clearing and was surrounded by trees on either side and the mountains to the back. A tall, brick wall surrounded the estate and the only entrance was through the wrought iron, electric gate.

Inyasha scowled up at the fancy abode, his golden eyes narrowing. I hate this damn place.

“Isn’t it nice?” Kagome asked, looking at them. “It’s even more beautiful during the summer when the grass and trees are green. I worked here last summer. There’s a pond out back and a garden. It’s the perfect place to come and heal.”

Kaede had obviously been watching for them and had come out onto the front porch to greet them. After hugging Kagome and exchanging pleasantries with the others, she lead them through the halls and into a side office. Miroku and Sango trailed behind, admiring the knick knacks and paintings that donned the shelves and walls of the house. In the office, which looked more like a sitting room than an office, Kaede motioned for them to take a seat on one of the wing backed chairs or settees by the fire place while she sat behind a large oak desk.

“Are you thirsty? I can ask one of the girls to bring in tea before they leave for the night,” Kaede offered.

Irritable and fed up with all the stalling, Inuyasha remained standing and glared at the older woman. “Just get the point, already, would ya?” He snapped. “Why’d you drag us here?”

“Would you shut up?” Kagome demanded giving him an icy look. “She’s just being polite. It wouldn’t kill you to extend the same courtesy. You’ve been sour and disagreeable all day and it’s really getting old.”

Miroku stifled a laugh and looked away. Sango just rolled her eyes. Kagome’s temper was nothing new and Inuyasha had been wearing on all their nerves with his griping when they first started out and then his unsociable attitude for the rest of the trip. He’d merely grunted when they asked him a question and sneered when they’d attempted to bring him into their activities.

Kaede simply nodded and picked up a stack of papers. “While Kagome seems to be the main focus at the moment, my sister had reasons to believe that all of you are connected to one another and in danger. Though I don’t believe she’d realized the friends Kagome had spoken so much about were the people in her research. That fate brought the four of you together seems to have been mere coincidence.”

“How are we connected? Why are we in danger?” Sango asked, frowning in confusion.

“Why was Tanreino-san studying us?” Miroku added.

Kaede flipped through the stack and took a photograph out, handing it to him. It featured a necklace hanging from a blue velvet display mannequin. The pendant was a large pearl that took on a purplish-blue light in the camera’s flash and was suspended from a silver chain. Smaller pearls with less shine and brilliance were intermittent along the length of the chain. Everyone crowded around Miroku to look and Kagome idly fingered the necklace hidden beneath her shirt.

“That is the Shikon no Tama, sometimes referred to as the Shikon pearl. It’s centuries old and surrounded by more than its share of legends. The most prominent, however, is that the jewel has the ability to grant the holder’s greatest wish,” Kaede explained and then looked at Kagome. “Would you mind showing us your necklace?”

Kagome reached up and obligingly unclasped the necklace, holding it out in one hand. The pearl swung back and forth from the movement, but they could all see that it was the same necklace from the picture. “It’s been in my family for at least a hundred years. Well, the jewel itself. I think my grandpa had it put on this chain for my grandmother back in the forties.”

“I assume that Kagome’s told you about her father by now and won’t burden her by reiterating it. However,” Kaede continued, “several of the investigators, Kikyou included, believed that the burglar was after the Shikon Pearl.”

Kagome was replacing the necklace when Inuyasha seemed to come back to himself and announced his confusion. “Wait, who was after that thing? Why would they be after that? It’s just an old necklace.”

“Someone broke into my house when I was little,” Kagome answered stiffly. “My dad…whoever it was, they killed my dad. There was no evidence and no one was ever arrested.” She stared at the floor for a moment before lifting her gaze to Kaede. “But like he said, why would they want this?”

“I’m getting to that,” Kaede promised. She passed them another photograph. This one was of a large boomerang, standing in a display case. It was yellowish in color with black stripes along the top and bottom and a red strap to be carried by.

“That’s the Hiraikotsu!” Sango exclaimed, snatching the photo from Miroku’s hands. “It was stolen years ago.”

“You know what it is?” Kagome asked, looking surprised.

“It’s a Shankaiyou heirloom. During the Sengoku Jidai, my family’s ancestors were taijiya. The Hiraikotsu is a weapon made from youkai bone and nearly indestructible. My dad donated it to the museum in Osaka, but it was stolen and whoever did it managed to mostly allude the cameras. They never got more than a silhouette of the guy,” Sango explained.

Here Kaede passed them another photo, a grainy still shot from the security video taken the night of the theft. In the shadows they could just see the outline of a human man. The only distinguishable features were two large, red eyes. Kagome gasped and turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and Kaede’s expression softened as she put a hand on her patient’s shoulder.

“I realize that it’s hard to face the demons of your past, but I am afraid it will be necessary,” she said softly.

Miroku looked up at them. “Is that…”

Kagome nodded. “Nimetsuki Kaijuu.”

“So, the youkai that stole Hiraikotsu also tried to steal Kagome’s necklace?” Sango asked, frowning while Kaede nodded.

Miroku sat back in his chair, taking it all in. “What about Inuyasha and myself?”

Kaede handed them two more photographs. One looked like nothing more than an aged strip of paper lying on a black cloth and protected by glass. They could just make out evidence of faded black ink. The second was of two rusted katana, nearly identical, their leather bound sheathes lying next to them. The hilt was metal with leather wrapping for a more comfortable grip and decorated by what looked like white fur.

“Just what the hell is going on here?” Inuyasha demanded, expression darkening as he ripped the picture of the katana from the girl’s hands.

“I should have known it would be the sutra since the other two were also antiques,” Miroku commented. “I assume the katana belong to your family, Inuyasha?”

“But the katana are still with my brother. No one’s ever attempted to take them,” Inuyasha argued.

“The surveillance video from Tokyo’s museum were as useless as those at Osaka when the Hiraikotsu was stolen. The mode of operation was the same, though,” Kaede said interrupting them. “Nothing was ever made official, but Kikyou and some others suspected a thief named Onigumo to be the culprit behind all four crimes. For years he was just a petty thief, but later in his life he started researching the Shikon Pearl and expressed a deep interest in the jewel. However, it is popular belief that he died in a warehouse fire in the mid eighties.

“Your family heirlooms are part of another legend that only a few people actually know. It’s thought that if these five items are brought together, the possessor will be granted a god-like quality. That he or she will be immortal and have the ability to become more powerful than the strongest of youkai. They will control continents. Whether or not the legend is true, possessing all five heirlooms would have brought Onigumo a tremendous fortune, one worthy of killing for.”

“But he’s dead,” Kagome stated, “you said he was killed in a fire.”

“No body was ever recovered. No remains. It is only assumed he died, but he could have just as easily escaped and gone into hiding. After all this time, it would be almost safe for him to resurface and start looking again.”

The door opened and everyone jumped, looking around to see who had intruded on their meeting. Leaning around the door to look into the room was a small girl with black hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail to one side. Half of her hair had fallen out of the band and hung around her shoulders. She looked at them with wide eyes and then at Kaede, seeming to shrink several inches when she realized the room was occupied.

“Rin,” Kaede said softly. “You’re supposed to be at dinner. Why aren’t you with the other children?” The girl said nothing but turned looked at the floor guiltily and the doctor sighed. “Come on, let’s get you to the dinning room.” She took the girl by the hand and led her away, closing the door as she went out.

Kagome sighed and sat back in her chair. Sango sat on the chair arm, still looking at the picture of Hiraikotsu. “Do you think it’s true?” Kagome asked, looking at the others.

“No, I don’t and I don’t plan on getting’ dragged into something that has nothin’ to do with me,” Inuyasha replied angrily. “Let the bastard try and get the katana. He’ll be dead before he gets near ‘em.”

“He’s sorta right,” Kagome said, looking to Miroku and Sango. “He’s already got the Hiraikotsu and the sutra, so he’s done with you. There’s no reason for you to be here. You’ll just be in danger.”

“Don’t be silly, Kagome-chan.” Sango shook her head and stood, putting the photo back on Kaede’s desk. “If he planted that bomb in your car, then he’s been watching you and knows Miroku and I are your friends. Haven’t you ever seen a movie? What’s to keep him from going after us to get to you?”

“Besides,” Miroku added from his spot by the window, “as your friends it is our duty to aide you in times of adversity.”

Having nothing else to keep him occupied, Inuyasha was circling the room, picking up knick knacks here and there just to keep from having to sit still. “What a load of bull shit,” he muttered.

“What is your problem?” Sango demanded, glaring at him.

He turned to look at her, brows drawn down in a scowl. “This whole thing is bull shit. Sacred objects? Magical powers? Indestructible demons? Don’t tell me you believe in that crap. This guy’s just some youkai who’s figured out how to out smart human technology. Yeah, he needs to be caught and killed if he ain’t already dead. Being a youkai don’t give him the right to kill humans, but that don’t mean he’s trying to become some super youkai or anything. The old bat is off her rocker.”

“Don’t be rude!” Kagome snapped, getting angry. “Just because you don’t believe the mystic portion of it, doesn’t make the facts any less true. Why are you so resentful of Kaede-san anyway? All she’s ever done is try to help us – even you. I saw you coming out of her office that day, remember? Why keep seeing her if you don’t want her help?”

“It’s a bad habit I’ve yet to break.”

Miroku held up his hand, brows furrowed. “Wait – Inuyasha, you are one of Dr. Tenreino’s patients as well? For what, may I ask?”

“Anger management?” Sango suggested and Kagome hid a grin behind her hand.

“Semi-coma for three years. My bastard brother didn’t want to deal with me so he left me here. The old bitch ‘fixed’ me when she should’ve just left me alone.”

Kagome’s expression softened. “Oh, Inuyasha…”

“Don’t even start,” he growled. “I don’t want your pity.”

She tried to rearrange her features, but whether he wanted it or not, she couldn’t help but to feel sorry for him. What must have happened to someone that they would have chosen the seclusion of their mind over the wonder and beauty of the outside world?

Without another word, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the room, nearly running over a young woman in a lab coat who was about to turn the handle. She looked flustered as he rushed past her and then turned to the others. “Dr. Tanreino is working with one of the children, but asked that I show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

Kagome nodded and stood, Miroku following her. Sango lagged behind. “You go, I’m going to read over Kikyou’s notes and see what I can find.” She smiled and then picked up the stack of papers Kaede had left on the edge of her desk.

Nodding, Kagome followed the young woman and Miroku out.

************************************************

Som e time later, Sango sat sideways in one of the overstuffed chairs. Her back leaned against one arm, her hair hanging loose over the arm and her legs dangling over the other arm. The stack of papers were propped up against her legs. When she would finish reading one page, she would lay it face down on her chest and pick up the next one. Mostly there were just reports and print outs of articles surrounding the theft of Hiraikotsu and the Kazaana Sutra and the murder of Kagome’s father. There was also several articles about the fire that supposedly killed Onigumo and subsequent police reports. However, towards the end of the stack were copies of various scrolls, likely found at temples and libraries by Kikyou, that made mention of the Shikon, katana, sutra and Hiraikotsu, giving them all sorts of mystical properties.

A hand touched her knee and she jumped, nearly spilling the papers over onto the floor. “Miroku!” She gasped, turning to see who had snuck up on her.

He grinned and winked. “Learned anything new?” He leaned over the back of the chair to see what was in her hand.

She shook her head. “Not much – just some unexciting stats on Onigumo. Apparently he was responsible for thefts ranging in date from 1965 till the fire in 1978. He started with petty theft and worked himself up to stealing expensive art from private collectors, supposedly to sell on the black market. Police managed to gather sufficient evidence and got a warrant. He was cornered in an abandoned warehouse, but set the place on fire and was thought to have died. But like Dr. Tanreino said, they never found a body.”

She held up a picture of the rubble from the fire and passed it to Miroku along with a picture of what Onigumo had looked like before his ‘death.’

“But that’s not the interesting part. You know how Kagome and everyone’s been referring to him as a youkai?” When Miroku nodded, she continued, “Well, he wasn’t one prior to the fire. He was just a regular human.”

“Then where did they get the idea he was youkai?”

“Well, during an unrelated bust a few years after the case was closed, police found some of his stuff, including notes he’d written on how a human could become a youkai…or at least something like it…by allowing lesser youkai to devour his body. Some people speculated that he had managed to do it.”

Miroku nodded and handed the photos back to her. “I can understand how that would be a concern for the police, but how does that connect him to the these crimes?”

Sango ruffled back through some papers for a police report she’d seen. “With those notes were also pictures of the Shikon Pearl and references to the myth Dr. Tanreino told us about – joining the five items together.”

“Good reason.”

Replacing the papers into one stack, she sat them on the floor next to her chair and leaned back against the chair arm, looking up at him. His hair hung around his face, damp. He’d obviously taken a shower and, she noticed for the first time, had changed into his pajamas. With his hair falling in his face, he took on a much more boyish look…almost innocent. Her cheeks turned pink and she looked away. Kagome had been right when she’d accused her of liking Miroku as more than just a friend and she hadn’t denied it, but he was hardly datable. Besides, she didn’t want to ruin the relationship they already had.

“What have you been up to? Torturing the nurses?”

He flashed her a charming smile. “Jealous?” He teased. “Don’t you know you’re the woman of my heart” She gently cuffed him upside the head and he laughed. “No, Kagome made sure I wasn’t allowed near the staff, but she did show me around. It is actually a wonderful concept. The house is much warmer and more welcoming than most facilities which seems to help the patients focus on their recovery.”

Sango nodded. “I noticed that. I can understand why Kagome likes it here so much. I just wonder if we should really stay here. If someone is after Kagome, which it seems they are, this won’t be a safe spot for very long. I’d hate for something to happen here.”


Miroku nodded and then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, winked and patted her knee. “You need not worry. I will protect you.”

“Somehow the thought doesn’t make me feel much safer.” She grinned and smacked his hand off her knee.