Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Par Tout Autre Nom ❯ Blissful Ignorance ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: -grins- Ah, so the illusive characters start to show their happy faces… -sneaks off to hide from Kazusa- I know you're getting antsy, but just be patient! I swear they'll meet again very soon. On that note, I must take my moment to thank all the lovely, lovely people who've sent me reviews. Half the time I'm giggling myself when I hear about favorite parts and whatnot, and I'm really very delighted you're all having fun. -bows and blows kisses- You're the best!

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name

~Blissful Ignorance~

"Is there a reason you're skulking around outside my study without announcing yourself, Takashima?" Sesshoumaru didn't look up from the familiar sword laid out across his desk, his fingertips sliding up and down the apparently worn hilt like a caress.

"You gave me a family name just so you could say it disapprovingly, didn't you?" Shippou sighed at the roundabout invitation to present himself and stepped into the study, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back casually against the doorframe. "Kagome-?" his eyes searched until he found the small archaic symbol glowing iridescent violet just below the hollow of his throat.

"The miko is sleeping deeply," he closed his hand around the hilt, lifting the sword and sliding it out of the scabbard with deadly grace. His lips spread in a small, but highly satisfied smile as the blade of Tetsusaiga pulsed once before humming and letting itself be transformed, "If you wake her I will be… displeased."

"Thank gods," Shippou blew out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as he let his head loll back against the wood. His lips spread in a wide grin, pushing away from the wall and reaching back to close the door behind him, "This means we can relax and finally start living our life like a real family again."

Sesshoumaru took the blade through a few motions, relishing the weight in his hand and the feel of that long absent energy rushing through his veins to make that possible again, "You're implying our family has been less than adequate? You've been neglected at some point throughout your growing years?"

He made a face, walking towards the desk as he watched the smooth precision the taiyoukai used to sheathe the youkai blade before lying it back down with reverence, "You know I've got no complaints like that, but she was all I had for a long time when I was just a kit. It's not a family for me without her there."

"The loyalty you have for your adopted sister is particularly admirable coming from that kitsune brain of yours," Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment, lifting a hand to trail the tip of one claw around the edge of that gently pulsing symbol. He slanted a knowing look to Shippou's face, taking in the absence of the boy's usual illusion as he let his irises flash deep scarlet, "This is the only reason I accepted taking over your care when you proved to be too difficult a child for the wolves with your pranks and unending energy."

Shippou made a face, shrugging casually at the censure in his voice while he leaned his hip against the desk and looked down at his tail swaying back and forth just above the floor rather than meeting those too-intense eyes, "I'm not a wolf."

"You aren't a dog either, but you fit in well enough once you understood I would not put up with your childish tantrums," Sesshoumaru smirked lightly at seeing the faint indications of body language that there were more unpleasant things on the kitsune's mind than his childhood. "Did you leave your human brother alone with the monk's family?"

"Kaze took him away to make sure he wasn't going to go into shock," Shippou grumped out, his tail taking up a more annoyed twitch while he reached up to habitually smooth his hair up to it's more common high ponytail. "He said I shouldn't have showed him what I was so quickly when he hasn't really been exposed to youkai first-hand, but I still say it was Jaken's face."

"Did the boy show signs of shock?" Sesshoumaru felt the fluttering agitation deep beneath his soul and carefully focused his energy on settling it down before he slowly sank down to his chair.

"No," Shippou twisted his head at an awkward angle until his neck cracked loudly in the evening quiet of the house. "I think he was just having trouble thinking that the little kit he saw in all Kagome's pictures was me. I had to keep reminding him that it's been five centuries since those were taken."

"Keep in mind that you are not the only over-eager youth flitting about the compound wanting to get better acquainted with the miko and her brother," Sesshoumaru set a finger to the center of his own forehead and focused on peeling away the layers of the distasteful human guise until he could feel his strength flare up to reshape muscle and bone appropriately. "Even those humans within our `pack' as easily excitable and want to have a chance to see what should be history instead of living in their present."

When Shippou folded his arms over his chest and hunched up his shoulders, Sesshoumaru had to restrain his urge to roll his eyes, Gods help me, I have a pouting kitsune camping on the corner of my desk.

"I already knew you'd take Kagome when I brought her to the house, but you said I could spend some time with Souta and let him get used to me," Shippou was pointing out with a hint of a whine sneaking into his voice. "If they're going to take over here then I'm going to stay with Shinju."

"You were already planning to do so."

Shippou's wide eyes snapped around to the bland expression on the taiyoukai's face, startled and dismayed until his mind caught up with the accusation and flooded his cheeks with embarrassed color, "You are the creepiest youkai I have ever known."

"I find that an unsettling claim when I think of all the filthy creatures that have crossed your path in the past," his stance never changed, but something in those golden eyes deepened the disdainful vibes enough to make the kitsune fidget. "However, if you don't want me to tell you what you are thinking, I suggest you try to be less transparent."

"I'm not transparent!" Shippou jumped to his feet, pressing a hand over his heart dramatically. "I'm the best investigator you've got! No one can see through me when I'm under my illusions; they're perfect!"

"This Sesshoumaru expects no less," he leaned back, reaching up to rest his hand over his tail and regard Shippou's determined expression. "Now you will explain the reasons behind your behavior, and if you continue to fidget in that obnoxious fashion, I will stop you myself."

He opened his mouth to deny it, but that eyebrow kicked up again and he instantly backed down, swearing under his breath as he finally reached his hand down his shirt to pull an envelope from yet another of his enchanted "pouches" and hold it out, "The proofs came back on those two youkai you had me image. I wanted to make sure Kagome was really asleep before I showed them to you."

Sesshoumaru's brows rose slightly at the way Shippou's jaw had clenched, emotions swirling in his azure eyes as he waited for it to be accepted, "I take it you were unable to resist the urge to look inside?"

"I know you told me not to, but I had a bad feeling," Shippou didn't even balk at having his willful disobedience out in the open, unconsciously widening his stance and folding his hands behind him in the practically militant stance Sesshoumaru had drilled into him since he was a child. "You aren't going to like them."

Sesshoumaru frowned at the uncommon seriousness that had melted away all the childish pouting and instinctive playfulness as he flicked the clip open to reach inside, "Both of them?"

Shippou shook his head, "Mostly about the kitsune who tried to proposition Kagome."

"Oh?" his eyes filled with hard speculation, sitting up as though the relaxation of a moment ago had never been and pulling out the glossy pages to stare at the top image for a moment in complete silence.

"See what I mean?" Shippou urged, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the desk, mouth set in a hard line when he heard the hiss of Sesshoumaru's poison starting to burn at the paper. "This is the worst thing that could have possibly dropped out of the sky to fuck with us! Can you imagine what Kagome-?"

"Under no circumstances is your sister to see these photos, is that understood?" Sesshoumaru cut him off, never lifting his gaze.

Shippou closed his mouth with an audible click, straightening his spine and giving him a tense nod, "Of course I understand."

"If he attempts to show her this, you are to take every method at your disposal to get her away from him," he set the photos down with over-exaggerated care, spreading them out with his fingertips and inwardly scowling at the over-laid images the spells had developed. When still more telltale poison seeped from his claws to eat away parts of the picture, he leaned back and pressed his fingertips together, "If you have to throw her over your shoulder and run, do it. Just stop him."

"Am I interrupting?" Shinju murmured from the doorway, drawing their attention up and away from the fanned out photographs. "Sorry, but the door wasn't latched. I assumed-"
"Don't ramble, houshi, it's unbecoming and too similar to Takashima's behavior," Sesshoumaru sighed, turning his head to the side so they wouldn't see him roll his eyes at the timing the beings around with had seemed to all come cursed with. "And come in before you draw more curious eyes than your own."

"Don't worry about that, Souta asked Kaze to show off with Hiraikotsu, so they're out back cutting more wood than even this house could need in a year," Shinju grinned and made a placating motion with his hand.

Shippou's brows rose, "That's new… you're letting someone else throw it?"

Shinju shrugged, walking forward and tilting his head to regard the pictures they'd been discussing when he passed the door, "Who am I to begrudge my poor cousin the chance to practice with his ancestor's favorite weapon? So what is Kaa-san not supposed to see?"

The two youkai shared a look before Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, gripping the Tetsusaiga and carrying it with him to stand in front of the open shoji and stare out at the moonlight in a silent command for Shippou to take over the discussion. Half his attention trained backwards while the rest turned out to the night, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath of satisfaction at finally having tied up the loose ends that had been bothering him for so many long centuries. Still… he reached up with his free hand to lightly rest on his tail, letting his lips curve up in amusement at the reluctant tone in the kitsune's voice.

"This is that guy who pulled the question," Shippou was right back to sitting half on the desk, dragging the clearest photo down to tap at it impatiently.

"He's a sil-oh," Shinju looked up at Sesshoumaru, blinking in mild surprise. "I guess that part's true then?"

"Inuyasha started it," Shippou blew out a frustrated huff and idly scuffed his toe on the floor. "Big Dog made it worse…"

"The hanyou carries the blame for her obsession with ears," Sesshoumaru's voice was bland, but his hand clenched tighter around the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

"The tail is all you," Shippou started to remind him, hunching down and winding his own tail around his waist in an instinctive attempt to protect himself when that got a particularly disapproving stare sent his way. "So I helped a little… a very little!"

"No miko should be so fond of youkai like kitsunes," Sesshoumaru growled and shook his head, turning to scowl back out at the moon. "Do not think your actions towards your sister escaped this Sesshoumaru. Your very nature is to deceive and manipulate everything around you to your own advantage."

"But we're good in bed."

"If I pretend those words did not leave your lips, you may pretend that you aren't going to have to re-grow one of your tails by the end of the month," he glared at Shinju when the monk snickered behind his hand. "And you… this is in confidence, houshi. If you ask her, she'll deny that she has any sort of weaknesses as far as carnal attachments, however…"

"She has a thing about petting and brushing," Shippou finished, absently fluffing his tail. "And ever since those two, if it's silver hair it's even worse, she can't keep her hands out of it."

"Then… this is quite a problem," Shinju lifted the print, rubbing his chin with his free hand and frowning. "But if he remains in this human form and she doesn't see all this, won't it be easier for her to tell him to leave?"

"Hence, our omniscient ruler rendered his commands to-"

"I can still show you what it looks like to see through your own stomach," Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed scarlet, startling Shinju enough that he probably would have fallen over if not for the restraining hand Shippou put on his arm.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he whispered to Shinju comfortingly. "It's pretty normal after-"

"Takashima."

Shippou winced and folded his arms over his chest, "There you go… the whole punitive tone thing again. I have a first name, you know, not just that one. Honestly-"

Sesshoumaru turned around completely, one eyebrow kicking up in a silent, but even more effective warning that had both men backing away from him in a show of submission rather than risk whatever punishment lurked in those unreadable eyes.

Shippou cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot and looking back at Shinju to answer his last question in a more subdued voice, "Sesshoumaru wants to get rid of them quickly… Except we can't kill them because they seem to be working with that first-level Urameshi, and we'd only make ourselves look like a threat to Rekai. So if we can get Kagome to lose his interest before she has a chance to see he's a triple whammy who asked the one and only question guaranteed to make her go all smushy-"

"I will not allow a creature like this to use my miko's affections for his own gain," Sesshoumaru traced a claw down the battered hilt of his father's sword yet again, unable to resist drawing it out and feeling his palm warm under the steady pulse. "And I will have Inuyasha send a message to them that I will not hesitate to kill their pet youkai if I feel her safety is threatened."

Shinju lifted his hand in a gesture of respect, bowing his head to acknowledge the heavy waves of power flowing from both the taiyoukai and the blade he held out from his body in a flawless warrior's stance, "You know where our loyalties rest, Sesshoumaru-sama."

He nodded once, turning his eyes up to the moon and letting the feel of all the youki tangling around the Tetsusaiga send a deep hum of satisfaction through him, "Bring me the boy. It's time he learned his place among his previously silent benefactors."

~*~*~*~

"Don't give us this bullshit, Koenma, we were there!" Yuusuke slammed his hands down so hard on the desk that every single paper stacked on the surface went scattering to the ground. "We saw that miko and that messed up, freaky youkai! What the fuck is going on?!"

Koenma chewed on his pacifier nervously, looking down at the papers and back up at the trio standing in unconscious formation to intimidate the temporary ruler, "You're certain Musou said it was Midoriko-sama that you had found?"

"Have all the years of listening to Yuusuke yell made you deaf, Koenma?" Hiei's eyes narrowed sharply, waiting for their eyes to clash in a silent battle of wills. "Who is Musou and why did you send us to verify his location? And how is he linked to this misplaced miko?"

"How did a miko even get to the Makai?" Kurama folded his arms over his chest, his own gaze calculating and frigid as he eyed the way the apparent teenager continued to fidget and look away. "You had to have known that sending her to that place would get her killed before-"

"Midoriko-sama was dead and crystallized long before her body was removed to Makai," Koenma interrupted softly, not looking at any of them as he pressed his hands down on the arms of his chair and tucked his legs up underneath him. "But there were too many distortions and breakdowns around that… thing when we allowed it to remain in the Ningenkai. We hid it to protect the humans from the youkai who kept trying to escape and find her gravesite."

"You didn't think this was something we should have heard about?" Yuusuke waved a hand around expansively, barely noticing that Hiei had to duck or be backhanded in the face. "What is she and why all this shit now?"

Koenma sighed heavily, slanting them a serious look and admitting, "We don't know."

"Koenma-!" Yuusuke started, only to break off when the deity held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me finish," he pinned him with a hard glare and rose to his feet. "This started a decade ago, but right when we thought we were close to finding out what was happening… everything just… disappeared."

"What started? And what do you mean disappeared?" Yuusuke unconsciously mimicked Kurama's pose, his eyes reflecting his confusion. "What does a miko have to do with us? With anything!"

Koenma sighed and -to their alarm, actually started to pace, "That's part of what we don't know. But you were busy then… the Tournaments and all, it wouldn't have been in our best interests to add on that we were detecting strange youkai energies popping up at random in the Ningenkai. They went away and never threatened anyone, but it… seemed to agitate the feel of all the youki around it whenever it appeared."

`Why that… just because we were doing other things didn't mean we wouldn't have liked to hear about something like that!' Youko bristled, rising Kurama's hackles at the suggestion they couldn't handle more than one problem at a time. `We're not children, we can focus on more than one problem.'

"You didn't think it would serve you better to handle this situation when it first appeared?" Hiei's eyebrow kicked up, mocking the poor course of action and what seemed to be coming down on their heads for the decision. "Before it turned into this?"

They could have sworn Koenma's cheeks turned pink just as he turned his back on them and tilted his head up to look skywards at some undetermined space rather than the three accusing pairs of eyes, "We thought it fixed itself. About six years ago it disappeared completely."

Koenma is not stupid enough to think that out of sight is out of mind, Hiei wasn't even aware of the tension humming through him, hands clenching and unclenching in gesture of just how impatient he really was with everything that had happened. He's still playing games with us.

"I take it that this means it returned?" Kurama pressed, letting his eyes dart around the papers on the floor to scan for something to "borrow" that would give them more useful information.

Koenma's shoulders slumped just enough to be noticeable, "A year ago it returned, but this time it was only for a moment and with the same scale of distortion as Midoriko-sama. We have no idea why or how."

Youko rolled his eyes, absently noting the same impression came from the little youkai he loved to torment so much, `Oh for fuck's sake… what did he think would happen?'

Find anything? Hiei shifted his weight purposefully, drawing Koenma's gaze when the deity glanced back over his shoulder, intent on giving Kurama more time to search.

Maybe…

Be sure, Hiei ordered crisply. "What does this have to do with these youkai existing outside the barrier?"

"So far? Absolutely nothing," Koenma shook his head. "And we want it to stay that way. Youkai are willing to die and kill indiscriminately to try and get near that damn corpse; I don't want to think of what they would do to a source that could grant the same powers from a living being. They wouldn't think twice of taking that person apart to try and learn its secrets the same way they tried to do with Midoriko-sama's body."

"There's something huge going down and you're trying to keep us out of it," Yuusuke accused him again, leaning over the desk to restart their staring contest. "This is all mixing together too much to be coincidence. What's the real reason Kurabara's working for Takeharuka, Koenma? Does he not ask you the wrong questions?"

Koenma's eyes narrowed fractionally at the suggestion that he'd used the other human solely for such underhanded tactics, "In case you've forgotten, Yuusuke, you were the one who told me numerous times that I should remember you have a life outside working for me. Kurabara was available and willing."

"That's not an excuse to hide this shit from us on purpose!" his voice rose enough to make Youko wince behind the safety of Kurama's bland expression. "It's because he doesn't have any youkai blood in him, isn't I?"

"He's the least suspicious person to send into a group of them like that, just like I told you," Koenma shot back, coming to his feet to get face to face with his most temperamental detective. "These youkai survive where they do by staying hidden no matter the cost, get it? The chances that they'd accept any youkai that's the slightest bit unfamiliar are slim and none!"

`Sonofabitch…' Youko drawled out suddenly, mostly tuning out the shouting match as his eyes caught on a thick stack of paper that had fanned out like a deck of cards when it struck the floor.

What did you find? Hiei demanded, shifting his weight back just enough to take him out of Koenma's direct line of sight.

My left, Kurama looked at it for a moment more, showing Hiei exactly which pages he was indicating. That entire stack is about mikos and that one in the cave.

Distract him.

Done, Kurama unobtrusively nodded, unfolding his arms as he moved to stand beside Koenma, forcing him to split his attention and narrow his focus to only the two of them. "You certainly act like you know everything about a race you claim to have little use for," he let his eyes gleam just enough to pass off as nothing but imagination.

"Kurabara informs me that there are employees who possess holy powers similar to monks and mikos of ancient times," he stared hard at the kitsune for a long moment, trying to gauge how much of Youko he was speaking with. "Are you in that much of a hurry to get purified?"

"You still haven't explained what part that freak Musou plays in all this," Yuusuke reminded him, unwilling to admit that Koenma had made a logical point. Not enough to balance all the secrecy, but still… "Why was it so important to be sure he was in Makai?"

"The truth would be a nice change," Kurama challenged, senses humming as he felt Hiei blur behind him. "What exactly is he and how is he connected so personally with this Midoriko?"

For a moment it looked as though Koenma would refuse, but he finally sighed and dropped back into his chair, tucking one knee up to his chest while his eyes gleamed with frustration, "Musou is a by-product… left over from a human thief and thousands of youkai. Until we find out how he survived, or at least disconnected himself from them, we have to be sure of where he is."

"Explain disconnected," Kurama's brows furrowed. If there were thousands… it would be difficult but not impossible to break away.

"That human merged himself into a single entity with those youkai, allowed them to devour his body and soul for that purpose," Koenma sighed and looked down mournfully at the scatter papers under his feet. "They made themselves into a hanyou who called himself Naraku and basically attempted to become a god. At least until he was purified into oblivion by a miko using her powers in conjunction with youkai."

"Conjunction?" Hiei repeated dryly, right back in his original position and tapping the tip of his middle finger on his hip in a silent message to Kurama that he'd succeeded. "No miko would have dirtied her hands with the `lower creatures' in the any time, let alone right before the barrier."

"You don't have to believe it, but it's our information," he frowned at the hybrid in annoyance. "The only problem we have with that miko is that no one seems to remember her name or what she looked like."

"She's a miko, why would you expect youkai to care about those kinds of details?" he scoffed at the idea.

"Not just youkai, Hiei, the souls of the humans alive in the right time period won't tell us anything either," he bent down and started gathering up the closest papers. "Not to mention we have absolutely no files fitting a miko that lists the activities that are accredited to her existence."

"What the hell?" Yuusuke blinked in disbelief, looking at Kurama and Hiei before rounding on the temporary ruler again. "They're obviously lying!"

"I know that, but I can hardly make them talk," Koenma glared up at them. "They're innocent souls and that would break my own rules."

"I could make them talk," Hiei offered with a smirk.

"Absolutely not."

`He's no fun,' Youko snorted in disgust. `Our way is more effective.'

No waves, Youko, we want to get out of here easily and look at these pages, Kurama reminded him.

`Right, right… let's go.'

Without being suspicious, Kurama reined him in firmly. I want to get this over with so we can steal our lover too, but we have to take our time somewhat. We won't get another chance if we screw any of this up.

`We're going to have to take an extra long bath with her when we get her away from the dog,' Youko sighed dreamily, sending images drifting through Kurama's mind of all the things they could do in that particular bath. `They have such a distinctive aroma that they love to get all over everything they think belongs to them.'

Do not go off in a fantasy, Kurama, Hiei gave him an impatient, mental prod to snap him out of it.

"I really don't have time for this, and I've told you everything that we have so far," Koenma was saying, stacking the papers and setting them aside to reach for more in his efforts to straighten up before more files got dumped on his desk to be processed. "Go home to your family, Yuusuke, and you two-" he pointed at Hiei and Kurama, "do not stir up these youkai until we have all the information we need, is that clear?"

"Crystal," Hiei's expression never changed, holding Koenma's suspicious gaze until the deity gave up and turned away. Let's go, Fox… before he thinks of something else to throw at us for distractions.

`He's trying to get rid of us too, Kurama, I'd say that's good enough,' Youko fidgeted inside him. `Let's go back and get to tracking down that fucking kitsune punk and finally getting around to taking back our lover.'

"We expect to hear an update soon, Koenma," Yuusuke's voice was disturbingly serious, drawing a surprised look not only from the deity, but his friends as well. "This is happening in my neighborhood, close to my sons and Keiko. If you expect me to let you decide what I need to know in this situation, you'll find out how fucking wrong you are."

Koenma blinked silently, holding up to the unblinking stare for another minute before he looked away, "I swear I won't put your family in any danger, Yuusuke, and the next time Kurabara has any information, I'll be sure to send him to your house."

Yuusuke's hands clenched and he nodded stiffly before turning on his heel to stalk out, while Kurama and Hiei hesitated enough to scowl their own displeasure with the way they were being handled, He's still not telling us everything.

I'm fully aware of that, Kurama, Hiei turned to follow Yuusuke out, not wanting to waste any more time when they could be going over the `borrowed' pages. If we want answers, we're going to have to get them ourselves this time.

`He's getting lazy if he's annoyed at doing it the old fashioned way,' Youko whispered to Kurama, not wanting the hybrid to hear and make off with their prize before they read it. `Victory tastes the sweeter the harder you have to work for it,' he raised his `voice' for Hiei's benefit.

I amazed that you didn't-

`Just think of how delicious our lover will be,' Youko hadn't even let the hybrid finish before he turned his attention away with a happy sigh, rolling his fantasies around gleefully in his head again as they moved through the portal to the Ningenkai.

It would serve you right if she turned you down, Hiei rolled his eyes now that they were again safely away from prying eyes, reaching into his shirt to pull out the file.

We won't let her, Kurama's eyes held a determined gleam. We agree on her, and we can take care of any human girl better than some random asshole. We said she would have our baby, and we'll do whatever it takes to convince her to agree.

Yuusuke turned around as soon as the portal closed, mouth open to speak when his eyes moved down to the rolled papers in Hiei's hand, "What the hell is that?"

"Courtesy of Koenma," Hiei informed him blandly.

"You stole files?" his brows shot up in alarm. "Hiei-!"

"I will return them when I'm finished," he shrugged that off. "If you're so concerned, Kurama and I will view them without you."

Yuusuke gritted his teeth against the gratingly chiding way the shorter demon could tone his voice while still sounding bored out of his skull, arguing with himself for a moment before he swore under his breath and reached out, "Give me that."

Hiei? Kurama frowned in confusion when he released the documents without a fight, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back against the wall of the alley they'd kicked out at.

If Yuusuke is the one who reads `classified' information out loud to us, how can we be punished for hearing? We merely happened to be close enough to Yuusuke to unconsciously eavesdrop.

Kurama blinked, feeling his lips twitch while Youko snickered in the back of his mind, You're an evil, manipulative little bastard.

High praise coming from a kitsune, Hiei taunted, but before they could really get into their latest insult war, Yuusuke muttered something intelligible under his breath and pointed to get their attention before repeating it again louder.

"What the hell is a Shikon-no-Tama?"