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Finding Kagome	By : MetsukiKaraTen Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 8806 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha and company, however I
DO own an overactive imagination...

Chapter
Eighteen

The
sun made it's way toward the horizon, though there was no view of it
from where the two brothers sat in the limousine. Attire had been
changed to the more modern look of Sesshoumaru's white slacks and
trench coat, with InuYasha sporting the outfit that had been
purchased for him for the journey to the states. Sesshoumaru had
presented him with a leather jacket, much in the style of the soft
shoes and hat that he wore, which had a long fluttering fringe across
the chest and back, as well as down the arms, with the same conch
style metal adornments as his hat. The fashion pictures that Laura
had shown him earlier that day of what she had called Classic Western
Style reflected the same types of design. Clint had told him what a
cow-boy was, and it was nothing like he had imagined. He now knew
that the term 'Dude' was not derogatory, but a common reference. So
much to remember, so much swam in his head. He watched the buildings
pass, as the car wove through the streets. This was a different
driver, and he swore he could feel the difference as the car moved
gracefully from one lane to another, without so much a mild rocking
motion.

“Oi,
jackass,” he broke the silence between them, as they made their
way through the streets of the city. “What happened to that
other driver? The one that pissed you off...” he inwardly
shuddered at the memory of the scene of his brother 'disciplining'
the driver for not responding fast enough.

“This
Sesshoumaru took his younger brother's counsel under advisement...
and dismissed the useless twit,” came the bland response. Their
eyes locked for a moment, as InuYasha took in just exactly what the
demon had said.

“My
counsel?” He tipped his hat back, as he sat back in the
seat. “I really do hate it when you talk like that, it's like
you're talking about someone else...” he eyed his elder
brother, then cast his gaze out the window to the enormous buildings
lining this street. “You make it sound like it's not you, or me
you are talking about... some other guys...” his eyes grew wide
as they passed large animated billboard, depicting a scantily clad
three dimensional female offering a bottle of beer seductively.
“They sure do get big around here!” and he whistled low.

“Hn,”
was the demon's only response, as he appeared to impassively observe
the hanyou's reaction to the passing scene. “Same technology as
the Television, halfbreed.”

“Well,
she needs to put some clothes on...” and he pulled back from
the window with a slight blush, holding his arms as if they were
inside his haori. “How much longer?”

“Soon,
InuYasha.” The demon smiled inwardly. His little brother was a
grown man, certainly, yet in so many ways he held a peculiar kind of
innocence. And even with all the tragedies he had faced, he still
managed to maintain a youthful exuberance that was endearing. Though
the ancient demon's countenance didn't show it, he was honored to be
with him now.

They both looked out the window as the limo turned up a long hillside
street. Sesshoumaru glanced at the sign on the corner, it was the
street of the address. It was a middle class neighborhood of
converted Victorian style homes, turned apartments which housed
mostly the young working class.

The
limo continued up the hill, then down the opposite side, coming to a
stop not far past the crest.

“I
believe we are here, InuYasha,” he announced as he pulled on a
white knit cap, effectively drawing his hair around his exotic
markings. InuYasha adjusted his hat, and fingered where Tetsusaiga
should be on his left hip, frowning. Something just didn't feel
right, and it wasn't just the absence of his sword. As the driver
opened the door, InuYasha exited first, standing and stretching his
frame as he took in the line of houses that descended down the street
on both sides. Catching his hat as it slid back, he stepped back to
allow Sesshoumaru to exit, then looked up at the house directly
across the street. As the elder was telling the driver to wait in the
car, he noticed that there was a broken window on an upstairs room,
and the glint of something stuck on the top of the glass.

“Look,
jackass... over there... is that what I think it is?” He
pointed toward the window. Sesshoumaru shaded his eyes from the
reflection of the setting sun on the window, peering at it.

“Kuso!”
InuYasha hissed. “Taijiya?? Here?” As he looked down to
the ground in an attempt at casualness, Sesshoumaru glanced to the
source of his brother's astonishment. A female had just exited the
same house wearing a peace officer's uniform, sans the headgear,
which he knew varied depending on the officer's assignment. She
carried a case on her back, slung across her shoulder and she looked
very displeased.

“That
is law enforcement, not a slayer,” he breathed for no other
ears than his brothers. He too, struck a casual pose as he shut the
door. The female had noticed them, hopefully she had thought nothing
of it, as she appeared to be getting into her vehicle. “Don't
look her way, don't show her your eyes,” again his words
nothing more than breath. Looking away from the vehicle, “There's
a ward on that window, and yet the window is broken. Whom ever did
it, did not gain entry from there.”

“That's
what I thought,” replied the hanyou, as he fidgeted with the
fringe on the front of his jacket, casting a hooded glance at the car
as it pulled away. He knew his eyes, though mirrors of his brothers,
were unique enough to draw attention. And a second glance by that
female could end their opportunity to find out more about this Kagome
Higurashi. Only after the car had disappeared over the crest of the
hill and out of site, did they return their attention to the building
across the street.

“In
the words of a dear old friend, this does not bode well,”
commented Sesshoumaru, as they headed across the quiet street.

“Hn...
whatever,” replied InuYasha as he cautiously followed the demon
into the front door of the building, though the phrase was one that
triggered... something... who was it that used to say that all the
time? Surely it wasn't anyone that Sesshoumaru knew , let alone
called an old friend...

Quietly
as death the two moved through a common hallway, past the manager's
office and quarters, and found the stairs leading to the second
floor.

“You
smell that?” InuYasha whispered.

“Indeed,”
replied Sesshoumaru, equally as quiet. “It's not fresh...”

“But,
it's definitely wolf...” and as they reached the top of the
stairs, upon seeing the door broken and off the hinges, he exclaimed,
“FUCK!!” His brother grabbed him around the head with
lightening speed and clamped his clawed hand over his mouth.

“Not
here, halfbreed!” he hissed in his ear as he pushed him through
the doorway. The number on the door was right - and the place was in
a shambles.”We don't have much time, that female will be back
soon with others, I am certain of it.”

InuYasha
stood in the middle of what had been a small living room, his jaw
agape. The place reeked of wolf, but there was no scent of blood.
Just total chaos. Broken glass and pottery was all over the floor,
and as he moved carefully from room to room it was more of the same.
Pillows torn, stuffing tossed in all directions, pictures torn from
the walls and thrown carelessly on the floor.

“It
appears that they were looking for something, and it doesn't look
like they found it.” Sesshoumaru came into the bedroom, where
InuYasha had stopped. His brother was holding a broken picture frame
in his hands, dusting off the broken pieces of glass. “What
have you there?” he asked, glancing around at the wild
confusion of tossed clothing, emptied drawers and shredded bedding.

“It's
Goshinboku,” he replied, distantly. Then he reached down and
picked up yet another broken frame, “Oh Kami!”

“InuYasha!”
warned his brother, then looked at the photo that he held. It was of
the strange little miko as a young girl wearing that nearly indecent
outfit, which he now recognized as being a school uniform. And his
brother was transfixed on it. The saltiness of unshed tears emanated
from him. “Now is not the time for sentimentality, halfbreed!
You wanted evidence, then find your evidence... now.”

“Right...”
as he wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve, InuYasha frantically
looked around at all the destruction, as Sesshoumaru edged himself to
the window to peer down on the street. “Fuck, Sesshoumaru . . .
where do I start??”

“Where
did she go, halfbreed? Look for something with an address on it, or a
book with writing in it, numbers . . . anything like that,” he
returned his attention to the window and the street below..

At
first, InuYasha picked at the flimsy undergarments and such that
littered the bedroom floor, noting that even the alarm clock had been
stomped to pieces. He wandered from room to room, trying to work past
his anger and freshened grief . . . past the scent of the invaders .
. . digging through and reaching out with his very spirit for some
sense of his mate.

Sesshoumaru
maintained his vigil by the bedroom window, cautious of the wards
that had been slapped on it, apparently in haste. There was a
familiarity to them, and careful to remain in shadow he moved closer
to inspect the Kanji on the sutra. Finely drawn with a calligrapher's
hand in gold paint, were prayers for protection, good health,
abundance of spirit. Even the sense of the weave of power around
them was familiar as he edged his clawed hand near them, feeling the
force of the barrier... could it be?

“I
can't read this, is it anything?” InuYasha had reentered the
room holding out a small book bound in plastic with the image of
sakura blossoms on it, while under his arm he held fast to a small
narrow first aide kit. In the other hand a small box of chamomile
tea. Sesshoumaru took the book, and opened it to find addresses and
dates, names and telephone numbers.

“This
is a good find, little brother,” and he examined the other
items that the hanyou seemed to be treasuring. “Those are
common items...” he dismissed them.

“Maybe
to you, Jackass... but to me... it all adds up to Kagome,” and
he reached down to pick up the two broken frames with the scratched
pictures, then removed the portraits. “I'm done here.”

“Surely
you do not intend to take those things . . .” Sesshoumaru
reached out for the photos and was rewarded with a snarl. “InuYasha,
those will be missed, you can not take them.” He could
hear cars pulling up out in front of the building. There was no time
to argue the matter.

“They
belong to me as much as they do anyone . . . My mate . . .”
and he waved the picture of young Kagome, “my damn tree . . .
I slept there for half a fuckin' century, it's mine if it's
anyone's!”

Sesshoumaru
could not argue against his logic, at least not with law enforcement
about to climb the stairs and find them there.

“Fine
then . . .” he acquiesced with a glare, “Drop the rest,
we have to find an alternate route out . . . come.” Slipping
the small date book into his breast pocket, he grabbed the stubborn
hanyou by the collar to drag him to the back of the apartment into a
tiny kitchen area with a small window over the sink. He motioned
toward it as they heard voices and footsteps entering the common
hallway downstairs. Sesshoumaru wiggled at the latch on the window,
then he cast a deadly, meaningful glare at the items that InuYasha
was still holding.

InuYasha's
reactively rolled his eyes, then glared back at the demon. Not
breaking eye contact as he raised his arm allowing the first aide kit
to drop noisily to floor. Jumping at the sound, he cringed then
slipped the damaged pictures into his jacket, as Sesshoumaru
continued to fidget with the latch on the window. It had been painted
shut, or so it appeared. Trying to loosen it with his claws was
ineffective, and the voices were now coming up the stairs.

“Warding
was unnecessary on this . . . it's impassible . . . hold your
breath, halfbreed,” and his claws began to glow with the
fluorescent green poison. InuYasha gulped a breath as his eyes began
to water from the noxious excretions. Running a claw along the edge
of the latch, Sesshoumaru was able to pull it completely free, the
poison melting through the paint like acid, marring the metal, and
staining the wood. He quickly pushed the window up and launched
himself through it, dropping gracefully to the small yard below.
InuYasha followed, holding onto his hat during his descent, fringe
flying around him. As he landed by his brother, both adjusted their
head attire and they quickly walked to the gate.

As the forensic team entered the apartment, Sesshoumaru and InuYasha
were nonchalantly walking across the street to the waiting car.
They could hear the humans coughing and arguing about the source of
the miasma. This amused Sesshoumaru in a guilty way, as the driver
opened the door for them.

“Is
it my imagination, or has that shit gotten ranker with age?”
InuYasha queried with a smirk as he lowered himself into the
limousine. Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow, as he followed his
brother into the car.

Both
of the brothers were lost in their own thoughts for some time, during
the drive back to the compound. InuYasha had pulled the scratched
and tattered portraits from his jacket, and as it grew darker, he
reached and turned on the interior light to better see. His mind
filled with memories of days spent following rumors of fragments,
stopping to help people at Kagome's insistence; of fighting and
learning the true power of Tetsusaiga; of growing to care for his
small group of comrades so completely that they were no longer simply
allies with a common enemy, they had become a family to him; of
finally coming to the realization that he loved Kagome more than he
loved life itself.

Sesshoumaru pondered on the ward he had examined, and how familiar
it felt. That was an art he had thought lost, though mimicked much
among the 'spiritual' movements of the day. And yet here in this
mediocre little apartment in the center of the city, not only did he
find a piece of real ancient power, but with a familiar feel
in how it had been cast. Ancient memories began to resurface, of a
rare friendship with a human, borne of little Rin's needs that he
could not meet. He had known nothing of human ailments, childhood or
otherwise. And his disdain for things human had been pushed aside
just enough to seek the help of someone who could treat the child.
That had been a crack in the door, in which she had shoved her foot,
effectively turning his world upside down. Even though human, the old
miko had had a universal wisdom about her. He would never forget
her.

“Miroku,”
InuYasha broke the silence of their individual reverie.

“Nani?”
replied Sesshoumaru absently.

“It
was Miroku that used to say that . . . it was like a mantra to him,
I swear,” and he shook his head.

“Say
what?”

“This
does not bode well,” InuYasha chuckled. “Miroku, the
Houshi that traveled with us. You said an old friend used to say
that, before we went in that place. But you didn't know Miroku . . .”

“The
one with the cursed hand,” acknowledged Sesshoumaru. “No
. . . that was not to whom I was referring.”

“I
never thought you had friends,” InuYasha cast a glance at his
aloof brother. “I never thought you needed or cared about
anybody at all . . . ever.”

Sesshoumaru's
expression remained unchanged as he took in what his brother had
said. It was truth. The hanyou's past observations had been very
accurate.

“For
centuries,” his eyes caught and held the focus of those of his
brother, “for centuries I saw it as a weakness. One this
Sesshoumaru could not afford. There was always someone to challenge
the legitimacy of my position . . .” his words trailed off, as
he tried to will his brother's understanding with the intensity of
his gaze.

For
a moment, brief as it was, InuYasha felt a sense of empathy with the
demon. He too had disdained any relationships, knowing they would
only be yanked from him . . . like his mother had been . . . and
after losing Kagome, he had returned to that life not wishing for any
more pain. He had pushed the kitsune away, the only member of his
adopted family to remain alive. But he was old enough to be on his
own . . . I did him a favor . . . he didn't need me anymore . . .
no one did. InuYasha broke eye contact.

“Much
too late, this Sesshoumaru discovered that it is in our relationships
with others, that we leave our legacy,” Sesshoumaru concluded.
It was short of an apology for being so cruel when he was young, but
it was as close as he would allow himself.

“What
the fuck does that mean??” InuYasha demanded. Why can't the
asshole talk like a normal person??

The
demon passively eyed the hanyou for several moments, as he considered
how to make himself more clear. He looked out the window at the
lights of the early evening.

“I
was wrong,” he said simply, his expression unchanged. Then he
took in a deep breath, and looked at his brother, “It means . .
. that I was wrong.”

InuYasha
looked down at the picture of young Kagome in his hands, an odd look
of amusement in his eyes. Did you hear that, Koi? Hell has
officially frozen over . . . the bastard actually admitted he was
wrong . . .

“Hn,”
the demon grunted in response to his brother's amused expression. At
least it was better than more tears, and for once they weren't
fighting. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little date
book. Surely there was some clue there, as to where those two were
going with that rental.

He
began to read.

A/N:
Thank you so much for the kind reviews, I am so encouraged by them!!
This being my first attempt at anything like this, it means a lot. I
am trying to keep it as original as I can, however so many stories
are out there, I am sure it's all been said (one way or another)
before. If the telling of my tale brings even a fraction of the
enjoyment I have had in writing it, then it's worth everything to me.
- 17
- 18
- 19
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Finding Kagome