House calls
Sessha-chan
Kagome glanced around the shrine grounds. The dim moonlight hardly lit the wide-open courtyard and provided no aid for the forested edges. She spread out her miko senses. One, two, three – no, just two. The third was melded strangely with the second.
So there was one hanyou and one very odd youkai waiting in the cover of the trees? Well, she knew how to deal with that.
Knocking an arrow to her bow with all the stealth Sesshoumaru had drilled into her head Kagome took aim. She drew the arrow back with only the slight creaking of the bow, and that was masked wonderfully by a rustling wind. In a sudden burst of power and light the arrow flew through the air and embedded itself in the tree just above their heads.
"Holy crap!" one exclaimed loudly. Kagome sensed them instantly react by going defensive.
"Hello youkai," she called, "You are welcome on the grounds of this shrine if you but have good intentions. If you don't then I have no choice but to protect my home,"
"What was that for!?" the same youkai demanded.
"Just a warning to show you how serious I am. If you want to talk come on out, stop skulking around in the shadows,"
There was a rustle and two young men, both looking completely human, stepped into the scanty moonlight. Kagome stepped out as well, lowering her bow.
"Good evening," she bowed a little. The boy with the two auras bowed back.
"Good evening, Miko-sama. We apologize if we seemed to be threatening, I assure you that that was not our intention," he said politely.
"Then what was?"
"Do you got a time portal around here?" asked the hanyou crossly. Kagome froze.
"A what?" she asked carefully.
"A time portal,"
She considered her options, "That depends on who's authority you are asking on. As you are youkai I think it doubtful you would brave a Miko guarded shrine for a human employer, unless you are very greedy and he very rich. Just know that the only youkai I answer to is Sesshoumaru-sama, and if he had sent you he would have informed me ahead of time,"
"How do you know Sesshoumaru?" the hanyou asked, shocked.
"Never mind. Who are you working for?"
"Reikai," said the one of two auras, "We work for the acting ruler of reikai, Koenma,"
"Koenma? The thousand-year-old toddler?" Kagome was floored, "What are you doing working for Koenma?"
"It is a long story,"
"Well, whatever. What does Koenma want with my shrine?"
"The time portal."
"He wants us to check it out," tossed in the hanyou.
"Is it dangerous?" she asked warily.
"Possibly," said Two Auras.
"There is a portal," Kagome relented. Then she warned, "but I cannot allow you near it,"
"Why not?"
"Because there is a barrier on it. I had to keep a persistent hanyou in the past,"
"Okay, so the portal is closed off. So on to my second question: how do you know Sesshoumaru?"
"He trained me," Kagome grinned. She could not see their surprise but she could feel it acutely.
"What!"
"You heard me, hanyou. Sesshoumaru-sama, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, was my sensei,"
"Wait," Two Auras interrupted, "Western Lands? This must be a different Sesshoumaru. The Sesshoumaru-sama we know of is Taiyoukai of the Makai, not just the west,"
"So he finally took over the world?" Kagome mused, smiling, "Why am I not surprised. He always did have the makings of an all-powerful ruler,"
"So you know him in the past?"
"Oh yes. He has contacted me here but hasn't had the time to visit when I'm not…sick," she coughed nervously. "Well, enough about that, how about you two come in for a cup of tea or something? I can tell you have no ill intent, so you might as well,"
"That would be very kind," Two Auras bowed.
Kagome turned and led the way to the house, the youkai following. She unlocked the door and slipped her shoes off before escorting her guests to the kitchen. They pulled out chairs at the table and waited nervously as she set a kettle to boil.
"So, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Higurashi Kagome, miko of the Sunset Shrine," she sat down as well, smiling brightly.
"It is a pleasure, Kagome-sama, My name is Kurama,"
"And I'm Urameshi Yuusuke. Nice to meet you," Yuusuke grinned.
"Kurama-san, Yuusuke-san, it is a pleasure to meet you two. I haven't come across many youkai here. Even less who felt as interesting as you two. Tell me, Kurama-san, why is it you have two auras?"
Both boys were surprised by the question. No one had asked Kurama that before.
"I, that is, this body harbors the soul of a kitsune thief who died at the time of my birth," he explained. Kagome nodded.
"I understand. Thank you for explaining it to me. What kind of kitsune is your other spirit? I have a son who is a red kitsune but he tells me that there are different types,"
"You have a son?" Yuusuke asked, shocked.
Kagome nodded serenely, "Shippou-chan's adopted. So, Kurama-san?"
"Yoko is a sliver kitsune," the redhead offered.
"Yoko? Yoko Kurama?" Kagome's eyebrow managed to reach her hairline, "That's your kitsune thief?"
"Yes Ma'am,"
"Interesting," she grinned impishly, "That must be fun,"
The kettle boiled and Kagome sprang to her feet to pour the tea. Soon three teacups were set on the table filled with fragrant green tea.
"And you," she turned to Yuusuke, "A hanyou? I have a hanyou friend,"
"How can you… where did you meet a hanyou?" Yuusuke frowned.
"In the past," Kagome smiled, "Can I get you two anything else?"
"No, thank you," Kurama shook his head, "this is more than sufficient. But how is it that you know about Yoko Kurama?"
Kagome smiled a little, looking quite wistful and very young. Her pink lips turned up and both boys exchanged a startled glance at the difference the expression made on the miko's face.
"Like I said, my son is a kitsune," she said, shrugging, "He likes to tell me stories about all the great kitsune in the Makai. I think he does it only so that I won't ask him what Sesshoumaru-sama has him put to work as,"
"Your son works for Sesshoumaru-sama? Just how old is he?" Yuusuke asked, flabbergasted.
Kagome thought about it, frowning a little at the table, "About five hundred and thirty, give or take. I wasn't sure of his exact age when I adopted him, not that it mattered at the time,"
"And how old are you?" he continued.
Now Kagome frowned at him, "Do you have any idea how rude it is to ask a woman her age? But since it doesn't bother me, I'm twenty-five,"
A light lit up in Kurama's head and he put one and one together, "This has to do with the time rip, doesn't it?"
"Bingo!" Kagome snapped her fingers and flashed a grin at the avatar, "I adopted Shippou back in the past when he was still only a child. Met Sesshoumaru-sama back then too. So," she suddenly got serious, "What does the toddler want with my well? He knows that it's here, he knows that it's licensed, he knows what I have do to with it. What does he want? I haven't broken the contract and if he has no good reason he's in violation," the threat was thinly veiled and both Yuusuke and Kurama's nerves were on edge as they felt her power rise to rest just below the surface, straining to break free.
"Koenma-sama sent us to check on the status of the portal's safety features," Kurama explained, "It has been in use for some years now and the span that it covers is quite extensive,"
Kagome blinked stupidly at him. "The well has safety features? You're kidding,"
"I kid you not,"
"Then how come he," she nodded to Yuusuke, "was so surprised to hear about it?"
Yuusuke flushed a little, embarrassed, "Like I believed the brat when he said we had to go check out a time portal,"
"It is hard to digest," Kagome nodded, understanding fully, "Didn't believe it myself when I first fell down it, what? Ten years ago?"
"Would you mind if we looked the portal over now?" Kurama asked, tilting his head to the side. Kagome shrugged and led them outside into the darkness towards the wellhouse. She brushed aside some of the papers hanging across the door, opening the barrier a little to permit the Spirit Detectives inside.
"What kind of people put a well indoors?" Yuusuke asked no one in particular. Kagome rolled her eyes, remembering asking herself the same question.
Kurama knelt down beside the wooden walls of the well and ran his hands over the rim and down the sides, feeling the surrounding magic, probing and testing it for weaknesses. Kagome watched in curiosity as the magic surrounding the well flared and responded to the kitsune avatar's touch.
"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he needed to concentrate.
"Just looking the spell over. Yoko, as a kitsune, is adept in the art of spells so that's why I was sent on this assignment rather than some technician from the Reikai," the redhead explained absently.
"And I'm here to cover your back while you're working," Yuusuke tossed in, frowning, "That and the brat loves to ruin my dates with Keiko,"
Kagome laughed, "Well, he's over a thousand years old and hasn't even hit puberty. Cut the kid some slack for being a little vindictive since you can't really blame him when you think about it that way,"
"He's still a pain," the toushin hanyou said after a sullen pause.
"So's Inuyasha. I still love the idiot," she shrugged, "The fact's not going to change, you just have to work around it,"
"Who's Inuyasha?"
"Remember the persistent hanyou I had to place the seals on the well for? That's Inuyasha. he worries when I'm out of his sight for more than a couple of hours so if I'm going to have any peace while I'm here I have to seal the well so he can't get through and drag me back,"
"You… and a hanyou?" Kurama looked up from his work, shocked, "But you are a miko,"
"So?" Kagome arched an eyebrow, challenging him outright.
"I have never heard of a miko having relations with a youkai or a hanyou,"
"There's a first time for everything. Second, in my case. What of it? Do you not approve?" her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I don't have a problem with it. it just surprised me. How did that come about?"
"With a lot of fighting," her mood did a 180 and she grinned, suddenly amused, "Inuyasha has a lot of trust issues to work out,"
"Understandable," Kurama murmured, turning back to his work.
"How long will this take?" she asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Just a couple more minutes,"
Kagome stifled a yawn, "Man, why did you guys have to show up so late anyways? Couldn't you have waited until morning or something?"
"Less people around in the night," Yuusuke shrugged, "Kurama's idea,""Trust a thief," she shrugged fluidly. "Anyways, could you hurry up? Inuyasha's going to have a field day when he smells you guys in here tomorrow and the longer you're here the stronger your scents are,"
"I'm going as fast as I can," Kurama assured her.
She nodded and settled herself down on a rung of the ladder to watch. She extended her senses carefully, trying to feel what Kurama was doing. Whatever he was doing was very fine, delicate, almost too quiet for Kagome to feel. She was impressed.
"So," Yuusuke said after a full minute of silence, "How did you manage to hook up with a hanyou?"
Kagome smiled and rested her chin on her knees, "Gees, that's a long story. I guess it started because he was roped into being my protector. He really didn't like that but he got used to it. Things happened from there and, lots of fights and frustration later, we managed to fall in love."
"Love?" Yuusuke choked. "You know he's a hanyou yet you still fell in love with him?"
"Why not? It's not like he's some sort of monster," Kagome shrugged. "In some ways Inuyasha was more human than humans themselves. But if he heard me say that he'd never forgive me," she laughed brightly.
"But... isn't it strange? To be in a relationship with with someone who's not human?" the toushin frowned.
"Sure it is," the miko nodded, "But any relationship involves acceptance, some more than others. Why? You sweet on someone?"
Yuusuke said nothing, but his blush gave him away even if Kurama had not answered for his friend.
"Yuusuke's pining after his childhood friend," the kitsune avatar laughed. "Problem is he doesn't want to do anything since he doesn't want to drag Keiko into the world of youkai,"
"She a delicate kind of girl?"
"Not a chance!" Yuusuke snorted, "She's gotta be the world biggest tomboy,"
"So what? You think she'll get hurt?"
"She's only human,"
"So am I, Yuusuke-san,"
Yuusuke hesitated, "But you're a miko..."
"That doesn't give me as much immunity as you would think," Kagome shook her head at the hanyou before her, "Talk to her. Tell her. If she needs someone to talk to bring her here." she offered. Yuusuke nodded slowly, his thoughts directed inwards.
"Have faith, Yuusuke-san. Humans are versatile creatures,"
"Kagome!"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome looked up from her book and dashed to get the door before he reached it.
"Kagome why do I smell youkai in the wellhouse?" the hanyou from the past demanded, looking around suspiciously.
"It was the maintenance men," Kagome smiled, "The thousand mile check up for the well. Don't worry, they were working for the right people,"
"The who and the what?" Inuyasha looked at her, confused.
"Don't worry about it Inuyasha," she patted him on the shoulder, "Just know that I think I was able to help another hanyou find his girl,"
One-shot goodness. this has been on my comp for ages. picked it up a couple of nights back and figured i finish it off. it was never ment to be long and i have absolutly no plans to make it longer. enjoy. reviews are enough to gain you a cookie. flames are duely ignored. if you don't like it, please tell me, but also tell me why. 'it sucks' just shows that you have the mentality of a grasshopper. please, don't immitate insects. it's insulting ot them.
sessha-chan loves you!