InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Lives ❯ Recruiting ( Chapter 21 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“I let him in,” Mama said, coming around the corner. She stopped dead when she noticed the older Inuyasha still had his head in Kagome’s lap. “Kagome, what. . ?”

“It’s okay, Mama,” Kagome told her. As she looked down, she could see dark spots where Inuyasha had cried, even as his head still laid in her lap, only now he was looking at Sesshomaru. Kagome looked up again; was that truly Sesshomaru?

Fifty Two Lookit that, no subject change. That hasn’t happened in a while, hehe.

The moment the older Inuyasha’s eyes landed on the briefcase, he glared at the man. “I don’t need it,” he said, impossibly clearly.

Kagome looked down at him, then back up at that new man – Sesshomaru or not, he definitely had that cold, measuring look that made most humans and demons shiver in fear.

Currently he looked exasperated down at the older hanyou. “You always say that you do not need it.”

What were they talking about? Kagome could only wonder as the conversation drew out.

“Because I don’t!”

“I see. And all those times in the past where you went berserk and killed my subordinates, that was. . ?”

He growled and turned his face into Kagome’s lap again. Obviously, that had struck a cord, and Kagome found herself petting him somewhat awkwardly while she addressed that Sesshomaru man.

“Who are you?”

He looked a tiny bit surprised, which was covered in an instant. And then, oddly, he smiled. “It’s only natural you don’t fully recognize me. We cast a lot of illusionary spells these days. Demons, that is. I am still Sesshomaru.”

She nodded, and now that she looked, she saw a shimmer, saw some of his usual colorings appear and fade out again. The shimmer wasn’t so much on him as it was in her mind. Slightly confusing, but somewhat comforting – at least he was a person she knew – she relaxed a little more and leaned back into the cushions.

“So what are you doing here?”

Sesshomaru actually heaved a sigh and more or less collapsed in the chair recently vacated. He rubbed his eyes, looking very old at that moment. He answered, “Trying to watch over my little brother here. He’s been ‘disappearing’ of late.”

Though he growled and was about to snap out a reply, Kagome cut in before the elder Inuyasha could respond.

“You look a lot older than I remember,” she said. Though the statement could have cost her life on the other side of the well, she felt no danger whatsoever from the Sesshomaru sitting not five feet from her.

In fact he smiled at her, again. “Yes, demons do age as well.”

Having a chance to speak at last, the younger Inuyasha blurted harshly, “How old are you?”

Once more, Sesshomaru sighed and leaned back in the chair, dropping his head back. He most certainly looked like life was wearing him down. “Almost two thousand years.”

Kagome’s eyes bugged. “Wait, so. . . I mean. . .”

The older Inuyasha lifted his head and sat back, finally releasing her completely, although it looked forceful. He said, “Math. You can figure out how long a demon is going to live by comparing them with humans. Like with humans, though, good health adds years. In demons’ cases, that could be centuries. Sesshomaru should live for another seven hundred years, give or take.”

Kagome tried to make it look like she understood all that, but the words flew in one ear and out the other. Inuyasha moved and sat down beside her, the move effectively reminding all present that she was his and no one else’s.

The older Inuyasha actually laughed, however. His eyes were shining when he said to her, “Math still escapes you. Hate to tell you this, but it always will. At least. . . for the next three years,” he added, looking away.

“Simply put,” Sesshomaru interrupted, as though he had done this a thousand times before, “the age I feel is roughly that of a human sixty years old.”

Kagome blinked. “Sixty. . ?” As a new thought came to her, she couldn’t stop herself from speaking, “Then five hundred years ago. . .”

“I was just about forty-five,” Sesshomaru answered her.

Middle-aged. She could hardly keep her jaw in place, staring at Sesshomaru in complete shock. “Wait, wait wait,” she said. “But you’ve never looked a day over twenty-five!”

His lip quirked. “Do I still?” he asked, as though he were asking himself.

“But then, Inuyasha. . .” She looked down at him, sitting on the floor and staring at her still.

“Seven hundred and forty-five.”

She stared again, then glanced over at her Inuyasha. “That would make you. . .”

He looked away. She sighed. “Inuyasha, you told me you were a hundred and fifty.”

“Consciously, I am.”

Her eyebrow quirked. “You’re over two hundred.”

“Two hundred twenty-three, if I remember correctly,” the elder Inuyasha added.

Her mind spun. This was so completely wrong by human standards, yet didn’t Kagome say once before that his age didn’t matter? Then again, if he had looked over two centuries old, she might have had another opinion altogether.

“Alright, let’s leave that subject,” she stated firmly.

Sesshomaru chuckled. “I know what you want to ask.”

She shut her mouth and looked away.

“Inuyasha will likely live to be one thousand, one hundred twenty.”

One thousand, one hundred twenty. Seven hundred forty five. She looked over at the elder Inuyasha, trying to do the math in her head and coming up blank. He must have read her mind, for he answered her unspoken question.

“Fifty three.”

Again, all she could say was, “You don’t look it.”

He grinned. “I won’t until my body catches up with its own age.”

“When will that be?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a few years before I die, maybe a century; we don’t know.”

She looked over the younger hanyou and took his hand, not knowing why but feeling she needed to hand onto him. Her movement didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, it seemed, but she ignored two of the room’s occupants and studied her Inuyasha.

He was definitely contemplating; that was written all over him. He had a deep look of concentration, looking down at his knees as he thought. He hand reflexively contracted around hers every few seconds, making her think that he was either telling her that he was still here, or he was using her as a lifeline to keep from falling deep into himself.

It didn’t really matter what reason he had, the point remained that it was helping Kagome calm herself as well. She tugged on his hand, at a loss of what else to say. At least, until she remembered Sarah Lanes.

She looked over at Sesshomaru. “Sarah Lanes is under your employment?” she asked.

He gave her a half-smile, which was so odd to her that she almost shivered, but he nodded. “Yes, in fact, she helped treat this runt here.” He gestured at the elder Inuyasha.

And Inuyasha glared right back. “You’re the fucking one who needs therapy,” he snapped.

Sesshomaru raised a brow at him. “How so?”

“You and your brood; ‘Look at me, I’m Sesshomaru,’” Inuyasha mocked in a high-pitched voice, “‘and I’ve got kids and grandkids and great grandkids and can’t let one of them come within a hundred miles without saying hello to me!’”

Kagome snickered despite herself, then cleared her throat, even as Sesshomaru regarded Inuyasha with an odd amused look.

“Quite,” he agreed.

The elder Inuyasha rolled his eyes while the younger one finally glanced up and sat up straight, having found his strength once again.

“Why do you bother helping me?” he asked roughly.

Sesshomaru shrugged. “As one gets older, one yearns for family,” he said easily. “I only have one brother.”

The elder Inuyasha looked away at that, a hard yet pained look crossing his features, and Kagome found herself staring in question. What was he thinking? As far as she knew, Inuyasha had always wanted to be accepted, not just by the humans or demons, but by his one and only brother. The elder Inuyasha had that; what could he possibly be thinking to put that look on his face?

“That’s fucking it?” younger Inuyasha snapped, standing up. “I’ve been having one damned hell of a time trying to get you to just be nice to me, and it takes fucking growing old?”

“Inuyasha,” Kagome reprimanded gently. “Wisdom comes with age.”

“Fuck wisdom!” he snapped, not so much at her as everyone and thing else. He glared directly at Sesshomaru. “I can’t believe you! Invited yourself to Kagome’s fucking house, sit there and tell us how ‘good’ you’ve become, how old you fucking are – why don’t you just drop dead!”

What shocked Kagome more than that speech was the elder Inuyasha – he mouthed every single word that his younger self had said, almost in perfect rhythm.

And Sesshomaru leaned back in the chair, dropping his head back. “I’ve heard that before. Well, not in the same place as this, so a few words changed. . . but still.” He lifted his head and looked down at the elder Inuyasha. “I have heard it before.”

“But how?” Kagome asked, staring.

The elder Inuyasha looked up at her. “I went through the same thing. The only difference was. . . you were pregnant at the time. I. . . well, this Sesshomaru wasn’t there, but I told him how it went.”

The younger Inuyasha’s eye twitched. “Why?” he asked, flatly.

“Because,” his older self said, looking over at him and standing, “I used to blab unconsciously.”

“Used to?” Sesshomaru quoted. “I believe I heard you doing just that sometime yesterday.”

“Take a glance at a calender; you weren’t even in the house yesterday,” he said back.

“You think I don’t have cameras in my own house,” Sesshomaru stated.

Inuyasha shook his head. “Not ones with sound.”

“What the fuck is – ya know what, I don’t give a shit,” the younger Inuyasha snapped. “Why don’t you both leave?”

Kagome glared at Inuyasha in an attempt to shut him up, but it seemed his elder self and brother were waiting for just that moment. Sesshomaru stood up and picked up the briefcase.

“See, I told you I didn’t need it,” the older Inuyasha told his brother.

“This time,” Sesshomaru countered.

Inuyasha kept arguing quietly as they left, and Kagome turned to face her Inuyasha. They both had looks of slight confusion and shock. Then Kagome burst out laughing.

Inuyasha just stared at her. “What’s so damned funny?!” he snapped.

She shook her head, not answering. If he missed the joke, then oh well.

He humphed and crossed his arms. At about that same moment, Kagome regained her self control, stopped laughing, and then heard her mother.

“Kagome,” she said in her ever-calm and understanding tone, “I don’t understand what just happened.”

“It’s better that way, Mama,” Kagome replied, looking over at her mother. “Some of it would confuse you, some of it would worry you, and most of it you wouldn’t be able to contemplate.”

Mama nodded. “Something that needs to be experienced to be understood,” she said simply.

Kagome nodded in return and stood up. “But I really need to talk to Inuyasha now, Mama. Just let us know when dinner is finished, if we’re not down by then.”

Having gotten her hint, Inuyasha took her by the wrist and together they went up the stairs to her room, while Mama agreed and headed about her daily tasks.

~*~ Sesshomaru’s Mansion ~*~

“I cannot believe you went there without me,” Sesshomaru said, putting the items in his briefcase away.

“I can,” Inuyasha replied, plopping down in the biggest, softest chair in his brother’s study. The chair happened to be Sesshomaru’s.

Sesshomaru looked over at him, a thin bottle in his hand and poised in midair as he regarded his younger brother silently. After a few moments, he put the bottle where it belonged and crossed the room to his desk, rounded it, and stood right next to the relaxed Inuyasha, simply staring down at him.

Inuyasha grinned for a moment, then leaned back, shut his eyes, and crossed his ankles on the desk. He was still wearing those army boots of his, having refused to take them off when he entered the home. It was one of the many things he did to annoy Sesshomaru, very few of them actually being annoying enough to cause Sesshomaru to whack his little brother.

Like now.

“Ow, you damned. . !” Inuyasha rubbed his cheek and obligingly got out of the chair. “Geez, you could have asked.”

“You would have said ‘no’,” Sesshomaru replied, sitting down, and moving his mouse so the computer woke up.

Inuyasha growled at him. “That’s not the point.”

“It will heal,” Sesshomaru said carelessly.

“Is there a reason why you had me follow you in here?”

“Yes, in fact. Sit down while I bring it up.”

Inuyasha huffed and paced the room over, looking at the books on the walls. He read each title on their binders as he waited, recognizing each and every one as a book he’s previously read. At length he pulled out the book, “Crime and Punishment,” and flipped to a random page. He’d barely read a paragraph when Sesshomaru began tapping his fingers on the desk.

Inuyasha looked up. “What. . ?”

“Come over here.”

He rolled his eyes. Damn orders. He set the book down and rounded the desk to look at the computer. “Hey, it’s the detective,” he said, viewing a camera within a police station. As he watched, the detective Motsumoto paced around his office, brushing his hair away from his forehead every now and again. “Okay, why am I seeing this?”

“He has an unusually strong willpower,” Sesshomaru said. “Our mind-altering demon is not powerful enough to erase his meeting with you.”

“So?”

“So, you must take care of it.”

“Keh, weakling,” Inuyasha snorted, stepping away from the desk. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“I have already set up an appointment with him to visit us. There, you two must talk, and convince him somehow that he shouldn’t report you.”

“He hasn’t written it up yet?”

“He has, but has not delivered it.”

“Good; shred it.”

“My employees with the district cannot do that, Inuyasha.”

“And what’s the problem this time?”

“Cameras and evidence, or have you not noticed? Detective Motsumoto must either deliver it or destroy it himself.”

Inuyasha sighed. “Fine, and what am I going to say to the. . . guy?” he asked, barely stopping himself from swearing.

Sesshomaru closed the camera view and turned enough in his chair that he could see Inuyasha. “I’m afraid I can’t type up a speech for you.”

“Oh great, so you’re leaving the whole thing to me?”

“Not entirely.”

“Oh yeah? And what did you do?”

“Set up the appointment.”

Inuyasha scoffed and left, leaving the book on the chair he’d been sitting in minutes before. He practically stalked him way up to his ‘room’, as servants and guests avoided him at every turn. They all knew by now that Inuyasha was more than a little unstable, and didn’t talk to him unless he started the conversation. Cameras located everywhere in the mansion kept an eye on him to make sure that if he snapped, they’d know about it.

It wasn’t pressure to make him be good, it was like watching over him for when he’s bad. They weren’t keeping him on a short leash, they were watching him for when he needs caging.

He couldn’t help his smirk at the analogy. Wild dog, caging. He can be a good boy. He’ll sit on the porch and watch for intruders. But if you didn’t watch your step, he’d bite the hand that feeds him. It’s pretty much how he’s been since the day his mother died, but the difference is, now he’s more likely to snap randomly.

For a moment, he wondered what his Kagome would say to that.
“Oh, Inuyasha,” he could hear her voice, “you’re just being silly.”

He smiled. That’s just like her. “I’m not being silly,” he said aloud, having made it to his room at last.

“Oh yes you are,” she would say. “If you weren’t being silly, you wouldn’t be smiling now.”

His smile grew and he laughed lightly. “It’s not me being silly,” he denied his imagination. “Can I help it if you make me smile?”

She’d look at him with loving eyes then. “Inuyasha. . . how you sweeten your way through everything, I’ll never know.”

For a moment he grinned, but then the smile faded. He was talking to no one. He pressed his forehead to his window and stared out at the empty fields of grass. Kagome was gone now – at least his Kagome was. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He sighed heavily.

Seeing her, and being held by her, had done him some good. The bad memories were out of reach at the moment, not that he’d go searching for them. He smiled remembering, though. He hadn’t meant to end up with his head in her lap, but it had felt so nice, being touched by her again. He knew that she was still recovering and that putting any part of himself near that part of her was like suicide, but she hadn’t reacted badly.

Which only made sense. He remembered clearly how she used to scream and thrash at first, and how in such a short time, he could touch her anywhere he dared and it wouldn’t bother her. A truly amazing recovery, but just like Kagome to not let it keep her down – or at least, just like her to not let it keep them apart.

His smile remained as he thought about how he had ultimately saved her life, and that of their daughter’s. Sure it had likely damned his soul, but did that matter?

~*~ The Meeting ~*~

Motsumoto looked more than a little uneasy when Inuyasha entered the room. The room itself was a kind of mimicked study, with books everywhere, a desk, a few chairs and a low table. Inuyasha sat across from Motsumoto, wondering yet again what he could say to the man. Somehow, “I’m in a time paradox and killing those men saved my wife and daughter,” didn’t sound too sane.

So he said, “You should just forget about it.”

Motsumoto looked like he wanted to laugh and scream in one. He made a choking sound and shook his head, giving Inuyasha look that clearly meant the latter was insane. “Forget?” he echoed.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha agreed. “Look, the whole thing is so complicated and intricate a mere human like yourself – while of the intelligent sort – wouldn’t understand it. And even if you did, you’d never believe it. Or worse yet, you would believe it, and try to convince others, and end up stashed away in a mental institution until you were recruited.”

“Recruited?” Motsumoto repeated. “Recruited by who?”
“Sesshomaru, maybe,” Inuyasha replied. “Those who know things they shouldn’t know are employed by us if they can’t be made to forget.”

Motsumoto was silent for a moment, his eyes showing guarded curiosity. And then he said, “There’s more than just you.” It was a clear statement, not a question.

Inuyasha nodded, knowing lies were pointless. “We all have civilizations, here and there around the world. We live with humans every day, milling in and out of their lives. . . You’ve seen us dozens of times, I’m sure. Some of the criminals you’ve chased who you just couldn’t catch, but hear on the news one day is on death row. The person you always joke with while in line at the grocer’s. The person at the bank who processes your checks.” He leaned in close and added in a whisper, “Maybe even your best friend. We’re very skilled at hiding, but could never hide from each other. It takes a very knowledgeable human to be able to pick us out.”

Motsumoto was quiet for a long moment, seemingly thinking about it. Inuyasha’s uneasiness grew as he saw plainly the determination in the other’s eyes, saw it grow along with a new form of strength. The signs of a person who was accepting that the world was bigger, stranger, and far more dangerous than he ever thought possible, and was willing to be a big part of it.

Exactly as he’d expected, Motsumoto finally said, “Then I want in.”

Inuyasha sat back and tossed a single card at Motsumoto. “There’s five numbers on that card. They do five different things. Make no mistakes; this is a test for you. You only get one phone call. One chance. You need to use your instinct on which number to call. One is the number that will employ you with us. . . one will completely wipe your memory, all the way back to your first. . . the other three will put you in a trance for the rest of your days, so you’ll never see anything supernatural again.”

Motsumoto stared at the card for a long moment, turning it in the light, noticing how the numbers shined and glittered. He smiled and looked up, “I was going to get this from the beginning, wasn’t I?”

“Company policy,” Inuyasha replied easily.

Motsumoto looked down at the card again. “Probably a stupid question,” he began, “but. . . this card. . . the numbers. . ?”

“The numbers change for every card, and are mixed.”

“What happens if I toss the card and don’t call?”

“We send a bull youkai to your apartment, who’ll ram your door down, mess up the room, take you as a hostage, inject you with drugs that’ll make it seem like you’ve been through hell and lost your mind, then play out a typical crime and punishment routine. You’ll end up in an institution for the insane while the bull will get away scot-free, and spend the rest of your life claiming demons were real to anyone who will listen, and nobody would believe a word.”

“How long do I have?” Motsumoto asked, taking the information easily and without surprise.

“Four days.”

“And the report?”

“Can’t send it in, of course.”

“See you in five days.”

:End Chapter:

OMG finally! I finished! I had NO inspiration for this chapter, none at all. x.x

Gomen nasai. But at least I finished.

UPDATE!!

May 1st, at long friggin’ last, I have a flight. I’ll be going back to Illinois. Things I have there: EVERYTHING. Minus what I’ll be keeping here for my upcoming college stint.

Ultimately, it goes like this. . . I failed school, mainly cause I didn’t like it. DON’T FAIL SCHOOL. My god how I regret it. The point is, I took my GED. The second point is, I scored an overall of 586, which is a high B, really. I had to score 580+ to get a scholarship at the college I took my GED, so. . .

I have two free years of college awaiting me, starting this fall. My classes have been chosen. My schedule is made. Plans have been put together. I’m leaving all my winter clothes here, since I won’t be needing them in Illinois.

Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what the situation is back in Illinois, so I can’t come out and say, “See you next update,” since I don’t know the slightest bit what my internet access will be like. So far what I know is that my parents are living in Montgomery, near my dad’s parents, which means near Tammy, which means near 24/7 free internet access.

If Tammy’s house is as big a mess as how we left it. . . which is probably really a bigger mess after eight months. . . I have an incredible urge to go and clean it. Thoroughly. Give me Mr. Clean, scrubbing bubbles, bleach, and ACID for what I’m going to be doing.

. . .I hope I get paid for it, that’s all I’m saying.

What I attempt to accomplish while there: Driver’s license, some form of temporary job, at least a partial loss in that social disorder I have.

I fear meeting people in real life. What can I say? I’m a dreamer type. I sit and dream. And write. And draw. Which reminds me, go check out my gallery. I have some new stuff.

And the Scraps. Tons there. . . eh heh.

Last note: VOTE!! What do you want Motsumoto to do? Will he call the right number? Will he lose his memories, enter a trance, or choose not to call at all? His adventures are now up to the readers and reviewers!

Ya know, for anyone who gives two shits about his future in this fic.

See ya!