Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Escapade ❯ MORE "visitors" ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Nope…I still don't own them…

Chapter Two: MORE "Visitors"

The stars were brilliant points of light in the sky. And midnight hung over the world like a dark satin cloth embellished with countless jewels of white and blue. The many trees could be seen as slender silhouettes, glowing silver in the light of a waxing crescent. Crickets serenaded the slumbering land, and creatures of the night moved with silent grace; as dark shadows beautiful and mysterious, haunting the woods.

In a small grove of birches a fire stayed lit into the night. Six companions sat around the flame. There was a man in the robes of a monk, and a woman in a simple kimono. They lay apart, just close enough to speak with one another, and the space was deliberate. Also dead to the world, was a kitsune boy, curled up in the double tail of a large cat. Two of the companions, however sat awake; one was huddled up to the fire, with a multitude of textbooks bulging from a yellow pack, and her nose in on of the said books. The other watched his friends from a tree, for he rarely slept, and now he was keeping watch. His eyes would flick between all the rest of the companions, though he lingered on the one other remaining awake. The waking are oft the more interesting to watch.

"An isosceles triangle has…two equal sides?" Kagome could not sleep. It was as simple as that. Well…it was more than you average bout of insomnia, because she actually had a reason to stay up.

Kagome was determined to finish her math homework.

So determined, in fact, that she had sworn to herself that she would not look at her spell book until it was finished.

All of her other homework had been a breeze. Literature was easy, as she had already finished the book she was reporting on earlier that day whilst waiting for Miroku to come to so they could leave. History, well… all she really had to do to get her history homework done was look outside. Various other homeworks were easy enough to complete, and she had gotten the course work for the next few days since her `Rhinoceritis' (she was pretty sure Jii-chan had made that one up) would not allow her to return to class for at LEAST five days. But her accursed math homework was taking forever, made worse by the fact that her calculator needed new batteries, which wouldn't be invented for nearly five hundred years.

And Kagome CERTAINLY did NOT have five hundred years to do her math homework.

But thankfully, even the evil Maths professor had yet to create the unending assignment.

"Ah…done! Finally!" And Kagome started a little victory dance, still nice and warm in her sleeping bag.

Then she glared in the general direction of the snort that had come out of the canopy.

"What's so funny?" She called up grumpily. Her voice was quiet, but she knew he could hear.

Inuyasha jumped down from his tree, and landed lightly in front of Kagome.

"You looked like a worm wiggling around in that thing, Kagome," he snickered.

"I was dancing," she said, indignant. "And you would be too if you had just finished all your homework, so that it couldn't haunt you in your sleep for even one night! Besides, it's cold, and I'd much rather dance in my sleeping bag than dance and freeze!"

"Keh."

Kagome rolled her eyes, and turned back to her pack.

"Oi Kagome! I thought you said you were done," Inuyasha said in question.

"I am," answered Kagome. "But something you said before I went home last time got me thinking…" At this Inuyasha's ears perked up: he wanted to know what he had said that had been so offensive. "At first I was just really mad," said Kagome. Her expression darkened as if she was contemplating going back to being angry. "But then I started to wonder why I can't use my Miko powers at will, like Kikyo can. You know make barriers and stuff…"

`Oh so it was about that, huh?' Inuyasha nodded for her to continue.

"So then I realized Kikyo is a trained Miko, so maybe all I need to do is train myself to use my powers!"

"You think that'll work Kagome?" He asked.

"Well… we're about," Kagome paused when Shippou snored so loudly it was a wonder nobody woke up. "We're about to find out."

Kagome rummaged for something in her pack for a while, then pulled out a brown box about the size of a stack of two or three textbooks.

"I got this course when I was in my time. It's called `KWIKSPELL: a Correspondence Course in Beginners Magic' or something like that."

Inuyasha snorted. " You got that in your time, Kagome? It's probably a load of shit, then."

"It's not Inuyasha," she said, and pointed at the box. "Whatever it is has SOMETHING magic in it, because I know I'm sensing something, and NO," she put in quickly, seeing his hopeful look. "It is definitely NOT a Shikon shard!"

"Keh…"

They stood in silence for a while. Then Kagome sat down, with a rustle of fabric, and placed the brown box in her lap. She was about to open it (there was no WAY she was going to sleep), when…

"Oi Kagome?" Inuyasha was looking from her to the package in her lap.

"What?"

"You said you sensed magic in that box?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then maybe I should open it for you… It would be stupid for you to take a risk…"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said. `That's so thoughtful of him,' her mind added. "Alright," she said, handing him the box, "But I don't think there's anything to worry about. The magic I'm sensing is pure…"

Inuyasha slit the box open with a claw, and opened the lid. There was a moment of almost tangible tension, if the crickets were still chirping, or the fire still crackling, or Kagome's sleeping bag still rustling, nobody heard it.

Then…

Silence.

Nothing exploded. No strangely colored gas seeped out. No feral beast leapt to attack.

Kagome took that as her cue to breath again.

"Well," She said cheerfully. "It look's like there really wasn't anything to worry about.

"Whatever. Here take it," Inuyasha handed her the box. And she dumped the contents onto a blanket in the grass, set up near enough to the fire that it was visible, but far enough away that it wouldn't catch a stray spark and become kindling.

Kagome crouched next to the blanket, and Inuyasha peered over her shoulder, looking nonchalant as ever.

There was a list of materials and Kagome started to look over it.

(1) Copy of `A Guide to Beginners Magic: The Wonder of Wand Technique'

(1) Copy of `The KWIKSPELL Spell book'

(2) Mixing flasks

(1) Cauldron. Pewter. Standard size two.

(1) Wa…

Kagome gasped.

"Inuyasha," she said. "I think I figured out where that magic was coming from…"

"Wha…"

"It's a magic wand," `made of yew. Unicorn hair core. Eleven inches.' Read the list. "This is so cool!"

~*~*~*~

To say the Higurashi house was tense would be something of an understatement.

It had been two hours since they had received their European `visitors,' and they had since been introduced as Margaret Holms, Peter Brocklehurst, George Bennit, Walter Semski, and Linda Templeton.

The whole of the Higurashi family (with the exception of Kagome, of course) were having tea with their guests. Though after two hours the cups were pretty much drained. The Higurashi's were at a loss. It was clear that these agents were planning on waiting for Kagome. And neither Mama, Souta, or Jii-chan, could think of an inconspicuous way to explain to them that Kagome would likely be gone the first half of the week. Since they were at a loss, they simply said nothing, or at least, as little as possible.

The `ministry officials' were at a loss as well, for most of them had only scraped through muggle studies. Because of this, they said as little as custom would allow.

The result was a VERY quiet teatime.

That is, until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Said Souta, jumping up, grabbing the excuse to leave the room.

He raced down the hall, past the site of the as of yet, unexplained banging noise, praying to Kami-sama for one of his friends to be ringing to ask him to go to a movie. He was met with two MORE Brits. One man, and one woman.

"Hi there." Said the woman. She had black spiky hair, and looked no older than twenty-two. "You must be Souta, right? I hope you'll forgive me for speaking in English. My Japanese is horrendous! I would try to say `how are you,' and ask for a fish instead… I'm Tonks, by the way. Nympha…ugh, just Tonks, the rest is pungent."

"Uh… Hi" said Souta unsurely.

"Pleased to meet you Souta. My name is Lupin," said the man next to Tonks. He looked older, with some grey hair showing on his head, and slightly tattered clothing. It was then that Souta noticed these two did not wear weird robes like their other visitors, though they obviously new who he was, the two parties were more than likely acquainted. Lupin bowed politely, and Souta decided Lupin was all right. His voice was soothing, like balm to Souta's frazzled nerves. Tonks seemed nice too, he decided, if a bit bewildering…

Souta stepped aside, and the new guests were coming in when they heard a distinct rustling in the bush.

Both Lupin and Tonks turned sharply, ready for a confrontation seemingly. Or Lupin was at least. His hand went to his pocket where Souta supposed he had a gun, if he was another `ministry officer.' Tonks had tripped over her own feet, and was now standing up with a muttered curse. Then came a second noise: a male and a female voice, scolding someone simultaneously. `RON!'

Lupin's hand left his pocket weaponless, and he seemed to relax.

Tonks called out, "Oy Harry, Hermione, Ron! I thought you lot were supposed to be with old mad eye."

Three faces popped up from behind the bushes. Two boys and one girl, all looking guilty and nervous.

The boy with black hair, glasses, and a strange scar on his forehead answered first. "Oh, er… We decided we'd come help…"

The taller boy with flaming red hair interrupted him. "It was bloody boring back there! The game won't start until next week, and Moody was being creepy! He kept cleaning his glass eye and yelling `VILIGENCE!' Besides you two might want help cleaning up what ever mess the ministry causes."

Here the girl cut in as she stood, and brushed herself off. "And they WILL cause a mess. Harry and I both live with Muggles remember? And out of all of us out here I'M the only one who learned Japanese before we came!"

"Well we can't ALL pick up a language in TWO WEEKS!" said the red haired boy heatedly. The girl glared at him.

"You'll want to shut up now, Ron…" said the other boy.

"Er…right…" Ron gulped as he stared in the face of the wrath he had incurred…again…

"So…" said the boy with glasses. "We're not in trouble, are we?"