InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ The Rescue 3 - Avoidance ( Chapter 25 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: Stumbling might be an understatement.

Chapter Rating: G.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. OCs are my own. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Arc 4 - The Rescue 3 - Avoidance

the present

Kagome stepped from the train station feeling a heaviness about her that had nothing to do with her overloaded backpack or her monthly cycles. This new quest could potentially last anywhere between a few days to several weeks, depending on how quickly she could travel by foot to the Makai extension of the Goshinboku.

And to top that off, she had to make sure and avoid a certain group of individuals who could prove to be a hindrance to the Goshinboku's fate -or her own.

The Goshinboku had done its best to prepare her for the unfamiliar tasks ahead of her, with images of places and people and hints about...

Well, it didn't really matter how much the Goshinboku had tried to help, because Kagome still felt as though her thoughts had been pushed through a meat grinder.

There had been simply too much information to soak up in such a short time. A few bits of information did stick out amidst the hazy fog of confusion, but those snippets only served to make her worry even more. "The Anshan has realized that you are a special host: one that will not die from its feeding. You are valuable to its welfare in this wholly youki-deprived realm, and it will try to assist you on occasion. Do not depend on it to produce miracles or do everything you desire, for it will sometimes only do what is in its best interest. You must remember that you will be proceeding into a realm perfectly suited to the plant's escape from extinction. Be prepared in case you no longer have its support..."

She sighed and checked her watch as she fought back a yawn. It was almost amusing that her stomach rumbled noisily only after she had noticed how late it was. Kagome adjusted her backpack straps over her shoulders and glanced down the busy street for any restaurants. People barely spared her a passing glance as she walked briskly down the sidewalk and considered her dinner options. A small sandwich shop looked appetizing, until she noticed the line of customers waiting to be served, and she hesitated at the entrance to a sushi bar until she caught sight of a noodle shop across the street.

Her lips curled into a nostalgic smile as she was reminded of a day she'd taken Inuyasha to eat at a noodle shop a short distance from the shrine. This shop didn't look too busy, so she stepped inside and sat at a table near the register. She propped her bow against the wall and arranged her backpack so it would be out of the way of the brunette waitress that approached her.

It was obvious the young woman was agitated about something, but her smile was genuine as she drew near and bowed slightly. "Good evening and welcome to the Yukimura Noodle Shop, my name is Keiko. What can I get for you?"

She ordered tea and oden, then sat back in her chair and tried to relax. It would do her no good to worry about the upcoming dangers while she remained in the Ningenkai. All she needed to do before searching for the entrance to the Makai was behave as naturally as possible.

The Goshinboku had stated a very distinct warning about a team of four individuals. She'd been given descriptions of their behavior and appearance and had seen flashes of them in action. They'd been assigned to guard the Ningenkai from threats posed by the Makai, especially from creatures that managed to slip through the barrier that split the two realms.

If they were to catch her trying to enter the Makai, they would stop her and potentially question her... of course, she had no idea how aggressive the Reikai Detectives could be in regards to "stupid humans," but if they were to discover anything more about her...

And on the flip side, if they were to catch her trying to return to the Ningenkai... well, there certainly were a lot of unknowns where those detectives were concerned.

If she worried about running into one of the Reikai detectives before she made it through the barrier, it was possible that her body might instinctively react and make her presence obvious through fluctuations in her aura. She sighed and fingered the collar of her long-sleeved shirt. While it came in handy to hide the thin blue vines that had wrapped around her limbs from shoulder to ankle, it did mean she was left feeling a bit too warm during the summer days.

The moment her waitress returned to the table with her order, the door chimed and drew their attention to a disheveled young man with the strangest expression as he looked directly at Keiko. Kagome heard her waitress mutter (in a near-growl, mind you) something vaguely resembling a name before she turned back to her with a slightly forced but still-friendly smile. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked, and Kagome shook her head with a smile of her own. It was pretty obvious that the newcomer knew he was in trouble with the waitress, and Kagome hid her amusement behind the rim of her teacup.

Kagome's mirth was short-lived, however, for in the next moment, Keiko began yelling at the poor man. The handful of people currently eating were easily able to hear every word the angered waitress said, and it began to seem as though she would be able to go on for a while as her complaints shifted into words on a more personal level. More than a few people politely averted their attention; a warm flush of empathetic embarrassment for the young man's plight crept across Kagome's cheeks. She quickly finished her tea as the first customer tossed his napkin to his table and left.

She stood and moved uneasily toward the cash register to ask for a to-go box, unable to shake the feeling that she'd forgotten something. The older woman that behind the register stood there with a hand on her forehead as though this sort of thing occurred often and gave Kagome an apologetic smile. She reassured the woman and gave her enough to cover the meal as well as a decent tip before she turned back to her table.

The young man had his hands raised in a placating manner as he spoke the first words she'd heard from him, "But, I just got back from a job. It wasn't supposed to take so long!" Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach flopped as she recognized his face. This young man must be one of the team that the ancient God Tree had warned her about. His team must have finished their most recent mission, and if she could take anything from his appearance, they'd probably gotten back just minutes ago. She needed to make a quick exit while the two were still busy 'discussing' his tardiness.

Her meal was packed up in moments. She picked up her belongings and slipped out the front door. The young man probably noticed her departure, but didn't make any motion that would tell her that she'd already been discovered, so she quickly made her way across the street. Her ultimate destination in the Ningenkai was a park of decent size a few blocks away, and if she hurried there, she'd be able to sit down and finish her food while it was still warm.

A sudden gust of wind from her left forced her hair into her face and she turned her head in that direction to clear her mouth and eyes of the offending strands. 'You've got to be kidding me!' she thought as she noticed bright red locks that could only belong to another member of the team she was supposed to be avoiding. He was heading in her general direction, but the wind was in her favor as it pressed her (and her scent) down the street, away from the kitsune avatar. She shook her head in annoyance and walked quickly toward the park, considering eating her dinner after she'd found the entrance to the other realm.

Ten minutes later, she found the serene green slopes and tall trees of the park. Unsure of how long she'd have before being discovered, she made her way off the regular path and deeper into the wooded area. Her food was forgotten as she began to feel a strange chill creep across her skin. She slowed and made her way more carefully, recognizing the feel of hostile youki. She had to make a conscious effort to calm herself and not respond with a rise in her own aura, but that was made easier as the youki flared once and faded altogether. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and plopped down into the grass at her feet.

She knew that there was no reason that she'd be pursued so soon after her arrival to the area. Even if the punk and the red-head had any suspicion toward her character, she was still within perfectly reasonable human behavior as she sat beneath a tree to enjoy the sunset with her dinner. 'Come to think of it, why did the Goshinboku display that kitsune with so many sparkles and petals flying about?' Her memory of the brief description given to her earlier that day reminded her of some cooing fan-girl's fantasy.

She sighed and poked at her oden as her mind wrapped around her looming and inevitable entry into the Makai. A few minutes later she gave up trying to eat and dumped the cooling contents of the container into the grass. She shook the box out, folded it neatly and tucked it into one of the front pockets on her pack before she stood and stretched her legs. She unzipped her long-sleeved shirt and removed it, leaving a slightly mangled shirt to cover her upper body. The vine needed to have free-reign in the Makai, and the clothes best suited for the job had already been torn to allow the vine to slip out in places along her back and shoulders. It could provide enough warmth against the chill of night without constricting her initial form of defense.

Unwilling to be caught unawares, she stepped on the edge of her bow and tucked the string around her calf. She pressed her full weight onto the upper end and pulled the string into position, then slung her quiver into a more readily accessible location on her back.

She knew she'd have to wait and use her miko skills only as a last resort, but just in case that moment came sooner than expected, she didn't want to die trying to get her bow ready to fire. She bit her lip and looked around the park, finally allowing her aura to expand slightly. The Goshinboku had tried to show her the best way to enter the other realm, and in order to do so, she'd need to locate a very faint trace of youki, and then apparently use one of her arrows to pierce through the thin barrier.

Of course, a tree that had remained stationary for its entire life had no actual experience in opening a breach in the barrier between the Makai and Ningenkai.

It took her about five minutes of walking around to feel the slight chill of youki, and then another two to pinpoint where it was coming from. Just as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, there was a large crash in the foliage directly behind her. That was most definitely not a natural sound in the rapidly darkening park, so she jumped in fright, tripped on a tree-root, and comically flailed her arms about as she fell sideways.

The whoosh of freezing cold air stole her breath, and she landed in an upside-down heap with her face pressed into the grass. 'That was graceful.' She felt the press of motion against her back as the vine maneuvered her out of the awkward position she'd fallen into. The vine rarely did 'nice' things to help her, so Kagome felt more than a little surprised as she looked around at the drastically different surroundings.

'I guess I didn't really need the arrow to get into the Makai, after all.'