InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Fate's Hands ❯ Family Heirloom ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Review, review, review!! I want to see your opinions on this, and how it should be developed. ^_^

In Fate's Hands - Chapter Three

-

The Heirloom

When Kagome went to visit Ayumi again the next day, Yuka and Eri were with her. They burst into the ward much the same way that Kagome had done, except that they didn't create as huge a sensation as Kagome had. Perhaps it was because they were less noisy. They fussed and gushed over their bedridden friend as well, and buried Yoriko under a pile of questionings, flowers, cards and fruits. They'd also brought in some smuggled goods, which consisted mostly of candy. Ayumi'd winked at them, informing them that she hadn't been caught yet.

Inuyashagave a loud grunt from his bed. Yuka and Eri merely glanced at him before returning their attention to Ayumi. Kagome had been strongly aware of him the whole time, though. She'd actually caught herself wondering why her friends weren't as curious about him as she was, why they didn't find him as strange and fascinating as she did.

They obviously found him none of their business. She should, too.

The next moment she contradicted herself by turning to him with a friendly expression on his face.

"How are you, Inuyasha?"

That name… it completely fitted his violent personality.

Inuyashaturned around very slowly, as though he hardly dared to believe that Kagome was speaking to him. His strange, large yellow eyes fixed upon her. He shot her a scathing look before he looked away, folding his arms. "Bitch. What do you want?"

His words and language no longer shocked her as much as they had before.

"You haven't answered my question."

"You didn't answer mine either, so why should I?"

"I asked you first."

"Keh!"

It was clear that Inuyasha did not want to speak to her. It couldn't be that he was shy… or was it? Perhaps he wasn't in a good mood - but then again, he was never in a good mood. So far, anyway. And who could blame him? He was being held in this hospital ward entirely against his will. Kagome sighed, and turned away as well.

Peace and some quiet gradually returned to the ward, as Kagome and company talked quietly among themselves. Kagome was conscious, all the while, of that Halfling that sat on the bed just beside her. At times she could even feel his eyes pressing into her back. It made her feel uneasy. She was glad for an interruption when the door swung open and Kaede walked in, a clipboard in hand. Inuyasha looked up.

"Oi. Old woman."

Kaededid not respond; if she had heard him, she did not show it. She moved to the nearest patient, and jotted down notes on her clipboard while speaking to the patient in low tones. Inuyasha was glaring at her now.

"Old hag.

"Great-grandmother.

"Oi!"

Inuyashawas clearly not used to being ignored like this. Kaede finally turned around after what seemed like an eternity, and Kagome discovered that she'd been holding her breath. Once again, she thought she'd like to laugh, after noticing the expressions on the faces of her friends and the patients and nurses all around them. However, this wasn't the time. Wasn't Kaede going to get angry after being treated so rudely in front of everyone else?

Kaedestill wore that same, frowning expression on her face - it was as thought it was permanently etched onto her features. She didn't look angry, and Kagome suspected that she'd seen too much in her life to be angry at something like this. But Kaede was testing, testing to see Inuyasha's reaction, when she said,

"You are every bit as crude, rough-mannered, impolite, uncultured and unrefined as Kikyou says you are."

That was too cruel… wasn't it?

Inuyashasagged against his pillow. The spirit seemed to have left him suddenly, as he stared, stunned at the old nurse, who was by now advancing towards the door. He was laughing again, laughing the same way he'd done yesterday, laughing the kind of laugh that made the hair on Kagome's arm stand up.

"Of course… of course that's what Kikyou thinks of me."

Then he started shaking as rage overwhelmed him. He was shaking now, his long fingernails pressing deep into his palm.

"Do you think I care?!" he roared after her, as she turned on the door handle and stepped out. She didn't look back. "Who do you think I am?! Do you think I'll switch to being a Mr. Nice Guy just because that prissy, stuck-up bitch says I'm being a bad boy? Kikyou, Kikyou, Kikyou... You're no different from your sister, you old hag!"

Kaedeleft, and Inuyasha sank back on his pillows, his anger spent. He closed his eyes. Kagome stared at him.

Inuyasha…

She could hear Yuka whispering among them. "That guy, he's quite dangerous. A bit deranged, isn't he?"

--------------------

When Kagome next visited Ayumi, Inuyasha was no longer there. A young nurse was there, tidying the sheets and dusting the area. She turned towards Kagome as she entered, and smiled slightly, holding out something in her hand.

"You know him, don't you? That boy with the silver hair."

"W-What?"Kagome blinked.

The nurse picked up her hand, and pushed something into it. Kagome felt first the cold sting of metal as it touched her fingertips, and later the warm, pulsing beat of something else that lay in her palm. She lifted her hand, and looked at the object lying in her grasp. It was a pendant. The thing that was giving off the faint glow and pulse was a small, faintly-pink ball, and it was attached to a long silver chain. Kagome gasped at the sheer beauty of it, and lifted the ball closer to her eyes.

It amazed her.

What secret power lay within this ball?

"I would like you to return it to him. He used to wear it around his neck, but he left it behind after he left."

"What? But I don't…"

The young nurse smiled broadly. "Thank you, Kagome!" It seemed that anyone who visited this ward regularly enough now knew her name.

"H-Hey!"The young nurse had already walked out of the ward. Kagome bit her lip, staring at the swinging doors for a moment. Why was she having such bad fortune lately? Sighing to herself, she plopped down into the chair beside Ayumi's bed, with Yuka and Eri staring at her curiously.

"You do know him, after all!"

"I don't!" Kagome said crossly, though she continued to turn the ball over and over between her fingers. "That's the whole problem! Just because he mistook me for someone else and I tried to talk to him doesn't mean I know him.

"…You guys aren't listening, aren't you?" Kagome added helplessly, as all of a sudden Eri wrenched the priceless pendant from her fingers and held it up against the light.

"Ooooh, my, this is so pretty!"

"Why on earth did that violent, self-tempered person have something like this with him?"

"Kagome!You're a lucky girl - that guy obviously meant to give it to you!"

It was Kaede who saved her life later that day, by handing to Kagome a piece of paper with an address written on it.

--------------------

Kagome marched crossly through the streets, a glare prominent on her face. The pendant was tucked safely within her skirt pocket. It still continued to hum with a strange kind of energy. That, at least, calmed her down enough to stop her from yelling out into the fading day and turn around and stalk right back home.

"You traitors!" continued to echo around the walls and fences that surrounded her as she clutched the piece of paper, swiveling her head from side to side to catch a glimpse of the site that she was looking for. To vent her frustration, Kagome had crushed the piece of paper into a little ball, unfolded it and redid the entire process again.

"Gah!"

How could Yuka and Eri do this to her? They both had an excellent sense of direction and had lived much longer in this neighbourhood than she'd ever did. How could they claim that they had enormous amounts of homework to complete and return home without lending Kagome a hand? How could they?!

Speeding up slightly, Kagome caught a sudden glimpse of someone that looked very familiar in the distance - long silver hair, swishing from side to side. She summoned all her courage.

"Inuyasha!"

He obviously didn't hear her, as he continued walking forward and eventually vanished around a corner. Kagome broke into a run, calling his name at intervals. She found herself thundering down a rock-strewn lane, in a part of the neighbourhood where she'd never come across before. Next to her was a small abandoned playground, complete with a see-saw and swings. There were very little houses around now, and those that were there were rather small and looked ancient, in Kagome's opinion. One high-rise apartment block rose up before her.

"Inuyasha-a-a-a!"

She sighed, defeated, and sank down onto one of the swings, crushing the piece of paper into a ball again.

"Are you looking for Inuyasha?"

Kagome jumped up, smoothing down her skirt, and found herself face-to-face - well, not really - with a balding man much, much shorter than herself. He had a rather smug expression on his face, but he didn't look intimidating in the least. Kagome fought down the urge to say "Obviously!" and instead nodded.

"Yes. Do you know where I can find him?"

The balding man sighed, shaking his head woefully. "I don't know. He is always like this. I will see him for an instant, and the next moment he has bounded away into some secret area that I can't access because I am so pathetically old and frail." He coughed, rather audibly. Kagome raised one eyebrow at hearing this - he seemed to be in excellent health. "He has just been discharged from the hospital and won't even talk to his own guardian for more than a minute before running off again… ah. Well, what are you looking for him for?"

Kagome hesitated, unsure of whether to trust this old man or not. And Inuyasha was living with a guardian? What happened to the rest of this family…?

"I… I have something to give to him."

"May I have a look at it?"

Kagome backed off a little, putting her hand within her skirt pocket. If this guy had any bad intentions, she'd be able to outrun him, at least. He didn't seem to be much of a threat. But of course, looks could be deceiving, as she'd just learned.

The pendant lay in her palm, exposed to the darkening sky.

The balding man jumped backwards a little as Kagome revealed the treasure that had rested within her clothes.

"My! That is… Inuyasha's family heirloom! How did you chance by it?"

"He… he left him behind in the hospital and one of the nurses asked me to bring it to him."

The man frowned. "How could Inuyasha be so careless about something like that? That thing to him is the most precious object in his life. He would guard it with his life. He must have been really distracted to leave it behind…"

He stepped forward all of a sudden, reaching out his hand. Kagome's eyes widened, and she stepped backwards instinctively, but the man's fingers only came to rest gently on her wrist.

"I may be his guardian, but he will never trust me. He would probably push all the blame onto me if I ever had the nerve to return it to him. Of course, once he discovers that he has lost it, he will blow up at me as well - so it makes no difference. You must be close with Inuyasha, for the nurse to ask you to return this valuable item to him personally. But of course, she might not understand the value of this thing…"

Kagome shook her head bewilderingly. He was hardly making any sense.

"I trust that you will be meeting with him soon. Please, return the heirloom to him yourself." The man sweatdropped slightly, and Kagome frowned. He was so afraid of Inuyasha's wrath? And how could she be sure that Inuyasha would not treat her the same way as this man had said he'd treat him? A person's gender probably made no difference to Inuyasha whatsoever. She opened her mouth to protest.

The man was now wearing an apologetic grin. "I - I have to be back soon. My name is Myouga. Feel free to look for me some other time!"

Then he was off and running, leaving an open-mouthed Kagome to stare after him, jewel in her outstretched hand. Dimly she realized that this old guy was at least as speedy as Inuyasha himself.