InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twins Travel Together ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

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

Chapter 5 

 

Stepping into Kaede’s hut, Kinuki enjoys the calming scent of herbs as Kaede pours the two girls some tea. 

 

“I fear we haven’t much time to spare, so would ye be so kind as to tell us what happened the night before?” 

Kaede asks once the three miko have been seated. 

 

Kinuki nods, her hand subconsciously moving to the scar on her arm from where that one jewel shard had scratched her. It had healed well overnight, but Kinuki was quickly finding out that spiritual powers were not magic. They were bound to miko, for one thing, and the site of the injury wouldn’t remain unblemished by simply speeding up the healing process. 

 

“Well, I was busy trying to get the townspeople to go back to the village, so I only got this really bad feeling, like my soul was shuddering, and then I looked up and saw the jewel with Kagome’s arrow through it. I conjured up a type of net when I heard the first crack and a second later, the entire thing had shattered and was shooting all over the place. The net managed to catch some of the shards, some landed close-by and others are undoubtedly scattered all over the country. When the sky cleared, I compacted my power and brought it down to me, which is how I saw that those lines of light had indeed been jewel shards.”

 

With her recap complete, Kinuki’s brow knits together at the puzzling expression on Kaede’s face. 

 

“Ay. It would seem the Jewel has shattered.

Now, what do ye intend to do about it o-miko-tachi?” 

Kaede asks with a sigh, Kinuki can tell she’s keeping something to herself, but decides to turn to her older sister first.

 

‘What do you think?’

 

‘What do you mean?’

 

‘Well, you are the one who…’

 

‘shattered the jewel. I know, but do we…’ 

 

‘really have to stay here to collect those shards and reconstruct the jewel? Come on ‘gome you know…’

 

‘that a wrong can only be righted by the wrong-doer…’ 

 

‘or his or her next of kin, and I know Grandpa would say…’ 

 

‘What are you still stalling for then? I didn’t raise a pack of indecisive hoodlums!’ 

 

The girls both chuckle at the rather realistic impression of their grandfather. 

 

‘So…’

 

Kagome gave in with a sigh, and Kinuki gifted her with a triumphant grin, while Kaede looked back and forth between the two in obvious confusion. 

 

“We will collect the jewel shards and restore the shikon no tama...” 

Kagome replies.  

 

“So long as we can request a little bit of help.” 

Kinuki adds, earning her two curious looks from her fellow miko. 

 

“Our village does not have much, but we are happy to put anything ye may need at yer disposal.” 

Kaede says immediately, though Kinuki shaking her head has even the elderly miko questioning what the young one must be thinking as her expression turns confused and curious. 

 

Kagome, on the other hand, already had an inkling as to what her younger sister may be thinking, and it didn’t necessarily sit well with her. 

 

‘Kinuki,’

 

Said individual turns a knowing look on her older sister. 

 

‘you can’t possibly mean…’

 

‘to ask Inuyasha if he’d mind helping out?’

 

She phrases the idea so innocently one might think she was talking about asking someone to borrow some change for a vending machine, not freaking hike across all of japan looking for powerful relics that could potentially be used to change the very fabric of destiny itself! 

 

She couldn’t be serious.

It was illogical,

senseless,

delusional,

unimaginable,

impossible… 

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

…She was serious.

Shit. 

 

“Wh… we… Why don’t we hold off on that for a bit?” 

Kagome stutters out, though she knows Inuyasha can likely hear her, she needs to clear a few things with her sister first.

 

Kinuki cocks her head at her sister’s request. 

 

It was a little tick that asked a question without words. Kagome knew it well. 

 

She was asking why.

 

“I mean, we still need to see if we can get back home, and we need to fill in mum and grandpa on all the details, not to mention we’ll have to go back sometimes for school…” 

 

Kagome stopped when she saw her sister’s mirth-filled expression. 

 

“… and you were going to suggest this once we’d spoken to Inuyasha anyway, weren’t you?”  

She trailed off, gesturing for Kinuki to do whatever she wanted when said girl nodded. 

 

The younger twin grinned, before rising to exit the hut and come in again after waving Inuyasha inside. 

 

“So, I’m pretty sure you already heard what we’ll be doing…”

“but we still wanted to ask, if you’d come with us.” 

Kagome started and Kinuki concluded their request. 

 

Inuyasha, while still trying to figure out how these two managed to communicate so well, gave his usual reply.

 

As if he’d let them find the jewel shard without him.

 

“Keh.” 

 

Kinuki smiled at his tone, while Kagome’s expression grew puzzled, so Kinuki elaborated. 

 

“He said yes, of course he will, but only so that he can gather the jewel shards.”

 

Kagome and Inuyasha both suddenly had a case of slack jaws, and for the same reason too. 

 

How the HELL had Kinuki understood all of that from that one word, especially considering that everything she’d said had been true! 

 

Inuyasha merely shook his head, following the two girls as Kinuki pulled Kagome out of the hut and towards the well from whence they’d, apparently, come. 

 

It was still early afternoon, so, with a quick goodbye called over their shoulders, and promises to be back, the twins made their way into the forest, Inuyasha trailing behind them, curious in spite of himself. 

 

“So… Any guesses as to how the two of us managed to use the well in the first place?” 

Kagome asks, looking for a reason to strike up a conversation in this stifling silence. 

 

Kinuki spares her sister a curious sideways glance, before actually answering her. 

 

“Well… considering you’re the one who fell in, and I just got pulled along behind you, I’d say it would have to have something to do with you, wouldn’t you agree?”

She muses, giving Kagome a smirk that screamed self-satisfaction. 

 

Kagome presses her lips together to keep from laughing out loud at her little sister’s expression. 

 

“You know, I was already that far with my own thoughts… I meant WHAT exactly could have triggered the portal?” 

Kagome finally answers with a little eye roll that has Kinuki snickering into her hand, which, in turn, made Kagome’s gaze soften and her shoulders relax. 

 

Kinuki smiled when she took note of her sister’s receding stress and tension. 

 

She had hoped to ease her mind somewhat, because, honestly, even for her, suddenly becoming a time traveller in an era with demons and miko and monsters and magic was a lot to take in. 

 

“Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it has something to do with the Shikon no Tama.” 

Kinuki answers, moving to interlock her fingers behind her neck and take in the sky between the tree’s brightly coloured foliage. 

 

Kagome blinks. 

 

“Huh. That actually makes a lot of sense.” 

She murmurs, just as the trio make it back to the fringe of the clearing with the Bone Eater’s Well at its center. 

 

“Doesn’t it? I mean, I still don’t fully understand the Jewel, or why I get dragged with you depending on which time we go to, or our strange new magnetism for that matter, but, even if the Jewel isn’t the ONLY reason we got pulled into the past, I think it’s probably at least PART of the reason.” 

Kinuki elaborates, both Inuyasha and Kagome turning to give her an odd look as she spoke in one breath. 

 

She quirks an eyebrow at the two of them. 

 

“What? Think I was going to faint on you, or something?” 

She teases with a light laugh, before grabbing both Kagome and Inuyasha by the hand and dragging them up the slight incline to the well. 

 

“Come on, we have more important things to do than stand around and look at one another.” 

Kinuki urges with a little eye roll, coming to a stop at the rim of the well. 

 

Inuyasha, who still isn’t used to Kinuki’s openness and lack of fear around him, stiffens and almost balks when she suddenly takes his hand in hers and pulls him forward to the well with her sister. 

 

Sighing, he lets himself get dragged to the well, resolving to get used to Kinuki as quickly as possible, since he wasn’t sure how long he would survive her giving him so many jump scares… and he wasn’t too fond of the idea that he accidently hurt her for something as simple as being herself. 

 

He sighs quietly, already having an inkling that these twins were going to be a whole lot of trouble… Yet he finds that that thought doesn’t dissuade him any from wanting to sate his curiosity about the two strange miko by his side. 

 

“True enough.” 

Kagome admits with a wry smile, though a frown soon flickers over her face. 

 

“By the way… Do you have any idea how to get back?” 

She asks, turning to look at Kinuki. 

 

The answering glint in her eye rings numerous alarm bells in Kagome’s mind. But, before she can say anything, Kinuki tightens her grip on the two hands she still holds and jumps, feet first, into the well. 

 

Though Kinuki knows that Kagome will just get dragged back with her either way or, she’s actually surprised that Inuyasha jumped a split second after her and followed the two into the well. She’d braced herself for the possibility that he would just lift her up by her hand and ask what the hell she thought she was doing. 

 

She laughs at the mental picture that would make. 

 

After another short ride through that strange galactic stream of colours and sparkles, the three companions find themselves at the bottom of the well with the well house roof firmly over their heads. 

 

Kagome and Kinuki share a smile in front of Inuyahsa’s slightly dazed form. 

 

“We’re back!”

“We’re back!” 

They synchronise happily, their voices startling Inuyasha out of his daze. 

 

“Wha… and why the hell did you bring me with you!?” 

He growls, feeling just a TINY bit guilty when his angry tone has Kagome shrink away from him and even Kinuki bite her lip in a worried fashion. 

 

“Sorry I didn’t ask earlier, but, I wanted to check if other beings could use the well… and I sort of figured explaining everything to our family would be easier if we had some sort of proof that we’ve been in the past all this time.” 

Kinuki explains sheepishly. 

 

Her reasoning was sound though. Something that, for whatever reason, continued to surprise Inuyasha. 

 

“Keh, whatever, let’s just go explain the situation and then go back.” 

Inuyasha replies, his eyes widening at the grateful pulses both Kagome’s and Kinuki’s auras give off at his acceptance of the situation. 

 

Not used to having such an emotion directed at him, Inuyasha grabs the girls around their waists and jumps out of the well without another word.

 

Kagome shrieks and Kinuki laughs giddily at the short rush of movement and air.

 

Setting the girls down carefully, Inuyasha then waits for them to show him the way to wherever they needed to go. 

 

The girls share a look and a smile, before opening the door of the well house and making their way over the shrine grounds back to their home. 

 

‘Bet you Mama’s going to love his ears.’

Kagome thinks with a small smile. 

 

‘Hehe, and Sōta’s probably going to faint when he realises Inuyasha is really real and isn’t cosplaying someone.’

Kinuki adds with a mental chuckle. 

 

‘You don’t think Grandpa’s going to try and banish him from the house with salt, do you?’

Kagome questions in a worried tone. 

 

Kinuki snorts aloud at that possibility. 

 

‘I totally forgot that he does that sometimes! But, yeah, I can totally see that happening.’

She replies, which makes Kagome frown and both Inuyasha and Kinuki pick up on her change in mood. 

 

‘But… Even if he does, I’m sure they’ll both be fine. After all, if anything, they’ll just yell at each other for a bit, and I actually think that might be a good ice breaker, you know?’ 

Kinuki grins and Kagome laughs, having to concur with her sister’s analysis of those possibilities coming to pass. 

 

Inuyasha just keeps walking behind the two of them. 

 

It was obvious that they were somehow communicating with one another without the need for verbal speech, and frankly, it was unnerving not knowing what a possible threat could be planning, but he had resolved to TRY and trust these two girls.

 

Especially since Kinuki had made it clear that she trusted him right from the start. 

 

It was just… difficult to shake old habits.

 

They suddenly stopped in front of a sliding door, but instead of opening it, they stayed still. It was an obvious sign that something was amiss and Inuyasha stiffened instinctually. 

 

‘Well this is just great.’ 

Kinuki thinks sarcastically.

 

‘This is NOT a joking matter, Kinuki!’

Kagome hisses, and Kinuki sighs in agreement.

 

‘I see your humour still goes on vacation in serious situations… We should have seen this coming though, it’s not like us to miss a day of school… and THEN go missing for the rest of the day AND not show up the following morning.’

Kinuki reasons with herself, rubbing her temple as she thinks up their best course of action. 

 

“Inuyasha.”

She speaks in a whisper, but Inuyasha hears her just fine. 

 

“I need you to hide in one of the nearby trees until either Kagome or I come out and give you the all clear.”

 

Inuyasha narrows his eyes. 

 

He could smell the humans in the house. Five of them. 

If there was a threat, he could easily take care of it. 

 

“You realise I could take on all five humans in there without breaking a sweat, right?” 

He lets the girls know, emphasising his point by cracking his knuckles and flexing his claws, angry that they didn’t trust him to be able to hold his own against a couple of humans. 

 

“We’re not doing this because we think you’re weak, Inuyasha. Quite the opposite, actually. But our time has different rules and customs, and we want to try and deal with this peacefully.”

Kinuki stresses. 

 

Sighing, Inuyasha does as Kinuki bides him to, not wanting her to see the blush that her compliment had caused him. He knew he was strong, but he found that it was a very different experience when someone told you that you were strong. 

 

‘Ready?’

Kinuki asks, quickly replacing her blue contact before taking Kagome’s hand in hers. 

 

‘Ready.’

Kagome affirms. 

 

The two girls then take a few steps back, quicken their breathing, and make a run for the door. 

 

“Mama!”

“Mama!”

They call, their voices high strung but relieved.

 

Six heads turn to the entrance at the girl’s sudden call. 

 

Buyo looks up from his place in Sōta’s lap, as does Sōta look up from his repeated petting of said cat. Their mother and grandfather share identical looks of shock and relief, and the two police officers in the room each raise an eyebrow at the unusual and disrespectful entrance of the two teenagers. 

 

“Kagome! Kinuki!” 

Mrs Higurashi’s voice is full of relief as she rushes to hug her two precious daughters.

 

“These are your missing children, Mrs Higurashi?”

One of the police officer’s questions, stepping forward to take in the similar features that mother and daughters share. 

 

Mrs Higurashi is quick to regain her composure, straightening and turning to address the police officer who had spoken.

 

“Yes, thankfully.”

She replies. 

 

The two police officer’s give the girls a once over, before exchanging a brief look and addressing Kagome. 

 

“While we’re relieved that you’re safe, we would like to question the two of you regarding your 2-day-long disappearance. Is that possible?”

 

Kagome hesitates for a moment, but Kinuki gives her hand a small, reassuring squeeze and spurs her to answer the law enforcers. 

 

“Of course. Would you like to question us separately or together?”

She answers, and the police officers smile at her willingness to cooperate. 

 

“Together is fine.”

The other police officer says, gesturing for the girls to take a seat on their couch. 

 

“Now, let’s get to the point, shall we? 

We were informed that the two of you are good, law abiding citizens, and our impression of you has done little to change that claim. So, what were two young women doing on their first day of high school that lead them to miss all of their classes and return home at such a late hour?”

One policeman asks, watching as both girls stiffen in response to his harsh tone. 

 

“We’re sorry for worrying everyone, but, we didn’t really have much choice in the matter.”

Kagome begins, her voice full of remorse. 

 

After all, she really HAD been mistaken for a demon, caught and tied up by strange villagers and learned of a sworn duty that only she was capable of fulfilling. 

 

In that sense, she wasn’t exactly lying to the police, or her family, for that matter. 

 

Knowing that Kagome has already twisted the truth a little, since she hates lying, and just so happens to be terrible at it, Kinuki quickly jumps in to continue her sister’s tale. 

 

“We’ve been running around all day trying to shake off a couple of stalkers, you see.”

 

There’s a collective gasp from the gathered people in the room, and Kinuki sees her mother cast a quick glance to the kitchen counter, where Kinuki knows her backpack still sits. 

 

“Kagome left before me, and I was planning to take our bike to school today, but I saw a strange man going down the shrine steps and I got a really bad feeling, so I followed him, and found that he was tailing my elder sister!”

Kinuki’s eyes swim with tears as she continues to weave her tale of words.

 

Her emotions are genuine though.

She had been on high alert when she’d first spotted Uroko, and that feeling of terror when the centipede youkai had thrown Kagome into the air, that helplessness that she couldn’t do anything to help or intervene, were still very fresh and scary memories. 

 

“Do you remember what this man looked like?”

One of the policemen asks kindly. 

 

He can tell that the younger twin’s emotions are genuine, and the recent experience of such trauma at such a young age doesn’t sit well with him. 

 

Kinuki shakes her head. 

 

“Not really. He was wearing a dark blue overcoat with the hood drawn up and normal black slacks and work shoes underneath, it could have been any old businessman, really.”

 

The policemen both heave a defeated sigh. 

 

Lately, crime related to sexual harassment and stalking had seen a rise in smarter assailants. The criminals wore clothing that helped them blend in and obscured anything that could discern them from others. 

 

It was a real pain for the police department. 

 

“Anyway, when I saw him start to get closer to Kagome I decided to take a shortcut through some side alleys in order to catch up to my sister without appearing suspicious.”

 

The policemen both nodded, impressed at the girl’s street smarts. 

 

“Once we were together, I suggested we try to shake the stalker off our trail by taking a couple of different detours through the city, since we were both wearing our own overcoats and didn’t want him to know what school we were going to.”

 

Again, the police are impressed by the girl’s ability to think ahead. Though their expressions become drawn when they note the sudden seriousness of the younger sister’s expression. 

 

“The guy was stupidly persistent though, so we spent almost the entire day speed walking through the city, taking different trains and trying to lose the guy in a crowd, but to no avail. He just wouldn’t give up!”

Kinuki huffs angrily, and everyone is surprised when Kagome speaks up again. 

 

“But, that wasn’t even the worst of it.

We ran all over the city in such a frightful state that we completely neglected to think about where we were headed, and that landed us right in the red-light district.”

Kagome admits with a flaming red face, her eyes averted in shame. 

 

The policemen exchange nervous glances at that piece of information. 

 

“It’s not like anything bad happened to us, per se… It’s just that, at that time of day, the people that were out and about were either drunkards or gang members, and none of them were exactly helpful, although we did manage to shake the stalker by going down those lanes. But, we still lost our overcoats to some grabby drunks and then, in our school uniforms, well, let’s just say I’m glad I know a bit of self-defence.”

 

The policemen both openly winced when they realised what the girls must have gone through. 

 

“And I’m equally glad that Kinuki was with me, since I DON’T know self-defence, though I think I’ll look to remedy that with a course this year.”

Kagome chips in and Kinuki gives her a little nod. 

 

“I had to get out of a few scuffles, and I lost my pepper spray in the process, but we did manage to get back to a main road, but by the time we made it to the train station, it was already early morning, so we just decided to come home as quickly as we could, by foot, since the trains don’t run so early, and we've just now made it back.”

Kinuki finishes, and both girls turn to give their mother apologetic puppy eyes. 

 

“We’re sorry we didn’t contact you, on top of everything else we forgot our phones yesterday morning, what with Kagome checking on Buyo and Kinuki tailing that shady guy.”

The twins say sincerely, and Hikari gives them a wobbly smile to let them know that it’s alright and she’s just glad that they’re ok. 

 

“Well, it seems the two of you had quite the adventure yesterday and today.”

One of the policemen says. 

 

‘Oh, you don’t know the half of it.’ 

The twins think with a mental eye roll. 

 

“But I have to wonder, why didn’t you two just duck into the next police station? The officers on site would have helped you without question, and you likely could have spared yourselves such a traumatic experience.” 

The other officer continues. 

 

The girls merely blink, turn to look at each other, then look back to the two police officers, and promptly lose a few shades of colour from their faces. 

 

“That… would have been a decidedly smart thing to do.”

Kagome stutters out, even as Kinuki moves to throw a nearby blanket over her older sister’s shoulders. 

 

“We, may have forgotten that that was an option.”

Kinuki admits, twining her hands together in front of her lap. 

 

Even the younger of the two policemen sees that the two girls are starting to shake and recognises the effects of the shock that they went through. 

 

“Well, keep it in mind for future reference, we police officers are always willing to help the citizens of our city.”

The older officer says, casting his younger partner a look before rising and headed for the front door. 

 

“We’ll file today’s call under a false alarm and come and check on you girls in about a week. If you are stalked again, go straight to the nearest police department and ask them to call Senior Commissioner Daichiru. I’ve had a series of these cases for the past two weeks, and I could use any lead you might be able to give me.”

He says, before politely excusing himself and his partner and leaving the Higurashi residence. 

 

With the policemen gone, the entire household heaves a sigh of relief, before the girls are practically squashed in a three-way hug. 

 

“I was SO worried about you!”

 

“I knew my girls were ok!”

 

“Ne, ne, onee-san, did you kick the bad guys butts?”

 

The girls share a smile and suddenly start laughing, incredibly relieved to be back home. 

 

“You bet I did, squirt.”

Kinuki says, ruffling her brother’s hair affectionately. 

 

“Sorry to worry you, but we’re ok now.”

Kagome says soothingly, returning her mother’s and grandfather’s hugs. 

 

The family breathe a collective sigh of relief, only for three small stomachs to suddenly growl VERY loudly. 

 

Kagome blushes, Kinuki bites her lip and Souta looks up at his mother sheepishly. 

 

“Say, Mama…”

Sōta starts. 

 

“…when can we eat?”

All three children ask, for once completely in tune with one another. 

 

Hikari and her father both burst out laughing, before everyone sets about helping to prepare dinner for the happily reunited family. 

 

“Are you good setting the table, Sōta?”

Kinuki asks. 

 

“Sure, why?”

Her little brother replies. 

 

“Great, because I REALLY need to use the bathroom.”

Kinuki answers, rushing up the stairs so fast, she leaves a puff of white air in the place where she stood not a second ago. 

 

“Okkkkaay…”

Sōta says slowly, moving to get the utensils necessary out of the kitchen. 

 

“Hey Kagome, what’s Mama making for dinner?”

Sōta asks, looking for a way to distract his sister enough so that he can taste-test the broth she’s working on. 

 

Kagome already knows his game by now though. 

 

“Mama says udon, so we’ll need bowls and chopsticks, and a spoon for grandpa.”

Kagome says matter-of-factly, ticking each thing off on her fingers as she indirectly lets her brother know that she heard his conversation with Kinuki. 

 

Sōta grumbles under his breath but smiles when Kagome hands him her tasting spoon. 

 

“You’ve got the best tastebuds in the house, so let me know what you think?”

She whispers with a wink, ignoring her mother’s exasperated little head shake behind her. 

 

While Kagome took care of the broth, Hikari worked on the noodles. 

 

Sōta grins at his sister’s praise, enjoying the smooth, salty taste of the udon broth. 

 

He knew Kagome was an excellent cook and didn’t really need his feedback, but he was happy to play along. 

 

“Tastes good sis.” 

Sōta praises. 

 

“I’m glad.” 

Kagome answers him with a smile, before turning back to the stove and praying that she and Kinuki would survive this dinner. 

 

Once Kinuki had gone to the bathroom, she did a quick scan of the corridor and quickly went into her and Kagome’s shared room, closing the door behind her. 

 

After a few seconds and no footsteps, she heaves a sigh of relief, before opening the window and leaning out a little. 

 

“Inuyasha? Are you still here?” 

She asks, forcing herself to keep a level tone of voice. 

 

If she yelled, they’d be found out before they even had a chance to explain themselves. 

 

A rustle in the tree opposite their room draws Kinuki out of her thoughts, and she takes a cautionary step back. 

 

Not a second later and a silver and red blur jumps through the window and lands right in front of her in her and Kagome’s room. 

 

“Not like I’m about to leave without the two of you.”

Inuyasha grumbles, and Kinuki cracks a grin when she sees his raised eyebrow and twinkling eyes. 

 

His tone had made her think, for a second, that he doubted that they would go back with him, but his expression let her know that he was just pulling her leg. 

 

“You’re secretly funny, aren’t you?”

Inuyasha’s eyes widen when he sees Kinuki’s soft expression when she answers him. 

 

“Keh.”

He answers, turning his head away and making her giggle at his unique expression of embarrassment. 

 

“Well, anyway, Kagome and I are going to get everything ready for dinner and then call you down in maybe 10 minutes.” 

Kinuki pauses when she sees the frown that suddenly mars Inuyasha’s expression. 

 

“Um, is everything ok?”

She asks, and Inuyasha scratches the back of his head, obvious fighting with himself. 

 

“IDon’TKnowWhatMinetsAre.”

He says quietly, in one quick breath. 

 

Kinuki can only blink. 

 

“Pardon?”

 

Inuyasha exhales through his nose. 

 

He doesn’t like not knowing things, it gives others one up on him, and that’s never been a good thing. 

 

Still, Kinuki was looking at him with such a worried look on her face, he knew she would actually tell him if he asked about something, instead of laugh or give him false information like most every other being he’d ever spoken to. 

 

So, he tells her again, slower this time. 

 

“I don’t know what minets are.”

He admits and Kinuki’s answering understanding smile is enough to tell him that he will really never have any reason to doubt this girl. 

 

“Oh, that’s an easy enough fix.”

She says, quickly moving to grab a strange contraption off of the bedside table next to Kagome’s bed. 

 

“This is a clock. We use it to tell the time here.”

Kinuki says, holding out the strange object for Inuyasha to look at. 

 

“Some time in the future, your future, not ours, someone decided to try and measure time. That way we learned about seconds, minutes and hours.”

Kinuki points to each related hand as she names it function. 

 

“This fast long one measures seconds, and 60 seconds make up 1 minute, that’s that slower long one. Now, this short one here measures hours, and 60 minutes make an hour and there are 24 hours in a day. So, when I said we’d call you down in about 10 minutes, that means we’ call you down when that slow long hand is here.”

Kinuki explains patiently, pointing to the minute hand and then to the time that it will be in 10 minutes. 

 

Inuyasha nods mutely, not really trusting his voice. 

 

Everything he’d ever learned; he’d had to teach himself. No-one wanted a half-breed around after all, so, after his mother had died, leaving him with only his basic knowledge of reading, writing, speaking and trusting his instincts, he’d only really had himself. 

 

The fact that Kinuki was standing there explaining this klok thing to him, like he was a person, like he was worth her time, was enough for him to, momentarily, lose the ability to speak. 

 

On her part, Kinuki merely smiles up at him, happy to have been able to help. 

 

“Great, I’ll head downstairs now to help out a little and we’ll see you in a bit.”

She says, leaving the door just slightly ajar as she runs downstairs to set an extra place and then set out the potholders so that Kagome can set down the udon without any problems. 

 

The twins lock a gaze across the table. 

 

‘I hope they believe us.’

Kagome thinks. 

 

‘Even if they don’t, at first, it’ll be hard to refute physical proof, won’t it?’

Kinuki reassures her sister, and Kagome shoots her a grateful smile, before calling the family into the dining room for dinner. 

 

“Before we start…”

Kagome begins, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. 

 

“We want to be honest about what really happened today.”

Kinuki finishes, both girls looking to their grandfather for permission to continue speaking. 

 

He nods. 

 

“I’ve known you two long enough to know when you both tell an honest or a partial truth.” 

Grandpa says. 

 

“Well…”

“Well…”

The twins say slowly, sharing a quick look.

 

‘You go first.’ 

Kinuki urges her older sister. 

 

‘You sure?’ 

Kagome asks, though she’s not really surprised.

 

‘You know I can fill in the blanks better than you can.’ 

Kinuki argues, so, Kagome talks. 

 

“You see, Sōta couldn’t find Buyo this morning, so I went out to look for him in the old well house. When he wasn’t in the house, Sōta suggested that he might have fallen into the well itself, so I jumped down there, but instead of finding Buyo, I found myself wrapped in the grip of a huge centipede youkai.”

 

Sōta, who had just taken a sip of tea, chokes and splutters when Kagome says that. 

 

Kinuki rubs his back until he can breathe again, and only then does Kagome continue. 

 

“Of course, I totally freaked out, which is how I discovered I have the powers of a priestess within me. I managed to get out of the centipede’s grip and found myself at the bottom of the well… but, there was no well house around it. When I looked up, I could see the sky.

So, I climbed out, sought the form of the Goshinboku and found a half demon stuck to the tree’s trunk with an arrow. He looked like he was asleep, but before I could try to wake him up, I was captured by some villagers who mistook me for a demon.

They took me to their village and presented me to the priestess, who saw that I wasn’t a demon, set me free and shared a cup of tea with me. Unfortunately, the centipede demon wasn’t completely purified and came to attack the village where I was, because I had some sort of magical jewel in my body that drew demons to it.

I managed to lure the youkai away from the village and back to the Goshinboku, only to find that the half demon was free and Kinuki was also back in the past with me.

Oh yeah, the well acted as a sort of portal to the past.

Anyway, once we met up, we went back towards the village in the hopes that the elder miko could help us understand what was going on. We only got as far as the Goshinboku though, before the centipede youkai attacked me and extracted the jewel from my body. That was when I first learned that Kinuki also has the powers of a priestess. She saved me, met Inuyasha, who’s the half-demon by the way, and he then killed the centipede youkai before she could kill Kinuki.

After that, the elder miko, Kaede, put subjugation beads around Inuyasha’s neck and had me subdue him so he couldn’t hurt us. We spent the night in her hut, got to know Inuyasha a little better the following morning, I was abducted by a bunch of bandits whose leader was a corpse, accidentally lost the jewel to a crow youkai and ended up shattering the jewel while trying to get it back from the crow, who was purified in my attempt at getting the Jewel back and Kinuki managed to catch a few shards in a net of her own power and we now have to travel between times in order to gather all of the jewel shards and restore the balance of the past, because the jewel grants great power to any demon and corrupts them the longer they possess the shards.”

Kagome finishes. 

 

Jii-chan, Mama and Sōta can only stare at the oldest daughter of the family in open shock and even Kinuki is surprised, since she hadn’t been aware of the whole kidnapping thing either. 

 

When the silence starts to go from awkward to creepy, Kinuki speaks up. 

 

“So… Ready to hear my side of the story? Or do we want to eat first and THEN I tell you what happened to me on the other side of the well?” 

Kinuki asks, hoping that by acting normally, she can snap her family out of their information-overload-induced dazes. 

 

“If your story is even HALF as exciting as Kagome’s, I think we’ll need the food in our stomachs to be able to take it.”

Jii-chan says with a lively glint in his eye, making the whole family smile at his predictability. 

 

“Indeed, and I think the udon will taste better while it’s still hot as well.”

Hikari agrees, taking her father’s proffered bowl and filling it with the delicious soup. 

 

“Um… That’s great and all, but why is there another place set between Kagome and me?”

Sōta asks, as he holds out his bowl to be filled. 

 

“Oh, that’s for Inuyasha. I’ll call him down now.”

Kinuki says in an off handed manner. 

 

Everyone at the table freezes when she speaks though. 

 

‘What do you mean “call him DOWN”?’

Kagome asks through their telepathic link. 

 

‘Well, do you think I was upstairs so long JUST to empty my bladder?’

Kinuki retaliates. 

 

Her frankness making Kagome snort quietly. 

 

“Is it ok for him to eat with us, Mama?”

Kinuki asks with pleading eyes and Hikari sighs in resignation. 

 

She hopes that her twins merely had a rather vivid dream the night before, but she knows her girls well enough to know that they honestly believe what they’re saying, and, quite frankly, it’s just a little bit invigorating to think of such an exciting thing happening to her girls.

True, the dangers Kagome had spoken of seemed much more extreme than any danger present in their world, but, while Kagome was more reserved, Hikari could clearly see how excited both of her twins were. 

 

Kinuki takes her mother’s sigh as permission and smiles brightly. 

 

“You know, I think I’ll go and bring him down.”

Kinuki says, rising from her place and darting upstairs so fast her family can only chuckle at her eagerness. 

 

“Inuyasha? You can come down now.”

Kinuki says, opening the door to find him sitting under the window, his golden eyes glowing as his gaze flicked from the clock in his hand to Kinuki’s form in the doorway. 

 

“It’s only been 6 of those 10 minets, you know?”

He tells her, though he stands as he speaks, placing the clock back on the nightstand where he’d seen Kinuki take it from in the first place. 

 

Kinuki shrugs. 

 

“I did say ABOUT 10 minutes, so it was never clearly defined.”

She counters and Inuyasha finds himself chuckling at her antics. For such a small human, she sure was VERY sure of herself. 

 

“Now come ON, we’re all waiting for you, you know, and I, for one, do NOT want to eat lukewarm udon.”

Kinuki huffs, striding forward to take Inuyasha’s hand in hers and pull him through the door and down the stairs. 

 

This time Inuyasha manages NOT to stiffen at her sudden touch, though he does allow himself to be led through the house by the curious miko in front of him. 

“Ok, so, I could give you a TON of tips right now, but, the most important thing, is that you just be yourself, ok?”

 

Her advice again gives him pause. 

 

So many times, he’s been told that it’s better to be anything BUT what he is, and now, this honest little miko was telling him to be himself? Life sure was weirdly twisted sometimes, wasn’t it? 

 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts Inuyasha gives Kinuki a fanged grin, which makes her smile openly back at him. 

 

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

She says, leading him into the dining room, where five pairs of eyes are immediately drawn to his form. 

 

There’s a beat of silence for the humans, but Inuyasha can clearly hear the rising heartrates and sharp intakes of breath from all three of the new humans in the room. 

 

“Well, come on! Have a seat.”

Kinuki says, seemingly breaking a trance as an older looking version of the twins gives Inuyasha a small smile and fills a bowl with some sort of soup that doesn’t smell half-bad.

 

The older man nearest to him also relaxes his posture somewhat and the young boy looks up at Inuyasha with open curiosity that he had barely been able to hide before. 

 

Such a drastic change, simply because of a few words spoken by the middle child. 

 

Inyuasha can only shake his head as he moves to sit between Kagome and the twin’s little brother. Though he is glad that Kinuki replaced a certain word in her sentence. 

 

It was amazing how, around Kinuki, he sometimes forgot that he’d been subjugated by her twin and could also be subjugated by her. 

 

“She may be a bit of an odd ball, but Kinuki has always been the one to hold this family together.”

The mother speaks up as she hands Inuyasha his bowl, surprising him when she, just as her middle child, doesn’t flinch away from his claws. 

 

Her words do confuse him a little though. 

 

“Mama! We hold each other together in this family! I just do whatever I can to help out.”

Kinuki says, taking her own seat opposite Inuyasha, next to her mother and filling her own bowl as she speaks. 

 

Hikari merely raises an eyebrow and hums at her daughter. 

 

“Right, because I would have been fine working alone to feed five mouths, after your father died in service only two years ago.”

 

Kinuki colours a little, though her eyes turn sad, before murmuring a response. 

 

“I don't mind getting a summer job over the holidays, you know. Having the savings never hurts.”

 

Kagome huffs this time. 

 

“You were also the reason I managed to keep up with my schoolwork and pass the high school entrance exams this year, and don’t try to deny it. If you hadn’t stayed up to tutor me every night, I don’t think I would have had the mentality to try for a higher education.”

She pips up and Kinuki sighs. 

 

“Ok, so I help you guys out, but that’s what family DOES. We look out for one another, even when it’s not all smooth sailing.”

Kinuki says, striking a chord in Inuyasha as she speaks. 

 

He’d never had anyone look out for him except for his mother, and she had died many years ago. Still, the way this family interacted, though new to him, felt nice. 

 

There was something almost comfortable in the aura that these people had around them. I nearly made him forget what he was. 

 

“Anyway, speaking of smooth sailing, do you all feel up for my version of events now? ‘Cause they’re about as far from smooth as you can get.”

Kinuki asks, having finished her bowl of udon surprisingly quickly. 

 

“In a minute, Kinuki.”

Hikari says, turning to make eye contact with the being sitting diagonally across from her. 

 

“Your name is Inuyasha, right?”

He nods once, one of his ears flicking as they register her voice. 

 

“I’m Hikari Higurashi, Kagome’s, Kinuki’s and Sōta’s mother. Thank you for looking after my daughters in your time.”

 

Inuyasha’s eyes widen at that. 

 

She was THANKING him? 

 

She didn’t even know that he’d tried to kill BOTH of her daughters not even a day ago! 

 

“You shouldn’t thank me. If anything, you’ll probably want to yell at me later.”

He answers her, but she merely smiles in response. 

 

“Oh, I know you tried to hurt my girls before you got to know each other, but from the way Kinuki is acting, and, more importantly, the fact that Kagome hasn’t subjugated you, means that you’ve gotten past your first impressions and seem to have formed your own unique bonds with one another.”

Hikari explains gently. 

 

Inuyasha can hardly believe his ears… Then again… as he looks at the twins, he’s gotten to know over the past two days, he can see more and more similarities between them and their mother. 

 

“You’re welcome… I guess.”

He says a little gruffly. 

 

“Great! Now that THAT’S settled… On to my side of the story!”

Kinuki pips up, and that makes the whole family laugh, even Inuyasha cracks a grin. 

 

“Hey, come on you guys, I really do want to tell you what happened.”

Kinuki pouts and the family manages to reign in their laughter so that everyone is still smiling as Kinuki starts to tell her side of the story. 

 

- - - - - 

 

Author's Note 

 

HELLO again!

 

Sorry for my long abscence, it's been a hell of a few months, BUT, don't worry, I'm STILL ALIVE and I definitely plan to continue TTT in the future! 

 

The next chapter is currently a work in progress, and I still have a few exams left this semester, but I'll try to publish it and MAYBE even Chapter 7 before Christmas! 

 

Other than that, I hope you continue to enjoy TTT and send me a comment if you feel like it! 

 

Until the next chapter, 

 

Tora

 

PS. Look forward to the first demon fight against Yura in the next chapter! I'm certainly looking forward to writing the changed events with Kinuki's involvement!