FicWad

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and associated characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi
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Chapter 5
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Inuyasha stared, annoyed, at the fox statue-that-was-not-a-statue. It had returned to its previous stillness and silence. Beside him, Kagome gaped. He stepped up closer and stared it in the face.

"What the hell do you mean, 'on duty'? I asked you if you had a minute, asshole." Kagome moved up next to him, having recovered her aplomb.

"Eh, let's go on, Inuyasha. He's obviously /busy/." She gave the fox a glare, and then turned to Inuyasha and put a hand on his arm. "I'm sure we'll find someone to talk to inside."

"He can't go in there." The fox spoke again, but this time he was looking down at them solemnly.

"Why can't I, shithead? You got a problem?" Inuyasha bristled.

"See the sign? No dogs allowed." It was amazing how much expression the stone face could convey, but it was clearly smirking now at its own witticism.

/Damn snotty kitsune. /Abruptly he hopped up onto the pedestal next to the fox, and administered a punch on the head. It thunked satisfyingly like a head and not like a rock.

"Ow! Bastard!" it yelped, and jumped down to the ground. It stood there on two legs, rubbing its head with one paw, and glared angrily at him. "What the hell was that for?"

Inuyasha jumped down lightly between the kitsune and Kagome. It seemed to be getting bigger, and looked decidedly unfriendly now. "For that shitty joke, moron. Now, can I find a fox with a brain around here, or are they all as stupid as you?" He heard Kagome sigh behind him.
"That's it. I think you'd better leave now." Swiftly it transformed; it still looked like a stone statue, but now appeared to be three times the size he had been a second ago. He towered menacingly over Inuyasha, bringing his head down to stare him in the face.
"I said leave."
"Make me." Inuyasha casually thumped him on the head with his fist again, his expression set at his most annoyingly insouciant.
"Dammit!" The fox changed shape again. This time he appeared as a giant three-tailed fox, twenty feet tall, and glowed with foxfire. He opened his jaws to reveal sharp teeth, and growled. Kagome stepped back involuntarily, appalled. Inuyasha glanced back at her. Yeah, his breath was pretty bad, but she couldn't think this was real, could she?
"Oi, Kagome, don't be fooled. It's just a stupid kitsune trick." Just as fake as that stupid giant bubble Shippou used to transform into, with about as much hot air. It was going to be fun, slapping the jerk down to size--
They were startled by a shriek from the direction of the shrine. "YASEI! What are you doing!" The kitsune flinched, looking over his shoulder. A woman was approaching at a trot, and she looked angry. "You change right now before someone sees you!"
With a pop, the kitsune transformed into what looked like a red-haired boy in his middle teens, except he was no human, as he had a youkai's pointed ears. He was dressed like some of the delinquent kids the hanyou had seen around the city; his t-shirt was torn and he was wearing eye-blindingly lurid purple pants. He looked sullen. "Hanae-san," he acknowledged the woman as she reached them, and then turned back to watch Inuyasha suspiciously.
It was obvious from her scent that the woman was not human; the youki she emitted was considerable, especially compared to the fox-boy at her side. The kimono she wore, beautifully made and figured with flowering ume branches, looked expensive. She gave off a matronly air, though she looked young. Certainly it didn't look like the kid was going to give her any back-talk. After giving the boy a repressive glare, she turned her sharp gaze to the two before her.
"Now, what is the problem here?"
Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but the boy jumped in immediately. "Hanae-san, I thought this hanyou might be trouble, and told him to leave, but he wouldn't! And he hit me too!" He gestured at the rising lump on his head and glowered fiercely at Inuyasha from her shoulder.
"Um, Hanae-san." Kagome bowed to the woman, who shifted her suspicious scrutiny from Inuyasha to her. "We didn't come here to make trouble. We just wanted to ask about a friend of ours. We can leave if that's what you want."
"Hold on there, woman," Inuyasha said, exasperated. "We're not leaving till we find out if they know anything." Kagome gave him a look that said shut up, idiot as clearly as if she had said it aloud, but he frowned back at her stubbornly. "How about it, eh?" he addressed the fox-woman.
Hanae's expression, while still stern, was thoughtful as she regarded them. "Why would you think we'd know your friend?"
"He was a kitsune we knew," she started eagerly. "His name is Shippou, and he would have lived near here a long time ago. We don't know where he is now, and we were hoping someone here could tell us."
The vixen raised her eyebrows. "That name is not familiar to me, and I've been here since the end of the revolution. How long ago did he live here? And where did you know him?"
"Um...we knew him here, about four hundred and fifty years ago. He was just a kit then." She glanced up diffidently at the woman, who was now staring at them incredulously. "It's a little complicated..." she faltered.
"You're too young, that goes without saying, but so is the hanyou." Her tone was definite. "How would you know of someone from so long ago?" Behind her, the boy had been fidgeting, but his hostile posture had faded and he looked curious.
"I told you it was complicated," Kagome said faintly. "It's kind of a long story..."
She studied them for a long moment, arms crossed and a finger on her chin; then with a nod of her head, Hanae seemed to come to some decision. "Well. This courtyard is not the place to be listening to long stories, I don't think. Why don't you two come with me, and we'll talk to Ogin-sama. She has a long memory." Turning to the boy, who was gaping at her, she said, "Yasei, why don't you get back to guard duty."
He squawked in protest. "You're going to take him in to see Ogin-sama?"
She gave him a long, quelling stare. "I think I can handle them, Yasei." She ignored Inuyasha's indignant /keh/, and continued, "Now, I said get back to your post. Hop to it, boy." He nodded stiffly, then turned to them, a scowl on his sharp, narrow face.
Baring his teeth at Inuyasha in a fierce grimace, he said "You'd better be polite, jerkface." With that, he leaped onto the pedestal, transforming in midair back to a stone statue, and resumed his previous position, though his expression wasn't as impassive as it had been before.
Hanae sighed, then turned and began leading them toward the shrine. Inuyasha turned around briefly to smirk at the surly punk, and then followed the vixen and Kagome. He kept a close eye on the surroundings, though he really didn't see anything suspicious; it really looked like an ordinary Inari shrine. The courtyard was of raked white gravel, and ahead of them was the usual basin for purification, and after that was the main shrine hall; there were some smaller buildings around the periphery. The woman led them toward the first one on the right, a small wooden structure which appeared to be a mini-shrine, and stopped before the steps to turn back to them.
"What are your names?"
"Higurashi Kagome, and this is Inuyasha, Hanae-san."
"Higurashi, eh? Any connection to the shrine family?"
"The head priest there is my grandfather."
"Interesting." She looked like she was trying to remember something, and seemingly gave up with a shrug. "I am going to ask if Ogin-sama can see you now. Wait here." She disappeared through the doorway into darkness, leaving them outside.
"Not much of a place they got here," said Inuyasha dismissively, after surveying the exterior of the small building. "You'd think they'd get something bigger to stay in if they were so tight with the boss." He wondered what could be taking so long; the building was quite small, and it struck him that he heard nothing inside at all.
Kagome had been looking about idly as the minutes stretched. "Inuyasha, be nice. Maybe this is just an office or something." He thought she wasn't impressed with the mini-shrine either, though. He couldn't see any large buildings other than the main hall nearby; certainly nothing suited to be the dwelling of someone seemingly as important as this Ogin-sama. The rest of the shrine was busy and well-kept. He scanned the courtyard for any other youkai, but there only seemed to be humans out in front. With a jolt, he noticed a girl dressed as a miko who was sitting behind the counter of a small kiosk on the far side of the main shrine. Warily, he looked closer, and saw that she was quite young, younger than Kagome. She looked bored, and was fiddling with the charms and talismans displayed for sale in the kiosk. She seemed to take no notice of him, and he relaxed minutely. Good, no trouble there. She doesn't look like she could spot a youkai if one bit her in the ass.
"Ogin-sama will see you." Inuyasha jerked his attention back to the doorway, to see Hanae standing in front of them. She was impassive save for what might have been the tiniest quirk of her lips. Kagome was also looking at him, wearing a tiny frown, before she turned to the vixen. What the hell is the problem now? "You are a miko, are you not, girl?" Hanae addressed Kagome.
Kagome shot her a look. "Sort of..." she replied cautiously.
"Well, see if you can keep your hanyou friend out of trouble." Her tone was decidedly amused, and with a wave she gestured them to follow her into the building. Inuyasha stomped up to the doorway after her, feeling annoyed.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" he grumped, but he followed without further comment when neither woman paid attention to him. After taking off her shoes (and nagging Inuyasha to do the same with his sandals) Kagome was glancing about her curiously as they passed into the semi-darkness of the shrine. The building appeared quite old; it was unfurnished save for the inner sanctuary, the tray holding food offerings in front of it, and some candles, currently unlit. The inner sanctuary directly in front of them was a carved cabinet with double doors, inlaid with patterns of foxes. There was no one and nothing else in the small room, but something seemed to be bothering Kagome about that right wall. Inuyasha didn't smell anything out of the ordinary; the scent of fox was heavy in the room, but that was to be expected. The right wall looked exactly the same as the left, as far as he could tell. Kagome was staring hard at it as Hanae bowed to the sanctuary; the woman then turned to that same right wall, and gestured. He tensed and Kagome gasped as the glowing outline of a double doorway appeared, taking up most of the wall; Inuyasha stepped in front of her protectively as the doors began to open.
How the hell can there be a door there?! There's nothing on the other side but the courtyard!
Hanae indicated for them to follow, smiling, and went through the door. Inuyasha peered into the opening; stairs led down into darkness relieved only by the dim flickering of oil lamps.
Every instinct Inuyasha had warned him about going down a hole, with no idea who or what was down there or if there was another exit. He caught Kagome's uncertain glance at him, and weighed the danger; it couldn't be that bad, could it? After all, they were just kitsune. He could take 'em. With a nod to her, he led her to the doorway and the steps below. As they descended, the doors closed behind them silently. Kagome started and gripped his arm nervously. He paused for a moment to look back; the doors were still there, so he could always punch his way out if necessary. Plus, he had Tessaiga. A good Kaze no Kizu would definitely take care of anything blocking their way. He gave her hand on his arm a reassuring touch, and they resumed going down after Hanae. Ahead, Inuyasha could see the bottom of the stairs and more lamps; he could smell a lot of kitsune down there now, but it was a mixed smell - there were kits down here as well as adults, male and female, some powerful. This was a den.
Kagome cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Hanae-san. How is it possible that those doors are there? And where are we going?"
The woman chuckled and looked over her shoulder. "The doors are a kitsune talent, girl, though priests and onmyoji and the like are able to make something similar. It's good concealment for where we live."
"But I saw the outside of that building. There's no way these stairs could be here, concealed or not," Kagome argued.
"That's because this side of the doors and the other side of the doors are not in the same place," the vixen said smiling, and returned her attention to where they were going. "And we're going to see Ogin-sama, who leads this community of kitsune. Please be mindful that there may be children sleeping, and keep your voices down." Kagome looked like she was thinking hard, and stumbled a bit at the bottom of the steps.
"Oi, pay attention, woman," Inuyasha warned in a low voice. He couldn't make heads or tails of what the vixen had just told them about the doors, and he didn't care, but he wanted Kagome alert in case of trouble. The hallway had a wooden floor covered with tatami, and the walls were constructed of wood and split bamboo; it was aged but in good shape, as far as he could tell. They passed door after door; most of them were closed, and he could hear voices behind them. Hanae led them through a number of turns and intersections; the complex was beginning to seem more like a rabbit warren, but Inuyasha was confident that he'd be able to follow their own scents back to the doors, even if her intention was to disorient them. He was starting to get impatient, though.
Abruptly she turned a corner and stopped. There were two male kitsune standing guard in front of a set of double doors; these were solid wood and carved in a foreign style. The guards stood at attention, holding halberds, and stared at Inuyasha and Kagome.
"It's all right," Hanae said to the two kitsune. "They are expected." With a flourish they opened the doors, though they eyed their visitors with speculation, and Hanae swept in. Inuyasha and Kagome followed a bit more cautiously. They found themselves in what appeared to be an anteroom of some kind; it looked comfortable, with cushions for sitting scattered about the edges of the room. Wall scrolls displaying fine calligraphy adorned several of the walls. A young girl was standing at attention in front of a shoji; she had a foxtail much like Shippou's. The girl smiled when she saw Hanae.
"Ogin-sama is ready to see them, mother." The girl slid aside the shoji to reveal yet another room, this one well-lit by candles.
As they passed her, Hanae smiled and whispered, "Good girl. Now go fetch us some tea, please." The girl nodded, and drew the shoji closed again after they passed.
Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves in a very well-appointed room. It was spacious, with good quality tatami matting on the floor; like the other room, there were cushions on the floor for seating, and art hung on the walls. Fresh flowers stood in a vase in the alcove to one side. Before them, on a low raised platform, sat a woman dressed in layers of kimono in the Heian style. She had floor length silvery white hair, not unlike his own; she did not appear old, her face being smooth and unlined. However, something about her regard of them, a slight ironic twist to her expression, made it clear she was not young. In any event her scent and the tremendous aura of youki she exuded indicated to Inuyasha that they were probably facing a kitsune of immense age, experience, and power. She nodded to them in greeting. Kagome gulped and bowed, while Inuyasha sized the kitsune up.
"Ogin-sama, this is Higurashi Kagome, of the Higurashi Shrine, and her companion Inuyasha, a hanyou," Hanae announced them, and indicated they should sit on the cushions in front of the elder kitsune. Kagome and Inuyasha seated themselves, she carefully and he warily, not taking his eyes off the lady. Hanae sat off on the right side.
"Hanae tells me," Ogin-sama began in a melodious voice, "that you are seeking a kitsune. What can you tell me about him?"
"Well, my lady," Kagome said hesitantly, "his name is Shippou. He was a child when we last saw him in this area, about four hundred and fifty years ago. We have not seen him since."
The lady raised a silver eyebrow. "And how is it that the two of you were around, nearly half a millennium ago? It might be possible for your companion, perhaps if he was sealed or suchlike, but he is obviously still young." Kagome shot a startled glance at him. What? Did she think I was so old? He frowned back at her, then looked back at the kitsune.
"I'm from that time, but I skipped all the years in between. Kagome is from this time, but she ended up back then for a while." The lady regarded him for a moment from half-lidded eyes. He half expected her to call them liars or fools, and throw them out.
"You know, I do seem to remember hearing about you then, Inuyasha Who Seeks the Shikon no Tama." Kagome sat up straight, and looked a little nervous. "I had heard the tales that you were associated with a miko. But the stories conflicted. Some of them said she died." Now she was looking at Kagome. "Was it then that the stories were wrong?"
Dammit, I don't want to go into this. He slid a look at Kagome, but she was looking forthrightly back at the kitsune.
"They were both right, Ogin-sama. But before we tell you more, can you say if you know of our friend Shippou? We...we miss him greatly." Kagome's voice shook slightly on the last.
The lady gave her a compassionate look. "I'm sorry, child. I had heard tell of a fox kit in with the group that hunted Naraku, but I never heard his name. And I have not known a kitsune named Shippou to be in this area since I moved to this shrine during the Tokugawa era."
Kagome blinked and looked down. Inuyasha cursed under his breath, she was crying, he knew she was. "Kagome -"
"I'm fine, Inuyasha." She looked back up, swallowing, and while her eyelashes were wet, no tears tracked down her face. "Maybe he changed his name? Or, maybe left descendants? Ogin-sama, do you know if there was a community of kitsune near where the Higurashi Shrine is?"
The lady sat back a bit in thought. At this point the young fox girl came back, carrying two trays of tea things, and busied herself with setting some before Ogin-sama. The elder said meditatively, "I don't recall that there was much of a presence here, actually. A few wanderers here and there, perhaps, but not really any sort of community. Nothing near the Higurashi Shrine, I don't think. Though there was that nasty bit of business - Hanae, do you remember tales of that one nine-tailed vixen who came in search of the Shikon no Tama, well after it was gone?"
"Yes, my lady. I heard at the time that she was either sealed or destroyed, not sure which, somewhere in the area. Fancied herself another Tamamo-no-mae, I think. No luck with getting in with the Emperor, so she thought to seek the Shikon herself. Mean one." Hanae accepted a cup of tea from her daughter, who approached Kagome shyly next, and set a tray down between her and Inuyasha that held a pot and two cups. The girl poured them each a cupful and retreated to her mother's side, where she sat quietly without fidgeting.
Kagome picked up a cup and sipped, looking at Hanae with interest. Inuyasha was relieved that she showed no sign of crying now, and picked up the other cup, sniffing it first before taking a sip. "Hanae-san, when was this evil kitsune around, and who dealt with it, do you know?" Kagome asked.
"Well, the affair took place before Nobunaga's wars, if I remember right. That ties in neatly with the Shikon, doesn't it? I had heard it was a powerful Buddhist priest took care of her, but beyond that I don't know much."
"She was sealed, I think," said the lady. "I heard the peasants avoided the place for years, though no one seems to know the exact location now. Strange, because there are very few places in the greater Tokyo area that you would think could still be so obscure." She drained her cup, and set it down with a sigh. "I suppose we'd find out quickly enough if she was ever released." The fox-girl scrambled up to pour a fresh cup of tea for Ogin-sama, who thanked her with a smile. "Well, my little miko, I hope we have put you at ease with this other talk. I do not demand that you tell me, but I would very much like to hear your long story." She fluttered her lashes and smiled ingenuously. "If nothing else, your association with a kitsune should have acquainted you with our curious natures."
Inuyasha snorted, thinking of Shippou's curiosity forever getting him in trouble, but Kagome smiled back. "All right, Ogin-sama, but it is a long and complicated story. It began on my fifteenth birthday..." Kagome told them the basic story of their adventures, up to the destruction of Naraku and the closing of the well. She was remarkably composed about it all, he thought.
Hanae seemed a bit startled at some of the details, but Ogin-sama merely looked interested. "So there was a miko who died. But she died twice. And there was another who lived." She smiled a bit, and gave Kagome a look of respect. "So some of the stories that I thought were hopelessly twisted were actually correct, in part. Well, my dear, you have come through quite a bit, and thus have experience that few other humans of this age can claim. Do you feel yourself trained, or are you in training right now?"
It was Kagome's turn to look startled. "No, my lady. Kaede, the old priestess, was teaching me here and there, but nothing comprehensive. I didn't have time then. I have applied to Kokugakuin University, but I'm not sure I'll pass the entrance exams." She hung her head a bit. "It was hard to study in the feudal age, you see." Both the lady and Hanae laughed, though Inuyasha wasn't sure what was so funny. Didn't she study enough for ten fucking people already? Annoyed, he turned to her.
"We should be getting back, Kagome. We got some searching to do," he reminded her brusquely. She gave him a surprised look, and then with gratifying alacrity she turned to their hostess and began making their apologies for their departure.
"Searching for what, child?" Hanae asked inquisitively, as she got up. Kagome explained that they were hoping to find the hidden treasures of the Higurashi shrine, including any old documents that might shed some light on the fate of their long-ago companions. Hanae cocked her head. "It's a long shot, but remember that business with our front door, girl? You are in a kitsune domain right now, a special pocket of space. I told you that some humans can do the same trick. You might look for signs that there's a hidden room. If you know anything about Daoist magic, look for those kinds of signs." Kagome just looked puzzled, but thanked her. As they stood, Kagome bowed in farewell to the kitsune elder.
"Thank you for seeing us, my lady," she said. Inuyasha nodded at Ogin-sama, a bit impatiently. They'd spent way too much time here, and for nothing. Wait. The thought struck him that while she didn't know anything about the runt, she seemed to be pretty connected to the rumor mills...
"I got a question." He looked up at the ancient kitsune. "We had some other youkai we hung out with. Myouga the flea, and Kirara, and Toutousai the swordsmith. Ever hear anything about them?"
Ogin-sama frowned a bit in thought. "I don't know this Kirara, though I've heard of Myouga and Toutousai. I haven't heard anything for a number of years about either of them, though."
"Any idea of where we might look for them, Ogin-sama?" Kagome asked hopefully.
"I had heard that Toutousai liked his privacy, which is a rare commodity these days." She smiled. "I would check Mount Asama, or other active volcanoes. Anything hard to get to."
Well, that wasn't much, but it was something. As they turned to go, the lady said, "If you have any trouble getting into the University, child, come back and call on us. I think our head priest here knows your grandfather, and I'll let him know that you're applying. He could probably be persuaded to write a letter on your behalf." She winked. "They wouldn't ignore a missive from him, you see." She smiled, and bid them goodbye.
Hanae escorted them out; Inuyasha noted that the way out was just as convoluted as the way in, so perhaps she hadn't done it on purpose after all. They exited the den through the same set of doors. Hanae touched Kagome's sleeve to get her attention.
"You see these doors?" The vixen gestured, and the outline of the doors flared. "When they're done by a non-kitsune, they might look like this." They looked the same, except now there was a glowing image of a five-pointed star on each door. "A lot of Daoist magic looks like that. If you have good Sight, and I think you do if you could see pieces of the Shikon Jewel, then I think you'd notice it."
"But Hanae-san," Kagome said doubtfully, "this will have been last opened more than fifty years ago. Might it have gone away? Faded or disappeared?"
"It should still be there," the woman said firmly. "Fifty years is nothing. It's just waiting for the proper person to come along and open it." She gave Kagome a wink. "I'll walk you two to the steps."
They walked out to where Yasei was still sitting at guard duty; he looked at them dourly, but Hanae coaxed a better expression out of him by telling him everything went well. Kagome apologized for their earlier trouble to him.
"What the hell are you apologizing for, Kagome!" Inuyasha exploded. "This is the little shit who was rude to us first!"
Hanae sighed and mumbled something about boys being boys. "Goodbye, you two. Come back again and visit sometime. Yasei, your shift will be over in a bit, I'll send someone out to relieve you." With a wave, she started back to the mini-shrine. As soon as her back was turned Yasei stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha.
"You little --!" Inuyasha began to advance on the kitsune irately.
"Inuyasha." Kagome stopped him cold with that tone of voice.
"WHAT!" he yelled in her face. She closed her eyes.
"Don't make me say it."
"But dammit, he -- oh, forget it. Let's go." With a little smile she waved at Yasei, and moved with a cranky Inuyasha to the steps.
They walked down the steps in silence; as they emerged from under the last torii, the noise of the street hit them full force. "I wonder how they do that," Kagome murmured, as they turned to cross the street and head home.
"I'd like to know too," the hanyou agreed. "This whole city is so damn noisy. It would be nice to get some peace and quiet."
Kagome grinned at him. "I wonder if Yasei knows. Think he'd tell us if we asked nicely?"
Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at her, and they both laughed. Then they reached for each other's hands. Their hearts were light as they walked home, fingers twined, in the growing shadows of late afternoon.
TBC
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A/N- Some definitions:
/Inari/: the Japanese god of rice. Associated closely with foxes, commonly supposed to be his/her messengers.
Vixen: a female fox.
/Onmyoji/: Daoist sorcerors. Prominent in the Imperial Court of the Heian period.