Yakuza-Miko by NicoRavenPen

Introductions

A/N: Alriiiiight, I know I already have a bajillion fics in the works, and all I have to say to that is this: Don't worry! I never abandon a fic, sometimes I just need to work on something else till I get my mojo back! ^__^ I'll be updating them all in due time, I just can't guarantee it will be soon time...lol Anyways, on with the show! I hope you all enjoy my newest piece, been working on it since last June, so I have about ten chapters of it done so far and a pretty clear outline of where it's going!

O.o.O.o.O

Introductions:

O.o.O.o.O

    It was her 18th birthday, and the excitement of it made her entire day feel like a rush. Suddenly school was over and she was hurrying home, her backpack feeling weightless.

    They had a tradition in their family. One that was passed down for generations, all the way back to the Sengoku Jidai, and she would be upholding that tradition tonight.

    At the exact time of her birth she would fire a reiki-flaming arrow into the Goshiboku, for she was the inherent Shikon Miko, and it was tradition for the Shikon Miko to do so as a proclamation of her coming of age.

    In the olden days, back in the days of youkai and true reiki users, the Shikon Miko was a highly sought after female. She risked being claimed by a male youkai and used as his clan’s greatest weapon, for only reiki can so easily destroy another youkai -even hundreds of them if the Miko is strong enough.

    Of course, those were the old tales and youkai were no longer in existence so there was no worry of being claimed by any random male. It was really all for show, anyways, her reiki more of a pretty light, really.

    She was more excited about their little family party afterwards and all of the food that her mother was making. She could practically taste the oden already!

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    Night had descended and her small three-person family was gathered on the grounds of their shrine, lanterns lit about the yard, lending an ethereal glow to the event.

    Kagome came forward dressed in traditional miko garb, her bow in hand. She’d been in the archery club at school for years, so she knew her way about it and was entirely confident in her ability to hit the mark.

    Her mother kept sight of her watch as Kagome took her stance a good distance from the tree, knocking her arrow and raising her bow.

    Face turned to the tree but eyes slanted to her mother, she watched for her signal as her reiki began to flow to the surface.

    When she received a solemn but proud nod, Kagome allowed the flow of her reiki to overcome her, emblazing her entire person before she directed it into the arrow-head and released, standing tall as she watched it fly forth.

    The blaze was like a shooting star, so purely pink that it was nearly white, and it lit the sky like a beacon before hitting the tree with a ‘thud’ that resounded…

    As if in reply the tree burst with new life, leaves uncurling and spreading wide, new buds sprouting and maturing in a matter of seconds! It was miraculous to behold!

    She smiled widely, pride lighting her eyes and pure joy filling her being.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    He sat on the wide porch, leaning regally against a pillar as he gazed into the night sky, hands in the sleeves of his slate-colored yukata.

    A gentle breeze blew, bringing with it the scents of the city nearby.

    His clan lived on the outskirts of Tokyo, near enough, but far enough to not constantly be overwhelmed with the sounds and scents of the boisterous city.

    Inhaling deeply, he focused on the smells of the plants around him -the flowers, the trees, the grass…

    Suddenly, a sharp tingle shot down his spine forcing him to sit straight, eyes widening minutely. And then there was a blaze to the north-west, in the city, the color of fire so hot that it was white.

    He stood and leapt to the roof of the outer wall in one great leap, his silver hair flying out behind him like a banner.

    The tingle continued to shoot down his spine, and a flash of something that he hadn’t felt in ages crossed his senses.

    Miko reiki…The Shikon Miko.

    The sheer magnitude of the power was immense, it effected even them outside of the city, he couldn’t imagine how it would have felt in a closer proximity…

    As if feeling the power thrumming in the air, more from his house landed on the roof tiles, their gazes all looking towards the source, all searching with wide eyes.

    After the effects finally drifted away and they could all breath easier, the one next to him slouched as he turned to him.

    “What the hell does it mean?”

    Turning slowly, he watched his brother’s triangular ears flick about atop his silver head, the only sign of his anxiety.

    “It means that the Shikon Miko has been revealed. She’s come of age.”

    The kitsune nearby came closer, hearing his words, and smiled a wide kitsune-smile of sharp fangs, tails flicking about.

    “The hunt begins.”

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    The next day at school, Kagome was greeted with all manor of welcomes, many asking how her birthday was.

    Her smile was undiminished as she told them of how good it was, her happy aura encompassing all though none even realized it or how it effected them. She brightened whatever room she was in and many were happier just for being near her.

    She was sitting in her homeroom class chatting with her friends, since class didn’t start for several minutes, but then everything suddenly went silent, but for murmured whisperings.

    Looking up, Kagome glanced to the hall where everyone else seemed to be congregating, poking out of windows and doorways to watch the people coming their way.

    Curious, she stood and went to the doorway, her friends crowding behind her.

    It seemed there was a procession heading down the hall, a group of men that were apparently their classmates, though Kagome didn’t remember ever having seen them.

    Gasping, she held a hand to her lips to muffle the sound, eyes widening when she saw them.

    “Bishies!” whispered Yuka happily, crowding closer.

    It was a somewhat large group of men, seven of them in all, and all of them were uncommonly handsome -beautiful, really…

    And all of them were unique, it would seem, each of their personalities obviously varied from the next.

    Their leader though, he was…frightening.

    She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but he just screamed superiority and contained violence. A shiver laced down her spine as she failed to pull her eyes from him. He had long silver hair -an oddity in itself, probably dyed- but it was the facial tattoos and almost golden eyes that drew her focus.

    “It’s that Yakuza group! I haven’t seen them in ages!” Eri whispered, almost frantically.

    There were many similar murmurs around the hall but Kagome barely took in what was being said.

    “Yakuza…?” she whispered to herself.

    The man that she’d been watching moved with an unrivaled elegance and soon enough he was within reaching distance, his large frame dwarfing her own as he neared.

    He stopped before her.

    Glancing up at him, she flinched when she found his intimidating gaze focused solely on her.

    It lasted only a moment, though it felt longer to her, but in that moment something flickered in his eyes and his nostrils flared minutely. She feared she’d angered him somehow. Instead he looked away, glancing to a member of their group who came forward before he left, the rest following after him without a word.

    The red-head who approached from their group was smiling widely, green eyes glimmering in the false lighting.

    Kagome gulped, taking in his loose tie and opened uniform jacket, the top two buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned.

    He screamed playboy.

    “Excuse me, but I believe this is my class,” he murmured charmingly, winking at her when she stumbled back and out of the doorway.

    He stepped closer to her for a moment, startling her, and he breathed in deeply, eyes narrowing as he watched her, before he released it in a deep sigh, exhaling with a broad smile.

    “You smell amazing. My name’s Shippo,” he held a hand out and shook hers, ignoring her complete lack of response, before releasing her and taking an empty seat in the far corner of the room, adjacent from her own. He sat back in his seat and put his heels up on the corner of his desk, crossing his arms behind his head.

    The murmurs in the room and hallway took on a new level of sound, like that of a beehive, and Kagome struggled to find some semblance of order to her thoughts.

    Stumbling, she took her own seat as the teacher came in, demanding silence.

    “Ah, Mr. Aki, you’ve graced us with your presence, I see,” commented the sensei, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger as he gazed at Shippo.

    “Yeah, it’s been a while, hm?” Shippo greeted cordially, no doubt still smiling wide. “I missed your teaching abilities, Atsushi-sensei, so I think I may be sticking around for the rest of the year.” He was being blatantly charming yet the sensei said nothing in reply except for snorting softly.

    The rest of the class was completely silent until class began.

    For the rest of the period she couldn’t help feeling that he was watching her…

    When it was time for lunch she was surrounded by her friends and wrangled away, all of them murmuring some warning or another.

    “He’s yakuza, Kagome, you have to be careful!”

    “Although it’s never actually been proven…they’d never be allowed in the school if that was the case…”

    “It’s dangerous to get involved with them, people have died!”

    “People have been rumored to have died,” corrected another.

    “Well rumor’s good enough for me to not want to be involved with their lot!”

    Kagome sighed, but listened to their words, unsure what to believe.

    “Guys, he just said ‘hi‘. That’s all. It’s not like he asked me to move in with him,” she laughed awkwardly as they went to eat.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    Shippo entered the roof with a grin, taking in the surrounding clan members, and went straight to his alpha.

    “Yup, you’re right, it’s definitely her,” he smiled as the large male turned to him.

    “I’d thought as much,” he acknowledged. “Her scent reeks of purity.”

    “You noticed that, huh? She smells fantastic,” crooned the kitsune, eyes nearly closing as he reminisced. If his tails had been visible they would have been twitching in his delight.

    “Hey Sesshomaru,” called the hanyou sitting on the wall ledge, “What do we do now? It’s not like we can just kidnap her.” He scratched at the top of his head, where his ears would be had they not been concealed. He scratched vigorously, irritated with the concealment.

    Their leader was silent for a while as he gazed out about the city.

    “You are the only one in her class, kit, so you must watch over her. We can’t risk the other clans finding out and taking her.”

    “Yes, they would not be quite so polite about it,” murmured the houshi beside him. He was the only human among them, a reiki user raised on a shrine many miles away, but he was an asset to their clan. He was clever and quick witted, and having a ningen’s insight in such situations was beneficial.

    The man rubbed the heels of his palms together as he thought, purple eyes gazing into the distance.

    “We must befriend her, I think, Sesshomaru-sama. It is the only way that I can think of that gets us close enough to bring her into the clan.”

    “We could always seduce her,” interrupted the lead wolf in their clan, Kouga. “I sure wouldn’t mind, she looked pretty tasty.” He licked his lips as he sauntered closer, leaning on the railing.

    Sesshomaru sneered lightly at him.

    “Naw,” Shippo waved, “Seducing her would be too dishonest. If she’s going to play such a major part in our clan we have to go about this the right way. Honesty’s the best policy!” he smiled.

    “Indeed,” Sesshomaru agreed. “We will…befriend the Shikon Miko.” It left an odd taste in his mouth. He did not simply befriend other beings…

    “Inuyasha,” he called. When his brother came forward, he turned his narrowed gaze on him. “You will watch over her outside of school. We will need to know where she lives, as she will need protection there as well. There is too much at stake to not do so.”

    “Keh. Fine, but you owe me a huge box of ramen. Beef flavored.”

    “Hn.”

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    Kagome stilled her walking, head tilting to the side.

    She was certain that she was being followed. She just had that feeling…

    Turning her head slightly, she glanced back to see a guy a good distance behind her, bent down to tie his shoe.

    Seeing his silver hair, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    He was in that group. She was sure of it.

    Seeing him occupied, she kept walking, hoping that she was wrong.

    After another block, she turned to look over her shoulder again. There he was again, standing with his hands in his pockets, looking to the sky and kicking at the ground.

    Frowning, she turned and kept walking. Two blocks later she peered once more over her shoulder and still, there he was, awkwardly leaning on a bench.

    Scowling darkly, she turned around and stomped right up to him, finger prodding him in the chest as she neared.

    “Why are you following me?! What are you after? Are you a stalker or something?!”

    He backed away from her in surprise, hands held up in submission.

    “Hey! Take it easy lady, I ain’t following you! I swear!”

    “Sit!” she yelled, pointing at the bench he’d been leaning against.

    He did so out of reflex, leaning away from her.

    She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, hands on her hips.

    “Then what are you doing?”

    “I just live this way! Damn, woman! Do you freak out on every guy that walks behind you? Do you own this sidewalk?” He folded his arms across his chest and glared at the cars driving by. “Keh. Whadda bitch.”

    She bristled, but suddenly felt guilty for accusing him.

    Scratching at her ear, she shrugged it all off, a light blush working it’s way to the forefront in her embarrassment.

    “Sorry. I’ve just never seen you go this way before…”

    “Yeah well that’s cuz I haven’t been to class for a while.” He shrugged his own shoulders before reaching up to scratch at his head.

    Sighing, she sat beside him.

    “Sorry I yelled at you.”

    “Yeah, well, don’t do it again. Not everybody is a bad guy out to get ya’,” he grumbled.

    “So, what’s your name? I think I saw you in school today,” she murmured.

    “Name’s Inuyasha.”    

    “I’m Kagome,” she smiled.

    “Yeah I know,” he grumbled lightly.

    “You do? How do you know my name?”

    He flinched, eyes widening at his mistake.

    “Ah, that Shippo kid was just telling me about his class, that’s all. He talks so much, I couldn’t not know your name by the time he was done ranting. Doesn’t shut up.”

    “He was talking about me?” her voice was timid.

    “Yeah, said you remind him of a sister or something. Wouldn’t shut up about it.”

    Eyes wide, Kagome stared.

    Hearing that about the red-head definitely cleared up most of her awkward feelings about him…helped her to relax.

    “Awwww,” she cooed. “That’s so sweet!”

    “Keh. Whatever. You going home, or not?” He stood up and began walking. She leapt up and followed after him, smiling shyly to herself.

    After a bit he turned and looked back.

    “Now who looks like a stalker, huh?”

    She laughed, and he grinned wolfishly.

    “Come on, get up here, I’ll walk you home I guess, since you’re on my way.”

    “Ok,” she smiled in agreement. She liked making new friends…

    “And only cuz I don’t like weird stalker chics walking behind me.”

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

    Kagome waved as she turned to run up the ungodly long stairway.

    Inuyasha turned and headed around the property to get closer to the house from another way around and so that nobody would see him.

    As he sauntered along the sidewalk he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing.

    “Hey, Sessh? Yeah I found out where she lives. I’m heading around the back now to keep an eye on her family. Yeah, she’s got family -a mom, a little brother, and an old grandpa. She talks a lot…”

    He was silent for a moment, listening.

    “Yeah, I’m scoping the place out now. It’s an old shrine, the Higurashi Shrine -ever heard of it?- but it’s got woods surrounding the south and west sides, the north and east are exposed to the open. Yeah, it’s up on a huge hill -too many frickin’ steps- it’s no wonder she’s got such great gams…Oh stop growling at me!” He sneered at his phone in annoyance. “There’s nobody else around, none of the other clan’s members or nothin’, so they’ll be safe, but I’ll stick around for tonight and see if anyone comes sniffin’ around. With as wide as her aura spread they’d have to be stupid not to have noticed it…”

    He was silent once more, nodding his head as he found a good tree to sit in for the night.

    “Yeah alright. Bye.”

    Shoving his cell into his pocket, he jumped up and settled in for the long haul.

O.o.O.o.O