Author’s Note: I’ve been listening to far too many MTV Catfish episodes while working and haven’t been able to get this idea out of my head. I’m still on schedule for Dreaming of You to return in September, so no worries there! Hope you enjoy! I had a lot of fun coming up with alternate names for things in the same vein as Wacdonalds. Thank you all for any reviews, favorites, kudos, and follows!
~*Flame
Disclaimer: InuYasha & Final Act are all owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Media & Madmen Entertainment.
Smoke and Mirrors
Soft chocolate eyes watched as a smile spread across his sister’s face for the first time in nearly a year. Well… perhaps not the first time, but it may as well have been. It had only been a week since their mother gave her the smartphone practically glued to her hand. Ever since, she’s been nothing but soft smiles and quiet giggles.
He didn’t like it.
Sure, Kagome had missed out on a ton of technical advances while running around in Sengoku Jidai, and the smartphone was new and exciting. But this was something different. She’d been a ghost of herself ever since the well closed, refusing to speak of her time in the past, even to their mother. She hadn’t bothered returning to school and barely helped around the shrine. Yet, this past week, it was almost like having his old sister back.
Her eyes still held glimpses of the haunted gaze from when she first returned, but never when she had the phone in her hands. It was all too convenient, and the internet was a dangerous place.
“What has you smiling so big? Finally figured out how to turn off the sparkle filter?”
“No,” she huffed, stuffing her phone in her pocket. “I remembered how to do it after the first time you showed me.” He smiled, flashes of her irritation when she came to him that day crossing his mind. The flair of her temper was the first clue his sister was still with them, locked within her own sadness. It gave him hope his hero wasn’t completely lost.
“Oh good, all your Pictocard posts were embarrassing.” He turned his attention back to the game on the television. Of course, he really didn’t think such. After that first flair of temper, he’d quickly learned how to get her talking again. Even if it made him seem more childish, it was worth it to bring his sister back.
“Ha! Jokes on you!” She flopped down on the couch beside her, smile the widest he’d seen yet. There was even a glint of joy in her blue eyes that had the tension in his shoulders ebb away. “I found one of them.”
His eyes widened, a smile equal to his sister’s beginning to spread across his own face. Only to fall at her next works.
“Or rather, he found me.”
“Sis…” He bit his lip, worry rushing through him. Kagome hadn’t been online long, and he helped set up her social media accounts. There was nothing in them that alluded to the well or her adventures in the past. Heck, they didn’t even mention she was a Miko!
Something wasn’t right. He knew it deep in his bones. But she was so happy. He couldn’t destroy the little joy she’d pulled together just because something felt wrong to him. Kagome was too stubborn to listen, too blinded by the connection to her past. No, he wouldn’t ruin this for her, but he wasn’t going to just sit idly by and ignore his gut feeling. He’d just have to keep a close eye on her.
“Just be careful.” She rolled her eyes before leaving the couch, phone back in hand.
“There’s nothing to worry about, squirt.”
“I’m taller than you!” He shouted to her retreating back, hoping she was right.
___
He sighed, slipping his shoes off as he returned home from school. Only a few weeks left before graduation, and he was ready to be finished. With his pending soccer scholarship, he couldn’t afford to slack in his studies, which simply added stress to his already busy plate. Though he supposed that wasn’t all that fair. Kagome was fighting for her life at his age. That was far more stressful than what he had going on.
Dropping his schoolbag in the living room, he headed straight for the kitchen. After grabbing a quick snack and a big glass of water, he’d get started on his homework. If he focused, he could finish before dinner and spend the rest of the night playing video games. A perfectly relaxing way to end the day, if he said so himself.
He froze in the threshold, fear gripping his chest. Kagome was slumped over the kitchen table, head pressed against the polished wood, arms splayed out, and phone tossed to the side. Not since the early days of the well closing had he seen his sister in such a state.
His eyes darted to the phone, glaring at the device. She didn’t have to say anything; he just knew it had something to do with that ‘friend’ that found her online. Fists clenching, he reached for her phone, only to have it snapped away.
“Buzz off, Souta.” Her listless tone had his teeth grinding. She was doing so well, finally moving on from the loss of those beyond the well. For her to slip back so quickly… He shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. There was no way he was going to let it go this time with a simple word of warning.
Kagome didn’t know the internet like he did, nor did their mother. There was no way she was talking to one of her old friends. Not if they made her this depressed. Even Inuyasha hadn’t made her this upset when they were younger. At least, not to where she couldn’t hide it from them.
“What happened?” She shifted her head on the table, cheek still pressed to the wood, dull eyes locked on his.
“He’s mad at me.” He continued to stare at her until she sighed and forced herself to sit up. “I keep asking him about the others and he’s annoyed that I won’t let it go.” She looked down at the phone in her hands, thumb stroking the black screen. “I could understand if he didn’t know anything about Sango and Miroku, but he knew how much Shippou meant to me.”
Kagome closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. Lowering his arms, he took a seat next to her, no longer demanding answers. Everyone in the family knew what the kit meant to her, his name taboo in the house when she returned so suddenly and covered in blood. She may not have birth him, but Shippou was every bit her child.
“What about the other friends on his profiles?”
“He only has a Pictocard, and I don’t recognize the few friends he has.” Shoulders tense, he stared at the phone. The more he heard about this friend, the more he felt like there was something wrong with them.
But that didn’t explain the state he found her in. Though his sister was never the same after her travels to the past, he still knew her. This friend avoiding any mention of Shippou would have enraged her, sparked the mama bear inside her, not this wilted shell before him. “What else?” He kept his tone light, pleading with her to open up for a change.
“He said he was in trouble.” She opened her eyes, gaze focused on the phone. “That work has been slow, and he needed 70,000 yen to make his next rent payment or he’d be out on the streets.” His blood ran cold, eyes sliding shut. It was worse than he thought.
“Please tell me you didn’t send him anything.”
“No,” He sighed in relief, opening his eyes and leaning back in the chair. “That’s why he’s mad at me. He said not to bother him unless I had the money.” There was no doubt in his mind she wasn’t dealing with one of her friends from the past. Red flags were flying high and his poor sister was blind to all of them.
“Does that sound like something they’d say?” She weakly shrugged, refusing the look at him.
“People change, and 500 years is a long time.” She stood, slipping the silent phone in her pocket. “He’s probably trying to spare my feelings. For all I know, Shippou completely forgot about me. He was really young.”
He frowned as she walked away before he could respond. There was no way her kit forgot about her, no matter how much time passed or how young he was. Whoever this ‘friend’ was, they were messing with the wrong person. If he ever found out who they really were, he’d make them pay.
___
He sneezed as a cloud of sakura blossoms wafted into his room. Rubbing his nose on the sleeve of his shirt, he put down his pencil, pushing away his homework. Staring at the wall that separated his room from Kagome’s, he couldn’t fathom what had her in such a tizzy to spray so much of her perfume. She hadn’t used so much since being pulled into the well and traveling with youkai with their super sniffers…
He paled, scrambling from his chair and across the room. She’d been smiling again as of late, the ‘friend’ of hers no longer ghosting her after a few days. With his sister acting more like herself, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she used so much to get back at whoever this ‘friend’ was. Which meant she was planning on meeting with them.
Running to her room, he didn’t bother knocking before bursting through the door. Thankfully, she was already dressed; the risk of blinding himself only coming to mind when it was too late. She screamed regardless before glaring at him.
“Souta! What are you doing in here?” Her hands fisted on her hips, the soft yellow sun dress bunching at the waist. She looked nice, given her recent obsession with sweats and ragged clothing. He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome may be a hero, but it was time for him to save her for a change. There was no way he was going to let her leave and meet with a stranger over the internet.
“Where are you going?” She snorted, turning to search her jewelry box for some doodad.
“Out.” He narrowed his eyes, a stab of relief shooting through the fear. He may not trust this ‘friend’ and the last thing he’d let her do was meet with them, but he was grateful for the bit of his sister they brought back from the dead.
“Are you meeting him?”
“Ugh,” she turned to glare at him, arms falling to her sides. “Yes, I’m meeting Sesshoumaru for coffee. Why are you acting like this?”
“Do you know how dangerous it is to meet someone from the internet alone?” She rolled her eyes, going back to her bobble search.
“It’s just Sesshoumaru.” It was his turn to snort. After all the stories he’d heard growing up about Inuyasha’s half brother, all the times he tried to kill her? Yeah, ‘just Sesshoumaru’ wasn’t going to fly.
“Really? Sesshoumaru? The guy who was nearly as bad as Naraku? You expect me to believe you’ll be safe with him?”
“How dare you!” She turned on him, fiery rage in her eyes. “You know nothing about him! Sesshoumaru is the most honorable person I’ve ever met!”
“How am I supposed to know that? It’s not like you talk about them anymore.”
“I can’t talk about them!” Her shout echoed through the room, the fire leaving her eyes and shoulders slumping. “I just can’t…” Eyes wide, he moved toward her. “I promised him.”
She looked up at him, pure agony in her swirling blue depths. “I promised I’d be right back and we could go home.” Tears streamed down her face. “I wanted mama’s blessing to…” She choked on a sob, hands covering her face, all the pain bottled inside her finally coming to the surface. “But the bandits… they came out of nowhere.” His mind flashed with memories of the blood covering her when she returned, the arrow piercing her lung. He’d never been so scared.
He rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. As much as it hurt to see his hero in such a state, it was needed. If she really had something serious planned with Sesshoumaru in the past, there was no way it was the same person who was talking to her. Someone his sister considered her equal, who she’d want to spend the rest of her life with, wouldn’t be as cruel as this stranger had been.
It was no wonder she missed all the warning signs. She wanted so badly for this person to be Sesshoumaru she was willing to ignore everything that screamed otherwise. That meant there was no way he could stop her from meeting this person, but she didn’t need to meet him alone.
“When are you meeting?” Her sobs slowed, hand reaching for her forgotten phone. “I’ll go with you, to make sure it’s safe.”
She took a deep breath, calming herself. “I can take care of myself, you know.” Her phone lit up, finger swiping a pattern to unlock the device.
“Of course you can.” He pulled away, moving toward her desk chair and giving her the space to gather herself. “Think of it as a test to ensure he’s worthy enough of my sister.” She snorted, and he imagined rolled her eyes, but it was progress. He was certain they wouldn’t be meeting Sesshoumaru, but she wouldn’t be alone when the worst happened.
“We’re not meeting.” Her shoulders slumped, voice as toneless as when he found her sprawled across the table a few weeks ago. His spine straightened, fists clenching as her next words confirmed everything he’d feared. “He can’t make it.” She stood, moving to sit on the bed, head lowered and gaze locked on her phone.
“Let me guess, he has a work emergency?” She looked up, eyes wide as she silently nodded. His lips pursed, rage flickering inside him. As he feared, Kagome was dealing with a catfish. No more. He refused to let her heart be torn apart by a faceless monster pretending to be someone else. “Enough of this.”
He stood, grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward his room. It was time she learn what she was dealing with. Like hell he’d let some jackass taint her memory of Sesshoumaru. Not after what she shared with him. Kagome’s protests fell on def ears as he sat her at his desk, pulling out his laptop.
“Pull up his profile.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“Just do it.” With a huff, she finally logged into her Pictocard, pulling up Sesshoumaru’s profile without argument. Souta nearly groaned at the blatantly fake profile splashed across the screen. He shouldn’t be surprised; all of this was new to her. She didn’t grow up learning what to watch out for.
“A model?” His brows furrowed, mind trying to reconcile the image of an ancient warlord posing for a camera.
“He always was very pretty.” Her cheeks flushed, and he quickly shifted his focus to the few posts on the page. There was no way he wanted to explore that further. If anything, he’ll need to play some extra rounds of Blood Core Extreme Battlefield when this was all over.
There was nothing that stood out as personal; the photos were as generic as a magazine ad. The only thing that remotely stood out was the profile picture; a silver-haired man, arms crossed in a sleek black suit. It didn’t really scream model to him. He shuddered, grateful the photo wasn’t topless. He didn’t have time to search for eye bleach on top of everything else.
Downloading a copy of the profile picture, he pulled up Gaggle in another browser tab. He might not be a computer wiz like some at his school, but he knew enough to get a reverse image search done. In a matter of clicks, he had the page where the profile photo originated on screen.
It wasn’t a social media profile as he expected, but the leadership page of Taisho Corporation. He was the CEO of the multi-billion dollar weapons and medical manufacturer. “I don’t understand…” Kagome took the wireless mouse from him, clicking on the photo to pull up the bio of one Maru Taisho, the great-grandson of the founder of the company.
“I’m sorry, sis. It looks like you’ve been catfished.” She glanced at him, pain filling her eyes.
“Catfished?”
“You weren’t really talking to Sesshoumaru.” She turned her head back to the screen, a tear sliding down her cheek. “But you can email him.” He moved to take the mouse, but she simply shook her head.
“No.” She stood from the chair, bangs covering her eyes. “If he wanted to find me, he could have.” Turning, she strode across the room, his chest clenching at the defeated slump of her shoulders. “Thank you, Souta. I’ll let you get back to your homework.” She left the room, the cloying scent of sakura blossoms fading with each passing minute.
To hell with this. He snarled, sliding into the chair and opening up his email. Kagome might have given up, but he wouldn’t. If this Maru really was Sesshoumaru, he was going to give him a piece of his mind. No one made his sister cry and got away with it.
___
“And you’re certain you can track them down once you have their IP address?” Souta twirled a pencil between his fingers, listening to the assurances on the other end of the phone. It wasn’t easy to find someone to help him track down the catfish. After his scathing email to Maru Taishou, he shifted his focus to make that catfish pay.
With each passing day, the anger inside him grew. Kagome had once again retreated into herself, becoming a husk of who she was. She hadn’t touched her phone since he revealed the truth of her ‘friend’ to him, and in some ways, he almost wished he’d remained silent. She’d been happy, even if that happiness was a smoke screen.
“Good,” He cut off the hacker as they continued to drone on. “I’ll pay-” A knock at the door cut him off. “Let me call you back.” Frowning, he hung up before the hacker could say another word. It had better not be Hojo again. His sister didn’t need to deal with his obsessive attentions.
Opening the door, a biting response on the tip of his tongue, his breath caught. The cold face he’d only seen in a photo stared at him, golden eyes boring into him. When his email to Maru Taishou went unanswered, he never expected the man to track him down, let alone come to their home in person.
“Is the Miko here?” The deep timber spoke of a time long past, the threat of bloodshed coating each word. He swallowed, folding his arms across his chest. This was no catfish he was dealing with, and he was willing to bet Maru really was the Sesshoumaru Kagome had hoped for. That didn’t mean he was going to let him in. His sister may have been pining for him, but she was right. He could have found her at anytime. So why was he here now, and not sooner?
“Who wants to know?” The man before him lifted an eyebrow, the tension between them palpable.
“Do not play the fool. Where is the Miko.” Gathering all the courage within him, he snorted, using a pinky finger to clean out his ears as he’d seen so often in anime.
“All I see is some dude that hurt my sister by not coming for her sooner.” He flicked his nail before cocking his head to the side. “So I ask again, who wants to know?”
Golden eyes narrowed, and it took everything in him not to shake in his house slippers. “As impudent as your email; though, given your family, not surprising.” He frowned, but otherwise remained silent. “I was not aware my Miko had survived the attack that stole her from me. Now that I know she’s here, I’ve come for her.”
“And the catfish?”
“Dealt with.” His eyes narrowed. “Harshly.” Souta shivered at his tone. He almost felt bad for the catfish… almost.
“Good.” He moved from the doorway, granting Sesshoumaru entrance. “Stay here and I’ll get her.” He paused at the base of the stairs, hand on the rail. He didn’t fully trust this man, but it wasn’t for him to make his sister’s decisions for her. At least this time, it was the real person. “She’s not okay.” He turned to glare at the daiyoukai. “Don’t hurt her.”
Sesshoumaru nodded before Souta climbed the stairs, hoping this was the right thing to do. What if he changed too much in the 500 years since they last saw eachother? He didn’t think Kagome could take another blow like the one the catfish dealt.
Silence greeted him when he reached her door and knocked. It wasn’t unexpected. Often she’d stay in bed the whole day, only leaving when their mother forced her from the blankets. Not even udon was enough to coax her from her seclusion. “Sis,” He knocked again. “I need you to come downstairs.”
Silence.
Sighing, he opened the door. Kagome was burrito’d in her blankets, the folds reminding him of her lost sleeping bag. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he ran a hand through his hair. “Come on, sis. There’s someone downstairs to see you.” She groaned, rolling over and away from him. “Okay…” He stood, trying to sound more nonchalant than he felt. “I’ll just tell him his Miko isn’t here after all.”
Kagome jerked up, hair akimbo and limbs tangled in the blanket. “What did you just say?” He hummed, turning to leave the room lest he see his smirk.
“Nothing to worry about.” He lifted a hand in parting. “You can go back to sleep. I’ll take care of everything.” He was barely out the door before her grunts filled the room as she tried to free herself from her blanketed prison. With a chuckle, he stepped to the side, closer to his room, and out of the way of the black and pink blur that zipped down the hall.
Slowly following in her wake, he crept down the stairs, eyes landing on his sister as she launched herself at the daiyoukai standing in their living room. Her sobs filled the house, the gut wrenching heartache so often coloring her voice nowhere to be heard.
“It’s you… It’s really you…” Smiling, he sat on the stairs, giving the two the space they needed but still keeping a close eye on things. Sesshoumaru’s vow never to lose his sister again, doing much to set him at ease.
___
“Ha! Take that!” The kitsune beside him cheered, Souta’s character exploding in a torrent of blood and guts. He groaned, lowering the controller. Shippou was far too good at this game for someone who hadn’t played before, as he claimed. His gaze shifted to the kitchen while he waited for the respawn timer to finish its countdown.
Sesshoumaru had stopped by; a surprise given Kagome was still in class. Since they arrived, Sesshoumaru had been in deep discussion with his mom and Ji-chan; Shippou keeping him distracted and away from the adults. He’d be offended if he wasn’t so pleased with how the daiyoukai had treated his sister since coming back into her life.
Kagome had returned to them, not just the fractions the catfish pulled from her, but fully back to the joyful and spirited person he remembered. Every day Sesshoumaru came by either alone or with another of her youkai friends from the past. The same day they reunited, he’d pulled out his phone, reconnecting her with Shippou; the kit coming for a visit the next day.
It was near impossible to get rid of him after that. Even when Sesshoumaru left the shrine, Shippou would often stay, his mother spoiling her grandchild rotten. “Ne,” He looked over to the kitsune, his bright green eyes boring into him. Geez, what was it with youkai and their intense gazes?
“Yeah?” He picked up the controller again, the respawn timer finished.
“How would you feel if mama moved out of the shrine?” His character stopped moving, his own intense gaze focused on the kitsune. A smile tugged on his lips. He’d been wondering how much longer the daiyoukai would stand not having Kagome by his side permanently.
There was no doubt Sesshoumaru loved his sister. All the little things like helping with the shrine upkeep, and the unwavering support he’s given was beyond anything he could have wished for her. It was because of Sesshoumaru she pulled herself up and went back to school, motivated to chase her dreams instead of wallowing in the past. Sure, she was sad her human friends from the past were gone, but the stories Inuyasha and Shippou shared eased the pain from her eyes.
How would he feel if Kagome wasn’t living with them anymore? That was an easy question to answer. Easy because of who would stay by her side once he wasn’t there to protect her.
“As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.” Shippou smiled, turning his gaze back to the game as the door opened.
“Tadaima!” Kagome’s cheerful voice filled the house, the scrape of a chair echoed in response. Sesshoumaru moved across the room, blocking the television long enough for Shippou to get another kill in as he passed. Souta groaned as the daiyoukai greeted his sister at the door with a kiss.
“Ew, get a room!” Tossing a pillow at the two, unsurprised when Sesshoumaru caught the plush object without looking. Kagome chuckled, taking the pillow and tossing it back at him. He dodged, the pillow smacking Shippou in the head.
“Brat,” She moved to slip her shoes off, only to be stopped by the daiyoukai holding her in his arms.
“Come, there is something we must discuss.” Hand on her elbow, he lead her back outside without a chance for her to protest. Not that Souta thought she would. His sister was a pushover with giving the daiyoukai what he wanted. Turning his attention back to the game, he blinked as Shippou leapt from the seat, pulling him to the window, the biggest smile on his face.
They sunk down, using the curtains to hide from view as they spied on the two standing under the Goshinboku. “Why are we doing this?” His whispered question answered with a sharp shush. They better not start kissing again. No matter what the kitsune wanted him to see he’d leave. Lunch was delicious, and he had no plans to puke it up.
After a few moments, Sesshoumaru took a knee in front of his sister. Her hands snapping up to cover her mouth, head bobbing uncontrollably. The daiyoukai reached for a hand, holding it a moment before slipping a ring around a finger. Launching herself at him, Sesshoumaru nearly toppled back from the sudden movement. The two embracing as tightly as that first day they reunited.
Shippou sighed, pulling away from the window. Souta’s gaze followed him as he returned to the couch, picking his controller back up like nothing happened. “Come on, Uncle Souta, there’s still ten minutes left in the match.”
Snorting, he moved away from the window as well, returning to the game. “We should pretend we don’t know anything when she gets back in.”
“Of course,” The glint of mischief in the kitsune’s green eyes had him chuckling. “And you can be my witness for when I claim my winnings from Inuyasha. He thought papa would wait until she finished school before proposing.”
“And here I thought Inuyasha knew his brother better than that.” His character turned a corner, shooting and finally killing Shippou’s soldier. The screen flashed, the point going to CatfishKiller.