Enter the Hound: The Origin of Inu

Chapter 20: Homecoming

 

            As much as she absolutely loathed returning to her former life, Aria knew it was what Moreau most needed her to do.  He needed to capture Ashley-chan—no!  Inu!  Ashley-chan was Inu now, and Inu had hurt Moreau—and she was the only one who could get close enough to do it.

            Already Moreau had helped her harness a small portion of her abilities.  He played music that she had never heard before; operas and musicals with rich solos, jazz singers, new age, classic rock, anything and everything that sounded powerful, he played for her.  She soaked it all up, memorizing every word, every line, every note.  In less than a week she could do more than merely sing a man to his death.  She could sing a house to rubble and control the speed with which it happened.  If she succeeded in capturing Inu, Moreau promised to continue training her to refine her abilities.  He had plans for her, grand plans!  He couldn’t do them without Aria.  She was special.  She was important.

            Valentine’s Day was only a few days away when “Nadine” showed up at the Tau house asking for Austin.

            It was the best performance of her life.

 

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            “So you never did answer my question the other night.”

            Inu looked up from her laptop and turned her head towards the kitchen where Frostfire was prepping peppers and onions for pepper steak, his specialty.

            “And which question was that?” she asked.

            “What do you want to do for Valentine’s Day?” he said, slicing a green bell pepper into strips.

            Inu sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  She didn’t have an answer to give.  All she wanted was to be with Frostfire.  She didn’t need candlelight and roses, or dinner at a fancy restaurant.  She had everything she wanted.  But Frostfire wouldn’t hear it.

            “Surprise me,” she finally answered.

            Frostfire glanced up from his prep-work.  “That’s not how this works, and you know it.”

            “What?” Inu laughed.  “Is it so wrong for me to want you to surprise me?”

            Frostfire shook his head and turned his attention to the beef browning in the skillet.  “How am I supposed to surprise you if I don’t know what you want?” he asked, turning and seasoning the thick strips of beef.

            “That’s the point, love,” said Inu.  “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you what I wanted you to do.”

            “Come on, just one idea?”

            “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

            Frostfire turned his back on the stove and flashed big, sad, puppy eyes at Inu.  She laughed and shook her head.

            “Alright, fine,” she sighed.  “You want to know what I want?”

            Frostfire nodded.

            “I want…for you decide what we’re doing.”

            “Ashley…”

            “Cori…”

            The phone rang and ended the conversation.  Inu snatched the receiver from the cradle and answered.  It was Austin, and he had incredible news.

            Nadine had come home.

            “Oh my God…is she okay?” Inu asked.

            “Seems to be,” Austin answered.  “She’s pretty shaken.  Says she doesn’t remember hardly anything, just that she saw a lot of people get hurt.”

            “Did she cause any of it?”

            “She doesn’t know.  Shit, Ash, she’s scared stiff.”

            “Do you want me to call the police?”

            “Already did.  Detective Matthews is the lead investigator.  He’s on his way over.”

            Inu frowned and bit her lip.  “We’re on our way.  We’ll be there as soon as—”

            But Austin didn’t want Inu and Frostfire to come over.  Something wasn’t right about Nadine.  She was asking too many questions about Inu—not Ashley, not even Ashley-chan, but Inu.  She hadn’t said Ashley’s real name once since she showed up at the Tau house.

            “Something’s off about her, Ash.  Just stay where you are until Detective Matthews has a talk with her.”

            “But—”

            “Look, what if the detective arrests her and takes her in?  Do you really want to see that?  I’ll call you back when I know what’s going on, alright?”

            Austin hung up the phone before Inu could find her voice again to answer.  She stared for a long time at the receiver, unable at first to fully process what Austin had said.  Nadine was home.

            **Something’s off about her, Ash.**

            And something was wrong.

 

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            “Who was that, A-kun?”

            Austin looked up to see Nadine leaning against the door frame.  Her hair was damp from the shower she had just taken, and she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.  Only Jack and two other fraternity brothers were home; most were in class or working out at the gym.  A few others were at work.  That left Austin and Nadine pretty much alone.

            “That was Ashley,” Austin answered, placing emphasis on the name.  “I wanted to let her know you were home.”

            “Worried, was she?”

            Austin frowned.  Something in Nadine’s voice didn’t sound right.

            “Worried sick,” he said.  “Cori, too.”

            Nadine nodded and wrapped the blanket tighter around her, shifting her gaze to the floor.  “So…when is Inu-chan coming over?”

            “Ashley.”

            Nadine looked up.  “What?”

            “Ashley,” Austin said.  “Her name is Ashley.”

            “Right,” said Nadine.  “Inu-chan.”

            “No.  In all the time I’ve known you two, Nadine, you have always called her ‘Ashley’ or ‘Ashley-chan.’  You never once called her ‘Inu-chan’.”

            Nadine tossed her hair back and stared hard at Austin.  “Does it really matter?”

            Austin sighed and shook his head.  “What happened to you, Nadine?  You know you can tell me anything, right?”

            A little voice in Nadine’s head cried out and begged to be allowed to run to A-kun and tell him everything.

            The voice was crushed and stuffed back in a corner.

            “I’ve told you everything I remember,” Nadine said quietly.  “There’s nothing more to tell.”