by
Anaphalis
Summary: Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing. Witch Hunter Robin X Inuyasha crossover. Drama/Angst. One Shot.
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Distribution: My site and FF.Net. All others please ask before taking.
Feedback: Much appreciated at [email protected]
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Shonen Jump. Witch Hunter Robin belongs to Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. Brushes on this page courtesy of Pure Anodyne.
A/N: I've always wondered why there aren't more Inuyasha/Witch Hunter Robin crossovers- the two series have a lot of potential overlap and some very interesting potential character dynamics. This one shot is my attempt to show one of the ways the two series could interact with rather dark and disturbing results. Everything has a price...
He felt a cold shiver run through his body- anyone who could get past his assistant, unscheduled, was a force to be reckoned with.
The door had hardly closed before she started.
"I'm interested in your contact network. I have a specific job that would use your abilities."
Very few people outside his contact network knew that he had a contact network. And none of them would have been foolish or desperate enough to bring it up in an office with no exit other than the one behind him.
Who was this woman?
"Who are you?"
"Higurashi."
No first name.
"Higurashi..."
He rolled the name in his mind, trying to understand its familiarity.
"You knew my husband. Or at least he mentioned you."
A tall, laughing man with dark hair and a pretty, sweet-faced wife. "Nagira- you ought to give it a try, old man. Marriage is a holy duty and-" His voice dropped to an intimate whisper, "It's a guaranteed lay."
It had been hard to believe that Kenji came from a family of priests. It was even harder to believe that the shadow-eyed woman in front of him was the woman of that picture.
And then he remembered the rest, the part that had taken nearly half a year of drinking to forget.
"I'm afraid old man, that I won't be able to do any more work for you."
He'd frowned, uncomprehending.
For the first time ever, Kenji had lost his temper. "You know what I am, Nagira- it's why you hired me. Don't play the fool now!"
"You're a priest."
"A priest with spiritual powers. And what does that make me according to the church?"
He'd sucked in his breath, "You�re on the list."
The grim smile was a parody of Kenji�s normal cheer. "I've never asked for anything from you, Nagira, but I'll ask you now. According to the list, I'm single and have no living relatives."
He didn't even want to know how Kenji had manipulated that on his own.
"My wife, my father, Kagome and Souta- make sure that they have money- I don't dare leave them any of my accounts. You owe me hazard pay anyways."
He'd nodded, still trying to process what was happening, and hadn't even seen Kenji leave.
He did however, see what happened when three hunters tore a defenseless man to pieces a few stories below his office window.
"They don't know how he died, do they?"
Her smile held no real joy. "So you do remember then."
He didn't think that it was wise to tell her that the account her 'husband' left her put her name in front of his face at least once a month.
"What do you want from me?"
"My daughter-"
Oh fuck.
"Although technically not possible, your daughter has inherited Kenji�s witch powers."
"Spiritual power is not the same as... whatever it is these witches have! You know this! There were mikos and priests long before the church ever came here!"
"She's manifesting, isn't she? And manifesting strongly enough that they've tracked her and listed her."
The woman in front of him crumbled.
"I thought... I thought that they would be safe. No one in my family has that kind of power and my father-in-law is... harmless. And then all these things started happening..."
Her sudden grip on his wrist was far stronger than he would have expected.
"Please. I'll find whatever money you want, whatever it takes... Just get my daughter off that list! I swear that she's no danger to anyone!"
He wondered idly if his brother had had someone like her if he might have grown up as a normal child. He also wondered what other connections the woman had, what exactly she'd had to do to find out that her daughter was on the list in the first place.
"I can't take a name off the list- they keep very accurate tallies of the numbers on the danger list and I'd have to penetrate the entire archives to change them."
He could see her trying desperately not to crumble, about to say something, anything to get him to reconsider. He held up a hand to stall her.
"My contacts can't remove a name but they can change it."
And he could see the understanding dawning.
"Especially if it's only a first name?"
He nodded.
She looked him in the eye, "I have no children and no immediate relatives."
He met her gaze and held it. "The list shows that the witch acts alone, and has no family connections, Higurashi-"
"Kaoru."
And something snapped. He didn't remember tangling his hands in her hair or forcing her mouth open, but she returned his attacks with a ferocity that left him breathless and shaken. When they finally pulled apart, her expression was neutral and he tried to pretend that his hands weren't shaking as she made her way to the door.
"How long?"
He could still taste the ginger of her mouth.
"Maybe a year, if they're unusually inefficient. The danger list is dealt with fairly quickly. And you'd best find someway for your daughter to hide-"
"She'll be taken care of."
Sorrow radiated off of her in waves, but her head was high, her back straight as she faced him. He didn't even realize that he'd started speaking.
"If things were different-"
"Is that your price?"
He felt sick. He felt even sicker that some part of his mind wanted him to agree.
"No price."
She didn't look back when she closed the door.
The air tasted like ginger.
-The End-
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