DISCLAIMER: I do not own the InuYasha characters, because if I did, Sesshoumaru would be the star!
The Twisted Hands of Fate:
Chapter 1
Kagome clenched her teeth and fought desperately not to glance at the digital clock on her bedside table, tears pricking her eyes.
The funeral would have started by now. Kagome pushed away the guilt and sorrow that clawed at her frayed heart. It wasn't her fault, she was doing this for him. This was all for him.
The only reason she still lived was for him.
'If I attend his funeral,' she reasoned weakly with herself, 'they'll know I have an emotional connection to the case, and I won't be able to follow it.' Her eyes hardened as she thought this, her fists clenching unconsciously. She had to follow the case, she needed to. Maybe, if she caught his killer, she could move on with her life, but not before then. She needed closure, and she needed to get it herself. Still, as her determination wavered and she squinted to see the clock out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't dispel the gnawing grief that ate at her. He was gone, never to grin mischievously at her, or to laugh at her clumsiness, or to kiss her in that rough, passionate way ever again. He was gone, and she wasn't even at his funeral.
She wasn't even there to say goodbye.
To her distinct relief, the shrill wailing of her phone stopped her from slipping into another wave of angst. She stumbled weakly to the phone and answered with a soft click, struggling to keep her voice even and void of any distress.
"Hello? Higurashi residence." Her greeting was answered by a deep baritone, reserved, yet soothing and calm.
"This is Taisho Sesshoumaru, I am a forensic scientist at Mount Fuji hospital. Am I correct in saying that you are one of the investigators following the death of Mr. Nishimura?" The voice inquired smoothly.
"Yes."
"We are going to examine the body and perform the autopsy now, it would be prudent if you were present." Kagome felt her heart skip painfully. They were performing the autopsy. She would have to see her lover lying lifelessly on a cold metal table. She would be forced to watch him be examined by strangers, touched and violated… She was jolted from her reverie by Dr. Taisho's voice.
'…Gurashi-san? Can you still hear me?"
"Oh! Yes, yes, of course. I will be there in five minutes." She stuttered.
"Thank you. Until then."
"Bye." She shakily pressed the phone to the receiver and exhaled unevenly, fighting to control her frantic heart. Hastily, she ran a comb through her tangled inky tresses and shrugged on her jacket. The weather outside was bleary and frigid, much like her mood.
Then, Kagome ambled quickly to her rusty Toyota Corolla, shuffled in, and pulled out of her driveway to reunite with her dead lover, Nishimura InuYasha.