Chapter 1
Rain pelted my body, unforgiving, as I drove swiftly through the puddles on the freeway from San Jose, creating small waves that crashed down just as surely as my world was crashing inside my mind. The dark brown hair that had escaped from underneath my green and silver helmet was whipping around my shoulders and back, which were protected by a black and green leather jacket. I hardly noticed my surroundings; I hardly noticed anything; the rain or the wind that was thrashing about me. My thoughts blocked out everything except for the almost black road. Driving the bike was second nature to me now.
This can't be happening to me. I thought as I pushed harder on the gas of my green, silver, and black Suzuki motorcycle, trying not to think about the person who helped me learn how to drive it in the first place. It can't be true…I don't know what I'll do if it's true… Revving the bike up and accidentally popping a small wheelie, I pushed it to go faster; knowing in my heart, and in my mind as well, that what waited for me at the end of the road could, and most likely would, drastically alter my future, for the better or worse, I wouldn't know which one until I reached my destination.
Swinging into an empty parking space in front of the white building with practiced ease, I yanked the helmet off my head, locking it to the bike, climbing quickly off and jerking the keys from the ignition, all in the course of a few seconds. I turned on my heel and rushed inside, my hair a chocolate curtain behind me, and my wet jeans rubbing uncomfortably against my legs.
"I'm here to see Sesshoumaru Taisho." I said to the receptionist, breathless and near tears.
"Are you family?" She asked, sounding bored. I wanted to reach across this desk and strangle her for her blatant disrespect of me. Here I was, terrified that someone I loved could possibly be dying, and the stupid receptionist had the nerve to sound bored and disinterested. However, before I was given the chance to act upon my impulses, Sesshou's cousin Miroku ran into the room, his girlfriend, and my best friend, Sango Taijia, and Sesshou's best friend Yasha right at his heels.
"Kagome!" Sango cried hugging me, then quickly receding at the wetness of my clothes. "Girl, you're soaked."
"Thank you Dr. Obvious. Can I see Sess now?" I asked, turning to Roku. He nodded, a slight smile on his face, knowing that I truly cared for his younger cousin.
"Wassup youngin." Yasha said, patting my shoulder understandingly. Yasha huge. Not huge like fat. Huge like muscular, and very, very tall. "How you holdin up?"
"Ok. I'll be better once I see Sess."
"No you won't." He muttered, so quiet I don't think I was meant to hear it.
What brought me to this hospital, hours away from home, is someone I'm not sure I could live without. I know I know, you hear this a lot from psycho girls about their boyfriends, but I'm not crazy, and he's not my boyfriend. Not in the normal sense of the word. Almost nothing about our relationship is normal… He helped me through the hardest part of my life. He's my light when everything around me seems drenched in darkness. Sesshoumaru Taisho… He's a little older than me, two years and a couple months, nothing major. At least, I don't think so. My father thinks otherwise. He thinks Sess is a good kid, but too old for me. He just turned twenty about three weeks or so ago. I'd received a call from Sango that morning…
I reached down into my pocket with practiced ease without even looking down, hitting a button on my cell phone to stop the vibrating that was distracting me from my math class. I would check it after my classes, when I knew I could go home and would have almost unlimited time.
The day came quickly to an end, and since I generally hung out alone at the college, it was fairly easy to get away from everyone to call my voicemail. I waved at the few people I knew, seeing their faces but not fully processing who they were. I was highly distracted and worried. Sango almost never called me during the day, she knew I had class and needed to concentrate, so saved her calls for after five, when she knew I was at home. I finally got to the parking lot and headed towards my baby, a beautiful silver, black, and green Suzuki motorcycle. The lot was empty so I used that time to call my voicemail. "Please enter your pass-code..." The automated voice said in my ear. I hit the correct buttons, 1707, mine and Sesshou's birthdays, and listened as the message played in my ear still walking,
"Kagome! Oh my goodness girl, I know I'm not supposed to call you during the day but this couldn't wait; Sesshoumaru got jumped, he's in the hospital right now and I think you should come see him…"
I didn't hear anything else the message said… Four words had stood out to me, 'he's in the hospital…'
My world was collapsing; I had to get to him… I had to see him… My heart pumped faster and faster in my chest as fear rose in my stomach at an alarming rate. Sesshoumaru was in the hospital and I was not there… I had to be there, I felt it, and I would not deny my instincts or my heart, no matter how much it would hurt me to see him as he was…I ran through the parking lot, shoved my helmet on my head as I hopped on my bike, and raced home, thinking of some kind of excuse to give my parents.
I was silent as Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango led me to his room, making sure I knew where to go when I returned later, remembering every twist and turn we made and storing it away for when I'd need to know it. I smiled to myself, observing Sango and Miroku. They were completely perfect together. I never heard of them arguing, they did everything together, and loved each other unconditionally. It'd only been two years, but I was confident that the two of them would get married… I hoped Sess and I could be like that forever. I felt pride in knowing that I brought these two together. I'd better be the maid of honor at the wedding…' I thought to myself silently with a wry smile.
Roku entered a room numbered 1707, Sango and Yasha right behind him. I tried not to think of the irony in the room number as I paused at the door, hesitant to enter now. Afraid of what I might see. Would he be awake and waiting for me as I hoped? Would his body be mangled and slashed…? I shuddered at the thought. Sango and Miroku came back and held their hands out for me. I grabbed both of them with mine and allowed them to lead me inside. I felt like a baby just learning to walk, being led around by her parents for stability and support. It's probably what I looked like too, with my wide, unsure eyes… I took the support unknowingly given and took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for what I knew I could truly not be ready for. They pulled me to the back of the room where I was met with a sight that literally crippled me. I started to fall to my knees allowing a sob to escape my throat as Yasha caught me around my waist, taking back my hands and covering my mouth with them to stop the scream that threatened to erupt from it.
"My baby, my baby." Those were the only coherent words that I was able to say as I buried my face in Yasha's chest, clenching my eyes trying to get the sight out of my head, but the painful sight was burned clear as day in my mind.
Sesshou's smooth pale skin was almost completely hidden by purple bruises and festering cuts in all sizes. His left eye was blue, turning purple, and he had stitches from the outside of his right eye to the base of his jawbone. His long hair had patches of crust where blood had dried and matted it. There were bandages all down his arms. I was afraid to see his abdomen, knowing that there was sure to be more of the same.
Sango came to stand next to me and Yasha and pulled me from him into her arms, allowing me to cry on her shoulder, tears leaking from her own eyes as she stroked my hair soothingly.
"Who did this?" She asked quietly for my sake, sounding pained.
I wondered the same thing. Sesshou was well liked among most people. Who would do this to him? Roku hesitated to answer, so Yasha did.
"It was that group of crips that have been buggin him for the past few weeks."
"What're you talking about?" I asked slowly. I blanched at the thought of my baby being bothered by a group of gang members. He was too good for that mess.
"There've been a couple of crips bugging Sesshu lately. He didn't want to worry you, so he didn't say nothin, but that's why he's been distant." Roku said quietly.
"It's not you." Sango said voicing my earlier concerns.
"Why would they do this to him?" I asked, my voice cracking in pain and anguish.
"To get to me…" Roku hissed angrily. "They know how far I'll go to protect my cousin, so they attacked him to draw me out."
Sango seemed to be debating on whether to ask the question both of us were wondering, so I asked for her sake, as she'd asked a question for mine.
"What're you gon' do now?"
"Me and Yasha are gon' bust up their safe house; I know where it's at." He said looking down, contemplating what was to come.
"I'm coming with you guys." I said firmly, glaring, showing him that I was in no mood to argue and silently daring him to try and stop me. I am, have always been, and always will be, a determined girl. Once I decide I want something or want to do something, almost nothing and no one can change my mind. Roku, Sango, and Sesshou all knew that. Roku looked into my determined eyes and knew there was no stopping me. But he looked at Sango next, silently asking if that was a good idea.
"Hell no." Yasha said before Roku could answer. "Sess would have a fit if we let you come, you're staying with Sango and Kikyo." He said. Kikyo was his girlfriend. They'd been goin steady for about two years. She was a pretty pale skinned girl with chocolate brown eyes and waist length ebony colored straight hair.
"There's no way in hell I'm staying out of this. I'll find a way to go even if it means stowing away or following on my bike. You can't keep me out of this, Yasha. Sesshou is my everything, and those bastards tried to take him from me. I refuse to sit at home and wait for you two to come back."
The room was silent as Yasha looked at Miroku and Sango trying to figure out what to do.
"You can watch our backs then." Yasha said after a while. I began to protest but he cut me off, "You're coming still, and you get to help, but you're not coming up to the place with us. We actually need someone to watch our backs, so your job is important." He looked at Isaac to make sure that was acceptable. He had some say, but sine Roku was Sesshou's cousin, technically Sess would take his say so over Yasha's.
Roku was quiet for a while before he finally answered, "He's gonna kill us for this when he wakes up…" He muttered, giving me a look that said clearly, 'Alright you can come but don't blame me when your boyfriend comes after us…'
I smirked to myself, silently happy that my mom thought girls should be taught the same things as boys and had taught me how to shoot a gun at the early age of eleven. My uncles thought she was twisted but now I thank her for it. She always said I might need to know it someday. Maybe she thought I was going to be paranoid about living alone like she was… Ultimately, her teaching me how to shoot a gun was what caused my uncles and aunties to have the courts move me in with my dad, they thought she was crazy, but by that time the damage was done, I already knew how to use one.
I looked at Sess and allowed the tears to race from my sad and yet hate filled eyes and down my solemn face. The people who did this to him would pay. I would be sure of that if it was the last thing I ever did in this life.
