Chapter Seven


Everything started moving quickly after Sesshoumaru hung up the phone. In less then five minutes, numerous police cars and ambulances were on the scene. The first out of the car was Koga of course. I made eye contact with him and saw pain flash across his eyes. I looked down at my bruised and cut naked body. I had gotten so used to it, that it didn't occur to me to try and hide.

"Kagome.." Koga lightly treads towards me. I give him my best smile as he stretches his arms out to embrace me.

"I'm so sorry." He rubs circles in my back. I pull away from him and nod.

"You need to be examined by EMT." He tries to lead me to them and I snap my hand back. I grab a hold of Sesshoumaru's arm, shocking both of them.

"Just give me a minute." I plead. Koga hesitates for a second before stomping off to examine the crime scene.

"Where did those two people go?"

"They needed to leave before the cops got here. It's not exactly legal, what we did here." Sesshoumaru replies.

"Yeah, true…I'll make sure Koga keeps you safe." I give him a reassuring squeeze. Suddenly I feel him wrap his arms around me. He grabs the back of my head in an embrace, leaning down to embrace me as much as possible.

"I am so sorry." He mumbles into my neck. Tears fill my eyes as everything finally hits me. I can't stop myself from hysterically crying into his shirt. My body trembles through his as he continues to embrace me. I feel more and more weak as the adrenaline wears off. The loss of Sango, the repeated assault, everything just falls onto my shoulders. I feel myself getting weaker and weaker as my emotions run rapid. My legs give out.

"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru keeps me from falling. Voices rush around me as I feel myself being lifted onto a stretcher. "Just hang in there Kagome!" Sesshoumaru's voice is the last thing I hear before everything goes black.


Sesshoumaru's POV

The sound of sirens ring through my ears as the ambulance heads to the hospital. Kikyo and Miroku left which leaves me to ride with Koga to the hospital. I reach for the door handle when I feel a fist come into contact with my face. Sucker punched. I stagger back before wiping the blood off the corner of my mouth.

"That's the second time you hit me and the last." I cock back and punch him square in the nose. With a few cuss words, we start fighting.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten her killed!" He throws another punch but I step to the side. Quickly I tackle him to the ground. We collide and fall with a thud.

"I wasn't going to wait around for you to let her die!" I retort. We roll around, grunting like savage animals. Cautiously, a couple of officers try to break us apart. After a few rough tugs, they succeed.

"This isn't about us Koga. The fact is, Kagome's safe and we need to get to the hospital." He huffs in my direction. "Fine, but find your own way there." With that he gets into his car and storms off. Great.

Xxx

I managed to convince one of the officers to give me a ride to the hospital. He was hesitant at first after watching his boss fight with me. But eventually he caved. I think he could sense the desperation in my voice.

I find Koga in the waiting room, talking to a doctor. Koga's face flashes with rage and disgust. The doctor looks apologetic and walks off.

"What's going on?" Koga looks up at me as I walk up.

"I don't have time for this." He scoffs.

"Koga, I need to know what's going on with her. I know you don't know trust me, but trust that I care about her." He runs his fingers through his hair and sighs. "Let's get some coffee." I nod and follow him to the cafeteria.

We settle into a table in the back. The room is silent aside from the janitor mopping by the door. My adrenaline is starting to wear off which is giving me a pounding headache. Koga looks distant as he sips on his coffee.

"What's going on?" His eyes look towards me when he hears my voice. Sorrow consumes his voice as he starts.

"It's not good Sesshoumaru…." I nod at him to continue. "She has multiple fractures on her rib cage as well as her arm. She has a pretty bad concussion that was apparently caused by being thrown against a hard surface repeatedly." Koga stops to take a drink from his coffee. He exhales a deep breath before continuing.

"…She was also brutality raped." My blood runs cold.

"I'm going to kill him." Was all I could get out. What Kagome must be feeling right now. What she's going through. It must be killing her.

"My thoughts exactly." I finish off my coffee and stand up.

"What room is she in?"

"268." I nod and take off towards her room.

Xxx

I'm standing outside her door, trying to find the strength to face her. I need to remain calm for her but I don't know what to do. I've never…felt like this before. I take a couple deep breathes before opening the door.

I walk in to a dim room. Kagome looks up at me and gives me a small smile. "Hey there" her voice cracks. I walks up to her and look her over. Her arms are wrapped in bandages and her face is a dark shade of purple. My heart clenches as I gaze at her.

"Kagome.." I gently cup the side of her face. She leans into the warmth of my hand and closes her eyes. My hand drops as I take a seat. "I am so sorry." Her eyes lock with mine.

"The doctor told you, huh?" She looks down in shame. I immediately wrap my arms around her.

"Don't you dare look at me like you did anything wrong. This is not your fault." I feel her body start to convulse. She cries into my chest for what seems like forever. By the time she pulls away, my shirt is soaked and her eyes are puffy. I reach out and wipe away the remaining tears.

"It's all going to be okay. I'm never going to let anything happen to you again." She gives me a weak smile and squeezes my hand.

I watch as her eyes start to droop. I turn on the TV and turn off the lights. It doesn't take long for her to pass out.


One week later

I'm pacing in my office trying to get work taken care of before Kagome is discharged. The doctor said she can be home by the end of the day and everything needs to be ready. Things have been a mess at the office since she's been gone.

"Where is that file…" I mutter. The company has been in an uproar since the party. Clients demanding answers about the women murdered. Investors pulling out of the company stock. It's not looking good.

Ring ring

I grunt and pick up the phone. "Hello." No one responds. I'm about to hang up when a familiar voice talks in my ear.

"You took something that belongs to me." Bankotsu's voice is filled with rage.

"Well tell me where you are and we can talk about it." I threaten. His annoying laugh makes my anger worse.

"This isn't even close to being over." The line clicks. I slam the phone down and plop into my chair. There's no way anything is getting done today. I might as well go to the hospital.

Xxx

Kagome is sitting up eating dinner when I arrive. Her face has healed a lot and she has more of a relaxed state to her.

"Hello." She turns, smiles at me and my stomach flips. Why does she have this affect on me? I sit down next to her bed and put a bag on her tray.

"McDonalds! Thank god!" She exclaims. She immediately starts tearing into the greasy food.

"So I wanted to discuss something with you." Kagome looks up at me, cheeks full of food. She nods at me to continue.

"I know you're getting discharged today…" I'm hesitant to begin. "..and I know you live alone. So I was thinking that you could come stay with me, until you are safe. With Bankotsu still out there, I don't want you alone." She puts down her burger and looks at me with wide eyes.

"I couldn't possible impose on you like that…not after all you've done."

"It won't be an imposition. I have already arranged the guest room." I insist. She doesn't say anything for a minute.

"I have a question before I answer." My palms get sweaty. "Go on." I urge.

"Where does this leave us?" The question was not what I expected.

"What exactly are we?" I reply.

"You tell me." She counters. This standstill is not going to get anywhere with how stubborn we both are. We stare intensely at each other for a couple minutes before I speak.

"I…don't know exactly what we are. But, I want to figure that out…together." she gives me a warm smile and reaches her hand out to rest on mine.

"Then I would be happy to accept your offer."

The doctor walks into the room with papers in his hand. "Are you ready to get out of this place?" He asks with a chipper smile. Kagome nods excitedly. This is going to be some experience. I watch as she signs her discharge papers and starts getting out of bed. She quickly disappears into the bathroom to change. As soon as she's out of sight, the doctor turns to me.

"Keep an eye on her Sesshoumaru." I give him a puzzling look.

"What she went through…it takes a toll on who you are. She is going to take some time to heal. Mentally and psychically." He doesn't get to say anything else before Kagome rejoins us.

"I am so ready to sleep without being woken up every two hours!" The doctor laughs and bids her a farewell. Time to get her home.

I stand up and grab her belongings. "Let's go home." I give her a small smile.


Kagome's POV

It doesn't take us long to get to Sesshoumaru's house from the hospital. He drives up to a closed date and rings the bell. Almost immediately, the gate starts to open up.

"There are security guards on duty 24/7. There are multiple cameras and motion detectors as well." He tries to reassure me of the safeness of this place. I give him a smile and nod. We drive up a very long driveway until his house comes into view. My mouth hangs open in aw as I look upon his mansion.

I can't even begin to describe this massive three story house. It's elegant and refined, just like Sesshoumaru.

"Your home is wonderful!" I exclaim. He pulls into a huge garage and parks his car next to three others. I cautiously step out of his car and wait for him. He shuffles around to my side and starts to lead me inside.

"There is also a maid who I think you'll get along with very well. She runs the house when I'm away and is really trustworthy." That's a high compliment coming from him.

"I can't wait to meet her!" We walk inside and he shows me around the mansion. We make it to the third floor where all of the bedrooms are. Sesshoumaru opens a door at the end of the hallway to a huge room. I walk inside and gasp. All of my stuff is in the room, arranged how I had it at home. Tears start filling my eyes.

"I wanted you to feel as at home as possible." His soft voice rings in my ears. I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck, holding onto him. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me.

"Thank you for this." My voice sounds muffled through his shirt. "Anytime. Now let's get you settled in."


Somewhere else…

Bankotsu drags his knife across the wooden desk he is sitting at. He looks at himself in the mirror that's tilting against the wall. His gaze drifts down to a picture on the table, before looking back at the mirror. The long thin cut is scabbed over, scarring his perfect face. She was going to pay for this, in the worst possible way.

"Still thinking about that bitch?" A cold voice interrupts his thoughts. He looks up and spots the amused face of Naraku. "She'll get what's coming to here." he grunts in reply.

"All in good time. We have other things to focus on." Naraku pulls up a chair and leans back in it.

"Inuyasha is getting our next client ready. It's a big deal that requires everybody's focus. It needs to go off without a hitch." Naraku develops a more threatening tone at the end. As if warning Bankotsu.

"When is the deal?" He replies, dryly.

"In three months." It takes a minute for Bankotsu to reply. He stands up and stabs the knife into the table, leaving it standing up.

"There's going to be a problem at the deal. Something that will end with the death of a very…honorable person." Naraku raises an eyebrow at him but doesn't push. As long as he gets his money, he doesn't care who dies.

"Do what you must to get over this….weakness." Naraku stands and exit's the room. The light flickers over Bankotsu's head as he stares at the picture on his desk. "Oh, I will." he mutters as he twist the knife, deeper into the picture on his desk. He chuckles as he watches the photo paper holding Sesshoumaru's face tear apart.

"This is going to be good."


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