Chapter Ten: Chips and Shoulders
"Stars are only visible in darkness. Fear is ever-changing and evolving. And I, I can poison the skies, and I, I feel so alive. Nobody can save you now. King is crown, it's do or die.."
-Imagine Dragons, Battle-Cry
Resolute. The world is crafted at its core by the actions of resolute men, or destroyed by the lack of it. A person who is ready to stand stark still and not be moved, must be moved around. They take a stand and it becomes a part of them, it becomes them. A good resolute man can make the world an incredibly better place by altering it to his vision. By that right, a wicked man can craft hell on earth if he so chooses. Regardless of what type of people they are, it cannot be argued that the only people that leave a lasting effect on the world are those that have not just the vision, but the drive to make it reality.
The Monster –
"Glad you seem to be feeling better." Jim said, though his sarcastic tone gave away his feelings clearly enough. I walked around my desk to pause him. "Your little friend is coming with us, she ran in here despite being told several times not to and we can't just ignore that."
"I think you're quite good at turning your gaze when you wish to be detective Gordon." I replied, holding my ground between him and the girl. She was getting up from the floor only now and still was paler than usual.
"You going to interrupt an official arrest?" Jim asked, the handcuffs in his hand jingling. He was very ready to throw me into them instead of her. He'd been itching to toss me into jail for some time.
"Oswald…" Kagome's voice was matched by her hand touching my arm. I glanced over my shoulder at her, she was always a little too willing to get close. Then, I had told her we were supposed to be giving the impression that we were involved. I sent my eyes to her then back to Jim.
"I wouldn't dream of interrupting police business; would you give me a moment at least with her?" I asked.
"You have two minutes." Jim frowned in a disgusted way at the way I'd stayed close to her, the way she didn't seem bothered by remaining close to me. In this case, the play worked out to our advantage…to my advantage. Was Jim really going to be this stupid?
"Are you certain you don't mind them arresting you? I can't promise you you'll be safe in their custody." I pointed out.
"I did sort of tell him to arrest me when I shut the doors." Kagome answered, glancing away as if expecting to get judged for it. She blinked at me several times when I laughed at the story, a pity I hadn't been in my right mind to see that. I'd have to revisit the security feed to see what had happened anyway. I took her hands since I saw glances in from outside.
"It'll work out to our advantage. Try not to talk to them. Jim is going to try and get anything he can on me." I explained. "He's only taking you to get to me, even if you did tell him to arrest you. It's not his usual style, he's blinded by a dislike for me. I'll be down there as soon as I can."
She nodded to me, squeezing my hands back and walking ahead of me toward the door. I followed her and frowned at Gordon putting handcuffs on her.
"You have a girlfriend?" Harvey asked, as if stupefied by the concept. The dolt.
"Do you think this will stand?" I asked. "My lawyers will be there before you get her back to the station."
"Yeah, yeah." Jim commented, walking her toward the door.
"Don't worry Penguin, no one will hurt your…friend." Harvey remarked, a bit off his game. "Just making sure everyone is a law-abiding citizen. I'm sure you'll post bail rather quickly."
I scoffed at him, closing my office and locking it before walking toward the stairs, let the cops wander around the club. There was nothing illegal to find. I had both a legal and news team to call.
The Maiden –
"Oswald…" I touched his arm. He shouldn't be fighting so openly with Gordon over this. I didn't want him getting into trouble for me. I could have waited to get in, but I'd rushed ahead. That was on me. He glanced to me, seeming to read my meaning about letting me go and looked back to the detective.
"I wouldn't dream of interrupting police business; would you give me a moment at least with her?" He pressed.
"You have two minutes." The detective frowned at us. He didn't like me, and he liked me even less with Oswald, he didn't leave much for guesswork. I could see it beyond the surface, somehow my powers had returned in force once I'd healed Oswald again. I still didn't really like the detective, but at least the miasma near him had vanished. There was still an echo of something dark, a shadow beneath his surface…but it wasn't as bad as it had been.
Oswald didn't waste time, turning to me the moment Jim was out of the room. "Are you certain you don't mind them arresting you? I can't promise you you'll be safe in their custody."
I still couldn't see much beyond the surface, there was concern, but also an excitement I didn't expect. He was planning something, but I didn't know what…
"I did sort of tell him to arrest me when I shut the doors." I commented, looking to the side. I probably shouldn't have been so forward. Then he laughed at my remark, amusement glittering in his bright eyes. He took my hands a moment later.
"It'll work out to our advantage. Try not to talk to them. Jim is going to try and get anything he can on me." He stated seriously after his moment of amusement. "He's only taking you to get to me, even if you did tell him to arrest you. It's not his usual style, he's blinded by a dislike for me. I'll be down there as soon as I can, with a cavalry."
A cavalry? I nodded at him nervously and squeezed his hands. He hadn't gotten me harmed so far, and even kept me away when it probably would have been safer if I'd been here tonight. I wanted to trust him. I headed out, hearing him behind me as I went, wincing as Gordon turned me around and took my arms to handcuff me. I'd never been handcuffed before, it was probably better mom wasn't around to see me like this.
"You have a girlfriend?" The captain asked, the disgust was apparent. Why was that such a shock? Because he'd been in love with a man? No, I doubted most people had any idea how he'd felt about Edward, or what had led to his imprisonment.
"Do you think this will stand?" He asked the captain, not intimidated. Now that I'd wiped the toxin out of his system he didn't sound like he had an ounce of nervousness. "My lawyers will be there before you get her back to the station."
"Yeah, yeah." Jim pushed me toward the door and I walked with him, uncomfortable as it was. They continued to speak behind us but I couldn't make it out once we got into the hall. I just moved with him to the elevator and waited quietly.
So far, the police certainly didn't seem like the good guys here. Particularly not to me, they continued to bring me in when I was a victim or hadn't done any actual harm. I guess I could have been politer but that was hardly reason to put me in handcuffs, was it?
"You and Penguin…" Jim shook his head. "If I didn't see you together I wouldn't believe it, I'm still not sure I do. Are you just another one of his plans?"
"I'm not sure what you mean." I answered. I know Penguin had told me not to speak much but I wanted to try and understand more of what was happening between them. "I don't understand why you seem to hate him so much."
"We have a long history." Jim answered, taking me off the elevator toward the outside. "Suffice it to say, we both know he's not exactly a saint."
Penguin's remarks had given a similar sentiment, that they had known each other. As for saint, was anyone in this city? Once he got me into the car and got in, I watched him carefully, curious if my powers would continue to work. It happened quickly again…at least this time.
"You're a man of conscience Jim, you'll regret this." I didn't recognize the man's voice…
I heard wind, smelled salt…but didn't see anything like last time – then I hadn't pushed as hard for it. Jim replied. "I have many regrets, this won't be top of the list."
"Well, here we are." The first voice remarked. There was thunder, but it seemed distant. "Shame, it's gonna be a beautiful morning. Goodbye, Jim Gordon."
What was I hearing? I felt a strange mixture of resolve and uncertainty…
"This is for my mother." That voice I knew well by now. Oswald was involved? I guess it made sense, we'd just been discussing him. Then lots of grunts of pain and those of effort, the sound of someone being beaten. The disgust intensified, the aforementioned regret…but there was something else…a resigned sort of understanding that this was the only way…but the beating continued and the reaction to it grew less tolerant.
"Enough." Jim finally called out. "That's enough."
A shot a moment later made me jump. It was the detective. Without seeing what had happened I could feel it. The loathing he felt for Penguin, it reflected the self-hatred of his own acts…
I jumped at the end of the vision. Staring wide eyed at the detective and blinking a lot as I hadn't at all when I was listening in on the small tidbit of history. This…he'd killed for Penguin…no, not for, that was wrong. It was because he'd known the person needed to die for some reason, because the law wouldn't help him keep the man off the streets. It was why he hated what was going on now…or at least a major factor…something outside of the law, that wasn't being helped by it, that seemingly couldn't be. He wasn't going to back down when it came to Penguin…
"You don't seem that bad, you're still pretty young. Not sure how you got involved with Penguin, but you should get out while you can. Go home to your family." The detective commented, none the wiser about how much I could see.
"My family?" I echoed, shaking my head at him. It was another sign of how little he knew or understood. "I'm not going anywhere detective."
He turned his eyes from the rear-view mirror and back to the road at my remark. It bothered him, that I seemed to be loyal. I suppose I was in my own way, I always have been loyal to friends, and if nothing else I supposed Penguin was the closest thing here I had to a friend. It wasn't just surprise, he didn't like it. He'd been hurt by someone himself…someone I expected wasn't nearly as resolute. He wasn't comfortable cause some part of him was jealous…
I thought better than to point it out. He wasn't exactly a person I expected would react well if confronted with his own hypocrisy. I glanced out the window. Why was it always so wet here? It rained so often…was it just the rainy season or was there more to it? Was it just to push the misery that seemed to wrap itself around this place like a cloak? I raised a brow once we got closer to the precinct, one of the few areas of the city I'd been to so I recognized it. However, there were lots of cars and lights here. As we pulled to a stop there were many flashes and reporters were moving up to the car.
"Dammit Penguin, do you have the news stations on retainer?" Jim complained under his breath but I could still hear it. "Hold on a second."
He got out and I waited while he told the news people to get back, not that it did a lot of good. I didn't see them actually move, if anything they might have gotten closer. He opened the door and got me out. I tried to look at the ground, uncomfortable with all the pictures and attention.
"Detective Gordon, are you really arresting innocents just to target Penguin?" One of them asked…great, I'm sure he'd be happy about that. He didn't answer, moving me toward the building.
"Are you all right miss? Is he mistreating you?" Other reporters called.
"She's so quiet, poor thing." Another said.
I didn't say anything, not really used to or liking this much attention. The pictures continued to flash all the way inside and by the time we got there I saw lots of dots in front of my eyes. Not that it would stop there, they were filing in after us while a man in a suit approached.
"Detective Gordon, I am Jason Weatherby, Miss Higurashi's lawyer. I would like to speak to my client, presently." The man said. He had a briefcase in one hand and a fine black suit, though it was more corporate and plain than Penguin's usual choices. "As she has not been violent, and complied with you all the way on this silly expedition, I must also ask that you remove her cuffs."
"I'll remove her cuffs once we get to an office." The detective replied, pushing me through the desks toward the back room. I guess it was back to the interrogation room for me, but I wasn't sure why. "Show's over, go home."
"Mister Weatherby, do you think the charges against the girl are legitimate?" One of the reporters was asking as we walked away.
"Wonderful job, it's just a madhouse again." One of the cops remarked to Jim as we passed and he took me back to the room. I was getting a little too familiar with the interrogation room at the precinct.
"Stay here." He cuffed me to the table and I sighed. Was he serious? I guess so since he left…I heard 'my lawyer' talking to him outside but it was muffled. I wanted to set my head on my hands but there was no way to do so comfortably so I waited. Penguin had thought of this before Jim had even left his office at the club. He could have warned me but I guess it didn't really matter that he hadn't. I certainly was seeing why people here had a right not to like their cops very much…
The Monster –
I wonder how well the city would like Gordon's one-man savior act when he was in the paper as the cop arresting innocents when there were criminals still running free. I'd had it played up enough in the calls made to the different stations. Several promised to get people to the precinct right away. I watched the amusing debacle of Jim looking awkward as he escorted Kagome toward the building from the safety of my car. I hadn't gotten out yet, I wanted to see how this would evolve. She played the role of innocent exceptionally well, in pictures no one would side with him. I grinned at my own deviousness, it was playing out beautifully…
Originally, I'd thought to challenge him to find the attackers from tonight, but this was better. People loved a pretty face to pity and right injustices against…people didn't generally pity me other than out of disgust…this girl though they could see in their families, themselves. The masses of gotham would relate to her. I smirked and checked myself in the mirror I had in the back. It wasn't perfect but it was good to look a bit ruffled and rushed in this case…I was coming to her rescue after all. I got out of the car and headed toward the building as quickly as my leg allowed, moving past several of the reporters before they noticed me and started to take photos.
"Mister Penguin." One asked, holding a recording device my way. "Miss Higurashi was arrested at your building, sources say she was looking for you after the attack earlier tonight when she went in. How do you know the girl?"
"She is my employee." I answered, not wanting to be too direct. People would come to conclusions on their own.
"We haven't seen her with you before." One of them pointed out.
"Rumor has it she's staying with you." Another shouted out, causing a hiss of whispers and questions. I held up my hands, getting a bit of a hush out of it, though the snaps of photos and scratching of pencils on pads continued.
"Please, everyone. I appreciate your interest, but I want to make certain she is all right." I said, walking past them and toward a room where one of the policemen pointed. It was nice that several of them at least, had come on board. Just a handful weren't behind my rule of the city, but that was merely a matter of time. I slowed in the back when I heard Jim speaking.
"Your client rushed a police line and ran into an active investigation scene." He was saying, obviously frustrated but trying to keep a level head. It probably wouldn't be the last time I'd heard him on edge.
"And all the policemen present will attest to this?" The lawyer I'd hired asked calmly. "People are going to consider that girl in there a threat?"
"Enough that we will be holding her." Jim replied. "I don't know what Penguin's up to but I don't buy this girlfriend thing."
"Now, now Jim, no reason to be jealous." I remarked as I shuffled into the room, smiling at the way he grimaced for a moment. "We'll still be friends. And as I told you, Miss Higurashi works for me."
"She works for you in a way where she runs to help you when you're tripping on hallucinogens and after a while you're cured, just like that." Jim said dubiously. "If you have a cure for the fear toxin, you need to share it with the city."
"You seem to be mistaken, she simply helped me to calm down once the office was separated I felt more secure." I answered, still smiling at the way he didn't believe a word of it.
"I'm serious Penguin, you say you can help the city but when it comes to important things you just look for a buck. You have some cure but want to sell it, is that it?" Jim pressed, walking closer to me and ignoring the lawyer who was present. I didn't back down as he moved closer, leaning on my cane and amused.
"Oh, Jim. There is so little you understand for what you've been through." I remarked.
"Don't start sounding like Nygma." He returned and I frowned at him for the slight.
"Well, let me try and clear this up." I retorted, leaning up and forward so our faces were near each other, I knew the move always made him uncomfortable and it did now too. He didn't back down as he normally might, just swallowed uneasily and turned his nose up slightly. "If I had a cure devised for that terrible poison, I would have had it on hand, wouldn't I? Why would I have a girl so timid she didn't look at the cameras outside bring it? Beyond that, when was I of the mindset to make the call."
"Really, if these simple deductions are beyond you then perhaps I should be the detective here." I leaned to the side to throw my hands in the air and glance to the lawyer in the room. "Am I right?"
I laughed when Jim grabbed the front of my jacket and pushed me into the wall. He was glaring at me, but he didn't press further. It was clear he was trying to come up with something to say.
"Temper, temper, Jim." I clicked my tongue at him. "Police brutality in front of a lawyer. You'd think officers would have to watch presentations about this sort of behavior."
"You aren't always going to have someone around looking out for you Oswald." Jim remarked, shoving me into the wall before letting go. I nearly stumbled but managed to keep my feet, still amused as I fixed the wrinkles in my jacket. "Get out Oswald, or I'll throw you in too for interrupting in police business."
"JIM!" I heard Harvey calling out, probably on his way to try and rescue his wayward partner.
"Threats too? I guess I'm in for the works." I remarked, slamming my umbrella cane into the wall when Jim started to walk by. Hard enough that some of the plaster cracked but I wasn't looking at it, I was staring at Jim. The amusement was gone from my face. "I'm starting to feel taken advantage of Detective Gordon. Are you telling me you'd like to call off our friendship? Because it does seem rather strained these days. You'll let Miss Higurashi out, and make a public apology, or it'll be your job."
"Whose making threats now." Jim shot back, glancing to Harvey who undoubtedly had heard my comments.
I smiled slowly, darkly, pulling my cane back in front of me as I fixed the rest of my jacket. "My warning is an olive branch, for old times' sake. Captain Harvey, are you here to free Miss Higurashi? It seems the matter of a need to arrest her at all was overexaggerated."
"Fine, fine. Take her and go, Penguin." Harvey handed me keys, scowling at the dirty look Jim offered him as I swept by toward the office. "You need to talk to me."
Jim didn't like it, but he didn't continue to argue. It was nice being king.
The Maiden –
I heard them outside, the voices talking…then a third joining in. There was a sudden slam against the wall outside and shortly after another. What were they doing? Had the detective attacked my lawyer? Had my lawyer attacked the detective? Given Penguin had sent him, it wasn't really out of the realm of possibility. I blinked when the door opened and it was Penguin walking inside with keys to the cuffs. What had he done?
"Are you all right?" He asked, leaning down to open my cuffs and look at my wrists. "Did they mistreat you?"
"I'm fine." I answered, blushing a bit at how close he was. He'd gotten good at this pretending to care thing very quickly. I glanced away when his eyes met mine. "I just want to get some rest. I'm tired."
"Understandable." He replied, offering me help to my feet and setting a hand at the small of my back as I passed around the table. "We'll head home presently."
"Home?" The lawyer asked, raising a brow at us and glancing between us. Yep, he was getting a little too good at making these implications. I'm sure my deepening blush didn't help, why had I agreed to this act again? "Are you going to be pressing charges for misconduct Miss Higurashi?"
"No…no I don't think so." I answered softly, offering a small smile. "Thank you, for helping."
"I feel there was little for me to do." He remarked, glancing between us again. "You're still getting charged for the hours I came in."
"Of course." Penguin didn't argue, looking over my outfit and straightening a few things. He was so particular about appearances…I waited until after the lawyer had left to speak up again.
"Did you want me to press charges?" I still seemed to have the hardest time reading him.
"That was up to you. There will be reporters outside." He answered, finally nodding at my appearance and gesturing toward the front, "Shall we head home."
"Uh…do you want me to talk to the reporters?" I didn't like that idea. I really didn't like this whole limelight thing.
"No, that was never a part of your job Miss Higurashi. You need not do anything you aren't comfortable with." He said, his mood seeming quite high. "We can just walk through them and head back."
"Okay." I nodded. That sounded like a better plan. Though as we walked back into the large room of the main station I felt smaller than usual when more flashes started up and people began to call out to us.
"Penguin, Miss Higurashi!" That was most of it. "Are you all right? Were you mistreated? Are you both seeing each other?"
"Now, now." Penguin interrupted them, accenting his words by clicking the end of his cane on the ground loudly enough for it to echo. "I don't mean to be short with you, but this poor girl just wants to go home. I'll be escorting her. It was a misunderstanding."
"The GCPD seems to be having a lot of those lately." One of the reporters commented.
"Don't you think it's dangerous to have a cop so willing to arrest innocents when there are criminals still free out on the street Penguin?" Asked another.
"Would you take just a moment to comment!?" A third.
He walked me through them all, only offering a small smile as we went outside and to the car. I could hear his handiwork in their words though. The whispers around them of newspaper titles none too complimentary toward the GCPD. Apparently, my headlong rush to be of help had done more than I'd ever bargained for. I was in the middle of a political battle and I didn't fully understand the rules, or even if there were rules. I felt very over my head. I let out a sigh of relief when the door closed and I was able to relax a moment.
"I don't know how you handle being in the spotlight like that." I remarked.
"One grows accustomed to it." He provided, handing me a water. Which seemed to be turning into a common way for him to break the ice between us while we spoke. I glanced at the fridge he'd pulled it from, aware of what else lay inside other than beverages after we picked up Naraku… "You though, that is another story. I find myself quite unable to pin you down Miss Higurashi."
It didn't sound like a compliment but the look in his eyes seemed as though he was enjoying the challenge of trying. I looked to my water as I opened it.
"There isn't a lot to me, I have a feeling that between us, you are the more complicated." I answered honestly, taking a long drink of the water. Then another. I was thirsty. "I can't ever read you."
"No?" He sounded curious about that tidbit. "Another oddity to this power of yours. Though I must argue, it sets you well apart. You possess a celestial nature, yet you are here with one of the most prominent devils of Gotham, it is quite the irony."
Celestial nature?
"I already told you. I didn't choose this place…I was just, here." I shrugged at him. "I can't go home. You may be a devil or not, and I know you have done some horrible things. Will probably continue to, but you haven't asked me to do those terrible things. Really, so far, you've been nicer to me than anyone else here. If god forsakes someone, where else do they have to go but the devil?"
"Have you been forsaken?" He asked, curious at my poetic turn of the conversation. I glanced out the window, swallowing and shrugging.
"Probably, I don't know. I'm sorry for derailing the conversation. I ramble when I'm nervous or tired." I explained. It wasn't as if I could tell him the truth, that I wasn't from this time…that I was from the future.
"Mmm, don't we all." He answered, digging a not-water out of the fridge. I didn't see him as much of a rambler. Then, I hadn't known him long and he always looked poised. I'd certainly seen him look tired but other than earlier in his office I'd never seen his eyes anything but sharp and attentive. "Do you know what you look like when you heal people?"
"Huh?" I blinked at the change of topic, looking back to him but he was looking out the window now. "What do you mean?"
"You don't know." He smirked a bit, to himself. "Perhaps I just hallucinated it, possible considering the drug. I didn't see the first time you'd healed me, I was busy staring at your hands. Tonight, there were wings on your back, as if they were made of light itself, bending to form fine feathers attached to you."
I was quiet. Was he serious? I'd never had that reaction before. Not anytime in the feudal era, why were these powers only developing now? Was it Naraku's influence? I doubted the wings could be, it sounded angelic…and that certainly did not compliment my old nemesis at all. My mental powers though, the ones that let me read bits of peoples pasts, their feelings…I'd always been very empathetic, almost supernaturally so…but had absorbing part of Naraku heightened them and unlocked something else? It was the only thing I could think of but it still didn't seem like it could fully be the story…
"Here." He drew me from my thoughts, trading my water out with the small bottle of grey goose in his hands. "I think you can use this more than I."
"Thanks." I smirked a bit at his implication but I didn't really disagree. I was still confused, hurt, and it had been a long day. "I'm glad I came to help…but next time you want to throw me to the media wolves could you warn me first?"
He laughed. "Well, if I'd have warned you, you wouldn't have looked genuine."
I frowned at him, about to protest but he held up a hand to show he was willing to acquiesce. "I will try to give you warning if it happens again."
"Okay." I nodded at that, taking a sip of the liquor he handed me then coughing and sputtering. "Oh, god that's awful."
"You aren't supposed to sip it." He pointed out, offering me yet another of his seemingly endless supply of handkerchiefs. "You've never had alcohol before?"
"Just sake, and you can sip sake, particularly if it's flavored…" I said between coughs, taking the small piece of fabric to wipe off what I could. "Why would people drink this?"
"It isn't for the flavor." He pointed out, apparently amused at my expense. I put the lid back on the bottle. "You might like it better mixed with some sort of juice."
"I think I might stick to sake." I said, doing my best to keep the disgusted turn of my face to a minimum.
"I'll have to make certain to stock some." He answered calmly. "I haven't had it but I'd try it."
I was about to talk about sake more when the car swerved very suddenly, and I was thrown into his chest while he also held onto the grip of the door to keep his balance. I blushed at the unexpected relocation and his own expression had altered to surprise, his free arm had gone around my shoulder and he scanned my face quietly. He smelled like his coat whenever he'd set it over my shoulders, that scent seemed to mix with that of the alcohol still in the air. I guess he always used the same cologne. I didn't know it but I liked it. His eyes darted between mine as though he couldn't decide which to focus on while I stared up at him. Then he removed his arm and I pushed back suddenly, each of us glancing away. I was about to apologize when he hit the intercom button.
"Carmichael, you have one job to do." He hissed, his good mood souring as he chided his underling.
"Sorry boss." The man replied. "Car just jumped a light. Luckily, we didn't hit the guy in front of us."
He turned the intercom off without replying, his eyes back out on the road. I glanced to my lap, what was that? My fingers fidgeted with the small silk cloth he'd given me; my heart was beating rapidly and I wasn't sure it was entirely the near accident. I was being silly. It just felt nice to be held, I missed hugs from my friends and family. I'd given Oswald one another day but I had been mostly deprived of contact while I was here. I was just letting it get to me.
"So, sake." Oswald stated, returning to our previous conversation after the long and awkward pause. "It sounds interesting, would you like to go later this week to a restaurant? There aren't many Japanese themed places in Gotham but there are a few."
"Sure." I answered, looking back to him. He had calmed in the short pause and seemed neutral again. Ever difficult to read, even when I pushed a little with my powers I couldn't see anything. "I think that would be nice, a bit of home."
"Good, I'll arrange it." He answered. "Any special requests?"
"No." I shook my head. I wasn't really a picky person. "I am happy we're going at all. I know you are busy, I'll try not to interfere in any business you have."
"Business?" He raised a brow at my remarks. "No, I intend for it to just be us. We have to put on airs if we want people to believe our little act."
Don't blush Kagome. He's just playing a role. It's not real, it's not a date, it's just business…
I nodded to him. "Right, understandable. I still appreciate you considering my tastes in the matter. I think you'll like it."
Thankfully the car pulled to a stop at 'home'. It felt like that trip had taken far too long. We wished each other goodnight and I was glad to escape upstairs to my room. I'd been exhausted before and just wanted to go to bed but when I laid down my brain kept replaying me getting thrown across the cab into his chest. He'd been surprised and flustered too, I was sure of it. He'd also seemed…almost frightened when he'd looked at me. Like I was some exotic animal he didn't know how to handle. Was I just thinking too much into this?
Did I like Oswald Cobblepot?
I pulled the pillow over my face and shook my head. I couldn't. I just was dealing with a lot and he was the only person I had here. I had to be overreacting. I loved Inuyasha. Right? Then, I hadn't thought about Inuyasha all day…
What is wrong with me?
End Chapter
Kagome torment continues. There will a counterpoint to what's happened here by Oswald's perspective (at least part of it) next chapter. I continue to enjoy working on these two. Poor Kagome trying vodka for the first time straight aha.
-Aura
To my readers:
Blue Insanity – LOL Is he? And yes, more fluff will be happening as time goes on.