Sorry it took so long to get this out, guys. Hitting a bit of a road block, but working on resolving it!
I edited chapter five a little; during the part where Inuyasha is talking to Tai after he and Kagome get back from the police station, before it had it that there was not any suspects to the recent homicide. I changed it so Inuyasha asks Tai if he thinks it could be the same guy who took Kikyou from him and Tai reflects that he hopes it isn't because he doesn't want his son to go through that again. That's the gist of it, but if you'd rather go back and see the exact edit, that's fine too. :)
You Rescued Me
Chapter 11
Swearing as the rain started to pick up into a steady torrent and hearing the low rumble of thunder in the distance, Inuyasha ignored the buzzing in his pocket that was coming from his phone and picked up his pace a little, wanting to get back to Kagome quickly and not wanting to get drenched in the meantime. It was still warm even with the rain, but walking around in wet jeans was not very a pleasant experience.
Dodging a pile of manure, reminding him that he needed to scour the pasture and clean it up, an irritated growl welled up in his throat and Inuyasha cursed his damn dog for making him come out and save his stupid canine ass from what was undoubtedly by now a territorial, protective mama vixen. Dammit, but he'd been almost positive Kagome had been about to confess something that would change their relationship for the better, or at the very least admit that his feelings were not one–sided. He had seen it in her eyes, that soft, warm look, the way she smiled at him, how her fingertips had barely grazed his jaw. His heart rate had accelerated, his gut had clenched, and he'd held his breath, desperately hoping, waiting, pleading…
And then his fucking dog had to ruin the moment with his obnoxious habit of sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and Inuyasha had never wanted to murder his pet more than he did right now.
"If that fox doesn't do you in," Inuyasha grumbled as he started up a small incline, "I will, you damn mutt."
Thoughts veering to what he'd do when he got back and wondering how receptive she'd be to another kiss because he'd been dying to get her into his arms again all morning long, Inuyasha crested the slope and paused to search for his troublesome dog. He spotted the speck of multicolored fur that was Jax over by the large tree where the fox den was, appearing to be lying down like the lazy bum he was, heedless of the rain, but he didn't see a flash of orange to suggest the den's occupant was anywhere near it. Inuyasha frowned, but shrugged it off. No aggressive fox meant less trouble for him. More than likely Jax was biding his time and waiting for them to emerge again.
Shaking his head, briefly questioning the intelligence of his dog – or lack thereof – Inuyasha thought back to when he'd got into the house earlier with the intention of tracking down Kagome and getting everything out in the open. He'd thought about it all morning long, this thing between them, and had made the abrupt decision that he couldn't wait anymore. Even though he'd told himself he would wait for Kagome to come to him, to make sure that they were on the same page without jumping the gun, it was the thought that they were both agonizing over this for nothing that ultimately did him in. What if they were both dragging this out for nothing? What if it was just one big misunderstanding?
What if…what if they both wanted the same thing but were too uncertain of one another to come forward, but for completely asinine reasons? The what if's, the not knowing, the idea that with just a few simple words they could be together and happy far sooner than if he let this continue…it had been too tempting to pass up, the urge too strong to resist, and he had an epiphany: if he had the power to solve this, then why the hell was he standing around wasting precious time?
After that it had suddenly seemed so simple, to just drop everything and stride purposefully for the house, his determination unwavering, his head clear, and his confidence strong. He was a man on a mission; come hell or high water, nothing was going to stand in his way of getting what he wanted and it had never been so easy to reach for.
He wanted Kagome, and goddammit, he was going to have her.
But then he'd walked into the kitchen, saw Kagome standing at the counter, and he'd been so struck stupid by the sight of her that he skidded to a halt and could do nothing but stare. He'd gotten so used to seeing her all day that he hadn't realized how much he missed her until right then, and his initial reaction had been to rush to her, spin her around, pin her against the counter and then kiss the pants off of her – maybe even literally – but something stopped him.
So distracted was he by the mere sight of her that he'd previously failed to notice Kagome had stopped moving, appearing to be frozen where she stood. Maybe it was the rigid set to her shoulders, the tenseness in her body and the way her back had stiffened, or more than likely it was the knife in her hand that she was clutching in a death grip that tipped Inuyasha off, but for whatever reason Kagome was throwing off all kinds of do not approach vibes. Without thinking, with the intent to soothe rather than seduce, Inuyasha had taken a stop forward but when it sounded as if her heart was about to beat out of her chest, he'd faltered, heaved a resigned sigh and grabbed a water from the fridge before retreating outside once more. It was obvious she still needed some time, which was fine with him. Despite his earlier ambitions to speed things along and tell her how he felt, he would give her all the time she needed to organize her own thoughts and feelings. Why else would she make it her mission to clean the house from top to bottom? He remembered growing up that his mother would always go into a cleaning frenzy whenever something was bothering her; she claimed it helped her think, and he wondered if it was the same for Kagome.
So he'd resigned himself to a lonely day of chores and pining when Kagome had careened into the barn, out of breath, beautifully flushed, and wild eyed and for the second time he was struck by how damn gorgeous she was. He'd been surprised but hopeful, wondering if she was tried of pussyfooting around one another as well, and when she had started talking a mile a minute he could only catch a handful of words but it had been enough to raise his spirits considerably. Then he'd forced her to take a breath, got some water down her after sitting her down...
And then fucking Jaxson with his phenomenally unfavorable skill of ruining the moment spectacularly interrupted what he'd been sure was going to be a confession and Inuyasha couldn't be more pissed.
And now here he was, trudging through the pasture to collect said annoying mutt from his moment-ruining shenanigans, when he could be with Kagome right now, pressing her up against the barn wall with his mouth on hers, hands up her shirt, hips against hips...
He groaned. "No bacon for a damned week," the half-demon griped as he finally approached his dog. Jaxson hadn't moved and he didn't even lift his head as he neared. "D'ya hear me, asshole? You're grounded—"
Inuyasha stopped. Frowned. "Jax?"
Jaxson didn't move.
"Shit," he muttered and then he was jogging the rest of the way to his dog that still had not acknowledged his approach, sliding the last few feet on the slick grass and immediately kneeling down in the mud. "Shit," Inuyasha said louder as he laid a hand on the still canine, amber eyes frantically searching for anything that would make him unresponsive. He spotted it instantly; the fur on his neck was stained red from a still leaking wound and instantly worried he leaned closer to assess the damage, parting the wet fur as best as he could without agitating his dog. Jax didn't respond, which told him he out, and his worry escalated. Amber eyes critically evaluated a circular cut, like something had attempted to take a damn bite out of his neck.
Thing was though, this sure as hell ain't no animal bite. It looked like something human had clamped its teeth down hard enough to draw blood and Inuyasha's entire body chilled as his gut clenched uncomfortably.
Muttering a dark oath, Inuyasha looked around, hoping to catch the twisted son of a bitch who did this to his beloved dog, and wasn't really surprised when he spotted no one. He scowled and focused his attention back on Jax, cursing himself for not paying better attention, though he couldn't say if he'd been able to hear any sound of pain over the rain and thunder. Inuyasha was gratified that at least Jax's chest was rising and falling, so he must have been knocked out somehow. Still, how the hell could he have not—
A flash of red in his peripheral caught his attention and Inuyasha turned his head to find what looked like some sort of plastic wrapper caught in the thin branches of a leafy bush. The inside was silver and the rainwater glinted off of it. Inuyasha frowned, keeping one hand on his dog as he studied the rubbish and narrowed his gaze. He could make out some lettering, but some of it was obscured from its crumpled condition...K-T-A...T?
Unbidden an image of that rookie police officer from yesterday came to his mind, complete with a chocolate bar sticking out of his mouth and just as suddenly Inuyasha felt a prickling sensation between his shoulder blades, as if someone was behind him, staring—
He shot to his feet while spinning around and he caught a glimpse of navy before burning, excruciating pain blistered from his back and out through his stomach. Shock closed his throat and seized his lungs, preventing a cry of pain from escaping as the pain ricocheted up into his chest and splintered down his arms, briefly rendering incapable of any thought, before gradually rushing back to develop a burning throb in this gut that was more tolerable, but still painful.
Staggering as his vision wavered and feeling lightheaded, Inuyasha pressed a hand to his stomach and felt warm wetness. He blinked rapidly and looked down to find a gaping hole in his abdomen, dripping blood, staining his shirt and jeans and mixing with the rain as it continued to pelt his body from above. He stared dumbly at the wound for a minute more, his mind attempting to come back online, and when it did so did the belated realization that something had just gone through his back and came out his stomach.
Inuyasha sucked in a sharp, choked gasp and snapped his gaze up to search for the culprit but didn't have to look far; right in front of him, perhaps a few yards away, stood Officer Yamazaki, soaking wet from the rain, a wide, maniacal grin plastered across his pale face and crimson eyes staring at him with a hint of hysteria. He was giggling, a high pitched, completely disturbing sound, and the black pistol he clutched in his hand wavered from his chest to somewhere off to his right, as if he were having trouble keeping his aim true.
Even if the bastard hadn't had a damned gun trained on him the blood around his mouth gave him plenty of reason to sharpen his claws on him.
Inuyasha's lips pulled back into a snarl as his ears pinned beneath his hat, his mind taking him back to a time where his life had been nothing but firearms, hard combat, and unadulterated survival in a war zone but then blessedly he was distracted by something red, white, and wriggling on the ground at the bastard's feet and Inuyasha dropped his gaze.
Amber eyes stared in a mixture of horror and disgust at the thing that writhed on the wet ground just a few feet from him, covered in his blood. With a body reminiscent of a snake's covered in a leathery hide, it had a head that looked strikingly similar to Yamazaki with the same hair and red eyes, however the most notable features were the twin pincers that reminded him of a praying mantis and from the looks of them, were no doubt just as sharp.
As Inuyasha watched, his expression akin to revolted fascination, the thing licked its lips and regarded him with cold red eyes, lips stretching up into a malicious smile. "Thanks for the meal," it hissed. "Your innards were delicious." Then it cackled and the sound grated on his nerves.
Gritting his teeth against the pain that was making it difficult to concentrate and trying his best to ignore it, Inuyasha glared at the creature from beneath the brim of his hat and growled, "What the fuck—" and was abruptly accosted by a coughing fit and he tasted blood. He bit down hard on his lip to stifle the groan that welled up and pressed his hand harder against the raw wound in his stomach. His body was already hard at work repairing the damage, but not fast enough, dammit.
His breathing ragged, Inuyasha refocused his gaze on the creepy fucker with the pincers and spared a brief glance at Yamazaki behind him. Or more accurately the gun still trained in his general direction. Fuck, this was bad; with his body slowed down because of the hole in his gut, Inuyasha knew any battle between them was going to end badly for him and there was no telling when Yamazaki would finally lose it and pull the trigger. He couldn't dodge a bullet even at full speed – he had the scars to prove it – so in his current condition he was as good as dead.
Still, if it was a fight these assholes wanted, then Inuyasha would wasn't about to make it easy for them. He had somebody he had to protect, and he was going to try his damnedest to make it back to her.
With hardened resolve, Inuyasha clenched his teeth against the pain still making it slightly harder to breath and discreetly flexed his fingers against his stomach, tensing his muscles.
The thing cackled again, a rough barking "gyeh gyeh gyeh!" noise that sounded unnatural and harsh and made him flatten his ears. "I am Kageromaru," he said in a grating rasp, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "I've been lying dormant inside Juromaru's belly, awaiting my first taste of blood to be revived." He licked his chops and Inuyasha shuddered in disgust at how abnormally long his tongue was. Kageromaru flicked his red gaze to the unmoving Jax behind him. "Common mongrel blood isn't ideal, however it was enough to adequately rejuvenate me until something more substantial came along." He laughed again and bared blood-stained fangs in a lethal grin.
Inuyasha grunted as he shifted his weight, making it look like he was staggering, but in reality was bracing his legs further apart. "Thanks for the life story that I didn't ask for," he growled, narrowing his gaze, "but I really don't give a rat's ass where disgusting vermin like you come from or what their revolting survival habits are."
Pressing a hand against his stomach, glad that the wound was already starting to close, Inuyasha nevertheless pretended like he was still in tremendous pain and pulled his lips back to reveal his own fangs in a fearsome snarl as a deadly growl thundered in his chest. "What I do care about though," he shifted his gaze to the fucker behind him still grinning maniacally, "is that Mr. Happy over there used my dog for your demented schemes and y'know, I don't like that." He lifted his free hand and flexed his fingers, brandishing sharp talons. "So how's about we cut the bullshit because we both know how this is gonna end, you vile, twisted fuck."
Kageromaru disregarded the threat and eyed the hand holding his stomach then the one held aloft, clearly preparing to use those pitiful things he called claws. He chortled in sadistic glee while Juromaru continued to grin without any change. "Gyeh gyeh! Foolish half-breed! You really think you can destroy us?!" His mirth intensified, the rough sound of his cackles like nails on a chalkboard.
Inuyasha grit his teeth and glared murderously at him while surreptitiously digging his claws into the still bleeding injury, ignoring the sharp but brief twinge of pain.
Licking his lips, the demon pushed himself up, bracing himself on his body the way a snake would right before a strike. "Your confidence will be your demise, hanyou," Kageromaru hissed, eyes narrowing into crimson slits. "You think to defeat us with a single hand while attempting to keep your guts from spilling onto the ground with the other?" Another high-pitched, grating laughed escaped and the demon's eyes widened as the black of his pupils contracted to mere pinpricks against the scarlet background. "Pathetic. You will die and I will feast on the blood that drains from your lifeless body!"
Unfazed, Inuyasha deliberately cracked his knuckles, drawing Kageromaru's gaze, and said, "Good thing I only need one hand to kill you, then."
Kageromaru frowned. "What?"
In answer Inuyasha grinned nastily before promptly flinging out his blood-soaked hand in a downward slashing motion too quick for his opponent to follow. With the attack coming from the hand not held aloft as Kageromaru expected, he was unable to avoid the crimson blades as they sliced through the scant distance between them and Inuyasha caught a glimpse of horrified astonishment on his face before he was eviscerated by his youki attack.
He didn't have time to revel in his victory because Juromaru suddenly made an shrill, inhumane sound of disbelief and anger, drawing Inuyasha's gaze toward him and he somehow wasn't at all surprised to find that gun pointed at his head with deadly accuracy. With Kageromaru's blood splattered across his clothes and face, Juromaru looked every bit the psycho Inuyasha had secretly pegged him to be, eyes so wide the red veins in his eyes were showing, mouth stretched open in an silent, agonized scream and despite the way his chest was pumping rapidly as he dragged in ragged breaths, his aim didn't waver like it had before and Inuyasha realized he was in deep shit now.
He couldn't dodge a bullet at such close range, and definitely not while his body was still healing the hole in his stomach. In spite of this, however, Inuyasha stared him down, determined, intense amber locking with anguished, maniacal pools of crimson. Then without warning Juromaru screeched, pulled the trigger—
The shot was loud and Inuyasha's ears rang painfully beneath his soaked ballcap. In a sort of numb shock, he watched as the blood ran down Juromaru's pale face from the neat hole in his forehead, those red eyes gradually turning lifeless as the gun promptly fell from his hand to land on the ground. His entire body followed very shortly thereafter, pitching forward to land face first into the bloody remains of Kageromaru.
Inuyasha stared at the dead body for another minute before lifting his head and gazing at his unlikely savior.
Blue eyes stared dispassionately back as Kouga lowered the still smoking gun and promptly asked, "You good?"
Gingerly Inuyasha prodded the wound in his stomach, pleased to discover it was nearly fully closed, though still tender. "I'll live," he admitted. "How'd you know?"
Kouga studied him quietly for a moment, as if deliberating on just how much he should give away right then, and remarked, "I followed him. He wasn't being very discreet when he left."
Inuyasha frowned at the vague answer, but focused on something else that nagged at him. "But why the hell would he show up here?"
The deputy cocked a brow and snorted. "You mean you haven't figured it out by now, dogshit?"
He scowled. "I wouldn't be asking if I had, fucking mangy wolf."
Rolling his eyes, Kouga heaved an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "I shoulda known, half the demon, half the fucking brain—"
Inuyasha growled and snapped, "Would you shut the fuck and just tell me already?!" Christ, he didn't have time for this! He had a wounded dog to take care of and he needed to get back to Kagome, dammit. Preferably soon.
Kouga suddenly scowled darkly at him and his growl was all kinds of vexed frustration as he fired back, "You stupid ingrate, Yamazaki worked for him!"
Inuyasha's blood ran cold as his entire body tensed, and even though he had a very good idea who the wolf was referring to, he still asked through gritted teeth, "Who—"
"Naraku, you fucking—"
The creative string of colorful expletives that Inuyasha spat out in rapid succession drowned out the rest of Kouga's insult. With a grim expression and glad the mutt seemed to have finally grasped the gravity of the situation, the deputy continued, "The son of a bitch knew that Miss Higurashi was going to press charges because the morning after he attacked her, he showed up at the station and attempted to bribe the demon officers, myself included, with a large amount of money. Said his girlfriend was attacked by the Sato gang and was on the run, too frightened to do much else but hide. We were to contact him immediately if she showed up and provided a picture of her so we knew who we were looking for."
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Kouga recognized the slight shift in his stance, angling his body, and it was a move designed to give him optimal reaction time for either defense, or offense. It was a move no doubt deeply ingrained from his years in the military and one Kouga wouldn't have even notice if not for his own training in the academy, so he wasn't at all surprised at hanyou's next question.
"You said he bribed you too," Inuyasha reminded him and though his still tender gut protested, he readied himself to attack, or defend. "You must have recognized her yesterday, so why didn't you give her up and claim that bastard's dirty money for yourself?" Amber eyes studied him, quietly assessed, determining in the wolf truly was a trusted friend, or a backstabbing foe.
Kouga rolled his eyes but couldn't hold back the annoyed bite to his voice as he replied, "Relax, mutt, obviously I didn't give her up and you'd know why if you'd let me finish explaining." He leveled him with a hard stare and Inuyasha snorted but relented, rolling his hand in an impatient gesture to get on with it already. The deputy scowled, but nonetheless continued, "Besides the fact that I'm a fucking cop, you idiot, and it's illegal to bribe a police officer, I also knew the fucker was lying because my lieutenants apprehended Sato and his gang a few days prior and were in already custody. So that immediately put up a few red flags but instead of arresting him on the spot, I decided to play along and join his little party. This guy had something up his sleeve and I didn't like it, so in order to get to the nitty gritty and find out what he was plotting, I had to get him to trust me. Yamazaki obviously agreed as well, but the two other rookie demons thought he was either high or crazy and declined."
Inuyasha suddenly growled in irritation as his phone once more buzzed in his pocket and he hastily pulled it out to ignore the call without looking. "Does this have a fucking point, wolf, because if you're wasting my time—"
"Would you shut the fuck up, dogbreath, and let me finish?!" Kouga exploded, his patience at getting interrupted repeatedly starting to grow a tad thin. Cobalt blue eyes glared heatedly at the silver-haired hanyou and amber eyes glowered back defiantly. Inuyasha snarled, snorted, and gave in, albeit with ill grace, crossing his arms and scoffing disdainfully. Refraining from the urge to pull out all his hair in frustration, feeling like he was dealing with a damn child, Kouga explained through gritted teeth, "After we agreed, Naraku gave us the means to contact him, he bugged my office, and left. That's what I was hiding, you ingrate, and why I wouldn't—couldn't tell you."
Frowning, glad now that he was finally getting somewhere with this, Inuyasha shook his head, puzzled. "If your office is bugged, why didn't you take her to an interrogation room, or somewhere else that wasn't, and let us know up front what was going on? It'd save us a helluva lot of time and trouble, fleabag." He scowled at the wolf's apparent foolishness, not for the first time wondering how the hell he achieved the status of the chief's second in command.
"Because if I'd have taken Kagome anywhere else for her statement, it would have looked suspicious and my cover would have been blown." Kouga leveled the half-demon with an annoyed and slightly exasperated stare. "Use your brain, mutt."
"Fuck you," Inuyasha returned, but it lacked any real bite, his frown deepening. "How did you manage to keep this under wraps for so long? Surely the chief would have caught wind of something like this. I've met the guy and he wasn't born yesterday, wolf." He cocked a brow, truly intrigued on how the mangy wolf managed to keep something like this from his boss for so long, especially with so many demons around able to detect things human cannot.
Sighing, Kouga thrust a hand through his hair, pushing the dark strands out of his eyes. "I had some inside help with that. Officers Yoshino and Kishio are not only my good friends, but also my most trusted and loyal officers, so I let them in on what was doing. They agreed to help me keep it on the DL and away from Inoue. It's also why Kagome was able to see me right away when she first arrived despite it being so crazy there; Ginta was already on the look out for her."
Ignoring the familiar buzz of his phone going off in his pocket again, Inuyasha growled and racked his fingers through his hair, scowling at nothing in particular but then pinning the deputy with an accusing, cold stare. "Fucking wolf, you could have made more of an effort to let me know all of this instead of that damned cryptic message you gave me! 'They are two in one'? How the hell was I suppose to know what that meant?! And because of you and your stupid propensity to leave out crucial information, I was nearly gutted by Juromaru and that damned parasite Kageromaru! If I had fucking known—"
Kouga frowned in confusion and slashed a hand in the air, cutting off Inuyasha's tirade. "Wait a minute, what the fuck are you talking about, mutt? Who the hell is Kageromaru?"
Amber eyes pinned the wolf-demon with an exasperated glare. "Keh." Inuyasha snorted. "He came out of Juromaru's gut, or so he claims," he remarked and gestured vaguely to the desecrated remains of the demon on the ground near the dead Juromaru. Then Inuyasha's brows dipped as he registered the wolf's words and the confusion lacing his tone, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean, who is he? You already knew about him, wolfshit. You gave me that damned message warning me about them being two in one. Kageromaru lied dormant inside Juromaru until the taste of blood awakened him—" Inuyasha suddenly stopped, ears perking straight up as something occurred to him.
Yesterday, during his ride with Kagome and Jax had taken off to go bark at something...he'd been barking at the ground. Kageromaru had shot from out of the ground when he'd lanced through his stomach. Fucking hell, his dog had been barking at that parasite which had been a distraction while Juromaru snuck up behind Kagome and attempted to take her! That was what had spooked Rain so bad! Juromaru, probably sensing his rapid approach, had fled before Inuyasha could detect him. Son of a—
"Bitch," Inuyasha finished out loud in a hiss. Fuck, it was all making sense now; the candy wrapper in the bush, why Jaxson had kept leaving to investigate, and why Rain had been so skittish.
"Problem?" Kouga queried, raising a brow at the muttering half-demon. What had gotten his panties all up in a twist so suddenly?
"Nothing," Inuyasha grumbled and dragged a hand down his face. "Just...connecting a few dots. Forget it." Shit.
The deputy eyed the hanyou for another minute then decided to do as he bade and brushed off his strange behavior. There were more important things to discuss, anyway. "Look, mutt, I don't know where you got the idea that I knew about Kageromaru—"
"Then what the fuck did that note mean, Kouga?" Inuyasha snapped, tired of this back and forth, the questions, the confusion. Goddammit, he needed to get to Kagome! "If it wasn't to warn me about these two assholes, then—"
Kouga suddenly growled darkly as deep blue eyes flashed dangerously, fangs flashing in a snarl. "You fucking sorry excuse for a half-dog, Naraku is O—!"
Inuyasha's phone vibrated once more and with a creative string of curses that had the wolf deputy's eyebrows popping, Inuyasha retrieved his phone with savage and impatient movements and viciously swiped his finger across the wet screen before barking into it, "Fucking hell, Miroku, I'm a little busy at the moment so can thi—"
"Where's Kagome?" Miroku cut him off, his words harried, urgent, and he sounded out of breath.
Inuyasha paused and frowned. "In the barn," he answered. "Why—"
"Are you with her?" his friend cut him off again and something in his tone had Inuyasha's hackles rising, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
"No," Inuyasha replied slowly, carefully and cut a glance toward the wolf standing a few feet away. His expression was grim as he stared mutely back. "What's this a—"
The lurid curse that came over the line had Inuyasha's brows rising in astonishment; his best friend had never been one to swear, must less something as dark and creative as that one. Before he could speculate further, however, Miroku continued breathlessly, "Go to her, right now. Inuyasha he's on his way as we speak—" The rest of his words were incomprehensible largely due to the fact that he was talking too fast for Inuyasha to follow, but also from the wind and thunder that interfered with the connection. He was starting to break up and Inuyasha was only able to pick up bits and pieces.
Huffing in aggravation, Inuyasha growled, "Miroku, I can't—"
He heard a sound of abject frustration, distinct annoyed mumbling, and then Miroku's next words were loud and came through crystal clear.
"Naraku is Onigumo!"
Every muscle in Inuyasha's body froze as his blood ran cold in his veins, his mind came to a screeching halt and his heart stopped beating. Vaguely he was aware of the wolf uttering a low oath but the blood pounding in his ears after that prevented him from hearing anything else except for the frantic and broken voice of his friend on the other end of the line.
"Remember wh-n—tex—last -ight about de-t-s? That un-able –ource I men— turned out—be Ki-o's sister Kaede! Oni—changed his –me—Na-k- -went into hiding—! Inu-sha, he's go- do the—thing he did five –ears ago! What –id to—Kikyou! Find Kagome, no—!"
The line went dead and Inuyasha could barely hear the dial tone over the roar of blood in his ears. His grip on the phone slackened and the device fell to the ground at his feet, landing in the mud but he paid it no heed as his hand balled into a tight, shaking fist, claws embedding into his palm and the sharp pain helped to clear his mind somewhat.
Onigumo. He almost couldn't believe, wouldn't have believed it had the intel not come from someone as reliable and credible as Miroku, but there it was: Naraku was the same motherfucker who'd murdered Kikyou. Who had murdered the woman he'd loved because the twisted son of a bitch had the mentality that if he couldn't have her, no one could, least of all the dirty half-breed who'd already taken her for himself. And now, from what he'd managed to piece together from Miroku's fractured explanation, history was about to repeat itself, he was about to lose another woman important to him to the same goddamn psycho, all because of—
"You," Inuyasha suddenly hissed and the amount of vehemence behind the single word immediately put Kouga on edge as his back stiffened and his gut churned uncomfortably. Having a very good idea where the hanyou's thoughts had gone and also trying valiantly to not look as guilty as he felt, the deputy clenched his jaw and steeled himself, watching with wary azure eyes as Inuyasha turned to face him. He could practically feel the potent fury rolling off of him in waves and instinctively the wolf-demon bunched his muscles, shifting his weight as his heart sped a little faster.
Catching a glimpse of flickering violet stripes and flashing red eyes, Kouga swallowed hard, recalling how the mutt had looked strikingly similar to his current state five years ago when he'd first heard Kikyou had been murdered by Onigumo.
And as a visceral, positively lethal growl rent the air around them, loud enough to even be heard over the wind and rain, Kouga just hoped that the livid half-demon would allow him to at least explain himself before deciding he'd make a good throw rug.
"You knew," Inuyasha growled and the snarl on his face was truly fearsome, the stripes slashing his cheeks becoming more prominent as his body started trembling with his unsuppressed rage. Unconsciously Kouga took a step back and fought against the urge to go for his gun; that would definitely not be a good idea right now. "You knew it was the same sick son of a bitch that murdered Kikyou and you didn't tell me!"
His voice had escalated into a thunderous roar by the end of his accusation and the wolf-demon winced, however he stood his ground and endured the furious hanyou's outburst. "That's what your fucking message meant, didn't it?!" Inuyasha continued scathingly as more amber bled to red in his eyes. "'They are two in one.' Two identities, one fucking—goddammit!"
Reining in the nearly overpowering urge to rush the wolf and beat him into a goddamn bloody pulp, Inuyasha concentrated on regulating his breathing instead, holding on tightly to his control and willing his demonic blood to simmer the fuck down. Even as pissed off as he was, going full demon would not have any positive outcomes; he still had enough common sense to recognize that, at least, and when he conjured up a picture of Kagome, her caramel eyes bright, shining and those full lips smiling at him, he was able to fully reclaim his scattered wits and leash his rage.
Kouga watched the transformation in silent fascination, finding he was able to breath a little easier as the slashes on his cheeks considerably lightened, but didn't disappear, and his eyes became more gold than red. It was obvious he was still angry, however, judging by the fierce scowl on his face directed at him coupled with the growl thundering in his chest, so the chief's second in command didn't let his guard down just yet. He sensed the hanyou wasn't finished and was proven correct a second later.
"Why?" Inuyasha spat, curling his hands into fists and digging his claws into his palms; the pain cleared away some of the fury clouding his mind. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me yesterday in your office? What the fuck possessed you to write a goddamn confusing as hell note that had a fifty-fifty chance of me actually understanding it? You'd better start explaining yourself now, wolfshit, before—"
"Take a good, loooooong look at how you just reacted, muttface, and then ask me again why I didn't tell you," Kouga interjected in a low kiss, unable to stand there quietly any longer as his eyes narrowed into slits of blue fire. "Think about it, asshole. Think reeeeaaaaal fuckin' hard because if you really don't know why I didn't tell you, then you really are a goddamn idiot."
When all Inuyasha continued to do was glare at him in lethal silence, his eyes twin pools of flinty amber that narrowed with thinly veiled threat, Kouga's brow furrowed as his own cobalt gaze tightened in return and he set his jaw. Apparently the mutt needed a nudge – or perhaps a firm shove – in the right direction or else they'd end up standing there all day and the longer they wasted time, the more potential danger Kagome could be in and it blew his mind that Inuyasha hadn't figured that out yet.
Then again, Kouga could also clearly recall a similar instance five years ago where fury had altered the half-demon's judgment so perhaps it was to be expected. Still, if he could just remind him about what really mattered right then…
Bracing himself, Kouga said just loudly enough to be heard over the rain, "Did you really want Kagome to see you like that?"
The change was instantaneous; one second his face was twisted into a black scowl and the next it was replaced by an expression of such abject horror Kouga almost felt guilty for saying it. Almost; by the way his eyes flared wide and the color drained from his face, the deputy could easily deduce he had his answer. He was intensely gratified to see the markings slashing his cheeks completely vanish and his eyes return to their normal shade of gold.
Kouga nodded grimly, satisfied. "Yeah," he murmured. "Didn't think so. And besides the fact that the meaning to the phrase 'my office is bugged' seems to have escaped you – to clarify there are cameras with audio in every fucking corner – I couldn't have you going completely apeshit on me and tracking down the son of a bitch. Because not only is he a wanted man for a current domestic violence report and a homicide from five years ago, he's also my number one suspect for the recent homicide of the body that was found in the river. You would have jeopardized my investigation and blown my cover, mutt."
"You really think I give a flying fuck about your goddamn investigation?" Inuyasha seethed, his fury considerably lessened, but still present and the baleful glare aimed at Kouga held the same scalding intensity. "No, I wouldn't have wanted Kagome to see me like that, I'll grant you that," he agreed and made an angry slashing motion through the air. "But we're talking about the same son of a bitch that killed the woman I loved, you asshole! Don't you dare stand there and tell me I didn't have a fucking right to—"
The sound of a gun shot going off abruptly cut Inuyasha's tirade off and the blood ran cold in his veins as the color leeched from his face and golden eyes went wide with terror. Heart in his throat Inuyasha whipped his head around to look in the direction of the barn; through the rain still pouring down, he could make out the top barn, but because of the slight incline of the pasture, he couldn't see anything at ground level. He strained his ears, but the wind and the low rumble of thunder prevented him from hearing anything else.
Oh, god—what the hell had be been thinking?! He should have taken off the second Miroku's call had disconnected, the realization that Kagome was in danger should have been the only thing that mattered, but he'd foolishly let his anger take over his mind and he'd stood there and berated the wolf instead, wasting precious minutes when at any second Kagome could—
He didn't think. Not even sparing Kouga a second glance, Inuyasha spun around and tensed his muscles, ready to launch himself forward and run faster than he ever had before in his life, but a lump of wet white and gray made him falter and he grimaced as indecision tore through his heart. Dammit, he couldn't just leave Jaxson lying there, bleeding and needing immediate care. But Kagome—
"Go," a male voice spoke up and Inuyasha snapped his gaze to Kouga in time to see him scoop something up from the dead body of Juromaru before crossing over to Jax and kneeling down. Blue eyes locked with amber and he nodded once. "I'll handle things here and see to it he gets the best care possible from the K-9 unit's vet." He placed two fingers on Jaxson's neck; the dog's pulse was thankfully steady. Then his eyes narrowed and flashed with steely resolve. "Now quit wastin' time and go rescue your woman. I've got your back."
Inuyasha regarded him silently for only a few seconds more before nodding back, relieved his dog was in good hands. He turned back around, prepared to fly across the field—
"Inuyasha."
Growling, the hanyou half-turned towards the wolf, about to demand why the fuck he was delaying him, but then Kouga abruptly threw something at him and reflexively Inuyasha brought up a hand and caught it, his fingers wrapping around ebony stainless steel.
Kouga gazed at him, cobalt eyes grim, but a fierceness in his expression that emboldened Inuyasha.
"Make it count, asshole."
Inuyasha clenched his jaw and gave a wordless nod, shoved the Sig into the waistband of his jeans, and then he was gone, racing through the rain to save the woman he'd come to care for more than his own life.
-X-
I know, I know. Another cliffhanger haha. Sorry! At this point in the story though it's sorta impossible not to end it with a cliffhanger. I can promise, though, that the next chapter will not be a cliffy!
Also, kudos to anyone who noticed the quotes I stole directly from the anime and put in this chapter lol.
If you're having a hard time trying to decipher what Miroku was telling Inuyasha on the phone, let me know and I'll clear it up for you.
