Unlucky number thirteen…O.o

If You Could Only See

Chapter 13

Modern Day Tokyo: Approx three years, six months after the well closed.

He was furious. No, furious wasn't a strong enough word. Enraged, maybe…no, but in the ball park. Inuyasha had never been this angry in his entire life.

Not but thirty minutes ago, he had received a call from the demon he had placed at Kagome's old middle school. She said that a demon had come by and had been asking questions about Kagome. Thinking it had been Kouga, he was confidant that he wouldn't get information. He had gone by the office himself and given a picture of Kouga to the woman who worked as a receptionist, warning her of giving him any information. So he was shocked when his spy told him that the demon was able to acquire her last name.

He couldn't make any sense of it! How had Kouga managed to get anything from the school? The spy, however, told him that it hadn't been Kouga that had gone to the office. "The demon looked like a human highschool kid, and he had bright orange hair. Looked like a fox demon to me."

"Dammit Shippo!" Inuyasha screamed, kicking his desk as he paced around his office.

Shippo must be helping Kouga, there's no way he would have found the middle school on his own. It was all the way on the other side of town, and Shippo hardly ever left the ten block radius surrounding the W.I. building. He should have been expecting it! The git always pushed him to go after Kagome, making it that much harder to stay away. And with the two demons working together, Kagome was at a greater risk of being found.

They had a last name. They'd find her in no time, unless he could do something about it.

Why couldn't they all understand? Why were they so intent on hurting Kagome like this?

Inuyasha swore softly under his breath as he weighed his options. He could always threaten them, but he'd never be able to follow through with it. He could have the wolf shit beat up, no problem, wouldn't be a stain on his conscious, but he could never do that to Shippo. Shippo was the first family he had ever had, besides Kagome.

Maybe he could use his connections to move Kagome and her family to another place, somewhere far away…no no, that wouldn't work. Their livelihood is off that shrine, and its not like he could move the whole thing.

The only other option he could think of was explain to them just why Kagome needed to be left alone. He didn't want to, kami knows, he'd rather do anything than relive that day, 500 years ago. He also didn't want Shippo and the others to be hurt like that. The information would hurt them as much as it hurt him, that was sure. Kami, he didn't want to do that!

If he could just convince Shippo to give up, then maybe he could spare the others.

The intercom on his desk crackled to life, and the voice of Inuyasha's secretary sounded through the room. "Mr. Tashio, Shippo just arrived and is heading towards his office now, sir."

Inuyasha sped out of his office, giving a grunt and a nod of his head, indicating thanks to his secretary, before hurtling down the hallways towards Shippos' office.

Without knocking, he burst through the door to see Shippo holding the phone to his ear with a hand on the dialer. Shippo had a huge grin on his face, a grin that quickly disappeared at the sight of the flustered and angry youkai.

"Ah…Yo," he said nervously, slowly putting now the receiver. "Did you need something?"

"What the hell Shippo?" Inuyasha snarled, glaring at Shippo's terrified face.

"W-what are you…"

"Don't give me any of your shit! I know where you were today, asshole!"

Shippo's face visibly paled. "I-I d-don't know - "

"Why can't you people just fucking understand?" Inuyasha cut him off. "Why are you all so intent on hurting her?"

"Hurting her?" Shippo asked, incredulously. "HURTING her? We're trying to save her, Inuyasha! You fucking gave up on her, when she gave us everything! She could be worried sick about us all right now, and you don't even care!"

"OF COURSE I CARE BASTARD! YOU JUST DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND!" Inuyasha's face was red now, and he was screaming far louder than was necessary. But he had to get his point across, once and for all, right now.

"DON'T TELL ME THAT SHIT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ISN'T GETTING THE WHOLE PICTURE! FOR KAMI KNOW WHAT FUCKING REASON, YOU'RE REFUSING TO BELIEVE THAT KAGOME WAS MEANT TO BE YOUR MATE! YOU LOVED HER, AND SHE LOVED YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MATES ARE SEPARATED? BECAUSE I SAW IT, FIRST HAND! WHEN MY MOTHER DIED, MY FATHER WAS HEARTBROKEN! HE WAS ILL ALL THE TIME! HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIGHT OFF THE THUNDERBROTHERS THAT DAY, BUT HE COULDN'T BECAUSE THE ONE HE LOVED WAS DEAD! KAGOME COULD BE SICK AND DYING, INUYASHA! WE HAVE TO FIND HER, TO SAVE HER!"

"Quit saying that!" Inuyasha hissed, pain visible through every inch of his body. "She's not my…she never…"

"Don't you DARE tell me that she didn't love you, Inuyasha, because I know she did!" Shippo growled, stepping up and yelling in the inu youkai's face. "You loved her, and she loved you! But you gave up! After only seven fucking years! How could you betray her like that?"

"I'm not betraying her, I'm saving her! She's not my mate, she never was!"

"BAKA!" Shippo screamed, face turning red again. "Everyone else saw it! Even Kouga suspected it, but he's so hard headed that he pushed past it. Why are you so determined to not accept it?"

"Urusai! You didn't…you didn't see what I saw that day! If you did…you wouldn't be questioning me now." Inuyasha stood tall in front of the fox demon. Shippo looked at him, and for the first time saw not the hanyou who had chased him around and hit him smartly on the head. He saw a different man. The man who had suffered ten men's hardships and come out on the other side, hardened. "You don't know…" his voice trailed off, and Shippo was shocked to see tears shining in the youkai's eyes.

Inuyasha collapsed in a chair and stared off into space, no longer seeing with his eyes.

"Seven years after the well first closed," he began, tears still threatening to take over. "I smelled her scent on the air. I ran to the well…and I jumped through it."

Yesss I'm ending it there, mwah haha. Next chap is gonna be goood. I'm excited for it ^-^

~Lions Heart 獅子の心 (ROAR! ^-^)