How TERRIBLE am I? Oh my goodness. I've totally overestimated my ability to write in the little time span I have available. Sorry this is so late!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Target Locked
Chapter Twenty-One
Besides the small lamp in the corner, Kagome had no light. There was no window or clock to tell her what time it was. She could've been here for minutes. She could've been here for hours. She could've been here for days. Everything was a blur.
The moment the woman named Kaguya was shot in the head, it was like time just went still. She watched in utter horror as the man called Ryukotsusei wiped at the blood on his arm with a wicked grin. He looked at her for a long moment before signalling to the two men behind him to "clean up the mess". Kagome had never been more disturbed in her life.
"You could be next," he said slowly, exaggerating each word for more emphasis. Kagome didn't need the emphasis – she knew exactly how bad her situation was.
"Who are you? Are you the one that's been trying to kill me?"
Ryukotsusei laughed as if what she was suggesting was ludicrous. "Not even close," he replied, shaking his head as he started to leave the room. "No I don't want you dead. That doesn't mean that someone else wants to keep you alive though."
"Tell me who." She was practically begging now, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She tried to ignore the limp body that was being dragged out the room, the pool of blood that was following it. Focusing on Ryukotsusei's voice instead and the pure evil that was shown on his face, Kagome ignored it all.
"But then where would all the fun be?" the man asked, watching her with piercing eyes. "I'm not part of your situation. I'm out for myself, just like everyone else in this greedy, self-absorbed world."
It wasn't the answer she was looking for. It wasn't the answer she wanted at all. "Please," she pleaded, fighting with the cuffs around her wrists. "Tell me who wants me dead."
Ryukotsusei smiled. "Goodbye."
"Goddammit!" Kagome screamed, reaching out with her body to escape, to get the hell out of there. The handcuffs broke the skin, another cry ripped out of her throat from the pain.
She watched as the men left the room. The click of the door sounded final to her ears, leaving her in deafening silence. There was nothing left but the sound of her breathing and the scattered blood across the floor and wall.
Suddenly the taste of copper filled her mouth and she shuddered, spitting out the blood that was dripping down her face. She hastily wiped it away, trying hard not to cry. She needed to put herself together and focus. But it just wasn't coming.
Breathe. Think. Relax.
Breathe. Think. Relax.
Kagome tried to steady herself for a long while. It could've been a full day for all she knew before her heartbeat slowed to its natural rhythm. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Now what?
The fear started to claw at her again, ripping from deep within her belly to somewhere out of her throat. A mangled cry forced its way out and Kagome slammed her mouth shut. Breathe in. Breathe out. She had to get control of herself.
Stop looking at the blood on the walls, the floor.
Stop looking period. Close your eyes.
It took another long while before Kagome willed the calm over her body once more. This time, she was sure that it was under control. Her eyes were heavy now with sleep but she knew that she wouldn't fall into slumber any time soon. Letting her eyes flutter closed, she relaxed as best she could into the pole that dug painfully into her back. Right now, she had nothing to do but think.
The only thing that was crowding her mind right now was Kaguya, the woman that had just died before her eyes. She pushed past the thought rather quickly, trying to focus on Ryukotsusei instead. He was obviously someone who worked with the woman, maybe a second in command figure? Whatever it was, Kaguya had seemed terrified the moment he walked into the room. What had he said to her?
Well, with you gone that puts me in charge, huh?
Yes, Ryukotsusei had to be Kaguya's second in command. Now, what did she do?
Kagome thought back to the brief but heated exchange between them and the words that Kaguya had so easily thrown at her.
You – you – are the cause for all of this! You're the reason I'm down here!
Kagome shuddered at the thought, at the absolute horror of how she was the reason the woman was dead. It was almost too much so Kagome instantly squashed the feeling, moving on quickly before her emotions and fear took over completely.
The moment you opened that pretty little mouth of yours about dirty companies, I had to hide everything because we were about to be examined.
Examined? By who? The police? No, Naraku's case had been too high-profile for the Coral Police Department to worry about solely. This had to be bigger. This had to be FBI. Inuyasha was FBI, right? But he was focusing on another murder... Gatenmaru Koyasu.
He was the only link I had to that son of a bitch Naraku. I very well couldn't be linked to his drug ring.
So Kaguya was dirty. Her business dipped into the profits and unique selling capabilities of what Naraku provided. The drugs that had been tearing up most of Florida had been circulated by more than just Naraku's gang. As Kagome had suspected from previous interviews with reliable sources, the Brotherhood Mafia, the Panther Gang and other companies were involved. Kaguya's company – whatever it was – was involved in the drug ring and circulation.
Gatenmaru had been the sole link between Kaguya and Naraku. For whatever reason he was there, Kaguya realized that the man would be dangerous. Had the FBI found him alive, they could very well strike up a deal with him so they could get the big bad companies. So Kaguya hired Yura, the hit-woman that had been chasing her and Inuyasha for over a week. Yura killed Gatenmaru, since the gun was identified by Inuyasha as the same model. Yura was hired to kill them because Kagome threatened her.
Even if Kagome was being hunted down by the police, she could very well be put into the same category as Gatenmaru. If she gathered a case against Kaguya's company, the FBI would strike a deal with her. Given her current shitty position, that would've been the smart thing to do for a criminal on the run.
Too bad she had Inuyasha to keep her on the straight and narrow.
Now look where she was.
Sighing and pushing forward, Kagome realized that was the only thing keeping her going. She needed to force herself forwards, keep her mind busy with puzzling questions.
Here was one: why was she in the same basement with a woman who was being held by Ryukotsusei when she was being held by the Brotherhood Mafia? Kagome was positive that those three men were part of the dangerous and often invincible group. So why was she here trapped by them when Ryukotsusei was the one that held Kaguya here?
It didn't make any sense.
I'm not part of your situation. I'm out for myself, just like everyone else in this greedy, self-absorbed world.
Ryukotsusei had made his words pretty clear. He had nothing to do with her. So what did the Brotherhood Mafia and Ryukotsusei, a businessman, have in common?
This fucking basement, she thought bitterly, opening her eyes but hardly feeling rested. She looked around the dim room, taking in the off-white walls, the even dirtier-coloured trim, the lamp on the desk in the far corner, the several poles... Eyeing the wall close to her, Kagome spotted a rusted nail in the trim. It was lodged pretty deep and didn't look to be the safest thing in the whole room but Kagome realized she didn't have a choice.
Struggling to situate herself so that her shoulder dug painfully into the pole as she lay on her stomach, Kagome found that she could just barely reach the wall – and the nail she had her sights on. She had no experience with lock picking she realized grimly. She had a very slim chance that she could even pry the nail from the wood trim.
But she didn't have a choice.
She had an unanswered question. Why were Ryukotsusei and the Brotherhood Mafia together?
And she'd be fucking damned if she didn't live to find out.
Four days later and Inuyasha was no closer to finding Kagome than he had been on that stupid fucking Wednesday. Shippo had joined him on the Thursday, coming up with a plan to find the Brotherhood Mafia. So far, they had been shit out of luck. The connection Shippo had with the band had been a bit farfetched but as desperate as he was, Inuyasha followed every lead.
Now they were sitting across the street from a fancy, expensive French restaurant, watching as people flooded in and out of the building.
"Inuyasha, you're starting to worry me," Shippo said, his voice snapping him back to reality.
Flipping him off, Inuyasha didn't even bother to spare him a glance. Looking away from the people meant that he could potentially miss their target.
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Shippo went on. "I don't think you've blinked in the last hour."
"That's not possible Shippo," Inuyasha snapped, still watching. Sure he blinked. Just very quickly and not as often as his tired eyes wanted to. He'd been getting very little sleep, trying at every second to find this man they were looking for.
His name was Ryukotsusei Inoue and he was the personal assistant of Kaguya Ohta, the owner of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies out there. Originally, he hadn't been their man. Shippo's connection with the Brotherhood Mafia only heard bits of information – how, Inuyasha didn't even want to know. Apparently as of recent, the band had been taking an interest in a major pharmaceutical company. This hadn't made Inuyasha happier at the time. There were thousands of companies that specialized in pharmaceuticals. The funny thing was that after some research, Shippo managed to find a company that was actually founded in Coral and was still headquartered there.
The owner was a woman named Kaguya Ohta. For a full two days, Inuyasha and Shippo had been attempting to track down her whereabouts. It hadn't been easy. They had to talk to secretary after friend after business associate to try and pry out any knowledge as to where the rich woman was. Apparently, no one had a clue. She had just disappeared one day out of thin air. It was two days Inuyasha would never get back.
Then they changed their focus to her personal assistant, the man who had been running the company ever since. Ryukotsusei hadn't been too difficult to track down but he wasn't exactly the easiest. There was a way about him that made him flow in between the crowds without being noticed. It was like he knew he was being watched and that frustrated him more than anything.
Currently, Ryukotsusei was eating at the French restaurant they were sitting outside. It had been two long and very boring hours.
"Are you sure he didn't slip out without you noticing?" Shippo's voice sounded again and Inuyasha almost jumped. Just as quick, Inuyasha almost punching him in the face.
"No," he said sharply, still staring out the window.
"But–"
"No."
There was more silence and if Inuyasha had been in a more considerate mood he would've tried to clear the air. Right now he was pissed, he was tired and he was fucking out of his mind worried about Kagome. He could tell that Shippo wanted to tease him about it but the fact of the matter was that Inuyasha had a gun and he would be under no circumstances afraid to use it.
"I've been reading up on Ryukotsusei's file," Shippo murmured, quietly in case Inuyasha did decide to punch him. "It's strange."
"How?" Inuyasha still didn't turn from the window.
Shippo shrugged, flipping through a couple of pages he'd already read. "Well the guy had some serious trouble as a kid. Robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence..."
"So he's no classy act," Inuyasha huffed. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"People don't just change," Shippo replied. "In the few years I've been in this world of crime, I've learned a lot of things. One of the biggest is that people who you think have changed, never really did. They just hid it better the second time around. I'm not saying it isn't possible but–"
"You're rambling."
Sighing loudly, the orange-haired boy grumbled. "He was in a position that was only bested by Kaguya. With this strange disappearance, Ryukotsusei has risen to the top."
"And?"
"I'm sorry, aren't you the veteran FBI agent?" Shippo snarled, rolling his eyes. "Clearly, Ryukotsusei has motive to kill her."
"And what does this have to do with anything?" Inuyasha repeated, barely feeling up to getting angry at Shippo's insult. He thought about it for a moment longer, processing each word. "Ryukotsusei is dirty. The company is dirty. All the shit's been hitting the fan because of Naraku's trial."
"Ryukotsusei offs Kaguya to take over the company. Man that business is worth millions. He'd be set for life."
Inuyasha merely watched the world outside, letting it sink in.
"I could shoot you right now and you would never know it was going to happen because you're looking out that window so intently," Shippo stated, rolling his emerald green eyes. "Look, we're not going to miss him."
"There." The word flew out of Inuyasha's mouth so fast it took Shippo a second to process it before responding. He gave a curt nod to the FBI agent before slipping out the passenger door and locking on their target.
Ryukotsusei was walking down the street, hands dug deep in his designer jeans as he shuffled along. Shippo instantly took off behind him, staying a few feet back. The distinct sound of the truck's engine rumbling to life behind him did nothing to sate the nerves and adrenaline pumping through his veins. This is why Shippo loved doing what he did.
Earlier, he and Inuyasha discussed how Shippo should be the one to start things off. If he could get information out of the man without confrontation then everything would be fine. If things didn't go so smoothly...that's why Inuyasha was following.
Shippo followed the dark-haired man with careful steps, making sure to keep his head low and his body scrunched – practically invisible in the night sky. Ryukotsusei seemed to be determined to get somewhere that wasn't populated with people, heading to a more isolated part of the city. Some part of Shippo's mind started to go off with alarms and whistles. The man was rich now – why not have a driver? Yet, even as the warnings filled him, the FBI agent continued to move seamlessly through the crowd, following every footstep of their target. The alarms practically broke they got so loud when Ryukotsusei turned down an alley. He made a motion with his fingers in the air to signal his partner, to tell him to stop the truck. Inuyasha's been driving touch and go the entire walk, not following by foot in case they needed a quick getaway. A closer parked truck was always better than a lot of running on foot.
The alley was dark without lighting, showing off the piles of discarded garbage and cardboard. He knew that there were people hiding out in there, homeless and hungry out in the darkness. Shippo pushed down the wave of nausea that built within him before continuing, following the man that seemed to have no intentions of stopping.
It occurred to Shippo that man must know he's behind him, tracing his footsteps. He wondered idly why they were so far in the alley and the target had yet to talk to him. Typically the moment the alleyway swallowed them whole into the night, criminals or fiends made a joke about how stupid they were to follow. They don't know that usually there's a plan involving more than just the two of them.
Placing his hand down on his side holster, Shippo wasted no time in pulling out the gun and clicking off the safety. He stood tense and ready as the words left his lips, the cold silence that followed thick and heavy in the blackness of the night. "Stop."
Halting, Ryukotsusei slowly turned around and studied him. "All alone are we?"
"We'll go with that," Shippo said simply, gun still against his flank. "Where are you going?"
"To find a cab," Ryukotsusei replied, grinning. "I figured the street over would be less busy to find one."
Shippo rolled his eyes. "Like that isn't that lamest excuse I've ever heard."
"What do you want? I know you're FBI," Ryukotsusei said, looking at Shippo with interest. "I've already talked to the police about Ms. Ohta's disappearance."
Shippo felt Inuyasha there before he heard him, knowing that there was a smirk plastered across his face. "Yes, her disappearance. Funny how much you gain from that," Inuyasha stated, arms crossing over his chest.
"Are you implying anything?" Ryukotsusei asked. "I'll answer whatever you want."
It took Inuyasha a total of five massive steps before he was right in Ryukotsusei's face, hands on the man's jacket and lifting him slightly.
"Gun!" Shippo shouted, raising his own as she spotted it in a side holster previously hidden by his jacket. "Inuyasha–"
"I got it," he snapped, reaching over to grab the gun while Ryukotsusei just smiled wickedly. "What's so funny?"
"I know who you are," the man said slowly, tilting his head. "You're the FBI agent, Inuyasha Taisho. Weren't you on the run with that woman of yours? The reporter?"
"What do you know about her?" The words were quick and cutting coming from his mouth, his hands shaking him for emphasis. When Ryukotsusei didn't immediately answer, Inuyasha growled. "What the fuck do you know?"
"Nothing." It sounded like a lie.
Temper reached, Inuyasha threw the man and smashed him up against the brick wall. He screamed threats and hit the guy against the hard wall, unable to stop.
"Inuyasha," Shippo said calmly, taking Ryukotsusei's gun from Inuyasha's hands so that it didn't accidentally go off in their faces. "He's not going to talk like this."
"The fuck he won't," Inuyasha hissed before smashing him into the wall again. "Talk."
"I don't know anything about the girl," Ryukotsusei said sharply, glaring at the two of them. "I've been busy looking for Kaguya. I've been trying to run the company alone."
"Bullshit."
"Call it what you want," Ryukotsusei hissed back, eyes glinting with malice. "I didn't do anything to the girl."
"But you know where she is," Shippo said, speaking up against him for the first time. "Where is she?"
"I don't know." It still sounded fake and Inuyasha's growl grew louder. "I don't know," Ryukotsusei repeated. "I'm not the one that took her."
Inuyasha stood there for a moment, clawed hands tugging at the man's jacket. He could feel the erratic heartbeat of the other man and see his breath in the cool night's air. "You're working with whoever took her." It was a statement, not a question. While the logic was just meaningless jumbles in his mind, the educated guess stood out. Ryukotsusei had nothing to gain from Kagome's disappearance or death. While he may have or may have not killed Kaguya, Kagome wasn't involved. Looking at the business attire Ryukotsusei was wearing and the way his manicured nails and styled hair just screamed clean, Inuyasha decided right then and there that Ryukotsusei would never do the dirty work.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're a shit liar, you know that?" Inuyasha barked, slamming his against the wall again and hearing the thick thud of his head against the brick. "You're working with the Brotherhood Mafia, aren't you?"
"Not them." It was another lie, his wicked eyes betraying him.
"We know they had interesting in your company," Shippo snapped, aiming the gun at Ryukotsusei's head. "Where is Kagome?"
"I don't know."
"Where is the Brotherhood Mafia located?" Inuyasha asked.
"I don't know."
"Why did they take her?"
"I don't know."
Faster than a blink of an eye, Inuyasha's fist was cutting through the air, landing squarely on the man's jaw. Just like that, Ryukotsusei was knocked unconscious. Letting him drop to the ground, Inuyasha looked at Shippo with deep intensity. "It's them for sure. We need to find their whereabouts."
"How?" Shippo asked. "We can't find out now because you're so damned volatile–"
And that's when they heard shouting.
Rin was barely aware of anything right now.
Work was shitty. The whole fucking day was shitty. And right now? She'd never felt worse. Driving right from the precinct, Rin hadn't taken any thought or notice as to where she was driving. It wasn't towards home, even though her outfit was part uniform and part sweats. The words Bokuseno said to her still rang clearly in her ears. We finally got access to his apartment. The warrant went through. Do you know what we found?
It just didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. Rin barely knew Inuyasha Taisho but she knew Shippo and she knew how much he adored the veteran FBI agent. Yet even as Bokuseno told her the words, she knew they couldn't be true. If she knew that then why didn't he? The whole thing was a setup, a trap by some unknown person.
Suddenly there was a door in front of her. She was at Sesshomaru's cottage. The door was unlocked and Rin barely knocked before letting herself inside, too spaced out and worried to think straight. She saw him in the kitchen, looking at her with a face of barely registered shock. He schooled his emotions well.
"Sesshomaru, you're brother–"
"We don't talk about the case," Sesshomaru said briskly, calmly.
"We found a couple million dollars worth of drugs – Naraku's drugs. Inuyasha's a dirty agent and now Bokuseno is going to make sure he gets the death penalty when he's caught. I- I just don't know anymore."
It just didn't make sense.
So it seems like the story is coming to a close soon. I think in about...three to five chapters? As I said, I have no friggen clue what's happening. I know the basics (and all the twists and turns because, yes, there are quite a few left) but I'm not sure how each will fit into a chapter.
Leave me your thoughts!