Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha… *sighs*
Chapter 2: Who are you?
Inside a small, run-down apartment building, in room 231 sat a young man with long dark hair near the large window in his living room. His unique violet eyes stared out at the stars longingly.
He had done this as long as he could remember. The stars were too beautiful not to gaze up at.
The lights inside his apartment were off; well, actually they were turned off and had been off for a long time, the electricity bill had gone unpaid for too long and…we all know how impatient the electric company can get.
There was a quiet knock on the door and the boy looked up, making his way over to it and opening it slowly, cautiously peering out.
"Inuyasha! Long time no see!" a cheerful voice said, making Inuyasha jump back in surprise.
"M-Miroku…?"
It was Miroku Hoshi, one of his old acquaintances and classmates from school. Inuyasha had only attended a few years of high school, after his father's murder he had dropped out and right before graduation.
"What do you want?" he asked in an irritated tone. He wasn't in the mood for visitors, not that he got them very often.
One of the reasons he had stopped going to stop was because of students like Hoshi. Annoyingly perky and cheerful…Miroku had also been the school's resident pervert.
Miroku pouted, visibly hurt. "Aw, Inuyasha! You aren't happy to see me? I thought you would be" he said and walked right passed Inuyasha not waiting to be invited into the apartment.
"H-hey, get out, will you? I don't have time for this!"
Miroku kept walking as if he hadn't heard him and glanced around the dark room. It was pretty bare, no furniture except for a chair here and there and a small coffee table but that was about it. There was also a television but it was so dusty that Miroku had concluded that Inuyasha hadn't used it in ages.
"Ne, Inu-kun, why is it so dark in here?" he asked curiously. The tone in Miroku's voice was making Inuyasha sick. "Speak normally if you're going to stay!" he shouted and slammed the front door shut so hard it made Miroku wince.
"You're no fun." Miroku grinned and took a seat in one of the chairs in the living room.
Inuyasha grunted and made his way back over to the window, sitting back down with a thud.
Without looking at the boy, Inuyasha asked: "What do you want, Miroku?"
"Nothing. I was just worried about you. We were friends back in high school, if you've forgotten."
"We weren't friends…"
"Oh, is that so?"
There was uncomfortable silence after that.
Miroku fidgeted in his chair, glanced around the room some more, as if the room was going to shrink in a manner of seconds. Finally he said: "You've changed…"
Inuyasha glanced at Miroku, still frowning. "So you've noticed."
Yes, Inuyasha had changed. Drastically. Back when they had still attending school together, when they were still friends, Miroku could recall Inuyasha being more open about his feelings, he was more caring and considerate of others, but now Miroku could see that over the past year Inuyasha had closed his heart to emotions he had once himself displayed frequently. He had grown cold, uncaring and angry.
His father had been his only parent, his mother had died giving birth to him but Inuyasha had gotten over his mother's death only with the help of his father.
His father had been Inuyasha's mental and emotional stabilizer. After his murder Inuyasha had stopped caring about school, about life. Miroku had tried countless times to try and get Inuyasha to talk to him and tell him what was wrong but Inuyasha refused to talk to anyone. Not even his girlfriend could get him to talk; she soon gave up and left him to move away to America.
Inuyasha had stopped communicating with all his friends after that, including Miroku for a about a year.
Inuyasha had disappeared and Miroku had no way of finding him. He had not only moved out of his old house but he had also gone around using a new name.
Miroku had all but given up hope until about a week ago. He had been talking to a friend at the time and 'odd jobs' had become the topic of discussion. His friend had told him that a few days ago he had worked for an old woman named Kaede who lived out on the countryside in an old shrine.
"She had put an ad in the newspaper asking for strong, young men to come and chop wood for her. The pay was good so I went down to the shrine to check it out. There were already a few guys there when I arrived and one of them hard really long dark hair and the strangest eye color." His friend went on.
Miroku who hadn't been paying much attention until then had become very interested. Anyone would have known that it was Inuyasha with that description. Long dark hair, strange eye color? Yup, that's Inuyasha all right.
"He didn't say much to anyone and when he did it was either: 'Get out of my way' or 'Move.'" He could recall his friend saying.
Yup, that's Inuyasha all right Miroku thought and laughed out loud. Inuyasha glared Miroku. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing, nothing…Inuyasha?"
"What?"
Miroku stood up and stared at Inuyasha. "You aren't going to do anything stupid are you?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Of course not…"
"Ah!" his friend gasped. "You're really planning on going after Naraku aren't you?!" he said, gaping at Inuyasha in disbelief.
"What if I am?!"
"Are you crazy? Naraku is a very powerful businessman and you…you're just a teenaged drop out." Miroku wasn't trying to be rude or anything but it was the truth. What did Inuyasha expect to accomplish by going after a man like Naraku?
"I'm no fool. I know exactly whom I'm dealing with."
"Do you, Inuyasha? Do you really? I'm your friend. Like it or not and I don't want to see you ruin your life or worse, get yourself killed with the excuse of avenging your father. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to destroy any chances you had of starting a normal life. Why don't you just forget about all this? Try and get in contact with your old girlfriend? And get a job to pay the electric pay bill for Christ's sake!"
Inuyasha slammed his fist up against the wall, and seemed to make the whole room shake. "I didn't ask you to come here and frankly I'd nothing more then to see you leave, right now." Inuyasha walked over to the front door and opened it. It was apparent to Miroku that he had overstayed his welcome. He really hadn't meant to upset Inuyasha, he was just concerned for his friend's well-being but it seemed that Inuyasha was too consumed with avenging his father to notice.
Miroku sighed and threw his arms up into the air in defeat. "Fine, I'll leave" he said. "But I'll be back, Inuyasha. I'm not giving up on you, I wouldn't be a real friend if I did that." He grinned at Inuyasha as he left.
Inuyasha frowned and slammed the door behind him. God, I had forgotten how annoying he was. Inuyasha thought to himself, rubbing his temples with his fingertips.
He turned and headed back into his bedroom. It was getting late and he would have to get ready to go out. He was going to pay Naraku a little visit tonight and cause some chaos while he was at it. Inuyasha grinned and cracked his knuckles.
This is going to be fun…. . .
Kagome sighed and stretched out her sore limps. She had been sitting on the floor just staring at her own reflection in the mirror for a good 3 hours. It wasn't like she had anything better to do…
Naraku had supplied a bookshelf of hundreds of pieces of literature and storybooks as a gift and to keep her busy but Kagome had already read them all and reread them a dozen times. There was nothing else in her room that she could entertain herself with, the room itself was a prison.
The door to her room opened and in walked Takeru, carrying a first aid kit in his left hand.
"Takeru-san…?"
He smiled at her and walked up to her. "Sorry to disturb you, Kagome. I just came to treat that wound" he told her and gently touched her cheek. She winced a little and pulled away. "It's nothing. It just stings a little…I'll be fine."
"Mr. Naraku hit you pretty hard tonight, didn't he? I think this will turn into a bruise."
Kagome looked at Takeru in surprise.
After meeting with Naraku Kagome would always come out with bruises, scratches and bite marks all over her body. Naraku was a very psychical person but it wasn't only that, he had a very quick temper and he'd usually decide to take his anger out on Kagome. Takeru and Yoji always seemed to ignore the wounds and injuries she had, whatever Naraku did with her was his own business and not theirs. Occasionally she had gotten badly beaten Takeru would often come and her wounds but he never said anything about them or about Naraku.
"Takeru-san…?"
"What is it?"
Kagome just shook her head. "No, nothing…"
Takeru put some medicine on her cheek then taped a cloth patch over it. "There."
"Thank you."
Takeru put the supplies back into the medical kit then after he was done he turned to Kagome. "Ah…Kagome, there was something I've been meaning to tell you---"
But he was interrupted by a loud crash and shouts coming from outside the room. Takeru quickly stood to his feet and ran towards the door. As soon as he managed to get it open a loud explosion erupted outside and knocked him right off his feet.
Kagome got to her feet and ran over to him. "Are you all right?" she asked. He nodded, holding his head as he sat up. "Looks like we're under attack…"
"Eh?" Kagome looked out through the doorway and down the hall. She saw the bodies of numerous guards lying on the ground, on fire. The hall itself was a complete mess. Takeru got to his feet once again and looked at Kagome. "Stay here. I'm going to get some help." Then he left, running down the opposite hallway and quickly disappearing in the thick black smoke.
Kagome stood where she was a while then looked down both hallways. No one was around…this would probably be the perfect time to escape. She knew she didn't have much time but maybe…just maybe she would be able to slip away during the confusion.
Kagome was about to run out into the hallway when an arm suddenly shot out from the thick smoke in front of her and roughly pushed her back inside her room. Kagome landed hard on her back and smacked her head against the wooden floor. She winced painfully and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't see straight…everything was spinning.
She heard the door shut and she heard the thunder of footsteps come and go.
"Hey…! Hey…!"
It was a voice she didn't recognize. Someone or something grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright. Kagome stared blankly at the blurred figure in front of her. She strained to focus on it and tried to decide if it was Yoji or Takeru.
"Hey!"
No, it wasn't Takeru or Yoji. She couldn't recognize the voice that was speaking to her. "Who…?" she mumbled as her vision began to focus again. Kagome blinked in surprise when she saw a boy her age kneeling in front of her. He was dressed in all black. His dark hair was much longer then hers, trailing all the way down to his waist and she couldn't help but stare into his lovely violet eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen or could remember seeing.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she finally asked, trying to pull away from him but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders, keeping a firm grip on her. The boy just stared at her as if she had just been set on fire and still didn't have a burn or scratch on her. That look, naturally, would disturb anyone.
"Let go---"
"Kikyo…" he murmured breathlessly.
Kagome blinked again. Who was he talking about? "I'm not Kikyo! My name is Kagome!" she shouted which seemed to snap him out of his dazed state. He looked a little more closely at her and took her chin in his hand. He turned her face, this way and that, studying her profile.
Kagome frowned and was about to demand that he let her go but he released her before she had the chance.
"You're not Kikyo…"
Kagome glared at him. "I told you that already" she snapped. This was not a good day, definitely not a good day. "Who are you?" she asked again.
"Who are you?"
"I asked you first!"
The boy's violet eyes widened for a second and then grunted out: "My name is Inuyasha Hanyou. That's all you need to know." Then he waited patiently for her reply.
"Oh, my name is Kagome…um…I don't know my last name."
The boy Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know your last name?"
Kagome fidgeted and was about to tell him when she suddenly realized that everyone who worked for Naraku knew one way or another why she didn't know her last name or rather why she had been made to forget. "You don't work for Naraku, do you…?"
"No."
"Then how---?"
"Naraku is my enemy. Those explosions out there are my doing." Inuyasha grinned and looked very pleased with himself.
Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha seemed to be expecting for her to start screaming and yelling for help but she didn't, instead she smiled.
"W-what are you smiling about?!"
Kagome leaned in closer to him, her hands clasped together. If this boy didn't work for Naraku then maybe he would be able to tell her about the outside world and possibility help her escape from Naraku. "Tell me. What is the outside world like? What do you do out there? What does it look like? What does it smell like? Oh, how'd you get in here? Do you have others with you? Are you alone?"
Inuyasha slowly inched away from Kagome; obviously surprised by the truckload of questions she was asking him. He was about to tell her to shut up when he thought he heard footsteps coming their way. He quickly grabbed Kagome and slapped his hand over her mouth.
The footsteps came closer and closer until finally then just stopped. Inuyasha didn't know what to make of this and stayed very still for a few minutes until a muffled scream turned his attention back to the girl, Kagome. She was turning paler by the second and she was slapping the hand clamped over her face. Inuyasha soon realized that he had not only covered her mouth but her nose as well, cutting off her air supply. He released her and muttered a short apology while Kagome stood there next to him gasping for air. She looked up and glared at him but Inuyasha hadn't noticed the hateful look she was giving him because his attention was directed elsewhere, back towards the door.
There was a moment of silence. Neither of them moved an inch.
Kagome opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he immediately shushed her and ran over to her bookshelf. He got up alongside it and shoved it in front of her door just as the door had begun to open.
They've found us…Kagome thought.
"Open the door, Inuyasha, we know you're in there. There is no place left for you to hide!" A voice said from the other side of the door. Kagome recognized it at once. It was Kagura.
Inuyasha didn't bother replying; instead he glanced around Kagome's room. Obviously looking for an escape route. He walked over to the windows and threw open the curtains, revealing the boarded up windows.
"Hey, girl, take cover."
"What are you planning to do?"
Inuyasha turned his eyes towards her and glared. "Just shut up and do as I say!"
Kagome frowned. Were all boys her age like this or was he a special case? She was about to protest some more when someone on the other side of the door called out her name. "Kagome? Are you in there?" It was Yoji.
Kagome bit her lip. Should she say something or shouldn't she? If she didn't say a word and they caught them she knew she would be punished one way or another. There was no way she could escape now. She was trapped, again. "Yes…I'm here."
Kagura suddenly spoke again. Her voice was much louder now. "You don't mean to tell me that Naraku's pet is in that room with Inuyasha, do you?"
"Ah…yes, Miss Kagura…" Yoji replied sheepishly.
Inuyasha turned his head at this and stared at Kagome, frowning. "Humph. I should have guessed. So, what's it like to be Naraku's lover, you filthy whore?" he spat. His attitude had changed; he looked and sounded much angrier then before but why was he attacking her? She was not his enemy, Naraku was.
Kagome was starting to feel a little frightened but this boy wasn't Naraku and he wasn't working for Naraku, he had no power over her and there was no reason to fear him. She could fight back and defend herself without being punished.
"How dare you judge me before you even have the chance to get to know me!" Kagome snapped. "I'm not here because I want to be. I'm a prisoner! I despise Naraku with all my being, probably more then you and I've wished for nothing more for the past five years then for my freedom!"
She had said it. Kagome had finally said out loud what she had wanted to say for so long. It felt good to get it off her chest and she didn't care if the whole world or Naraku knew. Tears began to well up in Kagome's eye and she started to sniffle softly.
Inuyasha stared blankly at the girl in front of him, immediately starting to feel guilty about his outburst. She looked so small and fragile but her spirit was strong.
The bookshelf was wobbling again, Kagura and her guards were trying their hardest to get in now but he wasn't worried, he knew that he could escape but…
Inuyasha crossed his arms and stared off into space a moment, thinking. Then it seemed he had made up his mind. "All right. I've decided," he said.
Kagome looked up at him, tears still pooling down her cheeks.
"I've decided…to you steal you away."
At that moment the bookshelf finally fell over, sending books and pages scattering everywhere. Kagura and her men burst through the door, armed.
"This is the end of the line, Inuyasha" Kagura said, glaring at him hatefully. Who would have thought that a boy this young could be so much trouble? Well, she was going to make sure he would never be a problem again. Kagura looked over at the guards behind her and ordered: "Shoot him."
Yoji grabbed Kagura's shoulder, which everyone knew was a bold thing to do. Kagura never liked to be touched, especially by men. "You'll shoot Kagome too," he muttered.
The businesswoman slapped Yoji's hand away and looked ahead where Kagome was standing. Smiling, she drew her gun and aimed it at her. "Naraku can find a new pet…"
"Kagura!"
Inuyasha reacted quickly and grabbed Kagome by the wrist, pulling her over to him and wrapping his arms protectively around her right before Kagura had fired her gun.
Kagome eyes widened in shock but…as the boy she hardly even knew held her so close him she felt a warm feeling inside, something she had never experienced before when Naraku had held her. Kagome liked this feeling. It felt something like a faint memory.
Kagome's heart began to race and she looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. "Inu…Yasha."
Gunshots were fired directly at the two. Inuyasha grabbed one of the tables in the room and turned it over, taking cover behind it.
"Damnit, girl. Are you always this thick-headed?" Kagome heard Inuyasha growl into her ear. She looked up at him and frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"They were going to shoot you and you…you just stood there."
"They would never shoot me."
"Why? Because your Naraku's pet?"
Kagome pushed away from him a little and started to get up but Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm and pulled her right back down on top of him.
Kagome blushed furiously and she began to struggle now. "W-what are you doing? You want to escape don't you? I can try to distract them and---"
Inuyasha interrupted her. "I don't need help escaping. Besides, if you stood up now they'd shoot you and kill you within seconds." He paused for a moment then looked down into her eyes. "Anyway, I told you before…I've decided to steal you away from Naraku. I'm not letting you get away."
He held her close again and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small grenade. "Lets get out of here." He bit off the cap, spit it out and threw the grenade at one of the windows; it ignited in matter of seconds sending pieces of glass and wood everywhere. There was now a large, gaping hole in the wall and that was their escape route.
Inuyasha collect Kagome into his arms and started to run over to the giant hole in the wall.
"I'm not letting you get away that easily," Kagura hissed, aiming her gun at Inuyasha's back then she fired just as Inuyasha leapt out the hole. The guards rushed over moments later and peered outside. There was no sign of Kagome or Inuyasha. They had escaped.
. . .
Inuyasha and Kagome were now in a dark alleyway. Inuyasha had been breathing very uneasily since they had left Naraku's mansion and had said that he needed to rest. They sat side-by-side together on the filthy ground but neither seemed to mind. Kagome looked up above at the blue sky with wonder while Inuyasha just sat there sometimes staring at the wall ahead then sometimes he stole a glance at her.
"It's so pretty. I can't remember the last time I saw a sky this blue." Kagome smiled and looked over to Inuyasha. He too smiled, just a little, but coughed a moment after. He was beginning to look very pale and beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead.
"Inuyasha, are you all right?"
He didn't say anything and coughed again, spitting something up onto his hand in the process. It was blood.
Kagome's eyes widened and she turned to him. "You're wounded! Why didn't you say anything early?" she asked, panic in her voice.
Inuyasha just smiled at her. "It's nothing…really," he was gasping for air now. Kagome knew he was lying. He had been fine before but what had happened before they left?
"Ah!"
Inuyasha fell limp into Kagome's arms and his breathing was very shallow. She looked down and saw the wound in his back. He had been shot and it looked as if he had been bleeding since they left.
Why did he do that…?
She held him close, a million things running through her head at once. Inuyasha had helped her escape Naraku, he was her savior and the only person she knew to help her try and make it in the outside world. He couldn't die on her now! She knew very little about medicine, meaning nothing to treat a bullet wound and even if she did she was stuck in a dark alley way with no medical supplies and no place to go.
What should I do…?
To be continued…or not. =P
(A/N: Thanks to everyone who read my sad little fic and a special thanks to those of you who reviewed! I really, really appreciate it. Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter, okay? Next chapter: Proper introduction.)