AN: Back again... and uh... yeah...
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Rules of Acquisition
To do the Wrong Thing
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~Kagome~
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A horrible struggle warred within me all the way home. I'd just witnessed the most horrible act of violence since... since forever! Sure, Gladiator had been pretty violent... but the violence in films was just pretend and all that blood and dying stuff was all fake and make-up. This was real. Inuyasha was hurt... and his own father had done it to him.
I decided then and there that a man like Mr Arashi should and would not be allowed to win this election. A man who could knock his own son out was not the man who should be allowed to run the country.
In all rights, Sango was right to want to publish those pictures she'd obtained. Once the public saw what that horrible man did in his own home, he would never set foot into politics and business again. He'd be lucky if he wasn't ruined.
The Higurashi side of me was glad, gleeful that the Arashi's would lose face, money, and the election. At least we'd be able to come out on top over them after centuries of rivalry between our two families.
But the ME side of me, felt bad. Sango was going to publicise pictures of Inuyasha beaten by his father... how was that going to make him feel when he found out?
I wasn't entirely sure...
If it was me who'd been hit that hard I would be angry... probably frightened. I couldn't be sure since nothing like that had ever happened to me. And I had to remember that Inuyasha was a very different person than me. He was proud... so would he feel embarrassed? Humiliated? Would he want to keep it quiet? Would he WANT those pictures published to destroy his father? Or did this kind of thing happen all the time in his home... and he just wanted to keep quiet about it and brood quietly to himself.
Sango didn't notice how tense and quiet I was as we walked back. She was grinning to herself like a Cheshire cat and drumming her fingers against the invaluable camera resting against her chest.
I didn't know what to do... All I knew was that whatever happened, I didn't want Inuyasha to get hurt. Physically or emotionally.
We got home round about the same time my family was just about getting up... about four o'clock in the morning. I could feel exhaustion creeping over me, but strangely enough I think I was past the point of feeling tired anymore. I guess the shock of what I'd seen was like being doused with water shipped over from the Antarctic, and a double fire burst of caffeine. But not that hyper.
Almost as soon as we got in the house Sango began stripping off her coat and gloves as she toddled across the entrance hall, heading towards one of the corridors that led to my father's office. "Can't wait to see my paycheque by the end of the day!" she said happily as she dumped her gear on one of the side tables against the wall. Then she was gone, in search of my father to tell him the awesome news.
I just stood in the hall, alone and deflated, one problem plaguing my mind... one problem that had too many alternative solutions. I had to pick one. And it had to be the right choice, morally and in the best interests of my family.
I could do nothing. Sango and my father would give the pictures to the press and the story would be out and Mr Arashi would be out of the government before you could say 'domestic abuse'. But that would inevitably be involving Inuyasha... and I wasn't sure that was what he wanted.
I could destroy the pictures... that way everything would remain the same as it was now. We'd still have the Arashi's as rivals for the election... but Inuyasha would still be in a bad situation.
It seemed Inuyasha was the looser no matter how many ways I tried to help.
I glanced across the hall to Sango's gear and saw she'd dumped the camera on top of her coat in her haste to find Dad. I walked over silently and stripped off my gloves so I could handle the piece of equipment with more care. I turned it over in my hands and snapped open the case at the back. The film fell out into my hand, all wound up and ready to be printed.
I stared at it morosely for a moment. If I blew the situation up enough then I could almost literally say the fate of my country rested in the palm of my hand. It wasn't far from true...
What should I do...?
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~Inuyasha~
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The alarm clock rang beside my head and I flinched as it seemed especially loud that morning. Blindly I threw a hand out, accidentally knocking the clock over and letting it fall to the floor with a smash.
Well at least the noise stopped.
I sighed and rolled over, trying to scrounge a few minutes more of peace... before I remembered - it was a Saturday! That meant it was my day off! Elation filled me before that quickly sunk away into drowsiness and I started to drift off again.
"Hey, you humungous idiot!" a voice shouted outside my head. "get up already, it's past nine!"
Whoever it was had better leave soon... my head hurt for some strange annoying reason, and that voice was just drilling into my nerves and worsening my headache.
"Inuyasha!" something soft thumped against my arm. "Get up! Don't make me say it again! We need to talk!"
"Go away!" I growled back angrily.
I heard the sound of retreating footsteps and sighed with relief as I tried to settle down again. Well I would have if the curtains hadn't been flung open and strong summer light poured in, making me see red. I groaned irritably and turned over again, and attempted to hide my head under the covers... but then I suddenly discovered it wasn't only the inside of my head that hurt, but the outside too.
I hissed in pain and sat up so quickly my head swam. Miroku's familiar presence arrived beside me and I felt a hand touch my shoulder. "What's the big idea?!" I snapped, shrugging him off.
"Look at your pillow."
That was a strange request... actually, it sounded more like a gentle order. Out of nothing more than curiosity I blinked open my eyes and focused on my pillow. I made a new discovery... half my vision was fill with red, like I was wearing red shades over one eye. And looking down at my pillow, I could see dark brown dried blood stained the white fabric where my head had been resting.
It puzzled me for a few moments, until I raised my hand to my head and tentatively touched the slightly swollen wound around the right side of my brow. The memories of the night before came flooding back. I dropped my hand and stared stonily at the pillow.
Miroku didn't have that mild complacent smile that he usually wore anymore. He was still dressed from head to toe in his black spy kit, looking as unruffled as ever. But he looked slightly grim. "The maid, Emily, told me what happened when I came back."
"What time you come back then?" I asked dully.
"About an hour after they put you to bed." Miroku was looking at me critically. "You look a jolly sight better than you did back then."
"Yeah?" I slipped off the bed and mooched over to take a look at my appearance. I winced slightly at what I saw. Four slim pink lines ran from my temple to my nose, apparently making a path across my eye... which was no long white, but red. No... not a demon characteristic thing. Just a bloody thing.
"You should have seen yourself." Miroku gave a slightly wry smile.
"Oh yeah?" I said again, poking at the think scars that were on their way to disappearing soon.
Miroku turned to my breakfast that consisted of two oranges on a plate and a sharp slicing knife. He picked up one fruit and the knife and held it up. "Say this was your eyeball and this knife was your father's claw..." I glanced over at him through the mirror and saw him slice the orange almost half the way through neatly. He squeezed the orange slightly and juice dripped out onto the floor. He looked up at me and met my blank stare.
"Thanks for demonstrating." I said flatly and looked back at my reflection. My eye was healing... it would probably look normal by tonight. Which was a worry, because I'd already planned a meeting with Kagome that afternoon.
Miroku set down the fruit with a sigh and sat down on the bed. "Want to tell my why your father wound up slugging you?" he asked bluntly. "It wouldn't happen to have involved Kagome in any way could it?"
I didn't say anything. I didn't want to talk about it. I stood up and pointedly headed off into the on-suit bathroom to get changed and washed. Hopefully Miroku would catch the hint... but he's never been good at catching anything.
"You know, just because you're Hanyou doesn't mean you are capable of standing punches off a full blood demon like your father. Whatever you said to him must have pushed him off his limits... But in any case, hitting you like that would be like me hitting a crippled son of mine or something."
"You saying I'm crippled?!" I ground out as I splashed water on my face.
"I'm saying your weaker than he is, and he knew that. He shouldn't have done it."
"Go preach elsewhere monk, this is none of your business."
"Inuyasha, don't be such a big girl's blouse about this." I heard him sigh patiently through the door. "If you're just going to shy away and pretend it didn't happen then I will tease you to the end of your days. You have to go talk to him..."
"Forget it." I barged out the bathroom fully clothed, surprising him as I brushed past him. "I go talk to him now then I'll just wind up with another black eye. That's how it will always be from now on."
"That's a little extreme thinking don't you think?" Miroku frowned at me as I grabbed my bag from under the bed and snatched my black shades and cap from the bed stand.
"Whenever we talk, we fight. Whenever we fight we usually just yell. But I said some stuff that really pissed him off..." I paused a moment as I reached the door. "...and now that I know how deeply they affect him... I won't hesitate to say them again in the same situation."
"One question." Miroku stopped me before I left through the door. "Is it true? What you said about Kagome?"
"Which part?"
"The part where you said you loved her?" I glanced back to see Miroku was watching me with concern.
I didn't know how to answer. So I just walked out and slammed the door in my wake.
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~Kagome~
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I fidgeted nervously with the strap of my watch as I anxiously looked around me for some sort of sign of his arrival. All around me there were people sitting around outside the café in little white chairs next to little white tables with the parasol umbrellas up to shield them from the sun. it seemed unusually hot today... so I'd come in a floaty light little blue dress. My hair was tied up to stop me being recognised, and I wore shades to help with that as well. It didn't look too strange since everyone else were wearing sunglasses too.
Though I had to admit I was wearing them to hide the bags under my eyes.
Then I saw him coming down the street and my heart leapt into fast gear. It wasn't because I was pleased to see him. If anything I was scared.
He saw me and smiled, but I failed to remember to smile back. I was too busy drinking in his appearance to check for flaws. His ears were hidden under that black baseball cap, and his hair was tied in a way that made it look half as long as it used to be. Annoyingly, he was wearing shades too, and I couldn't see any damage that may have been inflicted the previous night.
"Hey," he arrived by my side and leaned down swiftly to press a quick kiss against my unresponsive lips, before taking his seat opposite me. "Nice day, huh? They say it could be the start of a late heat wave."
I stared at him, trying to coax my brain into gear. I didn't understand... the last time I'd seen him he'd been flat out on his back unconscious with the ugliest wound that had nearly made me throw up on the garage roof. And now here he was, smiling and talking about the weather only ten hours later.
I'd heard demons healed fast, but this was amazing.
"Sango was at your house last night." The words slipped from my mouth before I could really register them in my brain. I almost jumped when I finished saying them.
Inuyasha's pleasant expression slipped dramatically. He stared at me in complete silence, made unnerving by the fact that I couldn't see his eyes to see how he felt... not that I would have got much anyway. Seeing as he wasn't saying anything I dug hurriedly into my bag and pulled out the film, slapping it on the table between us. "She had a camera. She got everything."
He understood me perfectly, that's as much as I got. He stared at the film for quite a while before he started to reach out for it. I was quick, and snatched it out of his reach before he touched it. His eyes snapped back up to me and I would have sworn he was glaring.
"She told me... what happened..." I said slowly, clenching my fingers around the little capsule. "Inuyasha... this stuff could ruin your father..."
"Give them to me!" he snapped, slapping the back of his hand against the table in a demand. I glanced down at his hand nervously before looking back up at his face. The last thing I wanted to do was make him mad at me, but I was struggling to hold my plan together. I couldn't give the film to him.
"You want to destroy this?" I held up the film, trying to harden my resolve.
"Give them!"
"I can't. We have to think about this." I closed the film close to my lap and stared at him hard. "You father hurt you... these pictures could be used against him. What he did was wrong, you don't have to get rid of these... your father shouldn't get away with what he did to you - maybe the best way to deal with this is to give these to the police-"
"Why? So you and your family can win the election?" he suddenly snorted.
Anger ticked slightly under the surface of my concern for his welfare. "No... this isn't about the election, or politics. This is about your safety."
"I don't need protection!" he snapped at me.
"Does he do this to you often?" I asked, needing to know. "Inuyasha, it can't go on like that!"
"It won't. It happened once. We both have friction, it's nothing new! We just got carried away."
"You nearly lost an eye!" I cried, reaching forward impulsively and yanked his glasses off. I had to refrain from cringing when I saw the damage. The whites of his right eye had turned the colour of blood and four pink lines stretched across his face.
"It was an accident." I said evenly.
"No it wasn't. He meant to hit you."
"How would you know? You weren't there!" he growled.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from correcting him. I changed my tactics. "I don't care if he did this once or a thousand times - like I said - he shouldn't get away with this! Aren't you angry?!"
Inuyasha gave an impatient sigh and turned away.
"Are you scared of him?" I guessed.
"No!" he swung back to face me, half livid. "He's all bark and no bite! He's a gas bag! He'd harmless."
"If I'd been hit that hard I'd be dead. As would any normal human..." I tried to reason as I held up the film. "Get your own back - publish these!"
He shook his head firmly. "Not a chance."
"Why? Are you embarrassed? Worried what people will think of you?!" I demanded.
He was clearly beginning to get flustered. "No!"
"Then what?!" I cried.
"Because if those hit the papers then my family will lose the election and the Higurashi's will win!" he snarled. "I can't allow that."
I fell silent as I stared at him in meek surprise. He didn't want my family to win... even at the cost of his own safety. The fact that my family would benefit hadn't even crossed my mind throughout this discussion...
After all this time our family names were still an ever present barrier between us.
"Is that all?" I asked quietly.
He glared stonily at me.
I looked down at the film in my hands, for once it hit me just how much damage this could cause him and his family, and how much me and my family would thrive off it. I could just toddle off home right now and knock the Arashi's out the running with amazing ease. Our dance to victory would be a waltz...
I looked back up at him, seeing he was still watching me warily waiting for me to get up and run home with the film. I clenched my jaw and suddenly snapped the capsule open and tore out the film inside with a jerk. The brown negatives were exposed to the strong light of the sun and any images that had been on them, were lost and ruined.
I dropped the mess before him and stood up, hooking my bag over my shoulder. "If that's all you care about then I won't try and help you. You can deal with your father by yourself. As of now, you're alone."
"Kagome-" he started to stand with me.
"It's clear that despite your little speech about how our family names mean nothing, you still believe otherwise, you little hypocrite. If that's how you feel then I guess we should call it a day. I don't want to see you again."
The words sounded strong and forbidding... but inside my heart was breaking, and I knew it showed in my voice. He looked just as lost as I felt. But all he seemed to think about was the rivalry between our families. He still wanted to beat us at all costs... and even though his father had hurt him, he was still willing to fight me all for the name of 'Arashi' - 'Storm'. He was just as dark and angry as his name implied.
I turned and started to walk away, waiting for him to call out and stop me. Half hoping he would stop me and try and make it up to me. I half believed that if he'd called my name at that moment then I would have run crying back into his arms. But he said nothing, until I was so far away from the café that I wouldn't be able to hear him anyway.
Just out of sheer hope I looked back over my shoulder. He'd donned his glasses and was walking off in the other direction, looking like he had no more cares in the world.
I think we all knew who'd come out the loser in this little battle between Higurashi and Arashi...
Me...
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~Inuyasha~
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She walked away so fast I was left in shock. My voice had frozen up in surprise at her actions. She'd just sacrificed the film... sacrificed her families ticket to winning the election... and then within the space of ten seconds had dumped me and flounced off.
I couldn't speak... even if she'd stayed I wouldn't have been able to speak. I just watched her walk away, wishing she would just turn around... turn around... turn around and look at me... please?
She didn't. In true diva style she swept away with her nose high, looking like she wouldn't look back in regret at this decision. She disappeared into the crowds and I lost sight of her.
I looked back down at the film on the table, crumpled and ruined... no one would be able to salvage those pictures now. She confused me... I didn't understand her compassionate and unlimited generosity. Nice guys finished last. That's what they said. And maybe it was true now. She'd thrown away a wonderful chance and put her family at risk of losing to us again.
I snatched my shades up and slipped them on as I turned to head back home, dwelling on all this.
She'd asked if I was scared of my father... I wasn't. And I never would be. Then she'd asked if I was angry... yes, I was very angry. So angry I had contemplated perhaps stabbing my father in the back while he went over his studies. Seriously. I'd stopped by his office door on the way out of the house to come here... Kitchen knife in hand...
It wouldn't have killed him. It was virtually impossible to kill that moron with the normal methods. It would hurt like hell though and would seriously piss him off. In the end I'd returned the knife to the kitchens like a coward... but I didn't want to make things worse just yet.
Then she'd hit upon the truth. I didn't want people to know my father had done this to me. I was stronger than that... one punch wouldn't fell me. I had a reputation, and I didn't want people's pitying eyes as they passed me on the street. I didn't want to punish the rest of my family either for my father's mistake, which would inevitably happen if those photos were released. Not all of them were so bad...
I hadn't wanted her to know that fear... so I'd struck out at another obvious excuse. That I didn't want the Higurashi's to get the upper hand.
On hind sight, that had been a foolish decision. Kagome probably hated my guts... she didn't want to see me again.
I had no choice but to go home and stand beside the knife rack, wondering whether or not I should just stab him in the back or decapitate him for real. I tried to ignore it... but that hit had hurt more that it looked.
He would NOT get away with this. I wouldn't let him.
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Ok, so my plan for pay back wasn't completely formed yet, but I was still smoulderingly angry beneath my calm exterior at supper that evening. I didn't bother to try and hide the evidence of the wound on my face. It had healed a little more, but it still looked nasty and had made one of the little cousins cry. I boldly sat down near my father's place at the table and ignored the worried glances everyone cast me. I made sure that my right side was facing him, so he could take a nice big look at what he'd done.
And what made me even madder was that he didn't even have the decency to look sorry, let alone apologise.
Supper went by very quietly. My anger at my father increased until I had to vent it in some way. Even if it was in a very small way.
"Stop slurping your food. You sound like a pig, Dad." I commented breezily as I delicately sipped at the soup in my spoon.
I saw him glower at me through the corner of my eye. "What did you just say to me?" he asked.
The relatives around us scooted away further. Miroku, who was sat on my left was discreetly kicking my feet under the table.
"Nothing." I said with a shrug and we went back to eating. But I wasn't done yet. "Don't you just love chicken and mushroom sou - oh! Sorry! I said the L word again..." I snapped my fingers and shook my head. "I really must watch my tongue."
Miroku set his spoon down with a clatter and inhaled deeply, obviously annoyed with me.
"I'd agree. You better watch your tongue." My father said with venom tingeing his voice.
I regarded him with a mild gaze. "I wonder who will sock who first this time...?"
"Just ignore him. He hasn't had his brain food yet." Miroku said quickly to my father.
"Nah - had that this morning. Maybe that tap on the noggin knocked a few screws loose!" he rapped a knuckle against my head with a dim sort of smile. "Yep. Something definitely knocking about in there. Either teeth or two brain cells."
My father continued to glare at me.
"What's the matter? Aren't I pissing you off enough today?" I said daringly. "Maybe I should talk more about Mom. That seems to get you started off."
At once my father pushed his seat back and rose angrily to tower over me. "Why won't you just learn to keep your mouth shut?" he said with controlled fury.
"Well usually it's the mother who teaches her son patience, manners and mouth-shutting techniques." My gaze turned sour as I glared at him. "Thanks to you, I lost mine at a young age. You kind of broke the merchandise before I had a chance to use her."
"How dare you speak of her that way! She's your mother!" he still loved her. It was pathetic really. I didn't feel a thing towards her.
"Haw dare YOU speak of her at all!" I challenged, rising to my feet as well as people shifted nervously in their seats. "You killed her!"
"I never killed her! She died of pneumonia!"
"Bull! She died of a broken heart because she found out you were playing around with your red head secretary!" I snapped. "You're lucky she died - otherwise the press would have found out and you wouldn't be in a position to run for prime minister today!"
His fist drew back, but I knew it was already coming. I leaned back to avoid the swipe, and various relatives gasp and rose to their feet as well. I don't know why. That was a lame throw. It wouldn't have even bruised Miroku. But given the excuse, I lunged for my chance.
I drew my own fist back and with a heated surge of strength born of anger and pleasure at finally being able to do this, I slugged him hard across the jaw, making his head snap to the side. It was a weak throw compared to his. It wouldn't bruise and it didn't knock him down. But I was still satisfied.
He turned back to me slowly, locking glares with me. All of a sudden he grabbed my sleeve and started dragging me out of the dining room.
"What? We gonna duke it out outside?" I laughed, knowing it wasn't what was about to happen. "Me and you old man - you'll be down in the dirt in five seconds!"
We reached the front door and I was almost literally thrown out of the house. I stumbled down the steps and lost my balance, landing unceremoniously on my behind. I glared up at him. "Oh this is great! Kicking your own son out of the house! Where are the black bin bags with my clothes? Or did you forget to pack them this time?!"
"Get out and don't come back till I'm calm again!" He yelled and slammed the door.
The anger welled up again in my throat, along with some old emotion that I hadn't felt much since I was a child. "Yeah?! Well fuck you!" I stood up and wrenched the head off one of the statues beside the entrance. I threw it at the door and watched it bounce of despite being stone. "Maybe I won't come back - Asshole!"
I stood fuming before I stormed away, out of the drive and into the streets. Only then did it hit me that I had no where to go.
I remembered what that old emotion was. Something akin to pain... pain of being alone. Kagome was gone... and now I was really alone.
And as if to compensate for the tears I wouldn't shed, the skies opened up and started to pour down.
Or it could have just been the fates frowning down on me and making a bad day just that much worse.
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~Kagome~
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I'm an evil cow... a horrible person. I'd just said all those nasty things and flounced off...
Where was Inuyasha right now? Was he with his father, reconciling, or - in more Inuyasha style - making a bad situation just that much more bad. I sat at my desk and stared at my hands. I wanted to see him again, to speak to him. I'd go find him tomorrow and plead my case. Hopefully we'd all have calmed down by then and we'd be able to work things out.
I just prayed he was out.
A rumble in the clouds outside made me look up and out of my window into the bleak black darkness outside. The pitter patter of rain on the window started, until it was eventually pelting it down with rain so hard that a sheen of water covered the window completely smearing the darkness into one big blob.
I sighed and stood up to turn off my lamp and get into bed. I suddenly stopped as I caught sight of some movement outside my window. I couldn't quite see, so I moved round my desk to all but press my nose against the glass.
It was Inuyasha.
He was stood on the flat tiles on the roof ledge below my window, a few metres away, but roughly at eye level with me. I stared in complete shock at him, trying to figure out what he was doing out there.
He wore nothing but the summer shirt he'd been wearing earlier, as well as the same trousers. Where was his coat? Wasn't he cold? Then I found myself locking gazes with him, and I could see how confused and lost he seemed.
"No..." I shook my head with a laugh. "No - you are not coming in here. What will my parents say?"
He probably couldn't hear a word I said. Even I barely heard what I said over the din of the rain.
"You cannot just come strolling up here expecting to be let in - I dumped you remember!" how easy it was to turn picky when he was the one crawling back, not me.
He continued to watch me, probably trying to work out what I was saying. Right then I just caved with a defeated sigh. I couldn't just leave him out there and pretend I was asleep. I started opening the window and saw him immediately come forward to come inside. I had to stand well clear as he slipped through the window and moved to stand in the middle of the room. I closed the window, trying to avoid getting hit by the rain, which was pretty hard.
I turned back to him and waited for the explanation as to why he was here. What had happened and why he was out in the rain at this hour. But he said nothing. I moved over to him and gently took his arm. "You're soaking wet..."
He barely even nodded. Something serious was wrong, but he wasn't going to talk about it, so there was no point in pushing it. "It's ok... you don't have to tell me... just take your shoes off..."
With some gentle coaxing I managed to get him out of his shoes and managed to get him to take off his shirt. His hair was plastered to his skin and he was shivering slightly. I immediately went to fetch a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders before guiding him to the bed. He lay down without too much protest and I laid with him, keeping a hand firmly clutched against his towel so it wouldn't slip off.
"It's ok... you're with me now..." I touched his cold damp cheek and saw him close his eyes.
He could sleep here... and maybe we'd talk in the morning. But until then I felt important in the one keeping his safety. I loved him, so I'd do anything to help him.
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AN: And now I'm done... what else to say...
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Rules of Acquisition
To do the Wrong Thing
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~Kagome~
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A horrible struggle warred within me all the way home. I'd just witnessed the most horrible act of violence since... since forever! Sure, Gladiator had been pretty violent... but the violence in films was just pretend and all that blood and dying stuff was all fake and make-up. This was real. Inuyasha was hurt... and his own father had done it to him.
I decided then and there that a man like Mr Arashi should and would not be allowed to win this election. A man who could knock his own son out was not the man who should be allowed to run the country.
In all rights, Sango was right to want to publish those pictures she'd obtained. Once the public saw what that horrible man did in his own home, he would never set foot into politics and business again. He'd be lucky if he wasn't ruined.
The Higurashi side of me was glad, gleeful that the Arashi's would lose face, money, and the election. At least we'd be able to come out on top over them after centuries of rivalry between our two families.
But the ME side of me, felt bad. Sango was going to publicise pictures of Inuyasha beaten by his father... how was that going to make him feel when he found out?
I wasn't entirely sure...
If it was me who'd been hit that hard I would be angry... probably frightened. I couldn't be sure since nothing like that had ever happened to me. And I had to remember that Inuyasha was a very different person than me. He was proud... so would he feel embarrassed? Humiliated? Would he want to keep it quiet? Would he WANT those pictures published to destroy his father? Or did this kind of thing happen all the time in his home... and he just wanted to keep quiet about it and brood quietly to himself.
Sango didn't notice how tense and quiet I was as we walked back. She was grinning to herself like a Cheshire cat and drumming her fingers against the invaluable camera resting against her chest.
I didn't know what to do... All I knew was that whatever happened, I didn't want Inuyasha to get hurt. Physically or emotionally.
We got home round about the same time my family was just about getting up... about four o'clock in the morning. I could feel exhaustion creeping over me, but strangely enough I think I was past the point of feeling tired anymore. I guess the shock of what I'd seen was like being doused with water shipped over from the Antarctic, and a double fire burst of caffeine. But not that hyper.
Almost as soon as we got in the house Sango began stripping off her coat and gloves as she toddled across the entrance hall, heading towards one of the corridors that led to my father's office. "Can't wait to see my paycheque by the end of the day!" she said happily as she dumped her gear on one of the side tables against the wall. Then she was gone, in search of my father to tell him the awesome news.
I just stood in the hall, alone and deflated, one problem plaguing my mind... one problem that had too many alternative solutions. I had to pick one. And it had to be the right choice, morally and in the best interests of my family.
I could do nothing. Sango and my father would give the pictures to the press and the story would be out and Mr Arashi would be out of the government before you could say 'domestic abuse'. But that would inevitably be involving Inuyasha... and I wasn't sure that was what he wanted.
I could destroy the pictures... that way everything would remain the same as it was now. We'd still have the Arashi's as rivals for the election... but Inuyasha would still be in a bad situation.
It seemed Inuyasha was the looser no matter how many ways I tried to help.
I glanced across the hall to Sango's gear and saw she'd dumped the camera on top of her coat in her haste to find Dad. I walked over silently and stripped off my gloves so I could handle the piece of equipment with more care. I turned it over in my hands and snapped open the case at the back. The film fell out into my hand, all wound up and ready to be printed.
I stared at it morosely for a moment. If I blew the situation up enough then I could almost literally say the fate of my country rested in the palm of my hand. It wasn't far from true...
What should I do...?
*
*
*
~Inuyasha~
*
The alarm clock rang beside my head and I flinched as it seemed especially loud that morning. Blindly I threw a hand out, accidentally knocking the clock over and letting it fall to the floor with a smash.
Well at least the noise stopped.
I sighed and rolled over, trying to scrounge a few minutes more of peace... before I remembered - it was a Saturday! That meant it was my day off! Elation filled me before that quickly sunk away into drowsiness and I started to drift off again.
"Hey, you humungous idiot!" a voice shouted outside my head. "get up already, it's past nine!"
Whoever it was had better leave soon... my head hurt for some strange annoying reason, and that voice was just drilling into my nerves and worsening my headache.
"Inuyasha!" something soft thumped against my arm. "Get up! Don't make me say it again! We need to talk!"
"Go away!" I growled back angrily.
I heard the sound of retreating footsteps and sighed with relief as I tried to settle down again. Well I would have if the curtains hadn't been flung open and strong summer light poured in, making me see red. I groaned irritably and turned over again, and attempted to hide my head under the covers... but then I suddenly discovered it wasn't only the inside of my head that hurt, but the outside too.
I hissed in pain and sat up so quickly my head swam. Miroku's familiar presence arrived beside me and I felt a hand touch my shoulder. "What's the big idea?!" I snapped, shrugging him off.
"Look at your pillow."
That was a strange request... actually, it sounded more like a gentle order. Out of nothing more than curiosity I blinked open my eyes and focused on my pillow. I made a new discovery... half my vision was fill with red, like I was wearing red shades over one eye. And looking down at my pillow, I could see dark brown dried blood stained the white fabric where my head had been resting.
It puzzled me for a few moments, until I raised my hand to my head and tentatively touched the slightly swollen wound around the right side of my brow. The memories of the night before came flooding back. I dropped my hand and stared stonily at the pillow.
Miroku didn't have that mild complacent smile that he usually wore anymore. He was still dressed from head to toe in his black spy kit, looking as unruffled as ever. But he looked slightly grim. "The maid, Emily, told me what happened when I came back."
"What time you come back then?" I asked dully.
"About an hour after they put you to bed." Miroku was looking at me critically. "You look a jolly sight better than you did back then."
"Yeah?" I slipped off the bed and mooched over to take a look at my appearance. I winced slightly at what I saw. Four slim pink lines ran from my temple to my nose, apparently making a path across my eye... which was no long white, but red. No... not a demon characteristic thing. Just a bloody thing.
"You should have seen yourself." Miroku gave a slightly wry smile.
"Oh yeah?" I said again, poking at the think scars that were on their way to disappearing soon.
Miroku turned to my breakfast that consisted of two oranges on a plate and a sharp slicing knife. He picked up one fruit and the knife and held it up. "Say this was your eyeball and this knife was your father's claw..." I glanced over at him through the mirror and saw him slice the orange almost half the way through neatly. He squeezed the orange slightly and juice dripped out onto the floor. He looked up at me and met my blank stare.
"Thanks for demonstrating." I said flatly and looked back at my reflection. My eye was healing... it would probably look normal by tonight. Which was a worry, because I'd already planned a meeting with Kagome that afternoon.
Miroku set down the fruit with a sigh and sat down on the bed. "Want to tell my why your father wound up slugging you?" he asked bluntly. "It wouldn't happen to have involved Kagome in any way could it?"
I didn't say anything. I didn't want to talk about it. I stood up and pointedly headed off into the on-suit bathroom to get changed and washed. Hopefully Miroku would catch the hint... but he's never been good at catching anything.
"You know, just because you're Hanyou doesn't mean you are capable of standing punches off a full blood demon like your father. Whatever you said to him must have pushed him off his limits... But in any case, hitting you like that would be like me hitting a crippled son of mine or something."
"You saying I'm crippled?!" I ground out as I splashed water on my face.
"I'm saying your weaker than he is, and he knew that. He shouldn't have done it."
"Go preach elsewhere monk, this is none of your business."
"Inuyasha, don't be such a big girl's blouse about this." I heard him sigh patiently through the door. "If you're just going to shy away and pretend it didn't happen then I will tease you to the end of your days. You have to go talk to him..."
"Forget it." I barged out the bathroom fully clothed, surprising him as I brushed past him. "I go talk to him now then I'll just wind up with another black eye. That's how it will always be from now on."
"That's a little extreme thinking don't you think?" Miroku frowned at me as I grabbed my bag from under the bed and snatched my black shades and cap from the bed stand.
"Whenever we talk, we fight. Whenever we fight we usually just yell. But I said some stuff that really pissed him off..." I paused a moment as I reached the door. "...and now that I know how deeply they affect him... I won't hesitate to say them again in the same situation."
"One question." Miroku stopped me before I left through the door. "Is it true? What you said about Kagome?"
"Which part?"
"The part where you said you loved her?" I glanced back to see Miroku was watching me with concern.
I didn't know how to answer. So I just walked out and slammed the door in my wake.
*
*
*
~Kagome~
*
I fidgeted nervously with the strap of my watch as I anxiously looked around me for some sort of sign of his arrival. All around me there were people sitting around outside the café in little white chairs next to little white tables with the parasol umbrellas up to shield them from the sun. it seemed unusually hot today... so I'd come in a floaty light little blue dress. My hair was tied up to stop me being recognised, and I wore shades to help with that as well. It didn't look too strange since everyone else were wearing sunglasses too.
Though I had to admit I was wearing them to hide the bags under my eyes.
Then I saw him coming down the street and my heart leapt into fast gear. It wasn't because I was pleased to see him. If anything I was scared.
He saw me and smiled, but I failed to remember to smile back. I was too busy drinking in his appearance to check for flaws. His ears were hidden under that black baseball cap, and his hair was tied in a way that made it look half as long as it used to be. Annoyingly, he was wearing shades too, and I couldn't see any damage that may have been inflicted the previous night.
"Hey," he arrived by my side and leaned down swiftly to press a quick kiss against my unresponsive lips, before taking his seat opposite me. "Nice day, huh? They say it could be the start of a late heat wave."
I stared at him, trying to coax my brain into gear. I didn't understand... the last time I'd seen him he'd been flat out on his back unconscious with the ugliest wound that had nearly made me throw up on the garage roof. And now here he was, smiling and talking about the weather only ten hours later.
I'd heard demons healed fast, but this was amazing.
"Sango was at your house last night." The words slipped from my mouth before I could really register them in my brain. I almost jumped when I finished saying them.
Inuyasha's pleasant expression slipped dramatically. He stared at me in complete silence, made unnerving by the fact that I couldn't see his eyes to see how he felt... not that I would have got much anyway. Seeing as he wasn't saying anything I dug hurriedly into my bag and pulled out the film, slapping it on the table between us. "She had a camera. She got everything."
He understood me perfectly, that's as much as I got. He stared at the film for quite a while before he started to reach out for it. I was quick, and snatched it out of his reach before he touched it. His eyes snapped back up to me and I would have sworn he was glaring.
"She told me... what happened..." I said slowly, clenching my fingers around the little capsule. "Inuyasha... this stuff could ruin your father..."
"Give them to me!" he snapped, slapping the back of his hand against the table in a demand. I glanced down at his hand nervously before looking back up at his face. The last thing I wanted to do was make him mad at me, but I was struggling to hold my plan together. I couldn't give the film to him.
"You want to destroy this?" I held up the film, trying to harden my resolve.
"Give them!"
"I can't. We have to think about this." I closed the film close to my lap and stared at him hard. "You father hurt you... these pictures could be used against him. What he did was wrong, you don't have to get rid of these... your father shouldn't get away with what he did to you - maybe the best way to deal with this is to give these to the police-"
"Why? So you and your family can win the election?" he suddenly snorted.
Anger ticked slightly under the surface of my concern for his welfare. "No... this isn't about the election, or politics. This is about your safety."
"I don't need protection!" he snapped at me.
"Does he do this to you often?" I asked, needing to know. "Inuyasha, it can't go on like that!"
"It won't. It happened once. We both have friction, it's nothing new! We just got carried away."
"You nearly lost an eye!" I cried, reaching forward impulsively and yanked his glasses off. I had to refrain from cringing when I saw the damage. The whites of his right eye had turned the colour of blood and four pink lines stretched across his face.
"It was an accident." I said evenly.
"No it wasn't. He meant to hit you."
"How would you know? You weren't there!" he growled.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from correcting him. I changed my tactics. "I don't care if he did this once or a thousand times - like I said - he shouldn't get away with this! Aren't you angry?!"
Inuyasha gave an impatient sigh and turned away.
"Are you scared of him?" I guessed.
"No!" he swung back to face me, half livid. "He's all bark and no bite! He's a gas bag! He'd harmless."
"If I'd been hit that hard I'd be dead. As would any normal human..." I tried to reason as I held up the film. "Get your own back - publish these!"
He shook his head firmly. "Not a chance."
"Why? Are you embarrassed? Worried what people will think of you?!" I demanded.
He was clearly beginning to get flustered. "No!"
"Then what?!" I cried.
"Because if those hit the papers then my family will lose the election and the Higurashi's will win!" he snarled. "I can't allow that."
I fell silent as I stared at him in meek surprise. He didn't want my family to win... even at the cost of his own safety. The fact that my family would benefit hadn't even crossed my mind throughout this discussion...
After all this time our family names were still an ever present barrier between us.
"Is that all?" I asked quietly.
He glared stonily at me.
I looked down at the film in my hands, for once it hit me just how much damage this could cause him and his family, and how much me and my family would thrive off it. I could just toddle off home right now and knock the Arashi's out the running with amazing ease. Our dance to victory would be a waltz...
I looked back up at him, seeing he was still watching me warily waiting for me to get up and run home with the film. I clenched my jaw and suddenly snapped the capsule open and tore out the film inside with a jerk. The brown negatives were exposed to the strong light of the sun and any images that had been on them, were lost and ruined.
I dropped the mess before him and stood up, hooking my bag over my shoulder. "If that's all you care about then I won't try and help you. You can deal with your father by yourself. As of now, you're alone."
"Kagome-" he started to stand with me.
"It's clear that despite your little speech about how our family names mean nothing, you still believe otherwise, you little hypocrite. If that's how you feel then I guess we should call it a day. I don't want to see you again."
The words sounded strong and forbidding... but inside my heart was breaking, and I knew it showed in my voice. He looked just as lost as I felt. But all he seemed to think about was the rivalry between our families. He still wanted to beat us at all costs... and even though his father had hurt him, he was still willing to fight me all for the name of 'Arashi' - 'Storm'. He was just as dark and angry as his name implied.
I turned and started to walk away, waiting for him to call out and stop me. Half hoping he would stop me and try and make it up to me. I half believed that if he'd called my name at that moment then I would have run crying back into his arms. But he said nothing, until I was so far away from the café that I wouldn't be able to hear him anyway.
Just out of sheer hope I looked back over my shoulder. He'd donned his glasses and was walking off in the other direction, looking like he had no more cares in the world.
I think we all knew who'd come out the loser in this little battle between Higurashi and Arashi...
Me...
*
*
*
~Inuyasha~
*
She walked away so fast I was left in shock. My voice had frozen up in surprise at her actions. She'd just sacrificed the film... sacrificed her families ticket to winning the election... and then within the space of ten seconds had dumped me and flounced off.
I couldn't speak... even if she'd stayed I wouldn't have been able to speak. I just watched her walk away, wishing she would just turn around... turn around... turn around and look at me... please?
She didn't. In true diva style she swept away with her nose high, looking like she wouldn't look back in regret at this decision. She disappeared into the crowds and I lost sight of her.
I looked back down at the film on the table, crumpled and ruined... no one would be able to salvage those pictures now. She confused me... I didn't understand her compassionate and unlimited generosity. Nice guys finished last. That's what they said. And maybe it was true now. She'd thrown away a wonderful chance and put her family at risk of losing to us again.
I snatched my shades up and slipped them on as I turned to head back home, dwelling on all this.
She'd asked if I was scared of my father... I wasn't. And I never would be. Then she'd asked if I was angry... yes, I was very angry. So angry I had contemplated perhaps stabbing my father in the back while he went over his studies. Seriously. I'd stopped by his office door on the way out of the house to come here... Kitchen knife in hand...
It wouldn't have killed him. It was virtually impossible to kill that moron with the normal methods. It would hurt like hell though and would seriously piss him off. In the end I'd returned the knife to the kitchens like a coward... but I didn't want to make things worse just yet.
Then she'd hit upon the truth. I didn't want people to know my father had done this to me. I was stronger than that... one punch wouldn't fell me. I had a reputation, and I didn't want people's pitying eyes as they passed me on the street. I didn't want to punish the rest of my family either for my father's mistake, which would inevitably happen if those photos were released. Not all of them were so bad...
I hadn't wanted her to know that fear... so I'd struck out at another obvious excuse. That I didn't want the Higurashi's to get the upper hand.
On hind sight, that had been a foolish decision. Kagome probably hated my guts... she didn't want to see me again.
I had no choice but to go home and stand beside the knife rack, wondering whether or not I should just stab him in the back or decapitate him for real. I tried to ignore it... but that hit had hurt more that it looked.
He would NOT get away with this. I wouldn't let him.
*
^_^
*
Ok, so my plan for pay back wasn't completely formed yet, but I was still smoulderingly angry beneath my calm exterior at supper that evening. I didn't bother to try and hide the evidence of the wound on my face. It had healed a little more, but it still looked nasty and had made one of the little cousins cry. I boldly sat down near my father's place at the table and ignored the worried glances everyone cast me. I made sure that my right side was facing him, so he could take a nice big look at what he'd done.
And what made me even madder was that he didn't even have the decency to look sorry, let alone apologise.
Supper went by very quietly. My anger at my father increased until I had to vent it in some way. Even if it was in a very small way.
"Stop slurping your food. You sound like a pig, Dad." I commented breezily as I delicately sipped at the soup in my spoon.
I saw him glower at me through the corner of my eye. "What did you just say to me?" he asked.
The relatives around us scooted away further. Miroku, who was sat on my left was discreetly kicking my feet under the table.
"Nothing." I said with a shrug and we went back to eating. But I wasn't done yet. "Don't you just love chicken and mushroom sou - oh! Sorry! I said the L word again..." I snapped my fingers and shook my head. "I really must watch my tongue."
Miroku set his spoon down with a clatter and inhaled deeply, obviously annoyed with me.
"I'd agree. You better watch your tongue." My father said with venom tingeing his voice.
I regarded him with a mild gaze. "I wonder who will sock who first this time...?"
"Just ignore him. He hasn't had his brain food yet." Miroku said quickly to my father.
"Nah - had that this morning. Maybe that tap on the noggin knocked a few screws loose!" he rapped a knuckle against my head with a dim sort of smile. "Yep. Something definitely knocking about in there. Either teeth or two brain cells."
My father continued to glare at me.
"What's the matter? Aren't I pissing you off enough today?" I said daringly. "Maybe I should talk more about Mom. That seems to get you started off."
At once my father pushed his seat back and rose angrily to tower over me. "Why won't you just learn to keep your mouth shut?" he said with controlled fury.
"Well usually it's the mother who teaches her son patience, manners and mouth-shutting techniques." My gaze turned sour as I glared at him. "Thanks to you, I lost mine at a young age. You kind of broke the merchandise before I had a chance to use her."
"How dare you speak of her that way! She's your mother!" he still loved her. It was pathetic really. I didn't feel a thing towards her.
"Haw dare YOU speak of her at all!" I challenged, rising to my feet as well as people shifted nervously in their seats. "You killed her!"
"I never killed her! She died of pneumonia!"
"Bull! She died of a broken heart because she found out you were playing around with your red head secretary!" I snapped. "You're lucky she died - otherwise the press would have found out and you wouldn't be in a position to run for prime minister today!"
His fist drew back, but I knew it was already coming. I leaned back to avoid the swipe, and various relatives gasp and rose to their feet as well. I don't know why. That was a lame throw. It wouldn't have even bruised Miroku. But given the excuse, I lunged for my chance.
I drew my own fist back and with a heated surge of strength born of anger and pleasure at finally being able to do this, I slugged him hard across the jaw, making his head snap to the side. It was a weak throw compared to his. It wouldn't bruise and it didn't knock him down. But I was still satisfied.
He turned back to me slowly, locking glares with me. All of a sudden he grabbed my sleeve and started dragging me out of the dining room.
"What? We gonna duke it out outside?" I laughed, knowing it wasn't what was about to happen. "Me and you old man - you'll be down in the dirt in five seconds!"
We reached the front door and I was almost literally thrown out of the house. I stumbled down the steps and lost my balance, landing unceremoniously on my behind. I glared up at him. "Oh this is great! Kicking your own son out of the house! Where are the black bin bags with my clothes? Or did you forget to pack them this time?!"
"Get out and don't come back till I'm calm again!" He yelled and slammed the door.
The anger welled up again in my throat, along with some old emotion that I hadn't felt much since I was a child. "Yeah?! Well fuck you!" I stood up and wrenched the head off one of the statues beside the entrance. I threw it at the door and watched it bounce of despite being stone. "Maybe I won't come back - Asshole!"
I stood fuming before I stormed away, out of the drive and into the streets. Only then did it hit me that I had no where to go.
I remembered what that old emotion was. Something akin to pain... pain of being alone. Kagome was gone... and now I was really alone.
And as if to compensate for the tears I wouldn't shed, the skies opened up and started to pour down.
Or it could have just been the fates frowning down on me and making a bad day just that much worse.
*
*
*
~Kagome~
*
I'm an evil cow... a horrible person. I'd just said all those nasty things and flounced off...
Where was Inuyasha right now? Was he with his father, reconciling, or - in more Inuyasha style - making a bad situation just that much more bad. I sat at my desk and stared at my hands. I wanted to see him again, to speak to him. I'd go find him tomorrow and plead my case. Hopefully we'd all have calmed down by then and we'd be able to work things out.
I just prayed he was out.
A rumble in the clouds outside made me look up and out of my window into the bleak black darkness outside. The pitter patter of rain on the window started, until it was eventually pelting it down with rain so hard that a sheen of water covered the window completely smearing the darkness into one big blob.
I sighed and stood up to turn off my lamp and get into bed. I suddenly stopped as I caught sight of some movement outside my window. I couldn't quite see, so I moved round my desk to all but press my nose against the glass.
It was Inuyasha.
He was stood on the flat tiles on the roof ledge below my window, a few metres away, but roughly at eye level with me. I stared in complete shock at him, trying to figure out what he was doing out there.
He wore nothing but the summer shirt he'd been wearing earlier, as well as the same trousers. Where was his coat? Wasn't he cold? Then I found myself locking gazes with him, and I could see how confused and lost he seemed.
"No..." I shook my head with a laugh. "No - you are not coming in here. What will my parents say?"
He probably couldn't hear a word I said. Even I barely heard what I said over the din of the rain.
"You cannot just come strolling up here expecting to be let in - I dumped you remember!" how easy it was to turn picky when he was the one crawling back, not me.
He continued to watch me, probably trying to work out what I was saying. Right then I just caved with a defeated sigh. I couldn't just leave him out there and pretend I was asleep. I started opening the window and saw him immediately come forward to come inside. I had to stand well clear as he slipped through the window and moved to stand in the middle of the room. I closed the window, trying to avoid getting hit by the rain, which was pretty hard.
I turned back to him and waited for the explanation as to why he was here. What had happened and why he was out in the rain at this hour. But he said nothing. I moved over to him and gently took his arm. "You're soaking wet..."
He barely even nodded. Something serious was wrong, but he wasn't going to talk about it, so there was no point in pushing it. "It's ok... you don't have to tell me... just take your shoes off..."
With some gentle coaxing I managed to get him out of his shoes and managed to get him to take off his shirt. His hair was plastered to his skin and he was shivering slightly. I immediately went to fetch a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders before guiding him to the bed. He lay down without too much protest and I laid with him, keeping a hand firmly clutched against his towel so it wouldn't slip off.
"It's ok... you're with me now..." I touched his cold damp cheek and saw him close his eyes.
He could sleep here... and maybe we'd talk in the morning. But until then I felt important in the one keeping his safety. I loved him, so I'd do anything to help him.
*
*
*
*
AN: And now I'm done... what else to say...
