A/N: One hundred reviews (and there was much rejoicing, hooray).
Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
The glint of metal resolved into a butterfly knife held far too close to Kagome's skin. She began to shiver, anticipating contact with the blade. She rolled her eyes far back, trying to get a better view of the man who held her. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his breath, stinking with whatever he'd been drinking before he caught her. She could see his hand, holding the knife.
"Don't move, Kagome," Inuyasha said, his harsh voice suddenly more commanding. His eyes were fixed on Eiji, and the girl could only guess that he had murder on his mind. His lips had peeled back from his sharp fangs, and an audible growl rumbled in his chest.
'Like a guard dog or something. . .' Kagome thought. She tried to do as he said.
"Send your pet home," Eiji told Kagome and wrenched her back roughly. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her scalp.
"Inuyasha. . ." she said, not knowing what she intended to tell him. The look he gave her held her tongue. She remembered him telling her again and again that he was designed to protect, and Kaede suggesting that he would be useful if something were to happen to her. Well this qualified as 'something.' What was he waiting for?
"Mind your own business, puppet," Eiji snapped. "This is between your owner and me. . . you didn't actually fuck this doll, did you Kag? He's not real, you know."
"Not jealous, are you?" Inuyasha said before Kagome could say anything. He was watching Eiji intently. "That's pretty sad, being jealous of someone who isn't even real. Just a machine. You get jealous of her hair dryer, too? No wonder she left you."
"Inu--" the girl began. She could hardly believe her ears.
"Shut up," the man behind her growled at her, then to the hanyou, "Of course I'm not jealous. It just proves what kind of a slut she is, with her little playthings and all."
Inuyasha leaned forward slightly, and an arrogant smirk replacing his snarl. "If she were a slut," he said calmly, "she would have slept with you."
He was baiting Eiji! Was he insane? He was going to get her killed. Companion youkai were not supposed to get their owners killed.
"Get out of here now, and I'll let you live," the hanyou continued, his smirk gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"Don't threaten me," Eiji shouted. "I'm the one with the knife and the girl. You can't threaten me. I might decide to hurt her. And I you can't hurt me anyway. . . youkai can't hurt humans."
"You think so?" Inuyasha asked, cracking his knuckles.
Eiji loosened his grip on Kagome's hair as he considered the hanyou showing off his claws.
Faster than Kagome could believe, Inuyasha struck, grabbing Eiji's knife hand and pulling Kagome free of him. Eiji shouted, then screamed as the hanyou lifted him easily and flung him toward the wall of a building. He hit the bricks with a sickening crack, then fell to the concrete of the side walk with a moist thud that made Kagome's lunch crawl up her throat. She stared at the still body, not really feeling anything. Somehow, her brain wasn't able to wrap around what had just happened. It was unbelievable. How could this happen? This sort of thing happened to other people, but not her.
She looked up as something moved between her and the sight of Eiji lying broken on the pavement. She looked up and found herself face to face with a concerned hanyou. She heard his voice, but the meaning flitted past her. Suddenly it all sunk in, and all the fear and horror and relief she hadn't felt washed over her in a flood.
*~*~*
Inuyasha studied the girl carefully. She didn't appear hurt. There was that bruise on her neck, but he had given her that. He felt a momentary stab of guilt for that--she hadn't really deserved it--but pushed the emotion away. Feeling guilty wouldn't help Kagome. Right now his mind or his programming was screaming at him that she was his first priority. He would have to wait until later to regret.
The girl's eyes were strangely blank, as though she wasn't seeing anything. It looked like she was staring right through him.
"Hey, Kagome," he said gently, "are you okay?"
Her eyes focused, shining as tears began to gather there. Then she flung herself at him, tangling her hands in his shirt front and sobbing into his chest.
Not sure how to respond, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her carefully, holding her shaking form in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "Shh," he whispered in her ear. "Shh, it's alright now. He can't hurt you."
He could only assume that was an appropriate thing to say. Kagome didn't respond though. "Shh, I won't let anything happen to you," Inuyasha assured her. "It's okay, see?" As he spoke, he rubbed her back lightly. The girl continued to cry, her face buried in his shoulder. The force of her sobs shook her whole body. What the hell was he supposed to do when she was like this? Kikyo had never appreciated him trying to comfort her. . . not that he'd known what to do then, either, but she shied away from him whenever he tried, quickly winning control of her emotions. Kagome was different. He knew she wouldn't push him away for comforting her, but he didn't have a clue what to do. So he held her, and kept whispering the same reassurances to her along with stupid, meaningless phrases that humans used with each other when one of them was sad or scared.
After a few minutes, Kagome began to still, then she looked up at him. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red and swollen, and she was still hiccoughing tiny sobs.
"I'm okay, now," she told him hoarsely, and started to pull away.
On impulse, Inuyasha held her closer instead of setting her on her feet, letting her feel that he was still there, before he released her.
For a moment, she just stood there, clearly fighting to gather her wits and 'not' breakdown again. Then she took a deep breath, and looked at Eiji's body.
"I suppose we should call the police." Inuyasha nodded in agreement.
*~*~*
When they were done dealing with the police, Inuyasha walked Kagome to her mother's house instead of back to her apartment. He was very quiet the whole time, only answering direct questions, and in the fewest words possible. Kagome half-wished he would talk, even if he just started arguing with her again. She didn't like her thoughts just then. She felt a little better having him there, but. . .
But. Every time she let her mind wonder, it went straight back to Eiji, and at knife in his hand, and the way her hanyou had saved her. He had made killing Eiji look so easy. He 'was' dead, too. The police officer who'd taken her statement had been amazed by the force Eiji had hit the wall with. The young man's body had looked like that of a forty story jumper. "Pulverized," was the word the officer had used. Evidently most youkai weren't quite that strong.
Inuyasha had made it look so easy, so though Eiji weighed nothing at all.
Kagome couldn't be scared of the hanyou, though, even though she remembered Shippo warning her about how most of them were unstable. What kept replaying in her mind as she saw Eiji flying through the air was Inuyasha's voice, arrogantly stating that if he had wanted to kill her, she would be dead. He had proven that. Then he had comforted her. A part of her had expected him to push her away as soon as she collapsed in his arms, but he hadn't. Was this another one of his accessories? He was a fully loaded Companion model youkai, after all, so maybe he was designed to hold his owner while she cried hysterically. But if that were the case, why was he so bad at it?
Well, not bad, really, just insecure. He had held her, which was more than enough since she hadn't expected anything. Yet he had acted like he didn't know what to do. If he was made to comfort his mistresses, wouldn't he know how to respond to hysterics?
Eiji had tried to kill her. Or maybe he only wanted to scare her? Or maybe he was going to rape her? The last thought made her shiver. Like many women, Kagome wasn't sure if death was worse than rape. The thought of being totally out of control while someone else, someone stronger than you and willing to hurt you, did whatever they wanted to your body. The idea of not knowing if he'd kill you when he was done, or be 'merciful' and let you live terrified her; especially now that she'd had a taste of it.
Only having Inuyasha with her made her feel safe as she made her way to the house she still thought of as home. Shippo would worry, but right now, Kagome wanted her Mom. She wanted to eat dinner with her family, and listen to her grandfather blather on about history, and how irreverent young people were, then she wanted to laugh at her brother while he bugged Inuyasha relentlessly. She needed to feel like she was home, not in her unfamiliar, unlived-in apartment.
She wanted her own lump, narrow twin bed in her old room, not the wide, soft queen sized in her apartment.
*~*~*
Kagome couldn't sleep.
Her mother had insisted she sleep there tonight after she told her what had happened. Her mother has responded like a mother ought to, giving her cocoa after her brother was sent to bed, and nearly smothering Kagome in concern.
It had been just what the girl needed.
Her mother had also thanked Inuyasha for saving Kagome's life. The hanyou had responded with his typical 'Feh,' and said that it what he was made for. Kagome smiled a little at the memory. Inuyasha had looked absolutely sheepish as he made the excuse. Kagome doubted anyone had ever thanked him for anything. Why would they? He was a machine doing what he was meant to. People didn't thank their cars for starting in the morning and getting them from point A to point B without breaking down. If the car was operating correctly, it would do that without any need to be thanked. Why should youkai be any different?
Kagome's smile faded. It should be different with youkai because youkai weren't cars. They could think and understand. And Inuyasha could feel.
'Maybe I should thank him, too,' the girl thought, staring up at the glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. Quietly, Kagome slid out of bed and padded downstairs to find Inuyasha.
*~*~*
A/N: Okay, I know it's technically Thursday, but I haven't slept yet, so I think it counts as Wednesday. I am exhausted, in case you wonder. I worked sixteen hours on Monday, and twelve on Tuesday, but only five tonight, so I decided this would very likely be the last opportunity to write this chapter I'd have before this weekend. But now, I am going to bed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if there are any problems with grammar of consistency, go ahead and tell me in your reviews.
I blame any and all mistakes on sleep deprivation.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for how short this chapter is. Until later.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
The glint of metal resolved into a butterfly knife held far too close to Kagome's skin. She began to shiver, anticipating contact with the blade. She rolled her eyes far back, trying to get a better view of the man who held her. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his breath, stinking with whatever he'd been drinking before he caught her. She could see his hand, holding the knife.
"Don't move, Kagome," Inuyasha said, his harsh voice suddenly more commanding. His eyes were fixed on Eiji, and the girl could only guess that he had murder on his mind. His lips had peeled back from his sharp fangs, and an audible growl rumbled in his chest.
'Like a guard dog or something. . .' Kagome thought. She tried to do as he said.
"Send your pet home," Eiji told Kagome and wrenched her back roughly. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her scalp.
"Inuyasha. . ." she said, not knowing what she intended to tell him. The look he gave her held her tongue. She remembered him telling her again and again that he was designed to protect, and Kaede suggesting that he would be useful if something were to happen to her. Well this qualified as 'something.' What was he waiting for?
"Mind your own business, puppet," Eiji snapped. "This is between your owner and me. . . you didn't actually fuck this doll, did you Kag? He's not real, you know."
"Not jealous, are you?" Inuyasha said before Kagome could say anything. He was watching Eiji intently. "That's pretty sad, being jealous of someone who isn't even real. Just a machine. You get jealous of her hair dryer, too? No wonder she left you."
"Inu--" the girl began. She could hardly believe her ears.
"Shut up," the man behind her growled at her, then to the hanyou, "Of course I'm not jealous. It just proves what kind of a slut she is, with her little playthings and all."
Inuyasha leaned forward slightly, and an arrogant smirk replacing his snarl. "If she were a slut," he said calmly, "she would have slept with you."
He was baiting Eiji! Was he insane? He was going to get her killed. Companion youkai were not supposed to get their owners killed.
"Get out of here now, and I'll let you live," the hanyou continued, his smirk gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"Don't threaten me," Eiji shouted. "I'm the one with the knife and the girl. You can't threaten me. I might decide to hurt her. And I you can't hurt me anyway. . . youkai can't hurt humans."
"You think so?" Inuyasha asked, cracking his knuckles.
Eiji loosened his grip on Kagome's hair as he considered the hanyou showing off his claws.
Faster than Kagome could believe, Inuyasha struck, grabbing Eiji's knife hand and pulling Kagome free of him. Eiji shouted, then screamed as the hanyou lifted him easily and flung him toward the wall of a building. He hit the bricks with a sickening crack, then fell to the concrete of the side walk with a moist thud that made Kagome's lunch crawl up her throat. She stared at the still body, not really feeling anything. Somehow, her brain wasn't able to wrap around what had just happened. It was unbelievable. How could this happen? This sort of thing happened to other people, but not her.
She looked up as something moved between her and the sight of Eiji lying broken on the pavement. She looked up and found herself face to face with a concerned hanyou. She heard his voice, but the meaning flitted past her. Suddenly it all sunk in, and all the fear and horror and relief she hadn't felt washed over her in a flood.
*~*~*
Inuyasha studied the girl carefully. She didn't appear hurt. There was that bruise on her neck, but he had given her that. He felt a momentary stab of guilt for that--she hadn't really deserved it--but pushed the emotion away. Feeling guilty wouldn't help Kagome. Right now his mind or his programming was screaming at him that she was his first priority. He would have to wait until later to regret.
The girl's eyes were strangely blank, as though she wasn't seeing anything. It looked like she was staring right through him.
"Hey, Kagome," he said gently, "are you okay?"
Her eyes focused, shining as tears began to gather there. Then she flung herself at him, tangling her hands in his shirt front and sobbing into his chest.
Not sure how to respond, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her carefully, holding her shaking form in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "Shh," he whispered in her ear. "Shh, it's alright now. He can't hurt you."
He could only assume that was an appropriate thing to say. Kagome didn't respond though. "Shh, I won't let anything happen to you," Inuyasha assured her. "It's okay, see?" As he spoke, he rubbed her back lightly. The girl continued to cry, her face buried in his shoulder. The force of her sobs shook her whole body. What the hell was he supposed to do when she was like this? Kikyo had never appreciated him trying to comfort her. . . not that he'd known what to do then, either, but she shied away from him whenever he tried, quickly winning control of her emotions. Kagome was different. He knew she wouldn't push him away for comforting her, but he didn't have a clue what to do. So he held her, and kept whispering the same reassurances to her along with stupid, meaningless phrases that humans used with each other when one of them was sad or scared.
After a few minutes, Kagome began to still, then she looked up at him. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red and swollen, and she was still hiccoughing tiny sobs.
"I'm okay, now," she told him hoarsely, and started to pull away.
On impulse, Inuyasha held her closer instead of setting her on her feet, letting her feel that he was still there, before he released her.
For a moment, she just stood there, clearly fighting to gather her wits and 'not' breakdown again. Then she took a deep breath, and looked at Eiji's body.
"I suppose we should call the police." Inuyasha nodded in agreement.
*~*~*
When they were done dealing with the police, Inuyasha walked Kagome to her mother's house instead of back to her apartment. He was very quiet the whole time, only answering direct questions, and in the fewest words possible. Kagome half-wished he would talk, even if he just started arguing with her again. She didn't like her thoughts just then. She felt a little better having him there, but. . .
But. Every time she let her mind wonder, it went straight back to Eiji, and at knife in his hand, and the way her hanyou had saved her. He had made killing Eiji look so easy. He 'was' dead, too. The police officer who'd taken her statement had been amazed by the force Eiji had hit the wall with. The young man's body had looked like that of a forty story jumper. "Pulverized," was the word the officer had used. Evidently most youkai weren't quite that strong.
Inuyasha had made it look so easy, so though Eiji weighed nothing at all.
Kagome couldn't be scared of the hanyou, though, even though she remembered Shippo warning her about how most of them were unstable. What kept replaying in her mind as she saw Eiji flying through the air was Inuyasha's voice, arrogantly stating that if he had wanted to kill her, she would be dead. He had proven that. Then he had comforted her. A part of her had expected him to push her away as soon as she collapsed in his arms, but he hadn't. Was this another one of his accessories? He was a fully loaded Companion model youkai, after all, so maybe he was designed to hold his owner while she cried hysterically. But if that were the case, why was he so bad at it?
Well, not bad, really, just insecure. He had held her, which was more than enough since she hadn't expected anything. Yet he had acted like he didn't know what to do. If he was made to comfort his mistresses, wouldn't he know how to respond to hysterics?
Eiji had tried to kill her. Or maybe he only wanted to scare her? Or maybe he was going to rape her? The last thought made her shiver. Like many women, Kagome wasn't sure if death was worse than rape. The thought of being totally out of control while someone else, someone stronger than you and willing to hurt you, did whatever they wanted to your body. The idea of not knowing if he'd kill you when he was done, or be 'merciful' and let you live terrified her; especially now that she'd had a taste of it.
Only having Inuyasha with her made her feel safe as she made her way to the house she still thought of as home. Shippo would worry, but right now, Kagome wanted her Mom. She wanted to eat dinner with her family, and listen to her grandfather blather on about history, and how irreverent young people were, then she wanted to laugh at her brother while he bugged Inuyasha relentlessly. She needed to feel like she was home, not in her unfamiliar, unlived-in apartment.
She wanted her own lump, narrow twin bed in her old room, not the wide, soft queen sized in her apartment.
*~*~*
Kagome couldn't sleep.
Her mother had insisted she sleep there tonight after she told her what had happened. Her mother has responded like a mother ought to, giving her cocoa after her brother was sent to bed, and nearly smothering Kagome in concern.
It had been just what the girl needed.
Her mother had also thanked Inuyasha for saving Kagome's life. The hanyou had responded with his typical 'Feh,' and said that it what he was made for. Kagome smiled a little at the memory. Inuyasha had looked absolutely sheepish as he made the excuse. Kagome doubted anyone had ever thanked him for anything. Why would they? He was a machine doing what he was meant to. People didn't thank their cars for starting in the morning and getting them from point A to point B without breaking down. If the car was operating correctly, it would do that without any need to be thanked. Why should youkai be any different?
Kagome's smile faded. It should be different with youkai because youkai weren't cars. They could think and understand. And Inuyasha could feel.
'Maybe I should thank him, too,' the girl thought, staring up at the glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. Quietly, Kagome slid out of bed and padded downstairs to find Inuyasha.
*~*~*
A/N: Okay, I know it's technically Thursday, but I haven't slept yet, so I think it counts as Wednesday. I am exhausted, in case you wonder. I worked sixteen hours on Monday, and twelve on Tuesday, but only five tonight, so I decided this would very likely be the last opportunity to write this chapter I'd have before this weekend. But now, I am going to bed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if there are any problems with grammar of consistency, go ahead and tell me in your reviews.
I blame any and all mistakes on sleep deprivation.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for how short this chapter is. Until later.