A/N: "Creepy numberness . . ." I'll have to remember that one. Actually,
I'm feeling very evil after the last chapter. So many people wanting to
know what was up with those combinations. One person even translated them
into letters of the alphabet. I wish I had thought of that possibility,
then I could have made words or acronyms or something. Alas, I am not
quite that creative.
Thanks for the reviews.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
2-6-5-2. . . 4-3-4-7. . . 7-8-1-3. . .
The numbers whirled, chasing through the hanyou's brain at a dizzying rate. He couldn't catch them, or make sense of them.
2-6-5-2. . .
"Inuyasha?"
He heard the voice as though from a great distance. The buzzing in his ears nearly drowned it out.
4-3-4-7. . . 7-8-1-3. . .
"Inuyasha, can you hear me?"
The numbers danced, searching for a home in the complex codes that governed the hanyou's actions. The existing programs strained in an attempt to make room for the fragments of information, shifting so they could fit.
2-6-5-2. . .
He thought he might have groaned as his systems struggled to support the burden of these combinations.
"Inu. . ."
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
4-3-4-7. . .
What the hell was going on?
7-8-1-3.
2-6-5-2.
4-3-4-7.
One by one, the pieces fell into place, describing a tiny part of something much larger. It felt as though three small lights had gone off in the back of his head, then faded away. As quickly as it had begun, the spell was broken.
Inuyasha blinked, shaking his head. It felt. . . not quite like pain, but like something. He couldn't name what. It felt as though his thoughts were suddenly very thin, or breakable.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice insistent. "Can you hear me?"
He winced, drawing away from the girl. "Keh. Of course I can hear you? Why wouldn't I?"
"Well you didn't seem to a second ago," the girl huffed, her eyes dropping to the ground. "What happened?"
"I. . ." He fought the urge the growl in frustration. He didn't even know why he was so upset. "I don't know."
"Inuyasha, are you alright?" the girl asked, voice soft, resting her hand lightly on his arm.
"Fine," he assured her, and tried to shrug her hand off casually. "We should probably go wherever it is you needed to be in such a hurry."
He hadn't thought he had said anything too mean, but Kagome pulled back as though he had stung her. Then her expression hardened, her eyes saying clearly that this conversation was not over yet. Not by a long shot. A needle of guilt lodged in Inuyasha's chest at that look. He didn't know what he could do to make it leave, so he looked away.
"Let's go home," the girl said at last. "Maybe Miroku's come up with something."
Inuyasha nodded, wisely choosing not to point out that checking in with Miroku hardly seemed like a pressing matter. The girl turned away abruptly, leaving him with a view of her taut shoulders and stiff back, her hands clenching until all the blood was forced out of her knuckles, leaving them white.
Shippo shifted restlessly in arms, distracting the hanyou from Kagome's ramrod straight spine as she walked ahead of him.
"What is it, runt?" he asked gruffly, expecting him to demand being turned over to Kagome immediately.
"Are you really okay?" Shippo asked, surprising him.
"I said I was, didn't I?"
"You lied," the childlike youkai responded flatly, brows drawing together in censure.
"What! I did not!"
"You lied," he repeated more firmly. "You're not okay."
Inuyasha momentarily entertained the idea of dropping the twerp. He did have legs of his own, after all, even if they were rather short. It might be funny to watch him scramble to catch up with an angry Kagome.
The thought of Kagome killed that idea before he really had the chance to enjoy it. She was angry with him, but he didn't see why. Sighing, he decided to let Shippo stay where he was, and started after the girl.
After a couple of minutes, Shippo spoke again. "Why did you lie to Kagome?"
"Why do you care?" Inuyasha shot back.
"I don't care about 'you,'" the fox youkai was quick to clarify. "You upset her."
"Why would she be upset over me?" he grumbled, more to himself than Shippo. She kept doing that, and it never made any more sense than the last time. She claimed to be worried about him, but he just couldn't see why she cared.
"Why, why, why!" Shippo snapped, obviously irritated. "Is that all you know how to say? I don't know why she bothers with someone as stupid as you." The last was said in a childish tone of superiority that rattled the hanyou's already fragile nerves.
"That's it," Inuyasha growled, opening his arms and letting the small youkai fall. "Walk yourself. I don't have to put up with this."
Shippo's eyes narrowed and he stuck out his tongue, then scampered ahead on all fours. Inuyasha followed after at a more sedate pace, letting the other two move farther ahead of him.
*~*~*
Kikyo opened the door to her apartment with a key she'd 'borrowed' from her sister. With a snort, she took in the changes the girl had inflicted upon her former home. All her furniture was gone, and most of it had yet to be replaced, leaving bare carpet and naked walls where there had once been tasteful furnishings. The couch had seen better days; it looked like the girl had picked it up second hand. Instead of the pictures which had once lent the room its personality, posters of meadows, and waterfalls, and kittens with cute messages written across them had been tacked up. Kikyo wrinkled her nose distastefully. 'So childish,' she thought, moving farther into the apartment.
Despite the emptiness, a haphazard array of trinkets littered both the living and dining rooms. Bits and pieces cluttered the counter; an unwashed coffee mug, pens and post-it notes, some pulp romance waiting dog- eared on the table.
Kikyo turned around slowly, feeling like a foreigner in her own house.
The phone rang, distracting the Replica from her thoughts. After a couple more rings, the machine picked up.
"This is an answering machine. I'm sure you know what to do."
Kikyo smiled humorlessly. "How cute," she murmured.
"Kagome?" a smooth, masculine voice asked hopefully. "Kagome, if you're there, answer the phone. Okay. . . Call me when you get in, okay? It's important. Sango's going to meet me over here. I think I know what Naraku wants. Bye."
"Do you?" the Replica mused aloud. "Is this girl getting tangled up with Naraku as well? Poor Inuyasha. You never did have much luck, did you? Still, I suppose it explains some things."
The front door creaked on its hinges, and a girl muttered something about having locked it. Kikyo turned to meet her replacement.
*~*~*
Kagome froze. Standing in front of her was a woman a little older and a little taller than herself, with long sable hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail. Her eyes were half lost behind a fringe of bangs. She wore a starched white blouse, and knee length skirt, both crisp and pristine.
But it was her face that stopped the girl, sending a chill up her spine. The woman's expression was serious to the point of being stern--she'd have permanent frown lines by the time she was thirty--but the face itself was almost identical to her own. She had the same nose, same chin, same mouth.
"Who. . .?" Kagome asked, backing up a step. Shippo bumped into her leg, grumbled a moment, then went silent. The girl could feel his tiny, clawed hands clutching her calf.
The woman bowed her head almost modestly, but something about her stance belied the motion. "I am what remains of Kikyo." she said, her tone cold and polite.
"What remains?" The girl's blood turned cold at that declaration.
"Does that trouble you?" Kikyo's eyes flashed through her bangs, a cruel gleam dancing in their otherwise lifeless shine. It was hard to see the little details that gave away that the woman was a machine in the dim interior of the apartment. The way the shadows textured her skin was wrong; the way she moved, too precise to be human. As Kagome took in the little flaws in the illusion, she couldn't help but think that the quality wasn't that great. Not when she compared to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha. Where was Inuyasha? She'd thought he was right behind her. He was there a moment ago. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw the landing behind her was empty except for Shippo cowering at her foot. Where was the hanyou? She hoped he was alright. He hadn't been before, even though he said he was. Whatever happened when he read those numbers, it had left him shaken. He better be alright.
If he wasn't, she'd kill him.
"Looking for someone?" Kikyo asked, an odd humor coloring her tone. "Inuyasha's not there." She paused, eyeing Kagome openly. The girl's skin crawled under the Replica's scrutiny, invisible spiders creeping up her spine. "Tell me, did he tell you the same lies he told me? Did he try say he loved you? I do hope you didn't believe him."
Kagome's throat tightened painfully. "Did you say. . . love?" she asked, unable to keep the words in.
"He didn't, then," the other woman observed with a silent chuckle. "He was that true to me, at least."
Something inside Kagome deflated, leaving the girl feeling strangely empty. He had loved Kikyo. Was that the secret he kept to himself? Was that why his eyes took on that particular, fluid appearance whenever anyone brought up the dead woman's name? Her knees turned watery, and she braced herself against the doorframe without thinking.
He had loved her, and she had turned him off, and disconnected him, and thrown him in a closet.
'I'm going to be sick,' Kagome thought, feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach. 'I'm so stupid. It's so obvious.' Shippo patted her leg in comfort, but she hardly noticed. She felt like a silly little girl.
Inuyasha had loved Kikyo, and Kikyo had betrayed him. He had loved Kikyo, and Kikyo wore the same face as Kagome.
He had kissed Kagome, though. He had said it was real. He'd said. . . What had he said exactly? He had said he didn't have to fake with her. But, he had not said he wasn't thinking of someone else.
'I'm going to be sick.'
*~*~*
Inuyasha hurried when he realized he'd lost sight of Kagome. He shouldn't have done that. Normally he wouldn't have, but right now his brain was thoroughly scrambled. Things were only starting to straighten out. He cursed inwardly, trying to remember how long it had been since he could see the girl marching on ahead of him.
'Damn these stupid. . .' His fingers tightened reflexively around the paper, nearly forgotten in his hand.
He was running toward the apartment now, trying to close the gap he'd allowed the girl to create. Fast as he went, the dreary, pale façade of Kaede's tenement building appeared after a matter of seconds. His eyes locked on the open door, and Kagome's back framed in the aperture. Something was wrong. Why was she standing there like that, with Shippo huddled against her leg?
"Kagome!" he called to her, but she didn't turn. She looked like she was about to fall down.
He was there in a moment, his hand on her shoulder for support. "Kagome?" he asked softly, with no response.
Inuyasha looked up, searching for the cause of the girl's distress, and his eyes landed on the one person he never thought he'd have to see again.
"Kikyo," he said, his voice suddenly harsh.
*~*~*
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed reading it.
Until next time. . . why do I have the feeling I'm going to be yelled at?
Thanks for the reviews.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Inuyasha.
Synthetic Emotions
2-6-5-2. . . 4-3-4-7. . . 7-8-1-3. . .
The numbers whirled, chasing through the hanyou's brain at a dizzying rate. He couldn't catch them, or make sense of them.
2-6-5-2. . .
"Inuyasha?"
He heard the voice as though from a great distance. The buzzing in his ears nearly drowned it out.
4-3-4-7. . . 7-8-1-3. . .
"Inuyasha, can you hear me?"
The numbers danced, searching for a home in the complex codes that governed the hanyou's actions. The existing programs strained in an attempt to make room for the fragments of information, shifting so they could fit.
2-6-5-2. . .
He thought he might have groaned as his systems struggled to support the burden of these combinations.
"Inu. . ."
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
4-3-4-7. . .
What the hell was going on?
7-8-1-3.
2-6-5-2.
4-3-4-7.
One by one, the pieces fell into place, describing a tiny part of something much larger. It felt as though three small lights had gone off in the back of his head, then faded away. As quickly as it had begun, the spell was broken.
Inuyasha blinked, shaking his head. It felt. . . not quite like pain, but like something. He couldn't name what. It felt as though his thoughts were suddenly very thin, or breakable.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice insistent. "Can you hear me?"
He winced, drawing away from the girl. "Keh. Of course I can hear you? Why wouldn't I?"
"Well you didn't seem to a second ago," the girl huffed, her eyes dropping to the ground. "What happened?"
"I. . ." He fought the urge the growl in frustration. He didn't even know why he was so upset. "I don't know."
"Inuyasha, are you alright?" the girl asked, voice soft, resting her hand lightly on his arm.
"Fine," he assured her, and tried to shrug her hand off casually. "We should probably go wherever it is you needed to be in such a hurry."
He hadn't thought he had said anything too mean, but Kagome pulled back as though he had stung her. Then her expression hardened, her eyes saying clearly that this conversation was not over yet. Not by a long shot. A needle of guilt lodged in Inuyasha's chest at that look. He didn't know what he could do to make it leave, so he looked away.
"Let's go home," the girl said at last. "Maybe Miroku's come up with something."
Inuyasha nodded, wisely choosing not to point out that checking in with Miroku hardly seemed like a pressing matter. The girl turned away abruptly, leaving him with a view of her taut shoulders and stiff back, her hands clenching until all the blood was forced out of her knuckles, leaving them white.
Shippo shifted restlessly in arms, distracting the hanyou from Kagome's ramrod straight spine as she walked ahead of him.
"What is it, runt?" he asked gruffly, expecting him to demand being turned over to Kagome immediately.
"Are you really okay?" Shippo asked, surprising him.
"I said I was, didn't I?"
"You lied," the childlike youkai responded flatly, brows drawing together in censure.
"What! I did not!"
"You lied," he repeated more firmly. "You're not okay."
Inuyasha momentarily entertained the idea of dropping the twerp. He did have legs of his own, after all, even if they were rather short. It might be funny to watch him scramble to catch up with an angry Kagome.
The thought of Kagome killed that idea before he really had the chance to enjoy it. She was angry with him, but he didn't see why. Sighing, he decided to let Shippo stay where he was, and started after the girl.
After a couple of minutes, Shippo spoke again. "Why did you lie to Kagome?"
"Why do you care?" Inuyasha shot back.
"I don't care about 'you,'" the fox youkai was quick to clarify. "You upset her."
"Why would she be upset over me?" he grumbled, more to himself than Shippo. She kept doing that, and it never made any more sense than the last time. She claimed to be worried about him, but he just couldn't see why she cared.
"Why, why, why!" Shippo snapped, obviously irritated. "Is that all you know how to say? I don't know why she bothers with someone as stupid as you." The last was said in a childish tone of superiority that rattled the hanyou's already fragile nerves.
"That's it," Inuyasha growled, opening his arms and letting the small youkai fall. "Walk yourself. I don't have to put up with this."
Shippo's eyes narrowed and he stuck out his tongue, then scampered ahead on all fours. Inuyasha followed after at a more sedate pace, letting the other two move farther ahead of him.
*~*~*
Kikyo opened the door to her apartment with a key she'd 'borrowed' from her sister. With a snort, she took in the changes the girl had inflicted upon her former home. All her furniture was gone, and most of it had yet to be replaced, leaving bare carpet and naked walls where there had once been tasteful furnishings. The couch had seen better days; it looked like the girl had picked it up second hand. Instead of the pictures which had once lent the room its personality, posters of meadows, and waterfalls, and kittens with cute messages written across them had been tacked up. Kikyo wrinkled her nose distastefully. 'So childish,' she thought, moving farther into the apartment.
Despite the emptiness, a haphazard array of trinkets littered both the living and dining rooms. Bits and pieces cluttered the counter; an unwashed coffee mug, pens and post-it notes, some pulp romance waiting dog- eared on the table.
Kikyo turned around slowly, feeling like a foreigner in her own house.
The phone rang, distracting the Replica from her thoughts. After a couple more rings, the machine picked up.
"This is an answering machine. I'm sure you know what to do."
Kikyo smiled humorlessly. "How cute," she murmured.
"Kagome?" a smooth, masculine voice asked hopefully. "Kagome, if you're there, answer the phone. Okay. . . Call me when you get in, okay? It's important. Sango's going to meet me over here. I think I know what Naraku wants. Bye."
"Do you?" the Replica mused aloud. "Is this girl getting tangled up with Naraku as well? Poor Inuyasha. You never did have much luck, did you? Still, I suppose it explains some things."
The front door creaked on its hinges, and a girl muttered something about having locked it. Kikyo turned to meet her replacement.
*~*~*
Kagome froze. Standing in front of her was a woman a little older and a little taller than herself, with long sable hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail. Her eyes were half lost behind a fringe of bangs. She wore a starched white blouse, and knee length skirt, both crisp and pristine.
But it was her face that stopped the girl, sending a chill up her spine. The woman's expression was serious to the point of being stern--she'd have permanent frown lines by the time she was thirty--but the face itself was almost identical to her own. She had the same nose, same chin, same mouth.
"Who. . .?" Kagome asked, backing up a step. Shippo bumped into her leg, grumbled a moment, then went silent. The girl could feel his tiny, clawed hands clutching her calf.
The woman bowed her head almost modestly, but something about her stance belied the motion. "I am what remains of Kikyo." she said, her tone cold and polite.
"What remains?" The girl's blood turned cold at that declaration.
"Does that trouble you?" Kikyo's eyes flashed through her bangs, a cruel gleam dancing in their otherwise lifeless shine. It was hard to see the little details that gave away that the woman was a machine in the dim interior of the apartment. The way the shadows textured her skin was wrong; the way she moved, too precise to be human. As Kagome took in the little flaws in the illusion, she couldn't help but think that the quality wasn't that great. Not when she compared to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha. Where was Inuyasha? She'd thought he was right behind her. He was there a moment ago. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw the landing behind her was empty except for Shippo cowering at her foot. Where was the hanyou? She hoped he was alright. He hadn't been before, even though he said he was. Whatever happened when he read those numbers, it had left him shaken. He better be alright.
If he wasn't, she'd kill him.
"Looking for someone?" Kikyo asked, an odd humor coloring her tone. "Inuyasha's not there." She paused, eyeing Kagome openly. The girl's skin crawled under the Replica's scrutiny, invisible spiders creeping up her spine. "Tell me, did he tell you the same lies he told me? Did he try say he loved you? I do hope you didn't believe him."
Kagome's throat tightened painfully. "Did you say. . . love?" she asked, unable to keep the words in.
"He didn't, then," the other woman observed with a silent chuckle. "He was that true to me, at least."
Something inside Kagome deflated, leaving the girl feeling strangely empty. He had loved Kikyo. Was that the secret he kept to himself? Was that why his eyes took on that particular, fluid appearance whenever anyone brought up the dead woman's name? Her knees turned watery, and she braced herself against the doorframe without thinking.
He had loved her, and she had turned him off, and disconnected him, and thrown him in a closet.
'I'm going to be sick,' Kagome thought, feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach. 'I'm so stupid. It's so obvious.' Shippo patted her leg in comfort, but she hardly noticed. She felt like a silly little girl.
Inuyasha had loved Kikyo, and Kikyo had betrayed him. He had loved Kikyo, and Kikyo wore the same face as Kagome.
He had kissed Kagome, though. He had said it was real. He'd said. . . What had he said exactly? He had said he didn't have to fake with her. But, he had not said he wasn't thinking of someone else.
'I'm going to be sick.'
*~*~*
Inuyasha hurried when he realized he'd lost sight of Kagome. He shouldn't have done that. Normally he wouldn't have, but right now his brain was thoroughly scrambled. Things were only starting to straighten out. He cursed inwardly, trying to remember how long it had been since he could see the girl marching on ahead of him.
'Damn these stupid. . .' His fingers tightened reflexively around the paper, nearly forgotten in his hand.
He was running toward the apartment now, trying to close the gap he'd allowed the girl to create. Fast as he went, the dreary, pale façade of Kaede's tenement building appeared after a matter of seconds. His eyes locked on the open door, and Kagome's back framed in the aperture. Something was wrong. Why was she standing there like that, with Shippo huddled against her leg?
"Kagome!" he called to her, but she didn't turn. She looked like she was about to fall down.
He was there in a moment, his hand on her shoulder for support. "Kagome?" he asked softly, with no response.
Inuyasha looked up, searching for the cause of the girl's distress, and his eyes landed on the one person he never thought he'd have to see again.
"Kikyo," he said, his voice suddenly harsh.
*~*~*
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed reading it.
Until next time. . . why do I have the feeling I'm going to be yelled at?