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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rumiko Takahashi characters named here, nor do I own Charlie's Angels. If I owned them, Kagome would have gone for Kikyo's throat a long time ago.
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Chapter 37
Rin and the Dragon
Kikyo...Kikyo!
Inu-Yasha, please come and find me...I'm so lonely here without you...I'm all by myself...join me, Inu-Yasha!
Kikyo, I've missed you so much...but I don't want to join you...that would mean leaving her...leaving Kagome.
Inu-Yasha, does that woman mean more to you than I do?
No, Kikyo...she doesn't mean more...but she means as much...the two of you are so different...but I love her, Kikyo.
You loved me!
Yes...I still do...Kikyo, can't you understand? Just because I love Kagome...doesn't mean I'm throwing you out of my heart...don't you want me to be happy in this life?
Why should you be happy, when I never was?
Kikyo, didn't I ever make you happy? I tried so hard...Kikyo, let it go...don't be so bitter and angry...find peace in death, because you never could in life...I promise I won't forget you...ever!
Ever? You'll still remember me, even though you have her?
Yes...I promise...my heart's big enough to hold both of you...I won't forget you, Kikyo.
Then be happy in this life, Inu-Yasha. Be happy like I never could be.
Kikyo! Kikyo, don't go!
Live, Inu-Yasha!
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"Kikyo! Kikyo, don't go!"
Inu-Yasha's rasping voice could barely be heard over the sound of the monitors, but it was enough to rouse Kagome from her restless sleep. Kagome slowly straightened up from the edge of the bed as she came fully awake, blinking at her surroundings. The sunshine was glaring into the hospital room, showing a brilliant new morning. As Kagome's eyes adjusted, she noticed Sesshomaru had fallen asleep in the other chair. Idly, she wondered if she looked as bedraggled as the FBI agent.
Inu-Yasha was muttering softly and beginning to thrash about. Kagome placed a hand on his face, stroking his cheek gently. "Hush, Inu-Yasha, hush, it's all right," Kagome soothed him. His eyelids fluttered and opened weakly for a moment before closing again.
"Kikyo," he whispered.
Kagome fought to hold back the onslaught of tears rushing to her eyes and failed. It hurt her so much to hear him call for his dead wife, and she was so afraid he wanted to follow Kikyo to the grave. Did he miss his wife so much that he'd give up on life to be with her?
"Inu-Yasha, please live," Kagome pleaded hoarsely as she clasped his hand and kissed his mouth tenderly. "Please live, if not for me then for your brother," she sobbed quietly. Her tears spilled onto the pillow next to his face. "Don't go with her, don't go with Kikyo!"
Kagome felt pressure on her hand, and she looked down to see Inu-Yasha squeezing her fingers tightly. She looked into his face and saw his eyes were open again. "Ka...go...me," he said slowly, forcing the words out of his mouth.
"Shut up, you big idiot!" Kagome ordered him fiercely, as she tried to stop crying. "Save your strength for getting better instead of talking! You need to heal so I can kick your ass for doing this to me!" she began sobbing again.
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he tried to tug her towards him. "Kag..." he muttered quietly, "no tears...'kay? So stupid..." his voiced trailed off. With an effort, he brought Kagome's hand to his mouth and brushed the back of it against his lips. "Love you," he wheezed, and then moaned softly. "I'll...stay here..."
"Promise?" Kagome breathed hopefully into his ear. "You'll stay here in this life? I don't want to lose you right now, Inu-Yasha. I want to be with you, I want us to grow old together. Can we do that, Inu-Yasha?"
"Promise," he whispered as he fell back into sleep.
*********
"Rin? Rin, honey, where are you? Yura?" Kagura called as she entered the rooms. She heard the bathwater running and knocked on the door.
"Is that you, Kagura?" Yura's voice sounded from the other side of the door. She sounded relieved. "Come on in, I'm just cleaning Rin up. We had a bit of an accident."
Kagura pushed the door open and burst out laughing. Yura was covered from head to toe in ramen broth, and her hair was full of noodles. Rin hadn't fared any better, she noticed as she tried to regain her composure. The small girl was sitting in the bathtub and scowling darkly at Yura as the other woman tried to pick the noodles from her thick brown hair.
"Do I really want to hear this story?" Kagura gave her best impression of Sesshomaru, complete with icy look and raised eyebrow. Yura wasn't amused. She glared and threw the sodden washrag at Kagura, who caught it neatly in midair.
"No, you don't want to hear it," snarled Yura. "Tell Sesshomaru he owes me big for this one. And since you're here, you can do this while I take a shower in the other bathroom." She stomped out, slamming the door behind her.
Kagura winked at Rin. "You know Rin, if you didn't want ramen for lunch you just had to say so," she smiled. Rin tucked her chin into her chest and refused to look up, but Kagura saw a grin creep across her face.
The girl remained silent while Kagura cleaned her up, still refusing to look anywhere but down. Kagura rinsed her hair, shielding Rin's eyes with her hand so the child wouldn't get soap in her eyes. She pulled Rin from the tub and dressed her in clean clothing, then wrapped the child's wet hair in a towel and scooped the girl up in her arms.
A freshly showered Yura was cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. "I've got her for a while, Yura," Kagura told the woman. "Take a break. Where's Koga?"
"He's with Sango and Miroku trying to dig up information," Yura answered, wringing out the mop. "Naraku's been talking non-stop, but none of what he says is making sense. He keeps going on about some woman named Kikyo and a jewel. His lawyer has already ordered a psychological evaluation. At the opposite end of the cage, Jakotsu isn't saying anything to anyone. No small wonder, seeing how he's going up on charges of attempted murder," Yura added. "Speaking of which, how's Inu-Yasha doing?"
"He was still out cold when I left the hospital, but the doctor said he's out of danger," Kagura answered. She sat down in a kitchen chair with Rin on her lap and began rubbing the girl's hair with the towel. Rin buried her face against Kagura and gave a small whimper.
"Mommy?" Rin spoke into Kagura's shirt after Yura left the room.
Kagura stilled. She's talking again. Hey, wait a minute, what did she just call me? "What, Littlebit?" Kagura answered, trying to keep her voice at a natural level. Her heart was doing funny things inside her chest. She called me Mommy!
"I'm sorry Uncle got hurt," Rin said. "Are you and Daddy going to get hurt too?"
"I certainly hope not," Kagura hugged the child. "Those bad men are locked up where they can't hurt anybody ever again, Rin." She smoothed the girl's hair and began to run a comb through the tangled locks.
"What about the other man, Mommy? I want him to go away, too. He scares me."
"What other man?" Kagura asked, confused. She stopped combing Rin's hair, trying to figure out whom Rin had in mind. "You mean the doctor from the boat ride?"
"No, Mommy, I mean the man with the swimsuits! He's scary." Rin's voice dropped to such a low whisper Kagura had to strain to hear it. "He and my other mommy did mean things to me a long time ago."
Kagura hated to upset the child, but she needed to press further. "Rin, sweetie," Kagura cleared her throat a little. "You know that Miss Yura and Uncle Koga and Daddy and I are going to keep you safe, right? We won't let that bad man hurt you." Rin clutched her tightly and nodded. "I need your help with something very important, Rin. Do you think you can help me like a big girl?"
She caught one of Rin's high-powered sunshine smiles for her efforts. Apparently, Rin liked being thought of as a big girl. She'd have to remember to use this strategy in the future. "Rin, I want you to try as hard as you can to remember what this scary man looks like. I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to see if you can answer them for me," Kagura said as she brushed Rin's bangs out of her eyes. "And if you get scared while you're thinking about the answers, I want you to tell me you're scared and I'll give you a great big hug, okay?"
Rin cuddled closer to her. "Okay," she agreed.
"This man with the swimsuits, did you see him here in Hawaii?" Kagura began.
"Yes, Mommy."
"And you also saw him a long time ago with your other mommy?" Kagura prompted. At Rin's nod, she continued. "When did you see him here, was it yesterday?" Again, Rin nodded in agreement. Early yesterday afternoon, that's when she stopped talking, Kagura realized. "Was that the first time you saw him here in Hawaii?"
At this question, Rin frowned and then shook her head. "I saw him before, when we were playing that game," she told Kagura. "But I didn't remember, 'cause he didn't have the swimsuits."
"You mean you didn't recognize him until later?" Kagura clarified. Rin was starting to look uneasy again, and Kagura kissed her forehead. "What game were we playing when you saw him, Rin?"
"The Watching Game," Rin answered simply, before placing her thumb in her mouth. She leaned into Kagura and closed her eyes. "I don't like him, Mommy. Can I stop helping you now?" she asked sleepily.
Kagura patted Rin's hair and carried the napping child into her room. The Watching Game, she furrowed her brow in thought. We were watching Mr. Ailuropoda, but he's Lazy Panda...maybe he's double-crossing the Japanese government? I'm so damn exhausted, I just can't think straight anymore...
Kagura climbed under the covers with Rin and cradled the girl in her arms. My daughter, she smiled as thoughts chased through her tired brain. I left my shoes backstage last night...I still need to buy Rin a pair of shoes to match that dress we bought that day we were playing The Watching Game...that guy with Mr. Ailuropoda, never did figure out why Mr. Ryukossei was hanging around with Lazy Panda...Rin said it was the man with the swimsuits...Koga used to work as a swimsuit salesman for Ryu Fashions, maybe he knows something about all this...wait, Ryu?
She jumped from the bed and grabbed the cell phone, punching in the number quickly. "Koga," she gasped as the agent answered. "Who is the owner of Ryu Fashions?"
"What?" Koga asked. "No one owns it. Dainty Footprints bought them out, remember? The company doesn't exist anymore."
"No, stupid, what I mean is who used to own it?" Kagura asked.
"A guy by the name of Ryukossei," Koga answered. "Why do you think it was called 'Ryu' Fashions? He retired after the buy-out. What's up?"
"Koga," said Kagura as she gathered the last remnants of her waning patience, "doesn't 'Ryu' mean 'Dragon'?"
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He'd torn the place apart, and his Beloved was nowhere to be found. Damn Jakotsu and his incompetence! He wanted his Dearest, needed to feel her in his arms.
Someone was approaching his hiding place within the bushes. Vicious Dragon slid back further, trying to hide himself completely. An attractive redhead walked past him, humming a silly tune about a pirate king. He relaxed as she passed by without notice.
His heart was pounding in his throat at the near miss. He was getting careless, and it was all Inu-Yasha's fault. If the boy would have just given him his Precious Katana, he wouldn't be so distracted. The ignorant youth had no clue how to treat such a lovely object, for that alone he deserved to die. Inu-Yasha was no better than that stupid girl who had walked by a moment ago, swinging her katana in a random fashion.
Swinging her katana? He leaped from the bushes, hoping to catch sight of the redhead. Running, he followed the path she had taken, trying to spot her amongst the crowds of people. He arrived at a parking lot just in time to see the redhead climb into a car with The Beautiful Katana and race away from the resort.
The girl was undoubtedly returning Tetsusaiga to Inu-Yasha. Vicious Dragon hailed a taxi and departed for the hospital. It was time to finish the job properly. He'd retrieve his precious Tetsusaiga and get rid of Inu-Yasha and that interfering Sesshomaru all at once.
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A/N: Several of you have asked how long this story is going to be. Well, it's looking like I have 3-4 chapters left, unless the final fight scene drags out longer than I think it will. It's hard to estimate something you haven't written yet. Also, there will be a single Epilogue chapter after the final chapter, just so you're not left hanging.
Thanks so much to all of you for reading and reviewing! You have no idea how much fun I've had writing this :P Lavender
PS -
elementsofmine(): In answer to your question, Nazuna is the girl (early in the series) who is saved from the Spider-Head Demons by Inu-Yasha, Kagome and Shippo. Sophie-chan claims she's modeled after me...*Lav doesn't like spiders*
ChristyKay(): You're back! *glomps Christy's leg* I missed you so much! Now get back to work! (just kidding - sort of - *really wants to read an update*)
