Affections, Part I

by rabid-dove

Chapter Three, Evil Spreading

Damn bugs.

He hated insects, especially flies. It was unfortunate his laboratory was a safe haven for the wretched creatures, and he spent more time swatting them than working on his real project. What was his special secret, anyway? He wasn't exactly sure, it kept on going over and over through his head differently every time. Like a story he'd created or something, and every time it was edited. But the whole thing went along the lines of ...

Well, he couldn't say. Not yet. Not until he had that strange human girl on television last night. Kagome Higurashi was her name? Strange, he felt like he'd heard it before. And she was with Inuyasha too, which obviously meant she was a human. That Inuyasha, he had such an insatiable craving for humans.

Human scum.

(Yet it courses through his blood, eh? I'll never understand that)

Maybe he could use Kagome for his experiment? She'd prove to be the perfect human speciman, and there was nobody else he could think of anyway. Why not, she was as thick as a pool of pudding and was madly in love with Inuyasha, that bumbling idiot.

How come nobody ever noticed him? He was half-demon too, and yet nobody seemed attracted to him. Maybe it was his make-up, that goopy blue stuff weighing down his head, clogging his brain.

Nah, that couldn't be it. Sesshomaru wore make-up too, right? And it wasn't even make-up, really, just a little dab of this and a little slab of that, nothing anybody noticed much ...

Wrong-O, plenty of people noticed, and he knew it just as well as they did. Why'd he have to be half-demon? That stupid excuse of a thief Onigumo deserved all this, but not him.

Naraku didn't deserve such punishment.

"Sir, it's ready," a snively voice blared through the PA system hanging from the ceiling. Naraku ran his fingers through his greasy mane of black curls, then sniffed slightly and began trekking through the halls to the main office.

Stupid minions, all they did was slow him down. He could've completed the lab's preparation in half the time they did. He didn't even know why he kept them around. Pity, perhaps? Yes, that was it.

Naraku finally reached a gigantic glass door with strange markings etched around it's edges. He muttered a strange oath, causing the door to slide open and stop with a sickening cracking sound. He liked 'sickening' sounds, they added to his reputation as a villain.

Villain, was that what he was? He liked to think of himself as what people called 'aristocrats'.

As the door slid open, the same sniveling man on the PA scurried over to his master, a thin string of snot dribbling down his face. How pathetic.

"M-Master, please come this way," the man stuttered, throwing his hand behind him. Naraku grunted slightly and walked towards a see-through glass valve, filled to the brim with a gooey purple liquid. Soul-drainers, he called them. They were the fruits of his labor, and they immediatley sucked whatever morsel of soul the victim had out of them. It was especially powerful with humans, leaving them a dry, grey corpse writhing on the dampened floor.

It was disgusting, and that was why he loved it. He was ... rather sickly that way.

"Yes, this good," Naraku attempted to avoid the word 'great', for fear his colleagues would let their pride get the better of them. What he didn't know was that they couldn't care less about pride or glory.

"When will you get the girl?" one of Naraku's minions sneered, letting his sharp fingernails play on the glass. Naraku smiled. He loved having this kind of power.

He would get the girl ... tomorrow morning. He was too tired to do it now, and besides, he felt rather impolite kidnapping her now, she could be on a date with her Inuyasha boyfriend.

Not like he cared or anything.

"Tomorrow morning, now go home," Naraku yawned and stretched out his arms. He needed rest, he would complete his diabolical scheme tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning, the very next day.

~*~*~*~*

"Owww!"

"Be quiet, Miroku, before somebody hears us!"

Why she was doing this was beyond her, it just happened to be his idea. She wasn't amused with the idea of sneaking into a police station. After all, it was the place where they sent criminals ... when they'd been caught.

She never thought she would go to jail, but now she was highly considering it. Maybe they served ramen there ... that would be at least enough.

"You owe me big time, you know that?" Sango hissed, flicking Miroku with her fingers. He whimpered softly, waving his hands about blindly in the darkness. What could he be looking for? A key or something?

They came to a tiny window, but in Sango's eyes it was way bigger than she was. Miroku placed his hands on her shoulder, which made her a little uneasy. She didn't bother whacking him now, though. Like she said before, she didn't want to go to jail under any circumstances.

"Sango, I need you to hoist me up there," Miroku ordered, his face seemingly calm. Without hesitation, Sango nodded and gripped the monk's feet. Yeuch, he was getting extra beatings for this, she even thought she felt a corn there. A small one, but a corn nonetheless.

"Hurry up, you nasty boy!" Sango nearly screamed, but quickly covered her mouth with her free hand.

She closed her eyes and wished for the best ...

Well, they got inside the dark, empty police station. She felt violated, and not only because of Miroku. She was breaking and entering, this was worse than a little perverted bastard!

"Come on, we have to find a file that says 'Wellington, Naraku'," Miroku stated, rushing towards a long, long, LONG row of filing cabinets. Sango nearly burst out laughing. Wellington?!? What kind of a name was that for a villain?

No wonder he was so screwed up. She thought she would be too, with a name like that. Wasn't he Japanese?

After about an hour of searching, 'Wellington' finally came up. Sango nearly ripped it as she tore it from the cabinet, flipping through thousands of photos, certificates, and other junk until she found--it.

"M-Miroku, take a look at this!" Sango cried coarsely, shoving the picture into his face. He grasped it slowly, overcome with surprise and stiffness.

It was the guy from Burger Barn. That guy with the long jacket? He'd gone in and out, and they'd never even paid him even any mind.

Well, Miroku hadn't.

"I knew it! He looked fishy," Sango pumped her fists in triumph, slapping Miroku hard on the back. The sound of a lock turning rang through the hallways, and without a second breath the two were already out of the building and running across the dew-covered grass.

Good god, was she smart or what?

And good god, was he getting it for touching her again on his way up the wall!

~*~*~*~*

"KAGOME!!!" a coarse but muffled voice echoed throughout the Ishida Apartments hallway. Kagome sat on the other side of her doorway, sniffling and crying her eyes out. No, it couldn't be, the girl he liked ... was moving in ...

"Kagome, open the door," Inuyasha cried a little less loudly, but she still didn't open the door. What was taking her so long, anyway? At this rate, Kikyo would definitely--

"Oh, where are you off to?" a sudden chill raced down Inuyasha's back. Kikyo, she was here? In his own home?

"K-K-Kikyo ..." Inuyasha slowly let his hand slide off the doorknob. He'd been caught. How was he going to get out of this one?

Wait a minute, he was half-demon, right? He could defeat her, she was only human, right? But ... something inside told him he couldn't hurt her, and so that was officially out of the question. For good.

"Save it. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you right now," Kikyo folded both arms over, smiling almost maniacally. Make a fool of her, would he? She had a little surprise for him.

"I'm going for your wench."

His ... what?!? His wench?!? What was she talking about, anyway? Since when was Kagome his--wench?

"Hey, for--" Inuyasha began, but Kikyo was already pushing on 707's door, Kagome's door. She was really serious, wasn't she? She was REALLY serious!

Kagome suddenly heard a crashing outside her apartment. She turned her head and saw her door flatfaced on the ground, Kikyo standing in the doorway and Inuyasha open-mouthed behind her. Problem? Yeah, definite dilemma.

And she had to pay for a new door, too! Could things get any worse?

Yeah. She didn't even have to ask that.

Kikyo rushed and took a running jump at Kagome, thrashing her fingernails like they were tiger's claws. And they looked like tiger claws too, they were that long!

"I'll never let you get ahold of my darling Inuyasha again!" Kikyo cried, clamping her hands tight around Kagome's throat.

Darling ... Inuyasha? Riiight ...

But little did Kagome know that Kikyo was serious. Dead serious. With her hands around the girl's neck and a firey glint in her eyes, Kikyo didn't look human. Where was Inuyasha when you needed him?

"Inuyasha, help ..." Kagome whispered, gagging at the extreme grip on her neck, a very vulnerable spot. The half-demon tried peering into the room, and upon seeing Kagome down on the ground being strangled, a nerve went 'on' in his muscles and brain.

He had to protect her. He had to make sure Kagome was okay.

"Get off her!" Inuyasha cried, baring his teeth and frowning heavily, "Kikyo, let Kagome go!"

What the hell was he doing, anyway? Putting his own life in jeopardy against the Hellmaiden to rescue his childhood friend? The one who he thought he had a little crush on?

A little one!

Anyway, why'd he suddenly feel this protective feeling, like he had to ensure her safety? He didn't feel that way with Kikyo, and he thought he'd decided he loved her ...

Unless, maybe he loved Kagome ...

No way! That wasn't possible, if he didn't like Kikyo then he most definitely didn't like Kagome. It was ... his friend, and you didn't like friends! Did you ...?

Inuyasha slashed at Kikyo, gnarling his teeth like a rabid dog. Hadn't he sworn he wouldn't wound her? Then what was happening?

Kikyo stepped back in surprise, her finger wedged between her teeth. Inuyasha was attacking her to defend this girl? What nonsense! She had to get rid of him!

Just then, Sango and Miroku stepped into the room. "Open door, we came in," Miroku stated, sticking his finger up next to his left cheek. Sango rolled her eyes and tugged on his robes, motioning for him to duck as an enraged Kikyo stormed out of the room, her high heels still clacking on the linoleum floor. Kagome sat up, gasping.

Her new door! "My new door!" Kagome cried, balling up her fists and frowning. Now it was Miroku's turn to roll his eyes, and Sango hit him over the head for being rude. Inuyasha gazed longingly at Sango. Finally, a normal girl he wasn't drooling over!

"Inuyasha, do you know a Naraku Wellington?" Sango asked, pushing down on Miroku's head. Why couldn't he just cooperate for a change, and sit back while she did the talking? If he did, he'd end up with a nosebleed, no lie.

And it wouldn't be from Inuyasha. It'd be from her or Kagome.

Inuyasha's eyes immediatly bugged out of his head. Naraku, wasn't he that bigshot millionaire starting a new business? What was it called again? Something-or-other Corporation ...

"Yeah, I've heard of him," Inuyasha replied, staring at the now broken clock on the wall. 9 o'clock, was it? And now that everyone was here, he couldn't talk to Kagome! What was going on today?!? "Why, you know him or something?"

Miroku snatched the files from Sango's hands and forced them into Inuyasha's face. "We saw him at Burger Barn the other day. We figure he's up to something," Miroku shoved another tiny pamphlet into Inuyasha's face.

"We found this in there, too. Read it."

Inuyasha looked over the pictures at lightning speed. He looked so familiar, yet so akward ... then he read the note. It said:

(Osuwari Corp.

Dedicated to the creation of fine and elegant jewelery

Run by Naraku Wellington and Kaede Fukaimori

Remember, our jewelery is ...

so beautiful, they're magical!)

"Osuwari Corporation?" Kagome asked, cocking her head quizzically. Behind her, Inuyasha fell onto the now blood-stained carpet. He looked annoyed.

"Warn me next time, okay?" Inuyasha's eyebrows were twitching. He seemed really ticked off, so before she was seriously hurt, Kagome scooted over to Miroku.

Bad idea. Miroku immediatley saw his chance, and as Kagome sat down felt a hand on her but. "MIROKU, YOU PERVERT!!!" Kagome cried, whacking him with a baton (which suddenly appeared out of nowhere).

How dare he, violating her virginity that way? She was going for 5 years, and now she had to start all over again. Men sometimes, they didn't know how to keep in line, especially men like Miroku.

But she stopped whining for a moment to fondle a question: What in the world was Osuwari Corp.? And what exactly did it do? Not to be offensive, but she didn't believe the jewelery thing for a minute. And what was Kaede doing with Naraku?

"We should stick together from now on, or Naraku could kidnap one of us, or something like that," Sango concluded, a serious look on her face. The group, who was kneeling down right now nodded in a freakish unison, and through the open window a fresh breeze blew in. So romantic, thought Kagome, too bad she wasn't there ... alone ... with Inuyasha ...

Okay, she was worse than Miroku now. What was she becoming, anyway? Sasquatch? Inuyasha looked more like a Sasquatch when he was angry than she did, though.

She didn't want to imagine how mean it would be if she told Inuyasha that to his face. Luckily, she didn't have to, or she at least didn't want to, so she didn't.

"So it's settled, we have to figure out what in the hell Osuwari Corp. is?" Kagome asked, and once again everyone nodded at the same time.

That was just plain ... creepy!

~*~*~*~*

A/N: Finito, Fin, it's over! Yes, Chapter 3 has come to end as well as all the other chapters! You know, I never realized how much fun this, you know, writing about stuff like Inuyasha and turning it into something modern! Okay, I admit this last part was a little cheesy, but I was getting writers block and I didn't want to keep going on with a poor plot ... don't worry, by tomorrow the ideas will be flowing again, so stay tuned! ;)