lostdreams1: Wow...it's been forever since I've updated this story...[looks sheepish] Sorry...

He he...Before anything though, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Ulna who is psychic I swear. My new fic, Conspiracy Theory, though not based on John Grisham's the Pelican Brief, was inspired by it. Shoot...I wasn't aware it was that obvious. So props to Ulna. And without further ado...I don't own Inuyasha, and here's your pigeon!

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New Beginnings: Choices

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"Alrighty...anything else?" Reiana sat on the edge of Kagome's bed, tapping a pen against her lip thoughtfully. She had come by early that morning to help her friend fill out the police report before Inuyasha picked her up that afternoon.

"Well there was the time I fractured my wrist tripping down the stairs in my building..." Kagome started, frowning at the sheets of paper in front of her.

"When actually..." Rei prompted, pen poised and ready.

"Koga got angry because I had received a letter from a 'secret admirer'...one of the patrons of the club." Rei grimaced.

"I remember that...we had to tweak your performance so much to accommodate, because gods knew you couldn't stop working to recover," she snarled dryly, clearly becoming angry at the mere thought of all her friend had been put through. Glancing down at the four pages of injuries, the older woman whistled softly then glared at Kagome. "You do realize that I only knew about half of these," she said testily. Kagome winced.

"Yea...well...it wasn't exactly something I wanted to talk about," Kagome said defensively. Rei shook head slowly, before jotting something else down.

"Well I'm just glad it's over...finally," she said softly.

"You said it," the younger girl agreed with a nod. Kagome knew exactly how she felt, and a small smile crept to her face. She was immensely glad things had worked out this way, though if she could go back in time she would have told Inuyasha about Koga a lot sooner than she had. She realized now that she had been stupid by being worried that Inuyasha would think less of her for being controlled by a psychotic wolf demon. He genuinely cared for her and had been more upset to hear about her being abused than her lying to him. It was a strange new feeling, and Kagome was enjoying it.

"So what now?" Rei asked softly, distracting herself with the mess of papers and notes they had strewn over the hospital bad. She was distinctly avoiding Kagome's eyes, letting the other girl know that despite the vagueness of the question there was only one topic here.

"I don't know," Kagome said honestly. "I've never had the option to make my own decisions before ya know? It was never a question I could answer...Koga always did it for me."

"But Koga's gone now. You're a free woman Kagome." Kagome sat in silence for a moment letting Reiana's words wash over her. Free. Meaning she could do what she wished without the fear of retribution, without someone hanging over her. It was a nice feeling.

"I want to go back to school," she said finally, still thinking about the words as they fell cross her lips. Kagome had to drop out of school when her parents died, barely making it through primary school. She hadn't gone to high school at all and so college had been out of the question. Kagome was very bright and school hadn't been a problem for her, but even the state funded schools tended to question things if a student couldn't come up with a permanent address. Koga didn't approve of women getting educated at all, considering them merely a source of entertainment and nothing more. So long as they were easy on the eyes, brains didn't matter.

Reiana said nothing for a long while, her eyes still trained on all of the incidents they had written, though Kagome could tell she wasn't reading them. She knew the questions her friend was leaving unasked, fearing the answers she would receive. Finally Reiana took a deep breath and turned her bright eyes on Kagome. Here it comes...

"Are you gonna stick around the club?" Rei asked, her voice tight. Kagome took a deep breath and contemplated for a minute.

"I don't love it the way you do," she reasoned softly. Rei nodded. She had already been well aware of that. Whilst Kagome had been shoved into the world of exotic dancing, Reiana thrived in it. She adored being adored, being desired, not to mention she was damn good at it. The Shikon No Tama was the finest gentlemen's club in the entire city, with the highest wages and Reiana was their star attraction. Which was the main reason why Leilong was so protective on her; on nights Rei danced, the club's profits almost doubled what they did on an off night.

"I know...but Kagome you're so good." Rei sounded a little whiney and she had every reason to. If Kagome quit dancing it would be like losing her best friend. Still the older girl understood very well that Kagome had never wanted to be a stripper, that she was destined for bigger and better things. And because she was a friend, she accepted that, whether or not she liked it. "But I know what you mean..." Kagome only nodded and the two girls let silence ensue between them. There was a deep understanding between the two that they would always support each other no matter what. Unable to stand the silence anymore however, Rei cracked, changing the subject and breaking the quiet in one fell swoop. "Besides...Inuyasha might want you in a more respectable job, considering his family is the wealthiest in town..." Rei said wickedly, her eyes glinting in fun. Kagome snapped to attention.

"Inuyasha would never ask me to change professions if he knew it was what I wanted to do!" she said defensively, before noticing the jest in Rei's stare. Looking sheepish, Kagome could only smile when she thought about Inuyasha. Rei only laughed.

"I can't believe you've been with him how long now? Over a month and you still haven't slept with him..." she said rather incredulously. "First week easy if it would have been me...though with that body, I'd be shocked if I made it past the first night." Rei winked at Kagome who was turning a violent shade red.

"H-he's not like that," Kagome said, swallowing hard. She couldn't deny she hadn't thought about it before, it was hard not to. All she had to do was touch him...feel the precision of his body under his shirt... A shudder of desire almost made it down her spine before she managed to stem her feelings. [Change the subject, change the subject...] she thought quickly, but Rei spoke again before she could think of a safer topic.

"So speaking of your gorgeous hanyou, where is he this morning?" she asked idly glancing at the clock. It was almost ten, and judging by his previous concern, Rei would have expected Inuyasha here an hour ago.

"He might have class or something," Kagome said unconcernedly, her eyes following her friend's to the wall clock. "I mean he is still in school and all, I can't expect him to fail his classes because of me..." Kagome really wasn't worried about where Inuyasha was. She wasn't scheduled to be released until two so he just had to be here before then. Reiana nodded absently; it was clear she had something else on her mind. Kagome watched her for another moment before finally inquiring. "What's up?" Rei looked startled for a second and then sighed quietly.

"Where are you going to go Kagome?" she asked finally. "You can't go back to your place if Koga's in jail. He was the only reason it was safe for you to live there...and I mean the only reason," she muttered, green eyes studying her friend. "You know you'd be totally welcome to come live with me...but..." Rei let the sentence trail. The older woman lived in a large house with several other girls from the club. Kagome had heard more than her share of horror stories, from spending too much time in the bathrooms to girls having sex in beds that were not their own. Though Rei found it a laugh a minute, it was definitely not the kind of place Kagome wanted to live. More than that...it wasn't a place she wanted Inuyasha to pick her up from. A shudder slipped down her spine as she imagined it...like throwing fresh meat to a pack of hungry wolves. Still Kagome was a bit thrown. To be perfectly honest that thought hadn't even come close to crossing her mind, but she knew it was the truth.

"But it's already a madhouse and there's really no need to add another crazy person to the mix," Kagome finished with a grin. The smile slipped a bit as she thought more seriously on the issues. "I really don't know what I'm going to do..." she said finally. "Hopefully I'll be able to get some of my earnings back from Koga after he's convicted. If he hasn't squandered it all I should have enough to find a cheap place in a nicer neighborhood." Rei looked grim.

"That's a big if Kag..." Reiana didn't look optimistic.

"I know...but it's the only thing I have to go on right now."

"You should talk to Inuyasha..."

"Oh Rei, I don't want to put this on him too. He's already done so much..." Kagome looked stricken at the mere thought of talking to Inuyasha about her newest problem.

"Kagome he's loaded! At the very least he could put you up in a hotel until you find a place to stay..."

"I don't want to ask him for anything Rei. I'll figure it out."

"You stupid virgin! Haven't you learned anything from this experience? It's okay to talk to Inuyasha. He'll understand," Rei said sounding very much exasperated.

"But this is different. I don't want him to feel responsible for me. I don't want him to think that I'm not strong enough to stand on my own two feet. I don't want to be the simpering victim always needing a hero to save me," Kagome said sullenly, avoiding Rei's incredulous stare.

"Kagome you are the victim! This was a crazy and unnatural circumstance that was out of your control! Inuyasha's your hero, just accept that." Rei was clearly become frustrated with her friend's stubborn stupidity. "And besides that...I'll tell him if you don't," she said finally a smug look on her face.

"Whatever," Kagome answered idly, her tone clearly indicating that she didn't believe the older girl...which infuriated Rei.

"I'm not joking Kagome! This isn't just something you can ignore. Now if you don't tell Inuyasha then take this..." Reiana pulled out a wad of cash, her savings. "And get into a hotel room until I tell him." The older girl knew Kagome well enough to predict that she would rather tell Inu than take Rei's money.

"Oh Rei I can't take that!" Kagome said in horror, shying away from the bills. Rei smiled...exactly as she had predicted.

"Fine...then you'll talk to Inuyasha when he comes in today." Kagome looked about to protest, but she was smart enough to know when she was beat.

"Yea...alright."

"I mean it Kagome," Rei said firmly, re-pocketing the cash. "As soon as he gets here."

"I will Rei...I promise..."

----

A soft knock on his door roused the brooding hanyou early the next day. Inuyasha had already decided that he would tell Kagome before his parents. His apprehensions of her response were far less than those of his family. Glancing up at the door, he didn't get out of the bed to answer it.

"Who is it?" he called roughly.

"Miroku and Sango," came the female reply. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Half of this room was Miroku's and he had a key...why the hell were they knocking?

"What the hell are you standing out there for then?" he asked suspiciously.

"Cause we didn't want to bother you if you were still sleeping," Miroku called, quietly opening the door. He looked dismayed to see Inuyasha still lying on the bed. "..But it looks like we did anyway..."

"I've been up."

"Oh...well good." There was an awkward silence for a moment. It was clear that his friends wanted to say something but were either worried how he would take it or they already knew he wouldn't like the idea. Either way the quiet was beginning to grind on the hanyou's frayed nerves.

"What is it?" he asked warily. Miroku and Sango both looked up in surprise, before Sango finally smiled.

"Well it's just, after you left last night, Miroku and I were talking and we sort of came up with a temporary solution...at least until you're ready to tell you parents about Kagome," Sango explained. Inuyasha was very finicky when it came to outside help, even if it was from his friends. In a normal situation if Inuyasha couldn't take care of it himself it didn't get done. End of story. But these circumstances were quite different. It wasn't just about him this time, but more about a young girl that he had grown to care quite a bit about whether or not he admitted it.

"What's the solution?" he asked after a moment of long silence. Sango and Miroku both breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't turning them down up front.

"Let Kagome move in with Sango..."

"Since I don't have a roommate and all..."

"And we can play off like their cousins or something so the RA's don't get suspicious..." "And that way you can tell your mom first and then she can help you break the news to your father..."

"It would also let keep Kagome out of your house, and not that it isn't a magnificent house buddy, but well...it's not the friendliest of environments..."

"So what do you think?" The two had double teamed him, taking turns telling him all the benefits to their idea. Inuyasha had listed to them intently. It was a great idea, better than any he had thought of. Kagome would be close to him, and she wouldn't have to endure the prejudices of his family. Hell he could even put off telling them for another couple days. There really wasn't a downside to this.

"Sounds good," he said finally.

"Oh come on Inuyasha...it is a good ide...hold on...did you just say it sounds good?" Sango had begun to protest immediately up on his answer, expecting him to decline. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly.

"I think he did," Miroku said looking hard at Inuyasha. He had expected his friend to concede, but perhaps not quite so quickly. He had underestimated just how difficult this situation had been for his friend. At any rate, Inuyasha was giving them a dry look as he stood up, stretching as he got out of bed.

"Knock it off..." he said gruffly. "It's better to take this thing slowly with my parents anyway. If I just popped up today and told them about Kagome, I'd be on the street...besides, I wasn't all that crazy about the idea of moving Kagome into my parents' house if I wasn't going to be there..." Sango was clearly still shocked at his docile reaction.

"So then we'll go ahead with this? And Kagome will move in with me?" Sango wanted to be sure she was still following.

"Yes," Inuyasha confirmed, getting irked that they were making such a big deal about this. He really wasn't that disagreeable was he? Pushing past them he headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Now that he had a plan, he wanted to get to the hospital to tell Kagome the good news. Almost obediently the two moved out of his way, realizing they shouldn't push the subject any more. He had agreed with them and that was enough.

"So when is Kagome being released?" Miroku asked as his friend shut the door on them.

"Two this afternoon," came a muffled reply.

"So then I suppose we'll pick her up and then take her to her old place to get her things...and then bring her back here..." Inuyasha stuck his head out of the bathroom for just a moment. His boxers were still on, but he had lost the shirt.

"What do you mean we? You two aren't planning on coming..."

"Well of course! You really can't expect us to not tag along can you? I mean she's going to be living with me. I should at least be able have a conversation with her," Sango said indignantly. "And don't you even argue with me Mr. Kaiyou! This is not up for discussion," she threatened as Inuyasha opened his mouth to dispute. Staring blankly at the girl, he muttered something under his breath and disappeared back into the bathroom. Smiling triumphantly Sango turned back to Miroku. "Well since it won't take him long to get ready, I'm going to head back down and freshen up myself. He'll wanna leave as soon as he's done," she said softly.

"Yes of course," Miroku agreed. "You are such a kind person Sango-chan..." he said softly, kissing her cheek. Sango melted.

"Oh Miroku," she said mushily, giving him a hug. A slinking feeling around her rear however suddenly ruined the moment.

"PERVERT!"

[WHAM]

Storming out of the room in a huff, Sango returned to her own floor to finish getting ready, leaving a swirly-eyed Miroku on the floor to recover. From inside the shower Inuyasha smiled.

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Inuyasha walked idly towards Kagome's room. It was already eleven... Sango and Miroku had stopped at the front desk to inquire about any calls for an Aunt Kirara...whatever the hell that was. As he neared Kagome's room a dark bobbed head exited nearly running him over. Vivid green stared up at him before recognition set in.

"Oh you're here...good," Reiana said, her voice quite serious. Inuyasha was surprised to hear that sort of tone from her. Her next question explained it all though. "Kagome cannot stay in her current apartment. With Koga around to instill the fear the kept her safe she's not and someone will try and take advantage of that situation. I'm not saying you have to take her in, but damnit Inuyasha...she doesn't have anything you understand that? Nothing. Koga took all her money, giving her only enough to live off of...if even. And even with him in jail, she's not going to get that money back. I'd take her in a heartbeat, but she can't live with me...she needs better than that." Rei was being so very passionate about Kagome's well being that Inuyasha had the odd impulse to hug the girl. Managing to keep himself fairly blank he merely gave her an amused smirk.

"It's taken care of," he said quietly. Reiana looked at him in disbelief.

"Taken care of? You mean?"

"You really didn't think I was about to leave her in that dump did you?" he asked teasingly, though a bit disturbed that she didn't think he was better than that.

"No of course not..." Rei stammered, clearly embarrassed at her assumption. "I just wasn't sure if you thought of that or not... Cause you know the thought didn't even cross her mind. She was planning on going right back to the old building..." she added, just to make sure that he didn't think she doubt him further. Inuyasha wanted to laugh at her awkwardness, though he was surprised to see her so frazzled. "I told her to talk to you about it, but you know Kagome...it's like pulling teeth get her to ask for help. Especially from you..." Almost immediately she clapped a hand to her mouth as though she said too much. Inuyasha frowned instantly.

"Why? Why would she hesitate asking for my help? Why 'especially' me?" he growled. Rei turned white.

"Oh it's not like that Inuyasha...she just...well..." Rei hesitated, not really wanting to disclose Kagome's personal feelings to him without her consent. Inuyasha was looking at her expectantly and under his unwavering golden stare she cracked. "She's worried that if she leans on you too much you'll realize how much better you are then she is and leave her for someone more your type. I told her she was crazy, but she's just so afraid of losing you..." Inuyasha was speechless. Kagome was afraid that she wasn't good enough for him? Him? The scum of his family, the lowly half-breed...and Kagome was afraid of not being good enough for him. A strange new feeling fluttered in Inuyasha's chest, a warmth he wasn't aware he could feel.

"Well she doesn't have anything to worry about...I'm going anywhere," he said finally, still smirking. Reiana only nodded, her face red from being so flustered. "So how's she doing today?" he asked growing more serious.

"She's tired and sore...but she's awake and trying to stay energetic. We spent all morning filling out the incidents for the police report...four pages worth," Rei shared, holding up the loose leaf. Inuyasha looked shocked, and slowly took the sheets from her, thumbing through them. His amber eyes widened, though it was clear he was trying to keep his temper. "I only knew about half of them myself," she said quietly after noticing the look on his face. "I kept telling her she needed to do something but that stupid wolf had her wrapped around his finger. Especially after she tried to run away from him..." Inuyasha winced remembering the doctor's description when they had first brought Kagome in. "He just proved to her that she couldn't get away from him...not for very long at any rate." Reiana looked away uncomfortably after that, taking the papers back from Inuyasha. "Well I'm going to type these out, you should go see her..." she urged, stepping quickly to the side. Inuyasha only nodded his mind full of mixed feelings. Anger burned through him at the thought of what that bastard wolf did to his Kagome. He was damn lucky he was in jail at the moment and safely out of Inuyasha's reach.

Moving on quickly, Inuyasha knocked softly on the door before entering. Kagome was lying down, but she smiled warmly at him when he entered.

"Hey there..." she said weakly. Her face was still bruised and swollen, but she was clearly feeling a little better.

"Hey yourself," he replied, crossing to her side and kissing her softly on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine...I'm ready to get out of here..." she told him, before faltering a little. Inuyasha realized that this was point where she was going to tell him about her living situation. Thankful that he had met Rei in the hallway, he put a finger to her lips before she could get out a word.

"You're not going back to your old apartment," he told her firmly, no longer worried about what her answer would be. "My friend Sango has an extra bed so until we can find a more permanent place for you, I would like it if you stayed with her." Kagome looked floored by his proposal. He had been thinking about the same thing? But he wanted her to stay with Sango...not with him...she frowned a minute and Inuyasha could almost see the questions burning in her mind. "See we all still live in the dorms at the school. They split gender by floor. Sango's room is one floor down from Miroku and my room." He smiled to see the relief seep into her face almost instantly.

"But won't the school have a problem with that?" she asked softly, praying that it would work out like he said. One floor down from Inuyasha...she could see him whenever she wanted... The idea was making her giddy.

"Well we'd have to introduce you as her cousin or something like that..." he said. Kagome nodded and fell silent for a moment before grinning up at him.

"It sounds wonderful Inuyasha!" she announced, slipping her small hand into his and squeezing softly. "I can't wait.

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lostdreams: he he...I got a new idea for this fic to make things a little more interesting...more twists to come!