Innocence
By: scarletmoon4
Chapter 2: Killer's Victim
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Sesshomaru Inu sat on the rock-iron bunk in one of the town's two jail cells and moaned like a wounded dog. The three aspirin he'd took had yet to take effect, and the army of chain saws buzzing inside his head were getting close to the brain.
He took his head out of his hands long enough to slurp down more of the coffee Miroku had left him, then grabbed it tight afraid it would fall off. Half hoping it would. As always, during the first hour after waking from drinking, Sesshomaru despised himself. He hated knowing that he had strolled, smiling, into the same trap again.
Not the drinking. No. Sesshomaru liked drinking. He liked the first hot taste of whiskey when it hit the tongue, slid down the throat, settled into the belly like a long, slow kiss from a pretty woman. He liked the friendly rush that spread into his head after the second drink.
Hell, he fucking loved it.
He didn't mind getting drunk. No, there was something to be said about the floating time after you'd knocked back five or six. When everything looked fine and funny. When you forgot about you life had turned bad on you—that you'd lost a wife and a pup you'd never wanted much in the first place to some fucking salesman, that you were stuck in a dusty pisshole of a town because there was no place else to go.
Yeah, he liked the forgetful time just fine.
He didn't liked the fact that sometimes the drink turned him bad, mean, so he wanted to pick a fight, any fight. God knew he wasn't all that bad. He father was. But sometimes, just sometimes, the whiskey turned him into that old fart. What scared him was that there was times that he couldn't remember if he turned bad or just passed out. Whenever that happened, he was more likely to wake up in a cell with a hangover fit to kill.
Like he was now.
Sesshomaru fumbled his way to the bathroom and threw up. Missing his own bed, he splashed cold water in his face until his eyes stopped burning. He hissed through his teeth when the door slammed in the outer office, and whimpered just a little when Kikyo cheerfully called his name.
"Sesshomaru are you in there? It's your sweet friend come to bust you out."
When he stepped into the doorway he leaned weakly on the jail door bars, Kikyo raised her eyebrow.
"Gods. You look like something three cats had to drag in. Sess, how do you see through all that blood in your eyes?"
"Did I . . . . . . . ." He coughed to clear his throat. "Did I wreck a car?"
"Not that I know of. Now, you come on along with Kikyo." She moved towards him to taker his arm. When he turned his head, she stepped back fast.
"Man, how many men have you killed with that breath?" She dug in her purse and pulled out a box of Tic Tacs. "Here, you chew on a couple of these." She popped them into his mouth herself.
"Ella's going to be real pissed," he mumbled as he let Kikyo guide him to the door.
"I expect she will—but when she finds out about Inuyasha, she'll forget all about you."
"Inuyasha? Oh, shit." Sesshomaru stepped back as the sun hit his eyes. Shaking her head, Kikyo pulled out her sunglasses, the ones with the little rhinestones circling the lenses, and handed them to him.
"Inuyasha's in trouble. Or Gina is claiming he got her in trouble. But we'll see about that."
"Shit." For a brief moment his own problems faded away. "Inuyasha got Gina knocked up?"
Kikyo opened the passenger door of her car so Sesshomaru could drop himself in.
"She made a big scene over at Eatin' Fresh, so everybody in town's going to be watching to see if her belly bloats."
"Gods."
"I'll say this," Kikyo started the car. "Whether she's knocked up or not, he'd better think twice before moving that whiny slut into the house."
Sesshomaru would have agreed, but he was too busy holding his head.
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Inuyasha knew better than to go back to the house. Ella would be on him in a minute. He needed some time alone, and once he drove through Lexmark Water's gates, he knew he wouldn't get any.
The heat lessened by a few degrees once he was under the shelter of green leaves and dripping moss. Still he wasn't looking to cool down his skin, but his mind. For one moment, he wanted to just grab Gina by the throat and squeeze every last accusing breath out of her.
Half of what she said had been lies, but that meant that half of what she said had been the truth. He shoved, a low hanging branch aside, ducked, and made his way through the heavy summer growth of the water.
Inuyasha kept an eye for snakes as he sat down on a log. He'd always liked the water—surprisingly—but he never really liked the pound and thrust of the ocean, but the still darkness of shady ponds, the murmur of streams, the steady pulse of the river.
Even as a boy he'd been drawn to it, using the excuse of fishing to sit and think, or sit and doze, listing to the plop of frogs. He'd had only childish problems to face then. Whether he was going to get skinned for that D in geography, how to beg for a new car for Christmas. And later, whether he should ask Jaylen or Annie to the Valentines Day Dance.
As you got older, the problems got bigger. He remembered being depressed for his father when the old jackass went and got himself killed in that travel down in Ishito. But that had been nothing, nothing compared to when he found his mother crumpled in her garden, already too close to death for any doctor to fix her seizure heart.
He'd come here often then, to ease himself past the misery. Edith Inu would not have approved of Gina. She would have found her, edgy, snobbish, and a slut. Gina, on the other hand, was a fine piece of work, in his eyes. Physically speaking. Big—breasted, wide-hipped, her skin on the other hand was rough. It was not smooth as he imagined it would be.
He hadn't loved her, nor had he claimed her. Inuyasha considered promises of love a cheap tool for persuading a woman into bed. He'd shown her a good time, in bed and out. He wasn't a type of person to stop the courtship process once a woman had spread her legs. But the minute she started hinting about marriage, he took one hell of a step back.
First he had given her a long cooling time, taking her out maybe twice in a two-week period and cutting off sex completely. He'd told her flat out that he had no intention of getting married. But he had seen the look in her eyes that she didn't believe him. So he'd broken it off. She cried but was mature about it, well not really. Inuyasha had no doubt that she'd heard that he'd been seen with someone else.
If Gina was pregnant, he was pretty sure—that despite everything he was the one who made her pregnant. Now he had to figure out what he had to do about it. He was surprised that Curio Hitomi hadn't already come looking for him with his shotgun loaded. Curio wasn't the most understanding of men, and he has never liked the Inu family. In fact, he hated them, ever since Edith had chosen Kiro Inu, instead of Curio and ended his blind dream of marrying her himself.
Since then, Curio turned into one mean, hard—bitten son of a bitch. It was common knowledge that he slapped his wife around when the mood was on him. He used the same technique discipline with each of his five children—the oldest being Chris, was now serving time in jail for grand theft auto. Curio had spent a few nights in jail himself. Inuyasha figured that it was only matter of time before Curio came after him with his shotgun.
He'd just have to deal with it.
Just like he has to do with Gina. Responsibility was what it was, and he'd be damned if he married her for responsibility. He'd do what he could, and what was right. And maybe, once the anger wore off, he'd feel affectionate towards the kid, but not for the mother. Inuyasha covered his face with his hands and wished Gina would just disappear. That she would pay for that scene in the diner where she made him look worser then he was. If he could just think of a way to he'd . . . . . . . . .
He heard a rustle in the leaves and turned towards the noise. If Gina had followed him, she was going to find him pissed off.
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When Kagome stepped into the clearing, she muffled a scream. There, in the shady spot where she'd once fished with her grandfather, was a man, golden eyes, cold and looked pissed, mouth pulled back into something dangerous either a snarl and a sneer. She looked around for a weapon, then realized she had to depend on herself.
"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha's tough look disappeared as soon as he realized that it wasn't Gina.
"Just watching the water." He flashed her a smile that was supposed to signal that he was harmless. "I didn't expect to run into anyone."
Kagome was not convinced that he was harmless. His voice was smooth, with that lazy drawl that could so easily be mocking. Though is eyes were smiling at her, there was melting sexuality in them that she was ready to run if he attacked her, in any way.
"Who are you?"
"Inuyasha Inu. I live just down the road. I'm trespassing."
Again he gave her that 'don't worry about a thing' smile.
"Sorry if I gave you a scare. Norma didn't mind if I wandered in here to sit, so I didn't think to stop by the house and ask. You're Kagome Higurashi?"
"Yes." She found her own stiff answer rude compared to his. To soften it she smiled, but that didn't loosened the tensed stance.
"You startled me, um, Mr. Inu"
"Oh, just make that Inuyasha." Smiling he started check her out. 'Nice.' He thought, her face was elegant, nicely shaped, she looked like she had smooth silky skin. She had raven black hair it suited her well. Body, his type, the way he liked it. He tucked his thumbs into his pockets.
"We're neighbors after all. We tend to be nice around here in Innocence."
'This one,' She thought. 'Could charm the bark off a tree.' She'd known another like him. Any way the words were spoken they were deadly, dangerous, seductive.
She nodded.
"I was just taking a look around the property," she said. "I didn't expect to come across anyone."
"It's a nice spot. You moving in all right? If you need anything, all you need to do is ask me."
"I appreciate that, but I think I can mange. I've been here only an hour or so."
"I know. I passed you coming in, on my way to town."
She started to come up with another response, and then her eyes narrowed.
"In a Porsche?"
This time his smile was slow and wide.
"Nice car huh?" Kagome stepped forward, eyes burning.
"You idiot, you must have been going on ninety." She'd gone from being lovely to downright beautiful with that anger in her eyes. Inuyasha kept his thumbs in his pockets. He'd always figured if you couldn't avoid a woman's temper, you might as well enjoy it.
"Nope, as I remember, I was just coming up on eighty. Now, she'll do a hundred and twenty in a good straightway, but—."
"You almost hit me." He seemed to consider the possibility, then shook his head.
"No, I had plenty of time to swing around. Probably looked closer from your point of view, though. I'm sorry if I scared you twice in the same day." But the glitter in his eyes had nothing to do with apology.
"Mostly I try to have a different effect on a pretty woman." If there was one thing that her mother had taught her was dignity. She caught herself before she could stutter.
"You have no business being in the road at all. I should report you to the police." All that anger, he liked.
"Well, you can do that all right. You can call into town and ask for Miroku. That's Miroku Kukri. He's the sheriff."
"And your cousin, no doubt." She said between her teeth.
"No, though his younger sister did marry a second cousin of mine. They moved away from Innocence. My cousin? His name is Rue. He's from my mom's side. He and Maggie—that's Miroku's sister—they run one of those storage places. They're doing great."
"Well, that's nice."
He smiled. His smile was slow and easy as the water beside him.
"Tell Miroku I said hi when you talk to him." Though he was taller by a few inches, Kagome managed to look at him.
"I think we both know it would do very little good. Now, I think you should leave. And if you want to sit and watch the water again, find someplace else to do it." She turned around and took two steps before Inuyasha's voice—and it was mocking—called out to her.
"Kagome? Welcome to Innocence. Have a great day." She kept walking. And Inuyasha waited until he figured she was out of earshot before he started to laugh. He enjoyed teasing her.
"Man, she's a beauty." He laughed. Yep he was going to enjoy her living here.
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Gina was ready. The scene at the diner, and her public humiliation of Inuyasha, had brought him around as surely as a brass ring through his nose. Inuyasha had the smoothest tongue in the area. But he wasn't going to get off that easy. She was going to see a ring on her finger and a marriage license in her hand quick as a lick. She'd wipe that mug off every face in Innocence when she moved into the big house.
Yes, she was fond for Inuyasha but she mostly cared about his house, his name, and his bank account. And when she swept into Innocence, she'd do it in a long pink Cadillac. She wouldn't have to work anymore. She'd be an Inu. She pulled her car to the side of the road. She didn't question the fact that Inuyasha's note had asked her to meet him back at the pond.
She found it sweet. Gina had fallen in love . . . . . . . . . with his money. True he was a respectable man. He didn't always want to get right into her pants, like most men she dated.
No, Inuyasha liked to talk. And half the time she didn't know what he was saying. But she did enjoy the presents. Once they married, she was going to get everything that she wanted. The moon was full enough, so she didn't bother with a flashlight.
She fluffed her blonde hair, then tugged at her skinny white tank top and her pink shorts were so short, but she figured that maybe it would have an effect on him. If she played this right, Inuyasha would be hers. Nobody did it like Inuyasha. Why, sometimes when he was touching her, she forgot all about his money.
She wanted him inside her tonight, not just for the thrill of it but because the timing was just right. Maybe she'll get lucky and would end up being pregnant in the morning. She moved through the thick leaves, and the vines, the moon were pretty bright. Her feet were silent on the soft ground and marshy grasses.
"Inuyasha?" She used the little girl voice that was her way of getting what she wanted. "I'm sorry I'm late, honey."
She stopped by the pond, she saw nothing but water and rocks. She'd purposely arrived late. She sat on the log where Inuyasha had sat on only hours before. But she didn't feel his presence. He did sent her a note saying:
Meet me at Shawn Pond at midnight. We'll fix everything. I only want to be alone with you for a little while.
And wasn't that just like him. Gina thought. Making her think he's sweet, then pissing her off because he was later, not her.
"Five minutes." She decided. That was all he was getting. Then she was going to drive up the road, right through those big fancy gates and up to his big house. She was going to let Inuyasha know that he couldn't play around with her feelings that way.
At the whisper of a sound behind her, she turned her head, prepared to flutter her eyelashes. The blow to base of her skull had her tumbling face down to the ground.
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Her moan was muffled. Gina heard it in her head, and her head felt as though it had been split in two by a dull rock. She tried to lift it, but it hurt. When she started to bring her hands up to hold her head, she found them stuck behind her.
She started to get scared. Opening her eyes wide, she tried to call out. But her mouth was gagged. She could taste the cloth and the cologne in it. Her eyes rolled wildly as she fought to work to free her hands. She was naked, and her bare back was scarping into the bark as she wriggled against the tree. She'd been tied hand to foot to a live oak, her feet expertly cinched so that her legs were spread in a vulnerable V. visions of rape danced through her mind.
"Gina. Gina." The voice was low and harsh, like the scrape of metal against rock. Gina's terrified eyes widened as she tried to find the person who spoke. All she saw was water and thick leaves. She tried to scream but choked on the gag.
"I've had my eye on you. I wondered how soon we'd get together like this. Romantic, isn't it, being naked in the moonlight? We're all alone, you and me. All alone. Let's fuck."
Paralyzed with fear, Gina watched the figure slip out of the shadows. Saw the moonlight glint of naked skin. Saw it flash for one instant on the long bladed knife. Now it was terror and revulsion she felt as she recognized what was coming towards her. Her stomach clenched and rolled, and she felt sick. But the figure came closer, glided by a fine sheen of sweat and smelling of madness.
Her pleas couldn't be heard. Thin streams if blood ran down her back and legs as she twisted against the tree. The hands on her squeezing, stroking. And the mouth. Hot, frightened tears, slid down her cheeks as the mouth closed hungrily over her defenseless breasts.
Slick and sweat, the body rubbed against hers, doing things she didn't want to believe could be done to her. Her weeping was mindless now, her body shuddering at every touch of the wet mouth, the intruding fingers inside her, the smooth flat of the buck knife.
She remembered what had happened to Alice and Kayla, and knew they felt the same numb terror, felt the same sick revulsion in the last moments of their lives.
"You want it? You want it?" The breathless chant rolled over the dull buzzing in Gina's brain.
"Whore." The knife turned, slicing delicately, almost painlessly, down Gina's arm. As the mouth closed greedily over the wound, Gina slumped into a half faint.
"No, you don't." A hand slapped playfully across her face to revive her. "No sleeping on the job for whores."
There was a quick, almost giggly laugh. Blood smeared the smiling lips. Gina's glazed eyes opened and fixed.
"Better, that's better. I want you to watch. Ready?"
'Please, please, please," Gina's mind screamed. "Don't kill me. I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell."
"No!" The voice was husky and aroused, and Gina smelled her own fear, her own blood, when that face leaned close to hers, with madness shining out of her eyes she'd known very well.
"You're not worth fucking." One hand ripped aside the gag. Part of pleasure, the need, was to hear that one high scream. It was cut off as the knife slashed Gina's throat.
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Kagome sat straight up in bed, heart beating fast. She was clutching both hands to it, nearly ripping her thin sleep shirt in reaction
"A scream."
Who was screaming? She nearly fell out of the bed and fumbling for the light when she remembered where she was and fell against the pillows. Not Paris, Spain, or New York. She was in Innocence sleeping in the bed her grandparents slept in. Night sounds seemed to fill the room.
Crickets, frogs and owls. She heard another scream, like a woman's.
"Screech owls." She remembered now. Her grandmother had soothed her one night during that long-ago visit when the same rusty cry had awakened her. Closing her eyes, Kagome listened to the owl.
It was just as her grandmother had told her. She was safe here in Innocence.
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Well that was chapter 2. FINALLY! Well sorry that I took so long. Well I'll try to update sooner. I had so much school work to do that I didn't find a good time to write. Since it's summer now, I got nothing to do so I have plenty of time to write. Well thanks for all the people that has reviewed! I love reviews. Please review this story!!! Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. A bit spooky huh. Don't forget to review! I love getting reviews!!
Scarletmoon4
By: scarletmoon4
Chapter 2: Killer's Victim
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Sesshomaru Inu sat on the rock-iron bunk in one of the town's two jail cells and moaned like a wounded dog. The three aspirin he'd took had yet to take effect, and the army of chain saws buzzing inside his head were getting close to the brain.
He took his head out of his hands long enough to slurp down more of the coffee Miroku had left him, then grabbed it tight afraid it would fall off. Half hoping it would. As always, during the first hour after waking from drinking, Sesshomaru despised himself. He hated knowing that he had strolled, smiling, into the same trap again.
Not the drinking. No. Sesshomaru liked drinking. He liked the first hot taste of whiskey when it hit the tongue, slid down the throat, settled into the belly like a long, slow kiss from a pretty woman. He liked the friendly rush that spread into his head after the second drink.
Hell, he fucking loved it.
He didn't mind getting drunk. No, there was something to be said about the floating time after you'd knocked back five or six. When everything looked fine and funny. When you forgot about you life had turned bad on you—that you'd lost a wife and a pup you'd never wanted much in the first place to some fucking salesman, that you were stuck in a dusty pisshole of a town because there was no place else to go.
Yeah, he liked the forgetful time just fine.
He didn't liked the fact that sometimes the drink turned him bad, mean, so he wanted to pick a fight, any fight. God knew he wasn't all that bad. He father was. But sometimes, just sometimes, the whiskey turned him into that old fart. What scared him was that there was times that he couldn't remember if he turned bad or just passed out. Whenever that happened, he was more likely to wake up in a cell with a hangover fit to kill.
Like he was now.
Sesshomaru fumbled his way to the bathroom and threw up. Missing his own bed, he splashed cold water in his face until his eyes stopped burning. He hissed through his teeth when the door slammed in the outer office, and whimpered just a little when Kikyo cheerfully called his name.
"Sesshomaru are you in there? It's your sweet friend come to bust you out."
When he stepped into the doorway he leaned weakly on the jail door bars, Kikyo raised her eyebrow.
"Gods. You look like something three cats had to drag in. Sess, how do you see through all that blood in your eyes?"
"Did I . . . . . . . ." He coughed to clear his throat. "Did I wreck a car?"
"Not that I know of. Now, you come on along with Kikyo." She moved towards him to taker his arm. When he turned his head, she stepped back fast.
"Man, how many men have you killed with that breath?" She dug in her purse and pulled out a box of Tic Tacs. "Here, you chew on a couple of these." She popped them into his mouth herself.
"Ella's going to be real pissed," he mumbled as he let Kikyo guide him to the door.
"I expect she will—but when she finds out about Inuyasha, she'll forget all about you."
"Inuyasha? Oh, shit." Sesshomaru stepped back as the sun hit his eyes. Shaking her head, Kikyo pulled out her sunglasses, the ones with the little rhinestones circling the lenses, and handed them to him.
"Inuyasha's in trouble. Or Gina is claiming he got her in trouble. But we'll see about that."
"Shit." For a brief moment his own problems faded away. "Inuyasha got Gina knocked up?"
Kikyo opened the passenger door of her car so Sesshomaru could drop himself in.
"She made a big scene over at Eatin' Fresh, so everybody in town's going to be watching to see if her belly bloats."
"Gods."
"I'll say this," Kikyo started the car. "Whether she's knocked up or not, he'd better think twice before moving that whiny slut into the house."
Sesshomaru would have agreed, but he was too busy holding his head.
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Inuyasha knew better than to go back to the house. Ella would be on him in a minute. He needed some time alone, and once he drove through Lexmark Water's gates, he knew he wouldn't get any.
The heat lessened by a few degrees once he was under the shelter of green leaves and dripping moss. Still he wasn't looking to cool down his skin, but his mind. For one moment, he wanted to just grab Gina by the throat and squeeze every last accusing breath out of her.
Half of what she said had been lies, but that meant that half of what she said had been the truth. He shoved, a low hanging branch aside, ducked, and made his way through the heavy summer growth of the water.
Inuyasha kept an eye for snakes as he sat down on a log. He'd always liked the water—surprisingly—but he never really liked the pound and thrust of the ocean, but the still darkness of shady ponds, the murmur of streams, the steady pulse of the river.
Even as a boy he'd been drawn to it, using the excuse of fishing to sit and think, or sit and doze, listing to the plop of frogs. He'd had only childish problems to face then. Whether he was going to get skinned for that D in geography, how to beg for a new car for Christmas. And later, whether he should ask Jaylen or Annie to the Valentines Day Dance.
As you got older, the problems got bigger. He remembered being depressed for his father when the old jackass went and got himself killed in that travel down in Ishito. But that had been nothing, nothing compared to when he found his mother crumpled in her garden, already too close to death for any doctor to fix her seizure heart.
He'd come here often then, to ease himself past the misery. Edith Inu would not have approved of Gina. She would have found her, edgy, snobbish, and a slut. Gina, on the other hand, was a fine piece of work, in his eyes. Physically speaking. Big—breasted, wide-hipped, her skin on the other hand was rough. It was not smooth as he imagined it would be.
He hadn't loved her, nor had he claimed her. Inuyasha considered promises of love a cheap tool for persuading a woman into bed. He'd shown her a good time, in bed and out. He wasn't a type of person to stop the courtship process once a woman had spread her legs. But the minute she started hinting about marriage, he took one hell of a step back.
First he had given her a long cooling time, taking her out maybe twice in a two-week period and cutting off sex completely. He'd told her flat out that he had no intention of getting married. But he had seen the look in her eyes that she didn't believe him. So he'd broken it off. She cried but was mature about it, well not really. Inuyasha had no doubt that she'd heard that he'd been seen with someone else.
If Gina was pregnant, he was pretty sure—that despite everything he was the one who made her pregnant. Now he had to figure out what he had to do about it. He was surprised that Curio Hitomi hadn't already come looking for him with his shotgun loaded. Curio wasn't the most understanding of men, and he has never liked the Inu family. In fact, he hated them, ever since Edith had chosen Kiro Inu, instead of Curio and ended his blind dream of marrying her himself.
Since then, Curio turned into one mean, hard—bitten son of a bitch. It was common knowledge that he slapped his wife around when the mood was on him. He used the same technique discipline with each of his five children—the oldest being Chris, was now serving time in jail for grand theft auto. Curio had spent a few nights in jail himself. Inuyasha figured that it was only matter of time before Curio came after him with his shotgun.
He'd just have to deal with it.
Just like he has to do with Gina. Responsibility was what it was, and he'd be damned if he married her for responsibility. He'd do what he could, and what was right. And maybe, once the anger wore off, he'd feel affectionate towards the kid, but not for the mother. Inuyasha covered his face with his hands and wished Gina would just disappear. That she would pay for that scene in the diner where she made him look worser then he was. If he could just think of a way to he'd . . . . . . . . .
He heard a rustle in the leaves and turned towards the noise. If Gina had followed him, she was going to find him pissed off.
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When Kagome stepped into the clearing, she muffled a scream. There, in the shady spot where she'd once fished with her grandfather, was a man, golden eyes, cold and looked pissed, mouth pulled back into something dangerous either a snarl and a sneer. She looked around for a weapon, then realized she had to depend on herself.
"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha's tough look disappeared as soon as he realized that it wasn't Gina.
"Just watching the water." He flashed her a smile that was supposed to signal that he was harmless. "I didn't expect to run into anyone."
Kagome was not convinced that he was harmless. His voice was smooth, with that lazy drawl that could so easily be mocking. Though is eyes were smiling at her, there was melting sexuality in them that she was ready to run if he attacked her, in any way.
"Who are you?"
"Inuyasha Inu. I live just down the road. I'm trespassing."
Again he gave her that 'don't worry about a thing' smile.
"Sorry if I gave you a scare. Norma didn't mind if I wandered in here to sit, so I didn't think to stop by the house and ask. You're Kagome Higurashi?"
"Yes." She found her own stiff answer rude compared to his. To soften it she smiled, but that didn't loosened the tensed stance.
"You startled me, um, Mr. Inu"
"Oh, just make that Inuyasha." Smiling he started check her out. 'Nice.' He thought, her face was elegant, nicely shaped, she looked like she had smooth silky skin. She had raven black hair it suited her well. Body, his type, the way he liked it. He tucked his thumbs into his pockets.
"We're neighbors after all. We tend to be nice around here in Innocence."
'This one,' She thought. 'Could charm the bark off a tree.' She'd known another like him. Any way the words were spoken they were deadly, dangerous, seductive.
She nodded.
"I was just taking a look around the property," she said. "I didn't expect to come across anyone."
"It's a nice spot. You moving in all right? If you need anything, all you need to do is ask me."
"I appreciate that, but I think I can mange. I've been here only an hour or so."
"I know. I passed you coming in, on my way to town."
She started to come up with another response, and then her eyes narrowed.
"In a Porsche?"
This time his smile was slow and wide.
"Nice car huh?" Kagome stepped forward, eyes burning.
"You idiot, you must have been going on ninety." She'd gone from being lovely to downright beautiful with that anger in her eyes. Inuyasha kept his thumbs in his pockets. He'd always figured if you couldn't avoid a woman's temper, you might as well enjoy it.
"Nope, as I remember, I was just coming up on eighty. Now, she'll do a hundred and twenty in a good straightway, but—."
"You almost hit me." He seemed to consider the possibility, then shook his head.
"No, I had plenty of time to swing around. Probably looked closer from your point of view, though. I'm sorry if I scared you twice in the same day." But the glitter in his eyes had nothing to do with apology.
"Mostly I try to have a different effect on a pretty woman." If there was one thing that her mother had taught her was dignity. She caught herself before she could stutter.
"You have no business being in the road at all. I should report you to the police." All that anger, he liked.
"Well, you can do that all right. You can call into town and ask for Miroku. That's Miroku Kukri. He's the sheriff."
"And your cousin, no doubt." She said between her teeth.
"No, though his younger sister did marry a second cousin of mine. They moved away from Innocence. My cousin? His name is Rue. He's from my mom's side. He and Maggie—that's Miroku's sister—they run one of those storage places. They're doing great."
"Well, that's nice."
He smiled. His smile was slow and easy as the water beside him.
"Tell Miroku I said hi when you talk to him." Though he was taller by a few inches, Kagome managed to look at him.
"I think we both know it would do very little good. Now, I think you should leave. And if you want to sit and watch the water again, find someplace else to do it." She turned around and took two steps before Inuyasha's voice—and it was mocking—called out to her.
"Kagome? Welcome to Innocence. Have a great day." She kept walking. And Inuyasha waited until he figured she was out of earshot before he started to laugh. He enjoyed teasing her.
"Man, she's a beauty." He laughed. Yep he was going to enjoy her living here.
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Gina was ready. The scene at the diner, and her public humiliation of Inuyasha, had brought him around as surely as a brass ring through his nose. Inuyasha had the smoothest tongue in the area. But he wasn't going to get off that easy. She was going to see a ring on her finger and a marriage license in her hand quick as a lick. She'd wipe that mug off every face in Innocence when she moved into the big house.
Yes, she was fond for Inuyasha but she mostly cared about his house, his name, and his bank account. And when she swept into Innocence, she'd do it in a long pink Cadillac. She wouldn't have to work anymore. She'd be an Inu. She pulled her car to the side of the road. She didn't question the fact that Inuyasha's note had asked her to meet him back at the pond.
She found it sweet. Gina had fallen in love . . . . . . . . . with his money. True he was a respectable man. He didn't always want to get right into her pants, like most men she dated.
No, Inuyasha liked to talk. And half the time she didn't know what he was saying. But she did enjoy the presents. Once they married, she was going to get everything that she wanted. The moon was full enough, so she didn't bother with a flashlight.
She fluffed her blonde hair, then tugged at her skinny white tank top and her pink shorts were so short, but she figured that maybe it would have an effect on him. If she played this right, Inuyasha would be hers. Nobody did it like Inuyasha. Why, sometimes when he was touching her, she forgot all about his money.
She wanted him inside her tonight, not just for the thrill of it but because the timing was just right. Maybe she'll get lucky and would end up being pregnant in the morning. She moved through the thick leaves, and the vines, the moon were pretty bright. Her feet were silent on the soft ground and marshy grasses.
"Inuyasha?" She used the little girl voice that was her way of getting what she wanted. "I'm sorry I'm late, honey."
She stopped by the pond, she saw nothing but water and rocks. She'd purposely arrived late. She sat on the log where Inuyasha had sat on only hours before. But she didn't feel his presence. He did sent her a note saying:
Meet me at Shawn Pond at midnight. We'll fix everything. I only want to be alone with you for a little while.
And wasn't that just like him. Gina thought. Making her think he's sweet, then pissing her off because he was later, not her.
"Five minutes." She decided. That was all he was getting. Then she was going to drive up the road, right through those big fancy gates and up to his big house. She was going to let Inuyasha know that he couldn't play around with her feelings that way.
At the whisper of a sound behind her, she turned her head, prepared to flutter her eyelashes. The blow to base of her skull had her tumbling face down to the ground.
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Her moan was muffled. Gina heard it in her head, and her head felt as though it had been split in two by a dull rock. She tried to lift it, but it hurt. When she started to bring her hands up to hold her head, she found them stuck behind her.
She started to get scared. Opening her eyes wide, she tried to call out. But her mouth was gagged. She could taste the cloth and the cologne in it. Her eyes rolled wildly as she fought to work to free her hands. She was naked, and her bare back was scarping into the bark as she wriggled against the tree. She'd been tied hand to foot to a live oak, her feet expertly cinched so that her legs were spread in a vulnerable V. visions of rape danced through her mind.
"Gina. Gina." The voice was low and harsh, like the scrape of metal against rock. Gina's terrified eyes widened as she tried to find the person who spoke. All she saw was water and thick leaves. She tried to scream but choked on the gag.
"I've had my eye on you. I wondered how soon we'd get together like this. Romantic, isn't it, being naked in the moonlight? We're all alone, you and me. All alone. Let's fuck."
Paralyzed with fear, Gina watched the figure slip out of the shadows. Saw the moonlight glint of naked skin. Saw it flash for one instant on the long bladed knife. Now it was terror and revulsion she felt as she recognized what was coming towards her. Her stomach clenched and rolled, and she felt sick. But the figure came closer, glided by a fine sheen of sweat and smelling of madness.
Her pleas couldn't be heard. Thin streams if blood ran down her back and legs as she twisted against the tree. The hands on her squeezing, stroking. And the mouth. Hot, frightened tears, slid down her cheeks as the mouth closed hungrily over her defenseless breasts.
Slick and sweat, the body rubbed against hers, doing things she didn't want to believe could be done to her. Her weeping was mindless now, her body shuddering at every touch of the wet mouth, the intruding fingers inside her, the smooth flat of the buck knife.
She remembered what had happened to Alice and Kayla, and knew they felt the same numb terror, felt the same sick revulsion in the last moments of their lives.
"You want it? You want it?" The breathless chant rolled over the dull buzzing in Gina's brain.
"Whore." The knife turned, slicing delicately, almost painlessly, down Gina's arm. As the mouth closed greedily over the wound, Gina slumped into a half faint.
"No, you don't." A hand slapped playfully across her face to revive her. "No sleeping on the job for whores."
There was a quick, almost giggly laugh. Blood smeared the smiling lips. Gina's glazed eyes opened and fixed.
"Better, that's better. I want you to watch. Ready?"
'Please, please, please," Gina's mind screamed. "Don't kill me. I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell."
"No!" The voice was husky and aroused, and Gina smelled her own fear, her own blood, when that face leaned close to hers, with madness shining out of her eyes she'd known very well.
"You're not worth fucking." One hand ripped aside the gag. Part of pleasure, the need, was to hear that one high scream. It was cut off as the knife slashed Gina's throat.
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Kagome sat straight up in bed, heart beating fast. She was clutching both hands to it, nearly ripping her thin sleep shirt in reaction
"A scream."
Who was screaming? She nearly fell out of the bed and fumbling for the light when she remembered where she was and fell against the pillows. Not Paris, Spain, or New York. She was in Innocence sleeping in the bed her grandparents slept in. Night sounds seemed to fill the room.
Crickets, frogs and owls. She heard another scream, like a woman's.
"Screech owls." She remembered now. Her grandmother had soothed her one night during that long-ago visit when the same rusty cry had awakened her. Closing her eyes, Kagome listened to the owl.
It was just as her grandmother had told her. She was safe here in Innocence.
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Well that was chapter 2. FINALLY! Well sorry that I took so long. Well I'll try to update sooner. I had so much school work to do that I didn't find a good time to write. Since it's summer now, I got nothing to do so I have plenty of time to write. Well thanks for all the people that has reviewed! I love reviews. Please review this story!!! Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. A bit spooky huh. Don't forget to review! I love getting reviews!!
Scarletmoon4