I did reviewer's response this time!! It's actually rather long. So try to find your name here, or otherwise scroll down to start the chapter.
Wakadori Ramen – Don't worry, chill, I'll give an extension if I finish too early. I understand how hard it is to write. Oh, and have I mentioned lately that you're my favorite reviewer? LOL. Can't wait to hear from you.
Trevor – I was sputtering after reading your review. "make some more". LOL. You made it seem like I was cooking. Yup, add a little bit nouns, some spicy adjectives, along with a few sizzling verbs, and to top it off with a couple of adverbs for color... bam! Here's chapter 16 of Bodyguards.
Esther – My godsister has your name, or maybe you have her name... I dunno, I'm so sleepy. Fluff scene? Of course! A good fight scene has to be followed by a good fluff scene. Well, it's actually really short. But I'll make it up to you guys next time.
Crow T R0bot – Do you purposely spell your name that way? Anyway, I was laughing on the floor after I read your review. (The P.S. part). I mean, speaking from a native Chinese's point of view, I must agree with you. The whole Nanking thing was really messed up. But my Japanese teacher said that next year we'll be talking about it in class. It's gonna be awkward. Anyway, I almost forgot about that art teacher, thanks for reminding me. I might have to have her abuse Miroku and Inu-chan again, so be prepared. Heehee.
LadyJinxr - *head spinning from your questions* Haha, I really don't know how to answer them except to tell you to wait and see. I have no idea myself. I'm the writer, and yet at the same time I'm also the reader. I have to admit that I have absolutely nothing planned, maybe except how badly I can fail my physics final. So, you asked the same questions I have to ask myself. Keep reading and keep reviewing!!!
Kibethan – Yes, I really am in the 11th grade, can't you tell from my insane babbles about physics and college? And don't think I'm this wonderful writer or anything, because I admit that I suck. Heh. I really can't write at all. If you read other great fics, like the ones by Rosefire1, you'll never want to read my fics again.
????????????????????? – I just had to reply to your review. Just so I can be sure that I got the correct number of question marks. I counted 21!
Miko Sakura-sama – Thanks a bunch for understanding. I'm actually becoming bald (major hair loss) from stress in school. AHH!!! I'm going to be a 16-year-old bald lady!!! NOOOO!!!
Hekele Masuyo – I love your comments. But then again, I must be humble and say that I am certainly not the only authors who can write long chapters. Nor is Bodyguards the "best Inuyasha fic". And sorry I can't read our fic. I just don't have time. I haven't had time to breathe lately. Have 7 finals in total... *sigh* anyway, keep reading, don't stop reviewing, and I'll just keep babbling. BABBLE!!!
LuckyInu17 – lol. Why does everyone call me "child", even the people who don't even know me? I'm almost 17. I'm actually 18 in Chinese years because the Lunar New Year just passed. Ha! I'm no child... *sniff* *sucks on pacifier* Yes, disturbing image, isn't it?
Kitsune fire – HAH!!! *cough* I'm sorry, I just had to do that. Um, I think when Rumiko Tahakashi said "new moon", she was going by the lunar calendar. And in the lunar calendar, the new moon decides the first day of each month. If you have a Chinese calendar, you can see that September 26th of 2003 in the solar calendar was not only a new moon, it was also the first of September in the lunar calendar. The entire lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. So trust me when I say that the new moon always lands on the first day of every month, just not the way Westerners see it.
Mara – You and your funny ideas. LOL. Anyways, Tasukete means "help".
Dork in Training – I still find it hard to believe that people would actually like Sess and Rin's OCCness. I admit I was not in the right state of mind when I wrote those chapters. I think the stress of AP Chemistry and Physics killed my brain cells. But thanks for being so supportive!
Kakashi – Ahhh, thanks so much. I didn't realize that. I changed it, but I refuse to put Roumaji simply because my Japanese teacher uses Roomaji, with the double "o". And for reasons unknown to me, my first year textbook never stresses on the long "o" when they write in Romaji. Actually, we stopped using Romaji after the first year's book. Pure Hiragana, Katakana and my favorite: Kanji!
DarkFencer – I know!!! I know!!! I know!!! *sigh* I know...
GirlLoki – Yes, that is in fact how you spell perfection.
SilverWaters – Wow, you know how to use a kanji dictionary!! *applaud* taking Japanese? Native?? I love kanji dictionaries, they're so thick... Yes, I'm odd in case you haven't noticed.
MK – This trails from what I wrote to Kakashi. As a very serious student who is taking Japanese, I simply refuse to write out Japanese as the way English people say it. I'm actually quite proud of my ability to pronounce Japanese correctly. So there is no way that I'll write "domo". And about the long "o". Even though when it's written in hiragana, it's "doumo" (or "o" followed by a dash), they don't actually pronounce it as "do" "u" and then "mo". It's just "doomo", with the "o" stretched out. And I find it interesting how they almost omit the particle "o" during conversations. Like how "benkyoo o shimasu" actually sound like "benkyoo shimasu". And so I'll just write thank you as "doomo arigatoo gozaimasu" because that's simply how they pronounce it. And I think it's better for English readers to get a sense of what Japanese sounds like, especially when they're interested in learning it. I mean, I wouldn't want people to go to Japan and say "do-u-mo".
CowNapkin – Waddup! Worrrrrrd!!! *shakes head*.
Kaye – Hehe, thanks. I wouldn't say that grammar and typos aren't important, because they really are. I care about them too (especially when it comes to anything that concerns school). But I'm not getting paid to write fanfiction. And my grades are slipping as it is. So... F**k it. *glares at Kaye's sister too though I don't know why*
Orion Kohaishu - *eyes sparkle too* Everyone enjoys a good fluff scene. Hehe, thought it's not really fluff. My friend actually cracked up after reading that part.
Ryuuyasha- A bullet, oh mighty dragon-sama, I wouldn't want my Inu-chan to suffer!! Kagome can take an arrow any time for Inu-chan for all I care (referring to second movie). I mean, I love Kagome and all, but I love Inu-chan even more!
Randomunit02 – Take that back!!!! I know you don't hate me. I mean, just look at my cute face! #_#
Ilia – Aww, thanks so much for your words of... I guess the correct word here would be agreement. I actually didn't think of that! Oh, and careful not to wake the parents, they can get pretty nasty.
D3 - *sigh* I don't wanna ruin it for ya, but it's also kinda obvious. He's going to observe Mikagi Toji because he feels the need to help Inuyasha protect Kagome so that Inuyasha and his friends can go back and fix history.
Sachi- Kohana – Wohoo!!! I actually have no response for those wonderful words of praise except... I really suck at writing in case you haven't noticed. I swear to kami-sama, I can't write!! I just... I dunno... get drunk?
Kin103 – you mentioned math regents, are you a New Yorker too? 'Cause only New York has regents. Just wondering...
StarsInTheSkies – LoL, Mandarin people rule!!! Am I leaving a "mark"? You made me sound like a dog that pees on a fire hydrant to... okay, let's not go there. Hehe.
Fireblade K'Chona – Nope, it's definitely Tessaiga, I used the direct Romaji off the Hiragana. Tetsuagai or whatever you use is from the English version, probably CN, but it's no doubt Tessaiga, I bet my life on it.
Anantsu – Umm.. thanx… lol, I think.
^_^ God bless PCP. (Not really. Drugs are bad!!! Don't take drugs!!! Say no to drugs!!! If you take drugs then I'm warning you that I might have to yell at you if I find out).
Chapter 16: Never Been Vulnerable
Marusato's body was soaked in the rain. But he also feared Mikagi Toji's wrath and didn't dare ask to be accepted into the warm and dry limousine. Behind him, the limo followed cautiously. He heard that girl's scream just seconds ago. They were close. Surely, some of their men must be torturing that girl at the moment. He took the lead and ran in the rain while Toji's limo driver followed obediently.
Marusato pondered as he ran ahead. Why would so many grownups fear an eighteen-year-old? Mikagi Jouji was the Tokyo school chancellor, he had power, and everyone understood that. The two children's mother passed away more than ten years ago. And their father had always been busy with work. But that wasn't an excuse. To Marusato's knowledge, Toji received no punishment whatsoever for almost killing that guy back in his private school. And surely his father knew about his tyrannous reign. What kind of father would spoil his children to such extend?
Marusato enjoyed the respect he received in school. Actually, fear was more like it. He was Mikagi Toji's right hand man, a member of the "elite circle". Little did those students know that Toji treated him like absolute crap when other people weren't around.
Marusato stopped running. They approached a narrow path and the limo wasn't able to get through. Furthermore, he had led the limo to a garbage dump. Was the Higurashi girl so stupid that she ran into such a foul place for security?
The limo door clicked and opened. Mikagi Toji stepped out with an umbrella in hand. He growled at the driver and told him to drive back. Akiko and Sonoko were still inside.
The teen approached his henchman and squinted to see into the dark alleyway. "Is she in there?" He asked, not happy at all to have to be in contact with a garbage dump. The smell just might taint his beautiful uniform.
"I think so," Marusato answered promptly. Though Toji was right next to him, the teen didn't share the umbrella, so Marusato was still left in the rain. "I heard her scream just earlier, maybe..."
Toji ignored the rest of Marusato's "report" and took a step forward. His trained ears have already detected the faint sound of flesh against flesh through the heavy rain and thunder. Just a few more feet, and he would be able to see his henchmen beat the crap out of that Higurashi girl, the girl that had been a thorn in his sister's side ever since Akiko first laid eyes on her.
It was a satisfying thought.
Toji took confident steps and Marusato followed behind like a giant mole rat. The sound of a groan reach Toji's ears and he smiled. He was surprised that the Higurashi girl wasn't screaming aloud at her torture.
Toji made a right turn and suddenly stopped. Five feet in front of him, the Higurashi girl hid behind an angry Yamaguchi Kappei, they stood at the opening of another alleyway and kept their eyes on something that was still hidden from Toji, but it didn't take Higurashi long to perceive Toji's presence.
Yamaguchi sensed the girl behind him suddenly stiffened. Soon her nails dug into his thin spring uniform. "Higurashi-san, what's..." Yamaguchi's own body tensed as well when he noticed Toji and Marusato. Mikagi Toji was a little shocked for some reason. Yamaguchi shifted his body and arm protectively. Inuyasha entrusted Kagome to him, and he wasn't going to let the guy down.
But before Toji regained enough composure to launch any kind of attack, a body flew out of the small alleyway that Yamaguchi was guarding. It was Taichi.
Taichi's head made contact with a wall. Blood oozed out of the back of his head and he let out a small groan just before he passed out completely. Kagome gave a small squeak and took two steps back.
Realization dawned on Toji'. Yamaguchi and someone found Kagome somehow and protected her from harm. Taichi was knocked out, and judging from the number of bruises on the guy's face, the fight had been on for a few minutes now. Taichi just received his black belt, he was the captain of the school karate team. In order to injure the guy so badly, his opponent must have had considerate skill. One name popped into Mikagi Toji's mind:
Inuyasha...
Toji passed his umbrella to Marusato and advanced toward Taichi's fallen body. But he sensed a swift moment from the corner of his eye and jumped back immediately. In front of him, Ukiyo, another one of his men was thrown against the wall as well. Ukiyo's body fell on top of Taichi's, both went out like candles in the wind.
"Bastard..."
Toji's self-alarm mechanism switched into full alert as a menacing growl echoed in the howling wind. He didn't need to turn his head to know that a punch was about to make contact with his precious head. Toji quickly bent his body a quarter forward and dodged the attack. A hint of silver was all he saw before someone's knee made contact with his stomach. The sudden hit sent Toji flying backward. Marusato quickly abandoned the umbrella in his hand to catch his boss.
Toji's behind fell hard on the cement ground. The rain didn't let up and everyone in sight was drenched. There was an eerie silence for a minute when Toji was slowly taking in the fact that Inuyasha had just kneed him in the stomach. Even the gods seemed to have noticed the tension and didn't dare sound their thunderclaps.
But Marusato was probably the most nervous of them all.
The silence was disturbed as Toji finally regained self-control and began to laugh. Toji's sudden laughter rang clearly as a wolf's howl on a full moon. It was a dry laugh, one which sent creeps down Marusato's spine.
Toji was never a happy man. He always smiled but Marusato and their friends knew that he was never truly happy. The guys hung out and poked fun at everyone around them and they shared a couple of good laughs. But their leader always stood close with a calm smile plastered on his face. The only times that Toji truly smiled was when he was around his little sister. Other times, a laughing Mikagi Toji meant someone was about to get hurt...
Inuyasha and everyone around him had no time to react as Toji suddenly stopped his demented laughter and launched forward to the hanyou with a rolled up fist. Good thing Inuyasha didn't let his guards down and jumped out of the way.
Yamaguchi was incredibly tense. Mikagi Toji was the best fighter he ever knew. He didn't want to imagine his new friend getting hurt. But from what he saw earlier, Inuyasha made a formidable opponent. For now, it was his duty to protect Kagome so Inuyasha could fight with ease...
...Though the look on Inuyasha's face was anything but ease.
Kagome, on the other hand, was more worried about Toji's safety. After all, Inuyasha had a reputation for sending humans out of commission back in the Sengoku Jidai. She might have wanted to see Inuyasha hurt Toji a little, but she knew that if she doesn't stop Inuyasha in time, he might just go all out and kill the guy.
"Assistance in homicide" was the last thing she wanted on her permanent record.
Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome's worried look. He had vented some of his anger on Tachi and the other body on the ground, but Toji was a different story. Even though Inuyasha often tried to refrain himself from killing any humans, taking out this guy would definitely make his day.
And so with that thought, Inuyasha returned Toji's attack with twice the energy and speed.
Once again Toji barely had time to react. He threw his right arm for a block and felt Inuyasha's fist make contact with his elbow. The pain crawled up his arm and numbed his entire right side.
'Is this guy human?'
Toji didn't waste any more time on thoughts. Inuyasha was already throwing out his other fist, and Toji knew that if he wanted to keep his arm, he would've had to dodge instead of block.
Running away was never a part of Mikagi Toji's life philosophy, but it seemed like a smart thing to do at the moment. Inuyasha's movements were eccentric, and his punches came at an incredible speed. Toji had been studying martial arts for years, and he had yet to see something so extraordinary. If they weren't having a brawl, Toji would've considered a serious conversation with Inuyasha about martial arts.
Toji had no chance to duck this time as Inuyasha gave two consecutive blows, one at his head, and the other at his chest. Toji shifted his body to the right just in time to avoid that deadly blow to his head, but Inuyasha's punch successfully landed on his chest, too close to his heart for comfort.
Toji's body fell backwards and he even surprised himself that he still stood. He clamped a hand to where Inuyasha's punch landed and felt a sickening ooze climb up his esophagus.
The disgusting feeling made Toji's stomach churn. He covered his mouth with his other hand and gave a hacking cough. As he removed his hand, Toji noticed a big blot of blood in the center of his palm. But his attention was quickly drawn away by the sharp pain that emanated from his chest. He took a second to wonder how many of his rib bones Inuyasha managed to break in one punch.
It was then Toji realize that he was actually losing a fight.
^_~
Mikagi Akiko twirled a strand of her long hair absent-mindedly. Next to her, Sonoko was chatting away about something again but she had tuned out long ago. Her brother was gone too long, it wasn't like him to delay something so simple.
Akiko's pondering was interrupted by a gentle knock at her car door. She scrolled down the opaque window and expected to find her brother there.
"Oh, it's just you." Akiko recognized the muscular boy as one of her brother's underlings. His name was Dai-something. "Where's my brother?"
"Hey, Daisuke-kun!" Sonoko noticed the boy's arrival and gave a rather loud greeting. Akiko also noticed that Sonoko's skirt just went up a few inches on her lap.
Daisuke grinned crookedly and nodded at Sonoko. Akiko was ready to throw up at their flirting antics.
"Suck face later, you two. Where's my brother? Aren't they done yet?"
"Sorry, Akiko-san, we couldn't find them."
"Idiot!" Akiko spat out. She then grabbed an umbrella from under her feet and exited the limo. "I'll find them. Useless..."
"But Akiko-san, it's raining..."
"I know!!! But I can't leave it up to you idiots, now can I?" Akiko stomped away angrily muttering "Worthless idiots" every so often. 'I heard Marusato mentioned something about a garbage dump. Great, now all I have to do is follow the smell.'
^_~
Inuyasha couldn't remember doing anything as satisfying as beating up Mikagi Toji. The smell of Toji's blood reached his nostrils and Inuyasha was tempted to make him bleed even more. So he barely felt anything when Kagome grabbed him uniform sleeve and begged him to stop.
"That's enough, Inuyasha. You're going to kill him!" Kagome's plead was lost in the heavy rain. Inuyasha's blood still boiled. He couldn't stop just yet, after all, Toji was still standing.
Inuyasha snatched Kagome's hands off his jacket and pushed the girl back into Yamaguchi's arms. "Don't watch this, Kagome" was all he said before he shot forward once more.
"NO!!"
Inuyasha's almost deadly attack was stopped midway by a body slam from Toji's ever faithful second-in-command. Marusato threw his entire body against Inuyasha. To the experienced hanyou, Marusato's attack came way too slow for him to bother. So instead of dodging it, Inuyasha simply changed arms and directed the punch to Marusato's neck. The oaf landed on the ground so suddenly that he didn't even have a chance to grunt.
Inuyasha smirked as Marusato's eyes closed. The guy was still alive, Inuyasha didn't deliver a hard blow, but he wouldn't be surprised if the guy slept for a few days straight.
"Your guy is stupid." Inuyasha said half-amusingly.
Toji glanced at Marusato's body with a hand over his chest and gnarled disgustingly. "I agree. This fight isn't over yet, Inuyasha."
"I know."
Inuyasha knew Toji didn't have any stamina left to withstand another direct blow, and he didn't really want to kill him. But if Toji insisted on fighting, he wasn't going to back down either. But so far, his attacks only made contact with Toji's body twice, and Inuyasha wasn't even panting.
Toji, on the other hand, couldn't even breathe because of his broken ribs. He knew too that he couldn't stand it any longer and if he attempted to move his upper body, the pain alone can make him unconscious.
"Son of a..." Toji dashed forward with an impressive speed and stopped just in time to send a high kick to Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha didn't even blink as he jumped high into the air and spun around in a full circle. With the momentum he gathered from his jump, Inuyasha delivered his final kick in midair, straight at Toji's head.
Toji stumbled backwards for a few steps and finally fell. He thought his neck was going to break from Inuyasha's kick. His eyes flashed for a second just before darkness devoured him.
Rain splattered down on his already soaked body. Each drop was like a small bullet that penetrated deep into his skin. He wanted to get up, he wanted to move so badly. But something held him down, or someone, he couldn't really tell.
There was a voice, a female's voice. Was it the Higurashi girl? "Stop it, Inuyasha." She was probably begging her boyfriend to spare his life. She always played the good girl. Everyone in school thought Higurashi Kagome was the kindest and prettiest girl. But Toji knew better. No one could come close to his little sister.
Another rain drop landed on his forehead, but it was warm. No, it wasn't rain, and the voice didn't belong to Higurashi.
Toji opened his eyes frantically and saw the blurry figure of Akiko floating just above his head. 'She's crying...' Inuyasha must've punched him again because his heart was throbbing.
Inuyasha was yelling something, probably calling him a bastard for ambushing his precious little girlfriend. Toji felt Akiko's arm around his neck. And soon, everything around him became quiet. He heard the sound of footsteps fade away into the rainy night. His conscious slipped away once more and the last thing he heard was the sound of Akiko's cell phone.
All the while, her tears continued to dampen his face.
-_-
Kagome finally stopped shivering. The rain continued and the wind still blew, but she was well protected in Inuyasha's jacket. The hanyou kept a tight grasp of her thighs as he zoomed through the rooftops with her body stuck to his. They said good bye to Yamaguchi a while back, and now they were going to head back to Kagome's house.
"Thank you, Inuyasha..."
"I won't let him hurt you again."
"No," Kagome sighed, "I mean, thanks for not killing Toji."
Inuyasha would've shrugged if he was in a more comfortable position. "His sister practically begged for me to let them go. What else could I have done?"
"You were going to stop though, after that punch to his chest. If Toji didn't charge at you, you would've never kicked him in the head. And you could've hurt him so much worse..."
"... I guess..."
The Higurashi shrine was coming into view. Kagome sighed one last time and dug her head into the crook of Inuyasha's neck.
"I love you, Inuyasha."
The hanyou didn't say anything. But as always, silence is golden...
^_^
Toji groaned and slumped against his sister's body. The two siblings looked at each other expectedly. Their limo driver had helped Toji into the limo and drove them back home. He even half carried Toji up the steps of the front door. But as a servant, that was as far as he was willing to go. So now the two siblings stood alone in front of the door, both too afraid to ring the bell.
Finally, Akiko decided to knock instead of ring. She tapped on the oak door gently. The door opened only a second later and their butler's solemn face appeared before him.
"Welcome home, young master, young miss, the master is waiting for you in the TV room." The old man took a step back and allowed them to enter.
Toji shifted his feet forward. Akiko stood half a step behind him in case he got into a dizzy spell. It wasn't like their father to stay up and wait for them. Something was wrong. The siblings made their way through the long hall and finally made a right turn into the extravagant TV room.
Mikagi Jouji was a man in his mid 40's. He was rather tall and buff for a Japanese man, and his thick beard gave him the image of a medieval European king. He was a stern man to his staff, and expected the same amount of dedication to his job from his seniors. Overall, he was a respected man in his social circle, and a feared one every where else.
"Where have you been?" His voice was even gruffer than his appearance.
Toji frowned. His father had never cared for his whereabouts before, why start now? "Out." He said nonchalantly and as calmly as possible. But besides him, he felt Akiko shiver.
"Why didn't you pick up your cell phone?"
Toji had nearly forgotten about his phone. How can he still focus on some material object when his ribs were broken? "Bad connection, it's raining pretty hard out..."
"Don't give me that!!" Jouji's temper just increased to another level. "Do you know who was here tonight?! Musashi Shinichi, the richest man in the world!! And guess what, he sent his card this afternoon and requested a family dinner. I promised the man that my two children would be here. And you've let me down again!!"
Toji flinched at his father's volume level. "Sorry, father, I was..."
"Did you get into another fight?! Oh, hell, and you're bleeding... stand up straight!! Why can't you stand up straight?!! Be a man, you weakling, don't crouch!"
"BECAUSE I BROKE MY FRIGGIN' RIBS, OKAY!?!?!"
Jouji stared into his son's eyes with surprise and disgust. "You broke your ribs... 15 years in karate school and you still managed to break your ribs in a stupid school fight! You know what, Toji, I was right, you're worthless! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!!" Jouji grabbed a vase from a nearby stand and chucked it toward Toji and Akiko's direction, the vase missed the two by a foot and smashed into pieces onto the floor.
"Father, it's not his fault! The guy was..." Akiko actually dared to take a step forward to defend her brother. But she soon realized her mistake and froze on the spot.
Mikagi Jouji's words came calmly and softly at the beginning, but every word concealed its hidden daggers. "What did you call me? You piece of trash, who gave you permission to call me 'father'? Need I remind you the rules of this house, you stupid girl? HOW MANY TIMES MUST I REPEAT MYSELF!!"
Jouji launched forward and grabbed a handful of Akiko's hair. The girl screamed out in pain and her hands flew up instinctively to protect her scalp.
"Father, don't hurt her!" Toji would've intervened, but his injured ribs prevented any swift movements. Jouji's other free hand swung freely in the air and connected with Toji's right cheek. The already staggering teen finally lost his balance and fell sideways onto the couch.
All the while, Jouji had his firm grasp on Akiko's hair and was dragging her away from the TV room. "Go to your room, you stupid, worthless piece of shit! Go to your room and think over how grateful you should be to me! Once you're 18, you're out of here. Damn that bitch for bringing you in. I fed you and clothed you for 16 years, and you and that worthless crap over there can't even show up for a simple business dinner of mine. Why do I still need you, huh? Tell me, huh?!"
Akiko finally stopped her attempt to save her hair. Instead she reached out both of her arms in the direction of the TV room. In between her sorrowful sobs, she called for the only person that still cared for her...
Toji struggled to get a hold on the sofa arms. He pushed against the couch and attempted to get up. His sister needed him, he couldn't let her down.
But he felt useless at that moment. The pain from his ribs and head spread throughout his entire body. Darkness took over again and Mikagi Toji was lost to the world.
**********
Wow, that took me a while. I actually wanted to make it longer, but heck, 8 pages is good enough for now. And this chapter was actually really complicated and just impossible to put into words.
Anyways, looking forward to your reviews as usual.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!