Author's Notes: I am back for a little while. Long enough to give you all another chapter. I hope.
College is great, but getting it all down and set in the new routines is rough. The abrupt switch from a family environment into self-sufficiency is one hell of a paradigm shift.
Anyway, I've kept you all waiting long enough, you don't want to hear my chatter. Let's get on with this thing.
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chatper 22- Baby Our Love Will Find a Way
Naraku heaved a sigh and paced a moment. "This isn't easy for me to tell you guys. I never wanted this to get out."
Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Kikyo, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Yura were all seated in the Morimoto home living room, their eyes on the young goth. "We all have stuff like that. But if it's really important we need to know," Shippo said.
"I know, I know," Naraku said raking a hand through his hair. "But that doesn't make it easy... The fact is... The fact is I have ties with Kobes' crime syndicate."
"What?!" Inuyasha bellowed. He had taken the news of the real reason why Kagome had left him hard enough. Naraku knew that this would upset him.
"Let me explain!" Naraku said in his own defense. "When I was thirteen I was a rebel. My parents never gave two fucks about me, it was all just one long drinking game and TV marathon to them. I was able to do pretty much whatever I wanted. And I made a lot of mistakes.
"One night, I started shoplifting. Didn't take long before I got pretty good at it. I learned how to avoid the cameras, move about silently, move with background noise, act casual, sleight of hand. Well... a couple people took interest.
"I was fifteen when a gang approached me after seeing me at work. They wanted to me to do some petty theft for them. Booze, smokes, snacks, and occasionally something bigger. Simple enough, and it got me money. I never really complained.
"A year later, they wanted me present for some drug deals. I thought these guys were just run-aways and drop-outs. I was wrong. They were fencing and pushing drugs for the Kobes. The fact is the Kobes have their syndicate spreading through four cities in this state. They choose to live in this quiet one to avoid drawing attention."
Naraku sighed again and pursed his lips a moment. He never made eye contact with the others. "I was good at what I did. But then you guys came along. I actually felt like I belonged somewhere outside of the syndicate. You guys never had a squeaky clean record, but you were living good. I decided to leave the syndicate and go legit.
"The thing is, if there's anything that the movies got right, it's that a crime syndicate like the one the Kobes run is dependent on loyalty. If I was going to go legit, I had to take an oath of silence. But what I'm doing right now violates that. The whole point was that if I was ever caught, I wouldn't tell. The organization would persist because the loyalty is strong enough that they never give away their own.
"But I'm telling you guys this because right now you need to know. And it would be for the best anyway."
"Well, thanks for telling us," Kirara said, "but how are we going to get Kagome back?"
Naraku gave a nervous half-smile. "Here's where we enter a grey area. I don't know how to get her out, but I do know that once we do, I have enough dirt on the Kobes to have them arrested so fast they'll think they time-warped. The rest of the syndicate will be fine. Oath of silence, like I said."
"Question," Kikyo said. "How will that make things any better? The organization is still there."
"Sort of," Naraku answered. "When I left, one of my contacts was considering challenging the Kobes for leadership, but he knew he couldn't stand up to them. He wants to shift the organization away from the drugs and arms trade and move toward the casino scene. Not quite legit, but damn close."
"Well, I guess that leaves getting Kagome out to be the only problem," Miroku said.
Inyasha had been strangely silent the whole time. Suddenly, his face split into a huge grin. "I just had this really interesting idea. Kirara, you know computers. Do you think you could hack into someone's system?"
"Is the Pope Catholic?" Kirara answered.
"Excellent!" Inuyasha shouted.
"May I ask, dear brother," Sesshoumaru interrupted, "just what is going through that demented head of yours?"
"Only what is possibly the kost brilliant idea I've ever had! Miroku, Shippo, Naraku! You're coming with me! We have work to do!"
Naraku looked to Miroku and Shippo with a lifted eyebrow as Inuyasha bolted up to his room. "I don't know which is scarier," he said, "Inuyasha facing morbid depression, or Inuyasha in the throes of mania."
****************************
A week passed. Kagome dropped down onto her bed sobbing. Koga had apparently decided he was going to continue living off the family trade. And he had just forbade Kagome from going to college. She hadn't even gotten a chance to choose a major yet. There were so many tihngs she could do, but now all the choices, all the things she could have been, were being ripped away from her. It wasn't fair. After contemplating the hopelessness of her situation, he cried herself to sleep.
She awoke some time later feeling no better than before. So this is what a no-win scenario feels like.
Kagome got up to go to her computer, knowing Koga would have left aonther couple messages. Strangely, there was only one this time. "Meet me tonight," it said.
She opened up and perused through the contents. Wait a second, he wanted her to meet him at the O'Crowley Theater? She knew he was nuts, but this was new. It was also a little creepy. What was he planning? Kagome dreaded to have to think about it. But she knew that in the end she had no choice.
Choking back more tears, Kagome dragged herself to the bathroom to get cleaned up. All she could do was get this stage of the nightmare overwith.
****************************
It was 8 PM, and Kagome stood at the side exit to the theater, just like Koga had said. Sure enough, the door was propped open slightly with a small wooden wedge. Swallowing her heart back down, she slipped inside quickly.
It was so dark inside, but there was a light to her right. Tentatively, Kagome made her way toward it. She found herself inside the actual theater, the stage curtain drawn, and the house lights set low. "H-hello?" she called out. "Koga?"
"Not quite," came a voice over the speakers. A familiar voice that made Kagome nearly jump out of her skin with joy and horror.
Spotlight came on and foucsed on the stage, and the curtain drew back. There they were. Inuyasha with his double-neck guitar. Miroku with his bass. Shippo surrounded by his drums. And even Naraku on the right with a synthesizer. "Evening Kagome," Inuyasha said into his microphone. "You're just in time."
Kagome felt her heart pounding. She wanted to see Inuyasha so badly, but she had to stay away from him. She took a step back in fear, but Inuyasha just shook his head and pointed behind her.
Kagome looked back and there was Kikyo shutting the exit behind her. She grinned and wagged a finger at her sister. "Now, now, Kagome. It's very rude to leave before the show even starts."
"Indeed," came a voice from Kagome's side. She wheeled around to see Sesshoumaru blocking the other exit. "We went through all the trouble of getting you here. The least you can do is watch."
Kagome looked desperately to the emergency exits. But sure enough, Sango and Yura already had those covered. "The boys have been practicing this routine all week," Sango said.
"And Kirara not only hacked Koga's computer to send you that fake e-mail, but was also nice enough to do a light show for the boys' little concert," Yura added.
"Just have a seat, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "You get front row center. And I promise after this is done, you'll feel better."
Swallowing audibly, Kagome realized there was no way she was getting out of this one. She slowly went to the front row and took her seat in the center, looking up at the band expectantly.
"I'm here to tell you a story..." Inuyasha began.
Author's Notes: And another cliffhanger. Am I using too many of these?
Anyway, since I still have lots of time, I just might be able to finish the next chapter before I leave for college again. I not, mid-December you cna expect to see it. And an epilogue not long after.
The next one will be very heavy on the songs. So let's hope the damn site can fix the little problem with double-spacing everything when I don't want it to by then.
College is great, but getting it all down and set in the new routines is rough. The abrupt switch from a family environment into self-sufficiency is one hell of a paradigm shift.
Anyway, I've kept you all waiting long enough, you don't want to hear my chatter. Let's get on with this thing.
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chatper 22- Baby Our Love Will Find a Way
Naraku heaved a sigh and paced a moment. "This isn't easy for me to tell you guys. I never wanted this to get out."
Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Kikyo, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Yura were all seated in the Morimoto home living room, their eyes on the young goth. "We all have stuff like that. But if it's really important we need to know," Shippo said.
"I know, I know," Naraku said raking a hand through his hair. "But that doesn't make it easy... The fact is... The fact is I have ties with Kobes' crime syndicate."
"What?!" Inuyasha bellowed. He had taken the news of the real reason why Kagome had left him hard enough. Naraku knew that this would upset him.
"Let me explain!" Naraku said in his own defense. "When I was thirteen I was a rebel. My parents never gave two fucks about me, it was all just one long drinking game and TV marathon to them. I was able to do pretty much whatever I wanted. And I made a lot of mistakes.
"One night, I started shoplifting. Didn't take long before I got pretty good at it. I learned how to avoid the cameras, move about silently, move with background noise, act casual, sleight of hand. Well... a couple people took interest.
"I was fifteen when a gang approached me after seeing me at work. They wanted to me to do some petty theft for them. Booze, smokes, snacks, and occasionally something bigger. Simple enough, and it got me money. I never really complained.
"A year later, they wanted me present for some drug deals. I thought these guys were just run-aways and drop-outs. I was wrong. They were fencing and pushing drugs for the Kobes. The fact is the Kobes have their syndicate spreading through four cities in this state. They choose to live in this quiet one to avoid drawing attention."
Naraku sighed again and pursed his lips a moment. He never made eye contact with the others. "I was good at what I did. But then you guys came along. I actually felt like I belonged somewhere outside of the syndicate. You guys never had a squeaky clean record, but you were living good. I decided to leave the syndicate and go legit.
"The thing is, if there's anything that the movies got right, it's that a crime syndicate like the one the Kobes run is dependent on loyalty. If I was going to go legit, I had to take an oath of silence. But what I'm doing right now violates that. The whole point was that if I was ever caught, I wouldn't tell. The organization would persist because the loyalty is strong enough that they never give away their own.
"But I'm telling you guys this because right now you need to know. And it would be for the best anyway."
"Well, thanks for telling us," Kirara said, "but how are we going to get Kagome back?"
Naraku gave a nervous half-smile. "Here's where we enter a grey area. I don't know how to get her out, but I do know that once we do, I have enough dirt on the Kobes to have them arrested so fast they'll think they time-warped. The rest of the syndicate will be fine. Oath of silence, like I said."
"Question," Kikyo said. "How will that make things any better? The organization is still there."
"Sort of," Naraku answered. "When I left, one of my contacts was considering challenging the Kobes for leadership, but he knew he couldn't stand up to them. He wants to shift the organization away from the drugs and arms trade and move toward the casino scene. Not quite legit, but damn close."
"Well, I guess that leaves getting Kagome out to be the only problem," Miroku said.
Inyasha had been strangely silent the whole time. Suddenly, his face split into a huge grin. "I just had this really interesting idea. Kirara, you know computers. Do you think you could hack into someone's system?"
"Is the Pope Catholic?" Kirara answered.
"Excellent!" Inuyasha shouted.
"May I ask, dear brother," Sesshoumaru interrupted, "just what is going through that demented head of yours?"
"Only what is possibly the kost brilliant idea I've ever had! Miroku, Shippo, Naraku! You're coming with me! We have work to do!"
Naraku looked to Miroku and Shippo with a lifted eyebrow as Inuyasha bolted up to his room. "I don't know which is scarier," he said, "Inuyasha facing morbid depression, or Inuyasha in the throes of mania."
****************************
A week passed. Kagome dropped down onto her bed sobbing. Koga had apparently decided he was going to continue living off the family trade. And he had just forbade Kagome from going to college. She hadn't even gotten a chance to choose a major yet. There were so many tihngs she could do, but now all the choices, all the things she could have been, were being ripped away from her. It wasn't fair. After contemplating the hopelessness of her situation, he cried herself to sleep.
She awoke some time later feeling no better than before. So this is what a no-win scenario feels like.
Kagome got up to go to her computer, knowing Koga would have left aonther couple messages. Strangely, there was only one this time. "Meet me tonight," it said.
She opened up and perused through the contents. Wait a second, he wanted her to meet him at the O'Crowley Theater? She knew he was nuts, but this was new. It was also a little creepy. What was he planning? Kagome dreaded to have to think about it. But she knew that in the end she had no choice.
Choking back more tears, Kagome dragged herself to the bathroom to get cleaned up. All she could do was get this stage of the nightmare overwith.
****************************
It was 8 PM, and Kagome stood at the side exit to the theater, just like Koga had said. Sure enough, the door was propped open slightly with a small wooden wedge. Swallowing her heart back down, she slipped inside quickly.
It was so dark inside, but there was a light to her right. Tentatively, Kagome made her way toward it. She found herself inside the actual theater, the stage curtain drawn, and the house lights set low. "H-hello?" she called out. "Koga?"
"Not quite," came a voice over the speakers. A familiar voice that made Kagome nearly jump out of her skin with joy and horror.
Spotlight came on and foucsed on the stage, and the curtain drew back. There they were. Inuyasha with his double-neck guitar. Miroku with his bass. Shippo surrounded by his drums. And even Naraku on the right with a synthesizer. "Evening Kagome," Inuyasha said into his microphone. "You're just in time."
Kagome felt her heart pounding. She wanted to see Inuyasha so badly, but she had to stay away from him. She took a step back in fear, but Inuyasha just shook his head and pointed behind her.
Kagome looked back and there was Kikyo shutting the exit behind her. She grinned and wagged a finger at her sister. "Now, now, Kagome. It's very rude to leave before the show even starts."
"Indeed," came a voice from Kagome's side. She wheeled around to see Sesshoumaru blocking the other exit. "We went through all the trouble of getting you here. The least you can do is watch."
Kagome looked desperately to the emergency exits. But sure enough, Sango and Yura already had those covered. "The boys have been practicing this routine all week," Sango said.
"And Kirara not only hacked Koga's computer to send you that fake e-mail, but was also nice enough to do a light show for the boys' little concert," Yura added.
"Just have a seat, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "You get front row center. And I promise after this is done, you'll feel better."
Swallowing audibly, Kagome realized there was no way she was getting out of this one. She slowly went to the front row and took her seat in the center, looking up at the band expectantly.
"I'm here to tell you a story..." Inuyasha began.
Author's Notes: And another cliffhanger. Am I using too many of these?
Anyway, since I still have lots of time, I just might be able to finish the next chapter before I leave for college again. I not, mid-December you cna expect to see it. And an epilogue not long after.
The next one will be very heavy on the songs. So let's hope the damn site can fix the little problem with double-spacing everything when I don't want it to by then.