Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Inuyasha. Nor do I own Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Kagome's family, or any of the other copyrighted characters that may or may not appear in this fic. So please don't sue me, and enjoy the story!
Notes: Okay,
I've changed my mind about Kikyo - I think her character is okay now. In the
episode where Inuyasha hugs her and she pulls a knife on him and talks about
how easy to play with men are I think we see this potential side of her personality.
And I hope by the end you'll see that I don't really hate Kikyo - in a way I
even admire her. She's stubborn, cold, independent, and she isn't afraid of
making judgment calls. She's also loyal to what she believes. So enjoy her introduction,
and don't see her as the "bad guy" in this fic - there really isn't
a bad guy here, just a bunch of very different people trying to find a way to
coexist.
Learning to Let Go
Chapter 8: Lose Yourself.
The house they pulled up at was in the city. It was completely different from Kagome's house, though it looked as though its inhabitants were quite wealthy as well. The atmosphere made Inuyasha uneasy, and he glared around him, suddenly wishing he'd stayed at home after all.
Kagome was already at the door, and he heard the distant ring of a doorbell somewhere inside the house. Reluctantly, he followed her up the stairs, pausing behind her as the door opened to reveal a pretty, pixyish, dark-haired girl who looked about Kagome's age.
"Hi Rin!" Kagome said happily.
"Hey Kagome! Come on in," she said. Inuyasha recognized her voice as the one that had been talking to Kagome over the phone. They stepped into the front hallway, and Rin paused expectantly.
Inuyasha's muscles clenched as he realized instantly that Rin might be Kagome's friend, but she also knew the place of a slave. He dropped his eyes instantly and forced himself to kneel, touching the floor at her feet.
"So this is the slave you told me about," Rin said. "That's funny, he looks a lot like Kikyo's slave. I wonder if they're related or something."
He could feel Kagome's curious eyes on him. "What are you doing, Inuyasha?" He gritted his teeth. Didn't the wench know anything?
"Ah Kagome," Rin said, "He's required to do this upon being introduced. It's a sign of servitude. And you haven't given him permission to speak, so he can't answer you. Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you didn't know what to do with a slave, were you?"
Kagome ignored Rin and crouched down next to him. He lifted his head fractionally to meet her eyes though the white hair falling over his own. Her blue-gray ones were concerned and confused as they searched his, which he knew were burning with the indignation and fury that not even the best slave trainers in the world had been able to quench in him. "You can stand up, okay?" she said softly. "And talk."
Slowly he rose to his feet, feeling his tense muscles uncoil and begin to relax. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kagome's friend looking on in bewilderment, but she didn't seem upset or offended by Kagome's unorthodox behavior. His anxiety went down another notch.
"Uhh well, come on Kagome. I have a copy machine upstairs." She took the smaller girl by the arm and began to lead her up the winding staircase.
"But what about Inuyasha?" Kagome said, pausing a little ways up and looking back at him worriedly.
Inuyasha kept his eyes on the floor, as was customary for a slave.
"He'll wait there of course," Rin said, bewildered. "What else would he do? Come on, Kagome, lets hurry up and get this over with so I can start my homework."
"But - " Kagome's protests faded as she was pulled further up the steps.
Inuyasha now thoroughly regretted leaving the house. This had been a stupid idea - he'd thought he could handle it but it seemed that a few days listening to Kagome talk about equality and having her treat him like a person had renewed and strengthened all the aversion and anger that he felt toward slavery.
He forced himself not to fidget, keeping himself distracted by counting the tiny gray tiles that covered the floor of the hallway. Any moment Kagome would be back and then he could leave this strangely disturbing house and -
He froze as his sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps - but not coming from the stairs. These were from the direction of the living room. He didn't move, hoping whoever it was would just continue on and not notice him. But a moment later he was aware of someone standing behind him looking him up and down critically.
"Well what have we here?" a voice said, and it was unfamiliar and cold and sent a shiver of premonition up his spine. This was the voice of the master that he'd been warned about, the cruel, calculating mind of a human who felt no qualms about abusing a slave.
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"Wow, Kagome!" Rin breathed as soon as the two girls were alone. "I've never seen such a good-looking slave. Where did you get him?"
Still unsettled and slightly upset because of the display downstairs, and worried over leaving Inuyasha alone in a strange place, she shrugged distractedly. "I don't know. Some place downtown my aunt took me."
Rin sighed dreamily. "He must be really well trained. You're so lucky!"
Shifting uncomfortably, Kagome silently disagreed. "I don't really think so. I didn't want to buy him, but my aunt wasn't going to let me leave until I did exactly what she wanted, and then she said *she* was going to buy him if I didn't."
"If you didn't want him what would you care what happened to him?" Rin asked curiously.
Kagome frowned, for the first time in her life realizing how disturbingly apathetic everyone seemed when it came to slaves. There was no malice in Rin's voice; she really, sincerely didn't understand where Kagome was coming from. Didn't anyone realize how wrong it was? Was Inuyasha right when he'd said that she was the only one to think that slavery was horrible and inhumane?
"I just felt sorry for him," she defended herself. "He was different from the other slaves there - he was still alive inside."
Some strong emotion flickered across Rin's face. "I know one like that," she said softly. "I guess I understand how you feel now you didn't want to see him broken."
Kagome searched her friend's face, concerned. "Is it Kikyo? Kikyo and Sesshoumaru?"
"Shh!" Rin hissed at her. "Don't call him that here. Kikyo doesn't know I know his name. You aren't supposed to call them by their names, you know," she added reproachfully.
Kagome turned away to put her math homework back in her backpack, deep in thought. "I want to meet him," she said slowly, thoughtfully. "You said he looked like Inuyasha, right? And that he isn't dead inside. Maybe I can help him."
"You can't," Rin said dully. "He's a slave, you know. And he belongs to Kikyo."
"I'd still like to meet him if that's okay with you. Sometime when Kikyo's not around."
Rin shrugged curiously. "I guess so, if you really want to. I'll try to figure out a good time to do it. Kikyo usually leaves on Sunday nights to get her nails done and go out to dinner with her friends. Maybe then."
Kagome nodded slowly. "That sounds good. I should run for now though - I'll talk to you about it later."
"Bye Kagome - good luck with math."
"You too," Kagome said, heading for the stairs. But she was too caught up in other thoughts to really care about schoolwork.
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"What have we here?" The voice continued in a tone that should have been playful, but instead sounded more sinister. "It seems the Higurashi's have excellent taste in slaves despite their lack of experience in the matter." The speaker moved to stand in front of him, and Inuyasha's eyes focused on the dangerous looking spikes on her stilettos as his training kicked in and he knelt to touch the floor at her feet.
She didn't give him permission to rise. The heels pivoted, and she made a purring noise of predatory satisfaction. "You really are a specimen," she observed, and he clamped down on a shudder as he felt the woman's hands trail through his hair, the nails scraping against his scalp - every bit as unnerving and dangerous as his own claws.
"Stand," she barked out, and he rose immediately, hands falling to his sides. "Look up," she ordered, and he did as he was told, staring straight ahead. He'd picked up on the art of looking at someone without actually focusing his eyes on them, and quickly took stock of this woman. She was taller than Rin, and older than both of the other girls. Her hair was thick, dark, and so straight that not a single hair fell out of place around her angular face. She would be considered quite attractive in a classic, utilitarian way. Her eyes, however, were frozen and cruel as a winter ice storm - destructive and filled with elemental power. He'd seen eyes like hers before - in the face of every one of his trainers, his prefects, his instructors.
He felt his conscious mind begin to take shelter.
Her fingers gripped his chin and she tilted his head to observe his profile more carefully before running an appreciative hand down his chest. "Stats?" she all but purred, enjoying the way the golden eyes were slowly becoming more and more blank.
"Inuyasha.
Identification 70969Z. Classification A. Rank 4 in temperament." It was
customary for a slave to list all rankings that were below 10, and Inuyasha's
only aberration was his temper.
"Impressive," the girl murmured. "Open your mouth."
He did as he was told, knowing what was coming next. This was standard procedure during an inspection - indentations on the tongue indicated that a slave was unreceptive to pleasure, biting the tongue to try to repress responses during sex.
"And it looks like you know how to enjoy yourself, too," the woman said, her eyes hooded, telling him that there was no escape. "Maybe you can help me with that"
Her hands moved
lower along his body, and Inuyasha felt a flash of panic before he retreated
into his mind completely. He could no longer feel her hands. All that was left
where he had stood a moment ago was an empty shell that responded to orders.
No one could touch him this way. He couldn't be angry or indignant or disgusted
if he didn't have a self. They couldn't hurt him. No one could hurt him
because he, the hanyou named Inuyasha, didn't really exist anymore.
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I know, I know! Hard place to be forced to stop reading! But what's a drama
without a few cliff-hangers? And I promise that you guys will *really* love
the next two chapters.
