A/N: Um…I admit this one's a little late in the coming, but having slave-driving teachers does delay you somewhat. Anyways, here's chapter two. Either it'll give you some answers, or make you ponder the mystery until your head explodes.

Disclaimer: Sure, I own Inuyasha. Little green men from Mars also come to abduct me once a month.


Crimson

Chapter 2- Speculations

'A determined individual is the most dangerous thing in the world' -Anonymous

xXx

"Kagome… wake up."

Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes. Though the room was dimly lit, I could still make out the blurred faces that hovered above me. Noticing that I was spread out on the couch, I quickly rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, gazing up blearily into the faces of my comrades. Taking note of their serious expressions, I tried to explain myself before realizing that my throat was parched. A glass of water was pressed against my lips, and I drank from it greedily before facing the people around me.

"Explain." Miroku said tersely, tossing me the morning edition of the newspaper. Blinking in confusion, I quickly scanned the front page. Stifling a loud groan at the bold headlines that spread across the front page, I managed to school my features into a blank mask.

"Well?" Miroku asked, obviously annoyed. Snatching the newspaper out of my hands, he brandished it in front of my face. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The woman sitting to his right shot him an annoyed glare. "Shut the hell up, Miroku. Kagome can speak for herself." Directing her attention at me, Sango smiled encouragingly. "Come on, Kagome. Tell us what happened." I sighed in frustration. "Look guys, I really didn't think that he'd be found so soon."

Miroku stared at me in disbelief. "Look at the headlines, Kagome! 'Homeless Man Finds Butchered Corpse in Alley.' What the hell were we supposed to think? Do you know much trouble you've caused? Hunters are probably—" Sango chose to interfere at that moment, smacking him soundly on the back of the head.

Taking a deep breath, she calmly turned towards me. "You know that I don't like to agree with Miroku, but what on earth were you thinking, Kagome?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "And why did you use that old katana? A gun would have made the kill much cleaner." I looked away sheepishly. "You know what my opinions on those so-called weapons are, Sango." I muttered. Sango shook her head disapprovingly, while Miroku rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Can you at least tell us why you killed him?" Miroku asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. My expression hardened. "You've read the news, Miroku. Bloods are being murdered all over the city." Miroku eyed me skeptically. "And let me guess…you thought he was the killer?" I nodded grimly.

A pregnant pause followed.

"Well, was he?" Sango asked tentatively. I shook my head. "He turned out to be a New-Blood." Miroku inhaled sharply. "A New Blood?" He asked incredulously. I nodded once more. "But there hasn't been any births or turnings for decades…" Sango muttered, trailing off.

Minutes passed by in silence before Miroku abruptly stood up, his chair making a sharp screeching noise against the hardwood floor. He looked down at me, violet eyes clouded with confusion. "Excuse me, ladies. I must find out more about this. If what Kagome says is true, there may be a rogue Blood running around Tokyo." with that ominous statement, he quickly exited the room.

Sango followed him with her gaze, her brown eyes shining with concern.

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, which drew her attention to me once more. She regarded me for a few seconds, before her brows drew together in a frown. "And you," she started, eyeing my disapprovingly, "you should be ashamed of yourself. Shippo found you passed out on the floor, completely covered in blood. Do you know how worried we were?" I squirmed at her matronly tone, having the good sense to appear abashed. "You look rather pale. How long has it been since you've fed, Kagome?" She asked, eyes softening as they regarded my slumped form. I licked my lips nervously. "F-Five weeks." I choked out.

I could almost hear my friend's blood pressure skyrocketing.

"What? Five weeks? My god, Kagome…what were you thinking? By all means, you shouldn't even have been able to walk yesterday, much less chase after another Blood for half the night!"

I gazed up at her pleadingly."You know I hate doing what I have to do, Sango!" I whined, attempting to sound pathetic. "Bullshit!" she spat, glaring down at me. "You have to feed tonight, Kagome. It's for your own good." I wanted to protest, but one look at her expression told me that it would've been useless.

Sighing in defeat, I slumped back against the couch. Sango rolled her eyes in frustration before leaning forward in her chair to face me at eye-level. "Look, Kagome. I know you don't like to feed, but it's been this way for centuries. It's the way of life for our kind." I looked away, trying to tune out her kind words. I couldn't deny it. Even I could feel the weakness in my body after more than a month of fasting.

Sango stood up, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Kagome. Let's get you changed." With a start, I only then realized that I was still dressed in the blood-splattered attire from last night. Allowing Sango to steer me towards one of the many bathrooms in the large mansion, I stared blankly at each closed window that we passed.

Sunlight did not bother our kind at all, although most vampires preferred the night and the shadowed secrets that it held. Indeed, most of the stories that the mortals had spun about us were untrue. Why the hell would we be afraid of crosses and holy water, for crying out loud? Sure, killing a vampire with a wooden stake made sense, but anyone would die if they had that driven through their heart. That book called 'Dracula' really did wonders to our reputation. Ironically enough, the author wrote it after meeting an actual Blood. Not surprisingly, the Blood was killed afterwards.

Vampires were not meant to associate with mortals, and those who did were often subjected to severe punishment.

Memories from long ago suddenly stirred to life. Forcibly shoving them aside, I focused on the priceless paintings and lavish decorations that covered the walls. Money was of little concern when one had lived for over five centuries. Our kind had always tried to remain obscure to the humans around us, but secrets leaked out nonetheless.

To this day, the few mortals that knew about our existence hunted us…tracking us down as though we were common animals, and not the ancient race that had once dominated over them long ago. As the years passed, our numbers dwindled due to their hunts. The mortals…they bred like rodents. Bloods were taken down easily at times, overwhelmed with their numbers.

I sighed as Sango dragged me down yet another darkened hallway. It was really quite pathetic. The few vampires that were still alive today were scattered around the globe, forced into hiding by the ones that they had once thought of as slaves.

Deep in thought, I blinked as Sango suddenly pushed me into a well-lit bathroom. Gritting my teeth at the sudden glare of light, I frowned darkly at Sango, who only shrugged in return. Trying not to take notice of the cold, marble-tiled floor beneath my bare feet, I slowly made my way towards the bathroom mirror.

Reaching over to turn on the faucet, I examined my reflection in the mirror. A pale woman with haunted blue eyes stared back, the dried streaks of blood on her face giving her a wild and untamed look. Tearing my gaze away, I quickly splashed some cold water onto my face. The sight of blood always did have an unnerving effect on me.

Running a hand through my hair, I turned around when the door opened behind me. Sango came in, carrying a set of fresh clothing in her arms. Accepting the clothes that she held out to me, I mumbled a quick 'thanks' before slipping on the sleeveless black shirt that she had bought. Busy pulling on a matching pair of black slacks, I failed to notice her intense gaze as she leaned against the bathroom wall.

"Tell me something, Kagome…" she began, breaking my concentration as I struggled to put on a pair of heavy combat boots. "What?" I growled absently, trying to pull a boot onto my left foot. I could've ripped the damn thing apart if I wanted to, but I never was one to destroy perfectly good objects. Just when I was about to consider shredding the footwear, Sango spoke again. "Kagome…why did you chase that Blood last night, when a hunter may very well be the one who's causing the deaths?" the question definitely caught me by surprise.

Mind reeling, I struggled to come up with a logical answer. "I have yet to see such a skilled hunter." I countered lamely.

Sango arched an eyebrow, regarding me silently. I shifted uncomfortably under her knowing gaze. "Did he…happen to remind you of anyone?" she asked finally. I looked away. My silence was answer enough.

I didn't look up until the door finally closed behind Sango's retreating form.

xXx

My fingers glided over the smooth wooden banister as I made my way down the creaking staircase. The mansion was old when I bought it, but I wasn't looking for a brand new house at that time. I was searching for a home that was situated in a remote area, away from prying eyes.

Stopping in front of the living room, a small smile tilted my lips when I spotted the figure snoring away on the couch. Quietly entering the dimly lit room, I slowly made my way towards the sleeping individual. Grabbing the nearby cushion, I leaned over his slumbering form. Allowing myself a wicked grin, I promptly brought the cushion down on his head.

He woke with a start, sputtering obscenities as he tried to shield himself from the onslaught. Grumbling under his breath, he grabbed the other cushion and started to retaliate. Laughter filled the room, as the friendly spar soon turned into a full-out pillow fight.

Dodging on one of his wild swings, I chuckled heartily as he stumbled past me, struggling to regain his balance. Seizing the opportunity, I playfully brought the cushion down onto his exposed backside.

Shaking my head in amusement, I watched as he finally managed to stand upright, muttering darkly as he attempted to straighten his disheveled locks.

Laughing, I ran over to him, ignoring the wary gleam in his eyes. Deliberately messing up his flaming red hair, I regarded the sullen teenager affectionately. "That should teach you to be on your guard at all times, Shippo." I teased, smirking at the light red cast that settled over his cheekbones.

"I was tired. I stayed up late." He grumbled, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Falling back against the couch, I arched an eyebrow. "Uh huh. And I'm guessing that you watched porn films all night long?"

This time, his face turned bright crimson as he shook his head vigorously. Laughing, I casually waved off his stammered reply. "Relax. I'm just kidding, you know."

Relief flashed through his emerald eyes as he dropped down beside me on the couch, legs spread out in front of him. "Actually, I'm blaming you for turning me into an insomniac. Everyone was worried when I found you passed out on the living room floor last night." His expression turned serious. "Sango told me what happened, you know."

I frowned, annoyed that my so-called friend had already informed everyone regarding last night's events. Giving him a withering glare, I tilted my chin at a stubborn angle. "And now I suppose you're going to rant about how badly I screwed up?" I retorted, eyeing the serious expression that settled over his usually cheerful face. He sighed, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Kagome, I understand why you killed that Blood, but you of all people should know that we never kill for such blatant reasons."

My expression darkened. "Hear me well, Shippo. I did not kill him needlessly." Judging by his expression, I knew that he hadn't believed a single word that I said.

Ignoring the fact that he knew I was lying, I made a final desperate attempt to hide my growing frustration. "Damn it, Shippo! He was a New-Blood. Someone must've turned him, for crying out loud! Besides, there hasn't been a shred of evidence to suggest that a hunter's behind all these killings."

Shippo shifted uncomfortably. "You're the oldest of us, Kagome. You knew the risks when you killed that man. " His eyes narrowed. "You were trying to draw him out, weren't you?"

I turned away, walking briskly towards the door. "Kagome! This thing you're about to do, it's not right! K—"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as I slammed the door shut behind me.

xXx


A/N: Okay, I'm not even bothering to explain myself out of this one. I'll just be honest, and say that I got a little lazy. Anyways, our beloved demon lord should be making an appearance in the next chapter…if I can actually get off the couch long enough to write it, that is. Ah, well. Review or I'll stick my plot bunnies on you. Thanks!

Vonya