Notes: New character! New character!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Anna Freaks. The original plot line has died a miserable death. The OOC-ness is overpowering. Nothing makes sense anymore.
I will never see the sky the same way
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday and I
Will never cease to fly if held down and
I will always reach too high because I've seen…I've seen
Twilight
Vanessa Carlton
He swung down.
Gong.
From behind him, Kagome watched in approval.
Fabel; 03o
o
o
Inuyasha rinsed the dinner plates.
It was quiet in the small apartment. Kagome was out buying maps and Naraku was just out. No explanation.
He hadn't had received many answers to the questions he had about the man, and he knew better than to ask Naraku himself. The man gave off the strangest aura, and Inuyasha was more than happy to stay out of the elder man's piercing eyes.
All Inuyasha knew that he was staying at the man's apartment indefinitely. Kagome obviously knew and trusted Naraku, but to what extent Inuyasha had yet to find out.
Did he know about…?
"Hey! Inu-kun! I'm baaaack!"
Kagome skipped her way into the kitchen, juggling folded maps as she did so.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "That took awhile. Why'd you go this late at night?"
The girl playfully punched him. "Pack up some bandages, will ya? I've decided to go on a little trip."
The boy only stared. And he had thought nothing else would surprise him anymore…
"Kagome."
"Yes?" She found some chips and stored them in her backpack.
"It's 11:30. Way past normal traveling hours."
"Yes, we have to hurry," she replied airily, scrawling a note to Naraku.
"Where to?"
"Kansai!"
o
o
o
He was dreaming.
Between the fall and the snap of the tiger's jaw, there was a deep, frightening silence.
The young girl stood, head bowed, clasping a small bear-like toy in her arms. Her hands were bloody.
Everyone is gone. Will you leave me too?
Throwing his sheets off him, Sesshomaru bolted up in a panic. The various clocks settled comfortably in his small room ticked, unaware, never stopping.
"The dream again…" he breathed. Tick. Tick. He purposely kept many clocks in his room, to remind him of the sanity he hoped still existed inside him.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Wake up. Get up. Shower. Get dressed. Get coffee. Get ready.
It was routine, but the girl in his dream kept coming back, wanting to interfere with his meticulously arranged days. Sesshomaru hated things he didn't understand, and he certainty did not understand the little girl, standing alone in his thoughts.
The burning sensation inside of him as the contents of his coffee mug swirled in his mouth deepened. The border of the kitchen ended abruptly two feet to the side of the table. It was a pitiful apartment home, just large enough to support the three-person family, but never roomy enough for comfort. A man, swathed in blankets, lay in the next room.
His father, sick. Had been sick. Was sick. Will still be sick. All tenses applied, his father still did not move.
In front of the stove, a young girl turned to sadly watch where her brother's gaze laid. Rin worked up a smile as she took the empty mug from her brother's firm grasp.
"It's alright, Sesshomaru."
Her younger brother only stared at the unmoving body, unwilling to face the soft features hovering over him. "I hate this life. Everyone's forced to work to their deaths, just making enough to survive. We're stuck."
His sister patted his hand absently, mind already set on other household chores. "I don't mind working. It's not like we're in financial difficulty, Sesshomaru. Come on, hurry up and finish your breakfast so that I can do the plates."
Pained, Sesshomaru did as he was told. Tightening his shoelaces, he felt the Rin's gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Do you need some money?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
He hated taking hard-earned money from his sister. She had worked herself for so long, she could no longer see how bleak her future was. She was twenty one, and had no prospect of going further than the housemaid she was.
His father drove him crazy.
Her half-hearted wave unnoticed, Rin tiredly sat on the front step of the apartment door, crossing her hands over her knees as she watched her younger brother walk away. Lately, Sesshomaru had been ignoring her, and when he did speak, she never held her brother's eye for more than a second. He was nineteen, and would turn twenty this year. Was it just a phase, or…maybe he knew. Had she shown too much? Did he feel anguished? Confused?
Hearing her father shift in his sleep, Rin burrowed her head deeper into her arms. Maybe one day she'd tell him. No, she thought firmly, no more waiting.
'I'll tell him today,' she thought, feeling a burden being lifted as her heart burned with a new resolve. 'I'll tell him everything. I don't care what father says, he can't prevent me. Sesshomaru has a right to know.
'I'll tell him how I'm not his sister and how our father is not our father. I'll tell him of his past and the Kakusei. I'll tell him everything I know, as soon as he comes home. I'll tell him…'
Rin faltered, collecting her thoughts as she clenched her fists.
'I'll tell him how much I love him.'
o
o
o
Staring into the shaded glass of the subway train, Sesshomaru watched idly as the rafters and beams of the next stop slid into place. Running a slim hand through his hair to settle out any knots, he watched his own tawny pupils dilate, and then expand in the changing light.
The girl…when did he first start having those dreams?
Not more then a week before had they started. They seemed so familiar, always leaving a bitter taste of nostalgia in his throat. There was something waiting for him. He refused to be tied down by his sick father and unmoving sister, even if he did love Rin so much. Yes, maybe even more so because of his love. Sesshomaru constantly had the sick feeling in his gut that his feelings were too strong, too bold and rash. Everything was wrong, and if he didn't get away now, they'd never quit. His heart felts as though it had entered the hidden hole-entrance of Wonderland and had fallen through upside-down.
It was so completely wrong, wrong wrong wrong. Out of everyone in the world, why was she the one he cared for? How would he ever be able to tell her? He could not care for her. He could not support her. He would never be able to make her happy. He could only limit their relationship and continue distancing himself away from the person he loved most.
His own sister!
The compartment jerked as the train pulled away from the stop. Sesshomaru merely tightened his grip on a rail, but others weren't as stable. A passenger behind him slumped against his shoulder. Sesshomaru waited for the person to back away and apologize. The moment never came.
"Do not turn around."
Immediately, he tensed. There was some strange aura around the voice behind him. Feminine, young. Possibly younger than him. The accent was girlish and impetuous, commanding and haughty, as if used to be being obeyed.
"Excuse me?"
"Maezono Sesshomaru-kun."
So she knew his name. What information did that give him? Almost nothing. He certainty would have more to go on if he could only see her face. Recalling the tinted windows of the tram, Sesshomaru lifted his eyes slowly.
"Don't look."
Too late. He watched idly as the girl darted behind his shoulder.
"I'm Kagome, don't you remember?"
Suddenly, the name tumbled through from the darkest depths of his mind. Mouth worked open in surprise, Sesshomaru mouthed the syllables noiselessly. Kagome, the girl from his dreams! In surprise, he jerked away, not remembering her command. A small hand shot out and prodded him sharply in his side.
He waited, feeling the numbing sensation coursing through his body. Running was now out of the question, it was taking all his strength just to keep upright. Some nerve endings had been bruised. He couldn't move with feeling jolts of electric fire running through his body.
"I told you not to turn around."
"Why not?" His voice smoothly covered the pain. If there was one thing he did not want to, that was to let slip unneeded emotion to this stranger.
"Sesshomaru-kun, do you know the situation you are in?"
"I was not aware we had one."
"The man reading the newspaper- no, don't look- has been shadowing you for some time now."
Once again, the windows provided the easy access. Hmm. Sesshomaru had to admit that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. Whoever the other man was, he was a real amateur. Obvious looks a blind person would've been able to sense kept being thrown his way, and it was only because Sesshomaru had been so caught up in his thoughts that he not noticed them 'til now.
"Why would anyone be shadowing me?"
The girl hid behind his shoulder again, blocking any visual contact. "You don't know anything," she teased, voice muffled against his coat.
"I'd know more if you let on to what -you- obviously do," he replied, exasperation clear.
She only giggled. "Try asking your father. He definitely knows something."
Spinning around, she finally allowed Sesshomaru a quick glance at her. Small and willowy, she barely came up to his shoulder but made up for lack of height with her piercing eyes. Her bangs danced wildly against a soft pale face. Her actions seemed calm and composed, but the shadows that played across her dark eyes were mischievous.
"See ya. We'll meet again."
The sliding doors opened and the intercom announced the new stop.
"Be careful."
Exit.
o
o
o
The empty warehouses turned their gaping eye-sockets to the street.
Sesshomaru took quiet steps down the edge of the sidewalk. He preferred to use the back streets, since in noise comparison, the alleys were more suited to his hearing.
His father? What did his father know? In his knowledge, Sesshomaru could pick out nothing outstanding his father had ever done. The only thing he was sure about his father was that he knew how to sleep. Sesshomaru remembered no mother, and had never cared to ask Rin. Besides, how would she know? He was the elder; if anyone had the chance to remember their mother when she was still alive (not that he could assume she was dead either), it was him.
Suddenly feeling waves of apprehension washing over him, Sesshomaru turned around a corner and pantomimed steps, walking without actually gaining any distance. Quieting his movements, he waited.
True to his instinct, half a minute later he heard steps slowly coming from beyond the building wall. Reaching into his pocket, he flipped out a pocketknife, just in time to meet the blade to the staggered stranger's nose as he turned around the corner.
Carefully examining the stunned look on the man's face, Sesshomaru saw there was no trace of real fear.
"Why are you following me?"
The man immediately flinched and ran off, heels clattering on the sidewalk.
Gritting his teeth with the thought of his sister sitting in the kitchen forlornly, watching the dinner turn cold, Sesshomaru dashed down the street after the man, knife still in hand.
Keeping his eyes focused on the man, Sesshomaru sprinted down the corner, following the man through back ways and alleys, until they ran past an old garage. Following the man into the garage, Sesshomaru immediately berated himself for his mistake.
Instantly, large blurs appeared in the shadows and formed a circle around him. The man following him was nowhere to be seen. As Sesshomaru turned slowly, the light from outside struck the strangely pale faces of the blurs.
Ten or so men encircled him. What he had thought to be a trick of the light turned out to be masks, flimsy plastic ones used as more of a cover than protection. The full face masks had slim openings for the eyes that tilted upwards and snakelike slits for breathing.
And then there was the lizard. A black silhouette of a lizard, limbs outstretched, resting on the forehead of the mask.
Whatever the use of the masks, the overall effect was threatening. Not to mention primarily reptilian.
Seeing as the masked men were starting to come closer, Sesshomaru crouched into a starting stance and flexed his fingers. One unlucky figure took a step forwards, only to meet the full force of Sesshomaru's kick as it went sailing across his midriff. With the frontal attack, the man fell over, clutching his stomach. Grabbing the metal pole that had fallen from the man's grasp, Sesshomaru straightened quickly, this time with a careless smile on his face.
"Who's next?"
Within seconds, three more men were down, and another had his mask split, but not cut off. Another whack sent him sprawling on the ground, neck at a strange angle.
Preparing to do away with more of the men, Sesshomaru froze when he felt something from behind. Turning, he saw the knife hilt that seemed to grow out of his back. In satisfaction, the attacker walked forwards, thinking his prey had been subdued.
Whack. Six down.
But Sesshomaru knew he couldn't last for much longer. Drop-kicking a seventh, he had to stifle a gasp as the knife tore deeper with the movement. Falling to his knees, he tried wrenching out the knife, only sending more pain waves through his body. From the edges of his vision, he saw boots coming closer.
"Don't you listen? I warned you, Sesshomaru-kun."
Suddenly, the heads of three of the men burst into bloody rain. Blood spewed out in all directions, most of it hitting Sesshomaru in the face. The others tried to run, but they were shot in the back. Sesshomaru watched, noting how all bullets found their mark easily. Not one shot was wasted.
There was a soft thump behind him, and then he was joined by the girl from earlier, Kagome.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she sighed, spreading her arms, as if to embrace the atmosphere.
Sesshomaru didn't know whether she was talking about the dead men or the day. It was a nice day, wasn't it? Nice day it was. But the blood…
He fainted.
o
o
o
Inuyasha closed the car door behind him and easily leaped over the railing. He bent over the nearest corpse, admiring the angle at which an arm was bent.
"Messy. How're we supposed to clean this up?"
Kagome shrugged, already making her way to Sesshomaru's limp body. "We aren't. They'll be found soon, so help me carry this guy into the car."
Between the two of them, they were able to stagger back to the small car parked outside.
"Got any idea how to fix the knife?"
Kagome shrugged. "Naraku-san will fix him."
Inuyasha mentally envisioned bandaging the injured man. There really was no way he could unless the knife was out. Keeping a stable hand, he pulled the knife out smoothly and peered at the broken skin.
'I don't think it's too deep…'
He found the bandages in the trunk of the car, and messily applied them, standing back to admire his work.
Kagome winced. "If that's abstract art, it might just make it into the local traveling art show."
"And what do you know about art?"
Kagome proudly pointed to her latest bloody work.
"Tons."
o
o
o
It was the little hand that he first noticed.
As more of the girl appeared, he saw her dress was stained red.
Then, he looked into her eyes and was lost.
"Why is there blood everywhere?"
The girl laughed, a little half-cry.
"Because…everyone is dead."
The young Kagome wept.
Sesshomaru woke up.
o
o
o
There was no ticking.
Wondering if he had finally gone insane, Sesshomaru sat up and regretted the action immediately as his back exploded in pain. Breathing in and out to steady his thoughts, he analyzed the room.
He was in a bed next to a window, which was draped over. On his right, there was a curtain that hid the rest of the room from view.
The curtain was pulled back and a surprised face stared at him.
"Finally, you're awake."
Sesshomaru studied the face carefully, committing each detail to memory. The boy in front of him was younger, around seventeen he guessed. Long, almost girlish bangs hung loosely in front of his face and silver hair drifted past his shoulders. From behind his ridiculous bangs was a startling set of tawny eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Same to you."
Sesshomaru was filled with strong dislike for the boy's sarcastic tone. Working through his dry throat, Sesshomaru asked, "Where's the girl murderer?"
Following the boy's jerked finger, Sesshomaru saw the girl sprawled on a couch, reading a newspaper.
"Good afternoon!" she chirped happily.
"Girl, tell me where I am."
"So bossy, sheesh. You're in an apartment here at Tokyo."
Tokyo? Since when did he live in-!
Rin!
Yanking the covers aside, Sesshomaru grit his teeth against the pain and stumbled off the bed. Too over confident in his actions, he had to catch the side of the bed to prevent himself from falling when his knees buckled.
"Whoa there!" The boy tried to help, but Sesshomaru brushed him off.
"What's the hurry?" the girl asked lazily, setting down her newspaper. "You just got here, are you that anxious to leave?"
Rin. Rin. Rin.
"Girl, I have to leave," he replied, tasting blood where his teeth had clamped into his tongue. "My sister…"
"…is no longer a player in this game."
Seeing Sesshomaru's confused look, Kagome bundled up the newspaper and threw it at him.
"Read the first page."
"I don't have time to-"
"Read it."
Grudgingly, Sesshomaru let go of the bedside and slid to the floor. Picking up the newspaper, his eyes first caught the picture of his sister, then his father. And then the headline.
'Murders in Kyoto.'
If he strained, Sesshomaru could hear beyond the ringing in his ears to Kagome's voice.
"I've had my hands full obtaining you and keeping you here."
The article told of a double murder.
"I couldn't do anything for them."
The caption under his sister's picture lunged out at him.
'Rin Maezono (21). Deceased.'
o
o
o
Notes: Ugh, this took awhile. Um…I'm trying to think of anything that needs clarification…
Okay, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are not related in this story, okay? See, I told you this story would die of OOCness one day…
Sesshomaru loved his sister. His sister is now dead. I don't think he'll have a pairing in this story. Sorry.
Naraku will be explained for later.
The Kakusei will also be elaborated on. Kudos to anyone who actually even caught that. :laughs: No one cares…
Oh, and I changed the title. It just made no sense before, so I'm a little happier.